An investment in expert teachers is reaping rich rewards at this western suburbs school
Our Lady Queen of Peace School principal Lee Abela knows the secret to educational excellence – investing in today, tomorrow and the future.
“Our teachers are experts in their fields,” Mr Abela says. “Andrew, our music teacher, is a musician, a composer and part of the Unley Concert Band. Suzanne, our art teacher, is an artist with extensive expertise in sculpting and mosaics, including publicly-installed art works in Adelaide and the Barossa Valley.”
Last year the students presented the school’s first whole-school art exhibition at Woodville Civic Library for SALA during August, and will be doing the same again this month.
In the digital space, students are engaging with a range of tools including Maker’s Empire and LEGO robotics to participate in STEM-based activities, providing them with the skills to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow. “We have also been fortunate to be a part of a project with the Adelaide University called Inspiring Women in STEM facilitated by WISTEMS – the university’s Women in STEM Society,” Mr Abela says. “Years 4 and 5 female students go to the university once a term for a STEM immersion program. To step forward at such a young age, go into the labs and get a real sense of a hands-on approach, inquiry, discovery and solution-orientated thinking is wonderful.”
A revamped produce garden and dedicated food technology space offer students the opportunity to learn about food from “garden to plate” – from gardening, planting and growing to cooking and eating.
During this year’s Harmony Week, local families joined students in cultural cooking at the school for Passata Day, with 260kg of tomatoes turned into 240 bottles of sauce. Every student was involved, whether washing, chopping, cooking the sauce, or filling or capping the bottles.
“It was like we turned into a little village in Italy on that day,” Mr Abela says. “The buzz, the energy, the smiles – words can’t describe how amazing it really was.”
Whether cooking, painting, playing music or exploring the world of STEM, Our Lady Queen of Peace School offers a commitment to educational excellence that is reaping rewards for students both today and into the future.
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Almost two centuries since its establishment in South Australia, Catholic education continues to grow
Alot has changed in the 180 years since Catholic education was established in South Australia but one thing remains the same – the original vision. That vision, outlined in 1844 by Bishop Francis Murphy, was to enable every child across the state to have access to high-quality Catholic education.
