By Mikayla van Loon
A number of students from Gladesville Primary School just became the first to graduate from Swinburne’s Children’s University program.
Seeing them attend various locations on weekends, in school holidays and after school, the program is all about expanding the students’ learning outside the classroom.
“So you had to go to say Sea Life and once you went there to explore, you would get a stamp,” Mia said.
“It’s basically just any learning you do outside school counts as something and they’ve partnered with places like ACMI and and then libraries and Puffing Billy and stuff like that,” Ben said.
With each activity or visit to a place counted for hours, the aim was to accumulate 30 hours of external learning in their passport.
For Chloe, getting to visit the Croydon Library was her favourite place to go to gain her hours.
Ben said for him, he was able to collect his hours from attending out of school hours (OSH) care and doing a number of activities there.
“They gave you 10 hours per OSH, and I’ve done three terms of OSH this year. So I got 30 hours just from that,” he said.
Other ways to gain the 30 hours was by doing online activities or participating in a sport.
“They even have a portal that you can go on and look at the different activities you can do,” Ben said.
“If you do any sport outside of school you can log them into Children’s University and you can get hours for them. I think most sports have an individual thing, but if you can’t find your sport there’s just a general sports reflection.”
Not only was it “fun” but Ben said it was exciting to receive a certificate, as well as a “self esteem boost”.
Getting to attend a proper graduation with the cap and gown, Ben, Chloe and Mia said it was a great experience and they “even threw the hats up”.
Being only the second year of Swinburne’s program and only the first time students from Gladesville participated, eight students from Grade 4 to 6 elected to take part, with it to be expanded to Grade 3 next year after incredible feedback.
