Learner Enrichment
Community Groups at Margaret Hendry School.pdf (127kb)
At Margaret Hendry School, we believe that the curriculum poses vibrant opportunities for enrichment. At school we offer a range of enrichment opportunities to meet the diverse needs and interests of our learners, be it social and emotional, academic, physical or cultural.
The Arts
We know that The Arts is a powerful way to foster critical and creative thinking. It also gives children the opportunity to engage in deep thinking as they use different mediums and expression to demonstrate their understanding and explore abstract or complex concepts.
Visual arts
At Margaret Hendry School, Visual Arts is present throughout the school. Art, sculpture and meaning making is often used within an inquiry cycle. We are lucky enough to have an arts specialist teacher who specialises in integrating cultural perspectives within art and drama. Once a year, we hold an art exhibition to showcase the talents and skills of our school community.
Instrumental Music Program (IMP)
As part of the ACT Education Directorate’s instrumental music program, Margaret Hendry school has a newly established school brass band as of 2023.
All learners in Years 5 and 6 participated in musical aptitude testing to identify children within our community demonstrating emerging signs of musical capabilities. This program offers up to 25 spots to those learners who wish to learn a brass instrument. IMP is an opt-in program and is a partially funded program, meaning both the school and families contribute to program costs.
While in band, children are given their very own instrument and have multiple opportunities within the year to perform and play alongside other budding musicians across our network and system.
Digital Technology
At Margaret Hendry School, digital technology is viewed as a tool for learning. As a result, technologies are embedded within learning across the school. To facilitate personalised learning, all children in years 3-6 operate off a 1:1 program. This means that each learner has their own Chromebook while learning at school. All learners in years K-2 have access to shared iPads to support and enhance learning.
As well having access to devices, the implementation of digital technologies within learning is supported by our Digital Technology specialist, David Witte. In learning, David supports learners to use tools, such as Beebots and Spheros (robots) and our digital 3D printer, to critical thinking and problem-solving while also fostering the 21st Century skills that will be required of the future workforce.
Sustainability
Sustainability is entrenched in the global consciousness as an important issue of the day. At Margaret Hendry School, we take our responsibility to people and the planet seriously and strive to empower our students to make sustainable choices and to lead sustainability programs.
Waste
What we do with waste is one of the few areas of sustainability where we have almost total control. At MHS, we will soon expand the recycling options available in order to reduce what we send to landfill and allow students to make informed decisions about their waste. Food scraps will be composted for use in our gardens, demonstrating the full lifecycle of food and highlighting the fact that items often viewed as waste can be a valuable resource.
Gardens
The raised garden beds at the school are planned, planted, maintained, and harvested by students. This approach gives a real appreciation of the work that goes into producing food, as well as the varied requirements of different plants to grow well. Students learn about crop rotation, soil health, succession planting, and are given the responsibility to look after their own space in the garden. Food from the garden is eaten fresh, and shared with the school communities.