Students' colourful care packages
• Abbi Young and Adina Johnson (front centre) and their classmates are sending school supplies to a fire-affected school on the mainland.
By Daisy Baker,
March 18, 2020
Students from Scottsdale High School’s grade eight English classes have been putting their empathy to the test, making care packages for students at a New South Wales school affected by the bushfires.
Teacher Sherri Rainbow said students had been doing a narrative unit focussed on empathy and bushfire affected communities.
While researching the topic, students Abbi Young and Adina Johnson came across Bobin Public School in New South Wales, which was burned to the ground, with the exception of the library, when fires roared through the town in November.
“They asked me if they could get in contact with the school and see what they could do to help,” Ms Rainbow said.
Since November, the school has been rebuilt and was reopened in late January for the start of the school year.
Ms Rainbow said when they contacted the school, one of the things they were still needing was school supplies.
Abbi and Adina came up with the idea of putting together care packages including pens, pencils and sticky notes to help the school restock.
“We did something similar in prep, sending shoeboxes to our pen pals so we thought it would be a good idea,” Adina said.
“Hopefully this will bring some happiness to the school community.”
Since then, 12 more students have come on board with the project, while a group of boys chose to help repair fencing in Fingal.
They have decorated shoeboxes from D&Me, painting each uniquely with koalas, sunsets, flowers and inspirational messages.
The students are also planning to enclose a letter in the boxes to the school.
The Student Leadership Board will donate money with which the students will purchase goods to fill the shoeboxes.
Over the next two weeks, Scottsdale High School invites members of the community to donate teaching supplies to the office.
The care packages will be sent off to Bobin Public School on Wednesday April 1.