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A memorable ‘Day 0’ for Junior School

A special day for Junior School boys celebrated Scotch’s proud sporting, academic and cultural heritage.

WORDS: MS KATE IKINGER Photography: Ms Jocelyn Pride

The Waller boys, guided by Mr Michael Moloney, explore the school campus

A Waller team works together to solve the jigsaw puzzle that holds vital clues on 'The History Learning Hunt'

With no regular timetable planned for Friday June 11, it was timetabled ‘Day 0’, meaning that there was no regular timetable with no planned specialist lessons. A ‘Day 0’, with Scotch’s six-day timetable, is a rare day indeed.

A committee was set up of interested teachers who wanted to plan a special day for the Primary boys. The committee had four main goals: for the boys to get to know the Scotch Campus, to have the opportunity to practise various 'habits of mind', to work as a multi-age team encouraging leadership from the older boys, and finally for the boys to have fun.

All the Junior School boys were divided into House groups, the average group consisting of 14 boys, ranging in ages from Prep to Year 6. Each boy was issued with a passport, and three main activities were planned: Our Learning Heroes, The Creative Challenge and The History Learning Hunt.

Our Learning Heroes saw ex-students Lachie Fraser-Smith (’85) and Justin Rodski (’99), talk to the boys about their experiences at Scotch, and how these experiences have influenced the men and fathers they have become. Our Learning Heroes also included a session in the Archives, where Dr Jim Mitchell (’64) showed the boys through the Scotch Museum and Archives work area. The boys had the opportunity to see various aspects of their school’s proud heritage through photos, memorabilia and artefacts.

The Creative Challenge saw each boy create his own coat of arms, showing how a Scotch boy learns. The boys made metal coats of arms which displayed symbols of what they believe to be the most important part of learning, what represents a good learner and a symbol of a challenge at school, while each coat of arms had to incorporate a symbol of their favourite school subject.

The History Hunt was a team challenge where the boys worked through various checkpoints on the campus. At each checkpoint there were a number of activities to complete, as well as a jigsaw puzzle, which was a photo of the next checkpoint. All 16 checkpoints were historical sites. The boys roved from the Cardinal Pavilion to the Meares Oval, from the Littlejohn Chapel to the Memorial Hall.

The groups were set tasks to complete which guaranteed they explored each site. The teams had to read plaques, discuss inscriptions, and think about the sculptures, artwork, stained glass windows and buildings they visited throughout The History Hunt Challenge.

The day, which celebrated Scotch’s proud sporting, academic and cultural heritage, was very successful for every House and for each boy. It saw the boys work together in their Houses, connecting with each other and their school, through challenges and tasks which they approached with gusto and confidence. The day ensured that each boy explored his own school campus and had the chance to work with fellow House members and consolidate friendships. Throughout the day the boys had the opportunity to practise various 'habits of mind'. They persisted, thought about their own thinking (metacognition), took responsible risks, thought flexibly, questioned, probed and problem solved.

Many thanks to the Boot Camp committee – Mrs Jocelyn Pride, Mr Brian Sampson, Mr Jonathon Lucas, Mr Ben Marr, Ms Deb McMenamin and Mr Anthony Tasca. GS

Updated: Monday 24 June 2013