It’s been over a year since I stepped onto the beautiful grounds at Glenaeon, where has the time gone? The trees and sounds are all the same, some new but mostly familiar faces, and the students are all slightly taller.

In my current work, we are given a Community Service Day each year, and so I asked Jonas if he needed another pair of hands to visit Warrah School with The Cove program this term. I was elated to discover the group I’d be spending the day with, was a group I knew well from my time as receptionist. My day was filled with plenty of hugs and nostalgic stories of scraped knees and class plays.

Up at Warrah where the weather was wintery, and the energy calm, we gathered to set the expectations for the day. Split into groups, the students and I organised chopped wood from the land, to be used for building furniture. With the helpful students of Warrah and the enthusiastic students of Gleno, we had some classroom time learning each other’s names and spelling them out on the blackboard. The Warrah students showed us some of their favourite yoga poses and we all embraced the theme for the day, Tree pose. The biodynamic farm at Warrah is a place for everyone to meet and connect with Mother Earth’s offerings. A huge patch of asparagus needed weeding so our 20 students donned their gloves and had fun seeing who could build the biggest pile of weeds. This task would have taken the farmers hours and together we were able to achieve it in one hour, sprinkled with some silliness and fun in the winter sun. After lunch, we played. Our students made friends, chatted, showed off their trampoline skills, played tug of war, and ended with a group photo and goodbye hugs.

Being able to observe our students show empathy and kindness towards the Warrah students reminded me of the wonderful job the teachers and families do in raising this generation. A humbling day, among old and new friends, amongst the bushlands, was an inspiring change from the office. Thank you, Jonas and the Year 9 students, for welcoming me back for the day. I’ll try not to leave it so long next time!
I hope all the Glenaeon community are well, with love and wildflowers, Sarah Summers.