BMG 2020 Grammarian Issue 2

4 ‘THE GRANDPA TREE’ Asour students returned toschool, anumber of visual creations were made by staff to assist our students, particularly primary children, to reconnect with the school community. ‘The Grandpa Tree’ has been, and continues to be, a special tree situated at the side of Wilson Hall. It is a battered old tree that little children play around, interact with and which stimulates their imagination (story writing and telling). Prior to school resuming, ‘The Grandpa Tree’ was transformed with colourful knitting and little creatures to provide a focal point where students could interact with the tree, including writing messages and drawing pictures to pin onto the tree. This is a subtle and meaningful ritual for our students to reconnect with their sense of belonging to the school community. Students had the opportunity to write a message about what they had missed about school and / or what excites them about coming back. Other trees and significant locations at each campus were ‘embellished with surprises’ to put a smile on both staff and students’ faces. Ms Lou Callow and the Art Department