The
Aberfoyle Park Primary School Campus is located in the Adelaide
hills 18 kilometres south of the city. The concept of the Campus
with State School (Thiele),
Catholic Education Office (Nativity) and
the Uniting Church System (Pilgrim)
sharing facilities was new to South Australia and probably Australia
when it was first developed.
After years
of preliminary planning the joint project came to fruition at the
beginning of the 1982 school year when the schools admitted their
first students. The Shared facilities include an activity hall,
resource centre, gymnasium and Campus staff room. Shared programs
include Physical Education, Music, and Resource Based Learning.
In 2001 the Aberfoyle
Park Campus Preschool was opened by the Minister of Education
and Children's Services. This relocated facility has a capacity
of 45 children per session and is located in the grounds of the
Campus. There is a strong vision and
spirit of cooperation and collaboration between the four schools.
Having the three schools on one site provides the following educational
advantages:
- A degree of
choice for parents when deciding what kind of school they want their
children to attend.
- Resources available
for all three schools that could not be financed by three separate
schools.
- Sharing staff
expertise between the three schools
- Promoting tolerance
and cooperation between the school community of children, parents
and staff
Please
visit our schools on this wonderful collaborative education site.
Virtual Tour.
The shared schools
resources of the Campus community includes:
- the Central
Administration
- an excellent
gymnasium
- a large staff
and community meeting room
- central resource
area
- activity hall
and canteen
- two ovals
- hard play areas
- a large central
courtyard
Parents sharing
on the Campus is at many levels. The parents cooperate and work together
in these areas:
- Campus Conference
- Committees
eg.
- Fundraising
- Communication
- Grounds
- Canteen
- Sports Teams
eg.
- Resource Centre
Parents are encouraged
to be involved in decision making in the individual schools and to
work with the teachers in the classroom situation. The children are
encouraged to develop a sense of belonging to the Campus. This is
achieved by:
- Wearing the
same uniform (Varied in the State Schools)
- Playing together
in the playground
- Participating
in Campus sports Teams
- Sharing organised
activities such as Book Week, an Arts Festival and a Science Exposition.
- Across Campus
Educational Programs:
- Electives
- Music
- Choir
- Language
other than English (LOTE)
There are many
activities of an informal nature across schools:
- Going on excursions
together
- School camps
- Classes working
together on a shared project
In addition the
Aberfoyle Park Primary School Campus Fair
is a major community event for the the suburbs south of O'Halloran
and Flagstaff Hills and environs. Features such as live bands, children's
rides, Giant Trash and Treasure and an Auction of quality goods and
sporting memorabilia draw support from many other suburbs. Proceeds
of the Fair go towards the various Campus wide programs, of Music,
Resource Centre - Library, Physical Education and Grounds Development.
Finally each school
has its own Principal and is autonomous. The area of curriculum is
one which is the responsibility of individual schools and educational
programs vary in emphasis. Schools have their own Councils or Boards
retaining their individuality but each being represented on Campus
Conference which is an information sharing and consensus seeking forum. For
further information regarding schools and enrolments, please contact
the Campus Office on (08) 8270 3077 or the respective Principal.
