A large focus in Year 4 at our school is on community service. We try to empathise with the issues people face in our community and what we can do to help.

We support the Salvation Army who support families going through rough times or at risk of homelessness. Peter from the Salvation Army came to speak to all of the Year 4s about the different ways that this organisation supports people.They help those experiencing rough times by:

• support people in finding somewhere safe and secure to live.
• talk through the different emotions they might be experiencing.
• link them with other services they may need eg. doctors.
• assist with booking appointments or driving them to medical appointments. 
• assist with access to food and self care products.

In conjunction with our Integrated science units focussing on properties of materials, we created a project where students had to test various materials to see which would be most suitable for a blanket.

Our blankets with a small care message

The students in 4T raised money by doing extra chores at home as part of their weekly home tasks. Our class alone raised a whopping $783.

With this money we purchased the materials to make our blankets and also bought and donated various toiletries items which will go into care packages created by the Salvation Army to give out to those experiencing homelessness. Peter also mentioned to us that another temporary and last resort which they offer are swags or ‘backpack beds.‘ With the incredible efforts of the Year 4s and strong empathy for those who are disadvantaged in our community, we pooled our funds with the other classes to be able to buy and donate 4 of these beds. 

On Friday we had a special ceremony where

Presenting to Peter

each of the year 4 classes presented various aspects of the project to Peter and helped him pack the donations into his car.

Well done Year 4. We are all so proud of you!

4T with their donations

4T, what was your favourite part of this project?