Thanks to the support of students from The King’s School, the Anglicare Foster Care and Adoptions Centre in Telopea has recently opened its new outdoor facility.
For the past 18 months, students at the North Parramatta school have helped to upgrade the outdoor space at the foster centre.
“A partnership was established in 2021 between Anglicare and The King’s School to provide students with genuine, age-appropriate service learning opportunities that would benefit the students and the broader community,” Headmaster Tony George said.
“The King’s School recognises that to equip students with the tools they require to make an outstanding impact on society, education must happen through authentic and tangible service learning experiences.”
Staff and students from visual arts, industrial technology and VET constructions classes, as well as from the preparatory school, contributed by creating different elements of the sensory garden.
The finished outdoor space will now provide a calm, positive and secure environment where children can meet their foster parents for the first time.
While the project is part of the service learning program at the school, the school said many students gave additional hours during lunchtime and after classes to achieve the best possible results for Anglicare.
“Through the service learning program, students are becoming aware of the local issues and develop a sense of accomplishment and an attitude of service,” George added.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.