Loose materials such as blocks, stone, rocks, wood and shells don't go to waste at Fairy Meadow Demonstration School.
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They are used in an innovative way by teacher Raeanne Gulic to help her students create a picture and tell a story in a creative and curious way.
This program, which has been successful in improving students' writing, was the main reason the school won a 2020 Innovative Schools Award from online education magazine The Educator.
The annual awards recognise all Australian schools, including independent, Catholic and government.
Fairy Meadow Demonstration School principal Alison Rourke said the innovative schools' award was focused on schools that were doing things in an innovative way that created a positive experience for children's learning success.
"We are one of only 50 schools across the country to win this award which acknowledges an innovative teaching method which is making a real positive impact on students," she said.
"Mrs Gulic uses the loose parts to create story plans that the kids then use to improve their writing success.
"This program is running in our preschool to Year 6.
"Mrs Gulic is implementing the learning in all of the classrooms with the teachers, and then the kids are provided with opportunity to be innovative, curious and creative in the writing space using the loose parts."
It's been a great couple of weeks for the school, which learnt on Thursday that it had also won an Australian Education Award for 2020.
"We were named the Primary School of the Year/Government sector," Mrs Rourke said.
"It is great to be considered one of the country's top performing schools. This award in particular recognised the demonstration work we do with the University of Wollongong.
"It also acknowledged a project we do here called 4C's Transformational Schools, which is work around the dispositions of learning that students require to be active 4C learners.
"The 4C's are collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and communication. These are the skills the workforce are going to require for our future leaders and our future workforce.
"These two awards we have won have been a great way to end what has been a pretty crappy year. It's been a lovely couple of weeks."
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