What is Children's University?
Children's University is a program that provides high quality, voluntary educational experiences for children aged between 7 and 14 years. It is about developing a hunger for and love of learning, building confidence and fostering aspirations in all children.
Visit our Children's University links page to learn more.
Where to from here?
Congratulations on making the decision to sign up to Children's University Australia! We have chosen to offer this program to students at St Joseph's - Ottoway to help them develop a love of learning, and open their eyes to the endless possibilities that await them in their futures.
The program is run by the University of Adelaide and aims to reward the students for making positive choices in their learning journey. Students who have chosen to be involved in the program can participate in a range of activities in order to gain credit towards their awards. At no point during the programs will children be graded, rather they will be rewarded for the time and effort they put in.
Each participating student will receive their own passport. Much like a normal passport, children are asked to carry their passports with them to all Children's University activities. When the students complete an activity, they will receive a stamp/sticker in their passport to record their participation. The passports are an important part of the program as they act as motivation for the students to get involved and allow them to compare their achievements with their friends.
Please note parents and children are under no circumstances permitted to verify activities in passports and if this occurs the hours will not count towards any graduation total. Students are responsible for their passport. If a passport is lost/misplaced all records of activities attended is also lost. Replacement of passports incurs a cost.
If you have a particular passion or experience that you would like to pass on to students from our school, please contact Karyn or Tanya to discuss how you can get involved with the program at our school. Activities at school are not possible unless parents are willing to volunteer.
Communication for Children's University will be via our school website, Skoolbag app or email. Resources such as Learning Destination Forms, holiday activity sheets will be made available on the Children's University website for you to access and print as required.
The different types of activities involved in the program are summarised below:
In-School Clubs:
A series of activities will be run by students and/or volunteers from our school. These activities must be held outside of normal learning hours, so before and after school, recess and lunch. Volunteers are needed to run these activities.
Learning Destinations:
A Learning Destination is any location outside of the school which children can attend to receive a stamp in their passport. Staff from Children's University Australia have previously validated these organisations to ensure that they are both safe and provide a positive learning experience for students. There are over 70 Learning Destinations throughout the state and this pack contains a list of those in our students' immediate community. If your child is already participating in activities outside of school (e.g. sports, music, choirs, council activities etc.) please fill out the 'Learning Destination Contact Form' and return it to the school. We can then validate these activities so that they may be included in the program.
Independent Learning Activities:
Independent Learning Activities are simple, stand-alone tasks which the student can complete at home in their own time. They are not homework the children choose to complete as many as they want and are rewarded with a stamp in their passport for each completed task. They may be completely unique, or could be extension challenges set by teachers during normal class time to further develop students learning in particular topics.
The reason we keep a record of the students' activities is for the graduation ceremony at the end of each year. This is a celebration of the positive choices the students have made, and the effort the students have put into their own education. The students will be invited to attend a Graduation Ceremony at The University of Adelaide once they complete at least 30 hours of learning. The more hours they complete, the higher their graduation level and the more certificates they receive. Each student will have the opportunity to graduate once per year, and their hours roll over to the following year so that they can continue to build on their total. The graduation ceremony is free of charge and parents/siblings are invited to attend.
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