This term’s unsung hero is Lynette Wallis, our school chaplain.
“It is in the unremarkable that the remarkable happens.”
This is the quote that sustains the work Lynette Wallis, our MRPS school chaplain lives by. Her role is to contribute to the wellbeing of our school community in a myriad of ways, and I can tell you she is a very industrious lady!
Her daily schedule includes one-on-one sessions with students where she ‘provides social, emotional and pastoral support’ (using evidence-based programs), meeting with staff or parents whenever there is a need, providing in-class support for students to increase engagement in academic activities when requested, and running a popular lunchtime program in Room 2 “providing a safe space for student connection and engagement.”
The lunchtime program is a standout for Lynette, and she speaks fondly of overhearing students proudly telling their parents as they pass by, that “this is Room 2”, and about the time a student apologised for not making it to the lunchtime session because she’d had to go to an appointment out of school that day. It’s a voluntary program and provides a safe and fun environment for students to connect with other students and play board games or do craft activities. It’s always packed out with students coming and going and they never seem to want to leave when the end of lunch siren goes.
There are many ways in which Lynette quietly walks alongside students, listening to their stories and being curious with them. She has a calm and friendly manner, somehow just knowing what to say or where she needs to be at the right time, and in her own words, “creating opportunities for connection and care, and being an advocate for anyone in need.”
She facilitates the mentoring program, “Ed-Connect” at our school, matching volunteers to students to help make the difference that counts.
Adding value to relationships and making connections is a key theme in Lynette’s work which leads to another aspect of her role – facilitating an intergenerational program between MRPS and Mirrambeena Aged Care Facility. Mr Murray and his Year 2/3 students have embraced this opportunity, beginning their intergenerational relationships with a select few Mirrambeena residents during NAIDOC week when the theme was “For Our Elders”. These relationships are growing and the students’ excitement is obvious when the minibus pulls in. Through these visits and shared activities, both sides are building and fostering respect between generations while having fun. If anyone remembers the ABC reality documentary show Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds about intergenerational experiments, they will remember the experiment showed that simple activities done together bridged the age gap and proved that “young energy helps seniors regain strength and prevents loneliness”. It also gives the young people a boost in self-esteem and confidence due to the mindful attention of these older adults.
Relationships and connection aside, Lynette has always had a passion for sustainability and she initiated the MR Refund Program at MRPS a few years ago, placing recycling bins around the school specifically for the recycling of cans and plastics. This program has been recently formalised as “Containers for Change” and all funds raised go to our P&C. Two or three times a term, with the help of Mr Dowling’s Year 3 class, the bins are collected and sorted to take the containers to the Margaret River depot.
You can help support our P&C by using our school’s Containers for Change member number C11120449 when you recycle your drink containers through MR Refund.
It has been a sizeable learning curve training students to put their waste into the correct bins and only put recyclables into these bins. Mr Harrison’s Year 5 class recently helped sort the Containers for Change bins in the Transportables area. As Lynette says, “including many hands and making students aware of the problem helps build a whole school approach.” And to make it easier to spot the Containers for Change bins from the other waste bins, students painted the lids white to make them stand out as different, which seems to have been effective.
Spreading her influence wider, Lynette often liaises with a number of volunteer organisations and businesses within the local community for the benefit of our school and the wider community.
This remarkable woman is the social glue holding groups together and fostering connections for the wellbeing and benefit of all at our school. Walking a path of kindness with humility and respect for all, Lynette is well placed to find the remarkable within the unremarkable everyday activities and shared routines of school life – building trust, unity and a sense of belonging within our MRPS community.
Written and posted by D. Veary; Photos submitted by L. Wallis
