Tongala Primary School grade two student Mason Nunn receives a helping hand from a resident during a recent visit to the Purdey Street Respect Aged Care facility as part of the school’s Community Connections program.
COVID forced many of us into using alternate methods of conversation, but rarely did that involve resorting to a relatively ancient method of communication.
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For students at Tongala Primary School, involved in the highly popular and long-time partnership with the neighbouring Respect Aged Care facility, that meant writing letters.
While a majority of the world learned how to click the mute and unmute button on zoom, students who had built strong relationships with the most senior members of the Tongala community were putting pens to paper.
The primary school’s Community Connections program has been a feature of the curriculum for a long time, managed in recent years by grade two teacher Tahli Brereton.
Kase Tucker has struck up a number of friendships as part of the program which has the Tongala grade two students visiting residents of the Respect Aged Care facility every Tuesday afternoon.
“Our relationship with Tongala aged care has always been strong. Residents have been our guests for various events, such as Anzac Day and Australia Day services,” she said.
“They’ve even been here to sing Christmas carols.”
When COVID hit in term one of 2020 the regular visitation program was put on hold and forced the organisations that occupy either side of Purdey St to find alternate ways to connect.
“Not only did we introduce the pen pal program, but our choir sang to the residents from outside the building,” Ms Brereton said.
A recent decision was taken by the school to establish a relationship with the aged care residents through the Grade Two students, the idea to allow the younger members of the school to form relationships with the residents over a longer period.
‘“Every year a new group of students gets to be involved. And with the masks removed, along with the frustrating COVID restrictions, things are back to normal,” she explained.
Students and residents interact and communicate through a variety of 45 minute activities, every Tuesday, with aged care staff and the school alternating responsibility for planning the session.
“Some of the activities we have done are reading picture storybooks, bingo and Mother’s Day activities. The students have also performed two songs that linked with their mathematics topic,” Ms Brereton said.
In at least two cases, there has been a vested interest in the partnership, with TPS staff having family members at the facility.
Grade Two student Tilly Emonson is deep in conversation during one of the activities that involves the students working on their regular classroom work with residents.
Ms Brereton said there had been a number so of positives to come out of this program.
“Students are making connections and establishing relationships with community members they would not have otherwise had the opportunity to,” she said.
“The intergenerational connections are invaluable, they support the students and residents own mental health, physical activity and give our students a sense of connectedness to the community.
“Tuesdays are often a day of excitement as the students know that they are going to the aged care in the afternoon.”
As for the residents, they share the same levels of excitement as their young former pen pals.
“They absolutely love seeing and talking to the students. They are always so excited when the students come, they love hearing what the students have been doing and what they have been learning,” Ms Brereton said.
“Some residents have said it’s the day they most look forward to.”
Isabella Johnstone with one of the Tongala Memorial residents who is part of the program. The students often pair up to tackle different activities as part of the weekly visitation program, which survived the challenge of COVID isolation.
As for the future, there are two very important additions to the program planned in the coming weeks.
“We will be introducing the residents to our wellbeing dog Charlie and Ronny the turtle,” she said.
As for the students. Well, here are a few of the comments collected by Ms Brereton for the benefit of our readers
“I love going to visit the aged care residents. I love doing activities with them”.
“It’s the best day ever when we visit the Aged Care”.
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