The Fathering Project
Waterwise Project
Throughout the year, the P&C has been working on a number of initiatives to benefit the students and the college. One such initiative is the Shenton Fathering Project and its first planned activity, the Waterwise Project.
The Fathering Project
Many people may have heard of the Fathering Project, a University of Western Australia based not-for-profit organisation helping fathers become more engaged with their kids. An offshoot of this is the dedicated schools program which focuses on building communities of supportive fathers/father figures in schools and creating opportunities for spending time with kids.
The impact of an effective father/father figure is profound. Evidence shows outcomes can include:
- Enhanced child development
- Improved academic progress
- Reduced school adjustment problems
- Reduced alcohol , tobacco and drug use
- Reduced rates of depression, bipolar, anxiety disorders and phobias in adulthood
- Increased physical activity
- Increased social responsibility, social maturity and life skills
- More positive father child/adolescent relationships
Some of our P&C dads are driving this fantastic project at Shenton. Our aim is twofold: to get fathers/father figures more involved in activities with the kids while simultaneously creating great outcomes for the school. The first opportunity for Shenton’s Fathering Project has presented itself – the Waterwise Project.
Waterwise Project
Can you help make Shenton College a waterwise school?
The P&C is looking for parents to spend a few hours at the school on two weekends in October to help improve the college’s use of water.
Recently, a review of the school’s plumbing showed that many taps on the campus have a water flow exceeding general need. Accordingly, there’s a lot of wastage. This is detrimental to the environment and an unnecessary expense for the school.
The P&C has come up with a way to significantly reduce water waste but to make it happen in the most cost effective way we need help from parents, carers and students.
The Waterwise Project involves replacing tap fittings throughout the school with flow limiters. It’s easy work and no plumbing experience is necessary; training on the day will suffice.
It’s estimated we’ll need 100 flow limiters at a total cost of $1400. The P&C will fund this. Once fitted, the benefit to the school will be a saving of 2.5 million litres of water per year equating to a cost saving of $8500 per year.
All tools and fittings will be supplied, along with a light lunch.
The work will take place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 November. Expected timing is 3 hours each day from 10am to 1 pm.
If you can spare some time, we’d love to hear from you.
This is an ideal activity that feeds into the Fathering Project where dads and students can work together in teams to achieve a great outcome for the school. Please join us and get involved – it’s a different way to spend time with the kids, perhaps learn some new skills or impart your knowledge to others.
As a first step, email your interest to shentoncommunity@outlook.com and advise which day/s you can attend. This will assist us with general organisation and catering.
We’ll acknowledge your interest and send more information closer to the time.
For more details, please see the following from the Water Corporation
Thank you for helping the school improve water usage and reduce environmental impacts.
Brian Swain
President, Shenton P&C