Students from the Independent Living Class at Carinity Education Rockhampton have been learning about how to protect the environment and native marine animals.
The Independent Living curriculum aims to provide students with foundational skills in a real-world context, which includes off-campus learning experiences and excursions.
One recent excursion saw students travel to Kemp Beach near Yeppoon to see the release of two rehabilitated turtles into the ocean.
Green sea turtle ‘Hope’ and ‘Beth’, a Hawksbill turtle, had been rehabilitated by Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre after being injured by discarded fishing line.
The day was a wonderful way for students to explore their local natural environment and see how local groups work together to protect the environment and wildlife.
During Term 1, Independent Living students also learned about healthy eating, budgeting/money, the human body, and mentoring and role modelling skills.
The practical use of these skills included shopping at a supermarket, creating healthy lunches in the school café, undertaking weekly visits to the Year 7 classroom to mentor younger students, and weekly foundational movement lessons in the gym.