Service Learning

Senior School girls – December Holidays

Girls travel to Cambodia to engage with projects associated with RAW Impact.  

There are significant cultural aspects to this tour including time to visit The Killing Fields, Toul Sleng prison, the Angkor Wot Temple site, floating villages and the flooded forest at Lake Tonlé Sap.

Activities for all Middle & Senior School girls led by the Year 12 Interact Board.

All girls invited to participate in events to support these annual projects:

• Beyond Blue
• Girls in the Middle
• Indigenous Literacy Foundation
• International Sponsor Children
• Jeans for Genes Day
• Responsive service when emergency or unexpected events prompt a response from the Fairholme community in order to support others in crisis
• Share the Dignity Campaign
• World's Greatest Shave (only Year 12 girls shave or cut hair)
• Student to Student - The Smith Family

Middle School girls are encouraged to think about others through service to their community. 

This often takes the form of raising money for various charities including our Middle School sponsor child who we support through Compassion. 

The Middle School girls like to be responsive to emerging needs and so the charities we support can change each year to allow the students flexibility in their choices of services to others.

All students  - During Terms 3 and 4

This activity is organised through Samaritans Purse. Every Pastoral Care Group in the School gathers together items to pack in a ‘shoe box’ that is sent to a child in one of our neighbouring countries. 

Fairholme girls over the age of 16 are given the opportunity to volunteer their time to travel to Brisbane for a day to work on the packing/sorting line at the warehouse for Operation Christmas Child.

For Year 9 Girls 

Fairholme College supports Tony’s Community Kitchen with students regularly involved in cooking and packaging hearty meals for those in our community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

Available to students in Year 10 to 12.

Senior students have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in our community by volunteering their time every Tuesday of the term at the HumeRidge Homework Help Program.

This initiative, established in collaboration with HumeRidge church, provides invaluable support to children, especially those from refugee or migrant backgrounds, in their academic pursuits.

At the heart of this initiative lies a broader philosophy of service and community engagement. Often, the concept of ‘service’ is misunderstood as a burden on one’s time. 

However, through their involvement in programs like the HumeRidge Homework Help Program, our students discover that using their skills to help others can be immensely rewarding.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, a globally recognised development program for young people aged 14 to 24, was founded in 1956 by the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and is now facilitated in over 130 countries.

The Award consists of three levels – Bronze, Silver, and Gold – each progressively more challenging, and within each level, students complete four sections. 

Students have opportunities to:

• become more physically active (Physical Recreation)
• develop a range of skills (Skills)
• give back to their community (Voluntary Service)
• foster a love for adventure and the unknown (Adventurous Journeys).

Participants have the independence and flexibility to select an activity for each section and to set aspirational goals. They then work towards achieving these goals, developing their interests and passions along the way.

For Year 11 & 12 Day Girls

Held once a month on a Sunday morning (maximum likely involvement is twice/semester)

Rosies Friends on the Street provide meals for members of the Toowoomba community who are not always able to access nutritious food. 

For Year 11 Girls

Held on the first Weekend of the September holidays.

In conjunction with Toowoomba Grammar School, this opportunity can be offered to approximately twelve Year 11 students who spend the weekend providing respite care for families and primary care givers of children who experience a range of physical and intellectual disabilities. Girls work through a thorough preparation program.

Primary Servant Leadership Role for all Year 9 Girls.

There is an opportunity for Year 9 girls to be leaders of the Middle School and to provide service to the Middle School and broader College community. 

The leaders work together to prepare activities, games and competitions for the rest of the Middle School girls to enjoy and participate in. This helps to build an inclusive Middle School culture where each girl feels like she belongs.

The current Year 9 Committees are:

• Arts
• Cultural
• Environment
• Pastoral Care
• Sports
• Teaching and Learning
• Wellness

Primary Servant Leadership Role for all Year 12 Girls.

During Year 11, girls indicate to which aspect of College life they wish to dedicate their servant leadership focus during their year of senior leadership.

Working under the guidance of staff mentors, each Leadership Committee prepares and presents a proposal for strengthening their aspect of community life.

Leadership Committees are:

• Communication
• Culture
• Environment
• Innovation
• Junior School
• Middle School
• Ministry
• Pastoral Care
• Restorative Practice
• Teaching and Learning
• Wellness

When emergencies or unexpected events impact on a community, when possible, Fairholme will respond through awareness raising ventures and/or activities which will help to encourage donations for those in affected.

On the last day of school for the year, our Year 11 girls spend the morning taking part in a range of service activities.

From sewing cushions to provide protection and comfort to breast cancer patients, to cooking for those in need and gardening, the activities are a wonderful opportunity for the girls to give back to the community.