Fostering Connections in the Community
After six months of settling into her role at St Peter’s Woodlands, Rev’d Tracey Gracey is running several programs across the school with a central focus of building connections within the community, including the ELC students, primary school students, parents, and staff. It is her hope that by fostering these important relationships, she may be sought out as a source of support for anyone in need, even to simply have a chat.
ELC
Tracey visits the ELC weekly, engaging with the youngest members of the school community. She has been introducing the children to Kimochi characters, one of the ELC’s wellbeing programs that uses characters to explore different emotions. Through song and meditation they explore the Kimochi characters, discussing the different ways of dealing with emotions and the ways in which we can help each other when those feelings overwhelm us.
Seasons of Growth
Tracey is also leading Seasons of Growth, a program supporting a small group of Reception to Year 2 students experiencing change, loss or grief in their families for the first time this year. This is an evidence-based education program that draws on the metaphor of the seasons to understand the experience of grief.
Visibility in the Community
Outside of the cyclical programs and running chapel services with Rev’d Andrew, Tracey has actively sought out other opportunities in which she can engage with students, staff and parents. Before the official school year began, Tracey led the staff on a mini retreat session where they were invited to participate in activities to centre and ground themselves for the year ahead. In the first week of school, she attended the New Parent Welcome Evening chatting with new families, later this term she will be attending the Year 5 camp, is on the yard duty roster and currently working with a group of Year 6 students who are helping to paint and decorate the Easter candle. It is her hope that these varied and frequent touch points throughout the year will make her a visible and trusted adult for students to seek guidance, should they need it. Her office is located next to the Library and very much has an open door policy for anyone seeking a chat. If you do visit, take some time to look at the new prayer wall located outside her office – this wall is an open invitation to all students who wish to write their prayers with Tracey and Andrew.
St Peter’s Church, Glenelg
In collaboration with Rev’d Andrew, Tracey has been working to strengthen the link between the school and the church community at St Peter’s Church Glenelg. Together the two reverends hold an Intergenerational service on the first Sunday of every month which is an all-age service incorporating a church band, contemporary prayers, a children’s message, and activity. It’s an opportunity for people young and old in the Glenelg community to come together.
SPW families have also been attending St Peter’s Church Glenelg’s Sunday worship and students from the 2023 graduating class have joined our Youth Group which meets monthly with Rev’d Tracey. Currently the two reverends are preparing for the Good Friday Children’s Service, where children will have the opportunity to engage in different stations which explore the Easter story, collecting items to make a take home gift. These programs and services are a wonderful way to ensure the church and school community have plenty of opportunities to meet and strengthen relationships. The reverends are always open to hearing suggestions in this space to continue to grow this community.
Senior Chaplain Role
Tracey’s Senior Chaplain role also keeps her busy. Already this year she has held a Principal and Chaplains Professional Development Day, assisted with a workshop for those new to teaching in an Anglican school and led services at Investigator College and met with Chaplains to offer support.
Rev’d Tracey looks forward to deepening relationships with families and welcomes anyone to come chat with her.
