A Southern Tasmanian school has put a crafty spin on Professional Learning. 

About 30 New Norfolk High School staff last term gathered, outside class hours, for a roundtable art workshop – the Staff Welfare Initiative – led by school art teacher and 22-year AEU member Pete Veness.  

While teachers and support staff were tasked with creating a clay face during the one-hour event, the initiative’s main goal had a deeper focus. 

“Part of our overall mission statement was about focusing on staff health and wellbeing and making sure we are caring for ourselves,” Pete said. 

“The process of making art next to someone generates conversation. It’s a great team-building exercise because you both feel like you’re dealing with the same problem and solving it together. 

“The end product [clay face] can sit on staff desks as a reminder to those who took part in a really constructive, morale-building exercise.” 

Pete said he had received a stack of positive feedback following the after-school-hours workshop. 

“Sometimes PLs at the end of the day can be a bit dry but the staff response following this event has even surprised me,” he said. 

“Bottom line was everyone went away feeling much better as chatter about it continued days later. I’ve had lots of staff emails thanking me for the event so hopefully it’s something we can do again in the future.”