Minyerri School has left no stone unturned in its efforts to ensure returned boarding students maintain learning momentum while back in community due to COVID-19.
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More than 30 students from five boarding schools in Queensland and the Northern Territory were forced back to Minyerri when the nation's boarding schools were closed.
Minyerri School staff and students welcomed them back with open arms.
"We had to repurpose our library and teacher release room to support classroom learning environments in both spaces," principal Jess Robinson said.
"We spent the last weekend of the Easter break cleaning desks and chairs we found in our storage shed to make sure we had enough for two full classes of students.
"Our IT support teacher made sure we had enough laptops and devices to connect with colleges around the country.
"We have a great team of teachers here that have just made everything easy and adapted everything so that boarders felt welcomed and could get on with learning in a very different way."
Returned boarder Kiaasha Hall has been embracing the unique opportunity to study back in community.
"I really like being able to keep on learning while staying with my family," she said.
"I get to go out hunting and fishing and sometimes we walk to the billabong or river. They (Minyerri School) are supporting us very well by getting us laptops. They also call our boarding school teachers and help us to finish our work."
Ms Robinson said the returned boarders had also been embraced by existing students.
"Our students love having them here," she said.
"Particularly the students who have older siblings that would normally be away. I hear the younger ones calling out to their brothers and sisters when they see them moving around the school, usually it's met with a smile or a wave."
The school community has also extended a special thanks to staff at Alawa Aboriginal Corporation who have been providing free breakfasts, lunches and snacks for returned boarding school students.
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