Friday Night School

A program designed to bridge the education gap faced by migrant and refugee children and their families.

History

In 1996, Margaret Gurry AM, a past Loreto Toorak pupil, was working as a volunteer with The Society of St Vincent de Paul. Through her involvement with refugee families, Margaret realised that children who had limited English were struggling in the classroom and lacking in other social and economic opportunities that Australia could offer. Margaret thought that these young people could benefit from extra help given to them in a friendly environment, so organised tutoring support for an initial group of five students.

As word spread, and more families joined the program, Margaret asked the students what they thought the program should be called; “Friday Night School” they replied. And so Friday Night School was born. Very quickly, news of this remarkable program reached more families, and as numbers gradually increased additional tutors were required; Margaret decided to initially approach Xavier College for support, and soon students from Loreto Toorak and a number of other private schools volunteered their time to tutor the children. Our School has had an important connection with the program right from those early days through our Director of Mission, Ms Michelle McCarty, who willingly gave her time, intellect and support to Margaret.

Present

When the clock strikes 4.30pm each week, around 300 people come together in St Ignatius Hall, Richmond, as tutors and scholars. A number of Loreto Toorak students, primarily in Years 11-12, form part of the tutor group, giving up a portion of their Friday evenings to assist in the education of this cohort.

As the current Program Director, Ms Sheena Teeder oversees the day-to-day operations of Friday Night School. In addition to the Friday Night School tutoring program, which incorporates English lessons for parents of Friday Night School students, Sheena manages a weekly Reading Program for younger students and a Wednesday Night Tutoring program. Friday Night School also offer a Scholarship and Bursary Program and Textbook Assistance for all high school students who attend Friday Night School.

Above (L-R): Year 12 students Sophie Varis, Amelia Timothee and Sarah Abusah
with Ms Sheena Teeder at Friday Night School

Most importantly, however, Sheena’s role includes building and maintaining relationships with the families of those who attend Friday Night School. While some families who arrive in Australia have friends or relatives here, all the Friday Night School families want to connect with other Australians and learn about the Australian way of life. In some situations, because of linguistic barriers, communications between Sheena and parents are managed through the student, and although this is common in refugee and migrant families, fortunately, a small group of parents—often those who have had children graduate from Friday Night School—return to assist with translating when necessary. This not only helps to bridge those communication gaps, but also demonstrates the community focus of the program. The connections made, in some cases many years prior, are binding, strong, and forge ongoing relationships as well as a sense of purpose for migrant families.

Students who attend the weekly program range across all Year Levels, with a broad mix of needs, abilities and aspirations. There are a significant number who need extra support, and as their parents do not have English as a first language, they are not able seek help at home with their schoolwork. Equally, a proportion of students attending are exceedingly bright. Unleashing this potential is partly achieved by the seemingly small element of providing books at home.

Over the years it has been wonderful for those at Friday Night School to see how much the children’s English and general knowledge has improved as they are encouraged to discover the joy of reading. Given the lack of space in some of the children’s homes, particularly in those with larger families, it is not always possible to accumulate a library of books. Exposure to books, however, is crucial for these children, and the flow-on effect that such provides the family as well.

The VCE results of Friday Night School students boast its academic success, with many going onto university education and forging a rewarding and interesting career. Sheena, with an unmistakable tinge of pride in her tone, speaks of the wide-reaching ripple-effect of such results, with these past students returning to become tutors to newer students, and many parents who now have the prospect of better employment, thanks to learning English at the hall while their children were actively engaged in the program.

Further success of the program is attributed to its model: peer-to-peer tutoring. Through this model, education is reciprocal, with a beautiful symbiosis created between the two parties.

An authentic bond is conceived, providing a social connection where tutors and students come into contact with people from walks of life whom they would not ordinarily meet. The positive impact this role plays in the lives of both tutor and student is indelible.

Each week, the familiarity and camaraderie from the relationship formed impacts deeply into the life of the child. The hall is abuzz with a genuine thrill as students and tutors smile and delightedly catch up on recent happenings; it is not hard to imagine the cacophony of sounds when the doors swing open. Once students and tutors have settled in, the hall is quiet, and a studious, near- tangible element descends for approximately 90 minutes as schoolwork becomes the focus. Given the broad range of needs, abilities and age levels, new tutors may help students with preparations for VCE exams, Maths Methods, or younger students in need of assistance with letter recognition, sounds, or learning to write. Where possible, regular tutors are assigned to the same student, building the sense of trust and connection, and underpinning the integral relational component of the program.

Community and connection are, as already mentioned, an essential element of the program. The social aspect is important and is a substantial part of the education of any child. For the past two years, Covid-19 restrictions have forced Friday Night School into an online learning situation which impacted learning for many students, but also ceased the extra-curricular activities such as camps and the annual end-of-year party. With hope, Sheena and the families all look forward to these enjoyable events taking place this year.

Loreto Toorak is proud of our continued involvement in Friday Night School, but additional support is always appreciated. There are opportunities for Loreto Toorak families to support the program, in particular with the events, such as the end-of-year party, celebration where each Friday Night School student receives a bag with books, stationery for the following year and a present, such as a game or a Smiggle surprise.

More information about Friday Night School can be found on their website.

If you are interested in supporting our Friday Night School Scholarship program, please contact our Director of Engagement Judy Reid via judy.reid@loretotoorak.vic.edu.au or phone 8290 7540.

We thank Ms Sheena Teeder for her time and willingness to be interviewed for this article.

This article was published in the June 2022 Mandevillian (Vol. 37, No. 1), available for online reading and download in the Publications section of our website.

Tutor Stories

Nese Gezzer (2013)

“I began volunteering at Friday Night School (FNS) during my second term of Year 10. During previous years, I’d heard older girls who’d volunteered at FNS talking about it and I found their whole experience of it enthralling. I was fascinated by the opportunity that was open to us to assist others, help them to learn and understand coursework that I had enjoyed learning in previous years.

Now, I’m in Year 12 and I’ve been volunteering at FNS myself for the last three years. Life has got busier and, although I have a magnitude of homework to complete every weekend, I still enjoy volunteering every Friday afternoon because under the guidance of Margaret Gurry, I believe we’re making a difference and helping our community. Every week we’re supporting new students from Preparatory to Year 12 to understand things they’re struggling to comprehend. Every week, I get to meet an intelligent person, irrespective of age, with whom I am able to work and get to know and for this I feel privileged to meet such persevering and bright individuals.

Through my FNS journey, as cliché as it sounds, I believe I’ve become a better person through the people I’ve met, and I am thankful for the opportunity to have met such an amazing and inspiring woman as Margaret. Her determination and perseverance is inspirational and her dedication inspires me to do more in my own life.”

Stephanie Kunnel (2013)

"I started going to Friday Night School as soon as I could, having been interested in it ever since I’d heard some past students speak about their experiences in Year 8. Over the three years I’ve been volunteering at FNS I’ve looked after and worked with children as young as a few months old, all the way up to adults who just need someone to read to.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know a diverse range of people who are younger than me and also my age as we’ve worked through problems with their homework and shared our knowledge and experiences on different topics.

One of the things I love about FNS is seeing the development of so many of the students I’ve tutored. The improvement in one student I used to tutor was such a great reward as we both found ways to help her understand difficult concepts in areas such as History, English and Maths.

The founder of FNS, Margaret Gurry, has created such a remarkable ‘school’ for children and adults that assists and provides services to improve education for migrant families and children who need extra help. She should be commended for her effort and hard work to keep this incredible school running."

Madeleine Quirk (2013) and Andrea Pandazopoulos (2013)

"Friday Night School is one of the highlights of our week. We first started going in the middle of Year 10. One of the things that really struck us was the immaculate layout of the hall itself, and the dedication of the staff who organise it every Friday. Since that time, we have enjoyed meeting new people and finding out their stories. This year, we have particularly enjoyed tutoring the older students. This is partly because we can demonstrate our knowledge in subjects that we enjoy as well as the fact that we can consolidate what we learn in school.

In this way, not only does FNS help the people we tutor, but we also grow and benefit ourselves. Above all, FNS means a lot to us, and as we approach the end of our final year at school, we hope to be able to return next year to one our most loved school activities which has connected us to the wonderful people we have met."

These reflections were originally published on the Friday Night School website in 2013.