At Speech Night in December, IGS Principal Shauna Colnan announced that the School was about to exchange contracts to purchase a rural retreat, just over two hours’ drive from Sydney, in the glorious Kangaroo Valley.
Settlement took place two weeks ago which brings to reality IGS in Nature, articulated in the School’s Strategic Plan Into the World 2022-2026 and launched at Speech Night in December 2021.
The Retreat, to be visited by every student on a day trip this year, will encompass an experiential learning centre, environmental education centre, wellness space and place for professional learning and community engagement. Sitting on 40 beautiful acres on the traditional lands of the Wodi Wodi people, and just moments from the historic village and the Kangaroo River, The Retreat includes a house, a pavilion of bedrooms and ensuites, a classroom, a yurt, three small dams, paddocks, gardens, native plants and wildlife, including a mob of kangaroos. Ms Colnan showed the property at Speech Night.
Over time, this peaceful new campus will host language immersion camps, geography, science and sustainability field studies, outdoor education, Shakespeare in the Glade, music camps, writers’ retreats, art en plein air, leadership programs, HSC study camps and so much more.
“Embracing the natural world, it will expand our students’ sense of connectedness, peace and belonging,” Ms Colnan said.
“It will be a place where memories are made for this and the next generations of IGS students during their formative years.”
The School is currently negotiating with new Property Managers and continuing a due diligence process that began last July, towards having the site ready for our students.
We’ll bring you updates throughout the year about The Retreat and our progress in establishing it as a rural campus for our School.
