The Spirit of Garad offers a transformative 5-day experience for K-6 students, immersing them in the conservation of the Glossy Black Cockatoo, known as Garad in our local Darug Country. This immersive program includes school-wide, hands-on activities such as interactive discussions on Glossy Black Cockatoo conservation, bird interactions, tree planting, and a Garad exhibition covering land management, Western science, and Indigenous knowledge.

Feathered Friends will visit the school to spark students' curiosity and interest by bringing in a live Glossy Black Cockatoo, showcasing this marvellous creature that was once abundant in the lower Blue Mountains but is now considered a 'vulnerable' species. This encounter will inspire students to think about conservation, land management, and environmental stewardship.

Explore Garad Day is a full-day workshop where students gain hands-on experience using microscopes to examine Garad's physical features, such as feathers, and preferred diet, including Allocasuarina torulosa pods and seeds. Hollow Hogs will deliver two large log hollows for students to explore Garad's habitat. The Songline of the Darug People will be used to explain Garad through Aboriginal Dreamtime stories.

Each class will plant an Allocasuarina torulosa on the school grounds with guidance from a local botanist. Students will also have the opportunity to observe the pods opening and seed dispersal, as well as see the plant at different stages of development.

Ongoing school conservation efforts for the Glossy Black Cockatoo will likely be integrated into STEM and project-based learning activities, fostering a continuous commitment to environmental education and species survival.