The Soul Scholarship
Soul Projects...Education with Heart & Soil
A little life… with big dreams.
The Soul Scholarship is an annual award recognising one participating student who shows exceptional passion, instinct, and respect in caring for living things, collaborating with peers, and embracing hands-on learning.
Each Soul Scholar receives one Grid & Grow kit per semester through to Year 12, plus an age-appropriate Soul Journal and the option to spend a few days “learning the ropes” with the Mai-Newt team. If a student changes schools or their class isn’t running Grid & Grow, the scholarship continues at home—because the heart of learning travels with the child.
Nominations open in Term 4 via the Educator Hub; recipients are announced Term 1. Schools receive a digital badge: Home of a Soul Scholar.
“I created the Soul Scholarship to honour the quiet leaders—the students who water, notice, and care. Growing a little life can change a big one.” — Founder, Mai-Newt
This isn’t an academic award.
Before submitting this nomination, please ensure you have parent or caregiver permission to share their child’s details with Mai-Newt.
You can download the Parent Permission Letter here.
It’s for the child who quietly remembers to water on weekends, who checks the thermometer, who comforts a classmate whose seedling didn’t sprout.
It’s for the heart that grows as much as the garden does.
What The Soul Scholarship Includes..
One full Grid & Grow Kit each semester until the student completes Year 12
Age-specific Unique Soul Journal (Wiggleworms through Nearly Newts editions) for free writing, sketches, and reflections
Optional holiday mentorship with Mai-Newt — a day spent learning how seedlings are cared for, packed, and prepared for classrooms
Personal certificate and letter of recognition
School receives a printable badge: “Home of a Soul Scholar”
Flexible and Student-Centred
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If the student changes schools or their class isn’t part of Grid & Grow, the scholarship continues.
The kit simply goes home — turning their space into a personal learning garden.
Every Soul Scholar remains part of the Mai-Newt community, wherever they grow.
Why It Matters
That’s the essence of Mai-Newt’s mission:
to grow empathy, curiosity, and confidence
one seedling, one child,
one dream at a time.
HOW IT WORKS
One student per participating school may be nominated each year
Educators submit a short reflection via the Educator Hub in Term 4
Recipients are announced in Term 1 and receive their kit for the new school year
Mai-Newt Etiquette & Mission Statement
Because growing something small... changes something big!
I believe a single seed can spark a lifetime of wonder.
Whether it's a curious kindergartener watching a sprout unfurl or a teenager tending a rooftop garden — every small act of care makes ripples that reach far beyond the pot.
Mai-Newt Etiquette (and all it's 'branches')
The Unspoken Rules of Wonderfully Good Growing
Always Ask, Never Snatch.
Plants have stories — and so do the people who grow them.
Whether it’s a roadside verge or a front garden treasure, permission is the polite watering can.
Give a Little Green Back.A thank-you goes further when it has roots.
A seedling, a cutting, a care card — let kindness blossom.
Whimsy with Integrity.I may name our plants things like "Twizzle Pip" and "Dandy Moonbeam," but I'm serious about honesty, respect, and sustainable care.
Leave No Leaf Behind.Tidy up as you go.
Respect the land, the local critters, and your own muddy boots.
Share Stories Along with Cuttings.Every plant has a tale.
Trade tips, swap seeds, and grow a little community magic.
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Mai-Newt Mission Statement
A little life... with big dreams.
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At Mai-Newt and throughout,, I nurture more than seedlings. I grow connection, curiosity, and a wildly honest way of being in the world. Every "newt" in my care is a promise — to respect nature, to learn with joy, and to give more than we take.
My dream? A world where gardens are shared, kindness is composted into everything we do, and even the tiniest sprout knows it's valued.
Because growing something small...changes something big!
NOMINATE A STUDENT
This form comes straight to me — Rachal (Owner of Mai-Newt)— and no one else.
Every submission is confidential, protected by secure government-level data storage, and read with the heart it deserves.
Your student’s story is safe, respected, and held gently.
Before submitting this nomination, please ensure you have parent or caregiver permission to share their child’s details with Mai-Newt.
You can download the Parent Permission Letter here.
Once signed, please upload the completed form below.
This step protects the student, protects you, and ensures every Soul Scholarship is provided with full family support.