Melbourne Experience

As the bus made its way toward Canberra, the students attending the Melbourne experience were cheerfully and excitedly arriving at school (those few hours of extra sleep might have helped that!) for their first excursion into Melbourne CBD.

On the Monday of Week 6, the Melbourne Experience students were attending their first of three excursions for the week. The students rode the bus into the city and were greeted by the sight of the Eureka Tower as they arrived.

They started their day by going on a guided tour of Eureka Tower then had a snack after their walk along part of the Yarra. The students then moved onto Hammer Hall & Arts centre for a quick visit before having lunch at Queen Victoria Gardens. Once they had finished their yummy lunch, the group took in the view of Town Hall while they strolled along Collins Street to take in the sights of State Parliament House. The students then went for a walk through China Town to the State Library.

On Wednesday, the students went on their second excursion to the city. They began their day at the always beautiful Botanical Gardens before making their way to the Shrine of Remembrance for a guided tour. The students then caught the bus to Carlton Gardens to have lunch before walking to Parliament House. Little did the group know but they were on their way to meet Danny Pearson at Parliament House too. Once that had concluded the students had a tour of Victoria Parliament House. Once the tour concluded, it was time to head back to school via bus while taking in the Melbourne landscape through the windows.

Friday was another jam-packed day. The day began with a tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol and Mr Portelli was brave enough to enter the haunted cell. The students heard about the history of the gaol during the tour and were very intrigued by some of the information. Once the tour concluded, the students walked towards Lygon Street taking in the old Melbourne buildings and their structures. The group then had the absolute pleasure of having pizza for lunch at a cafe on Lygon Street before having ice cream for dessert (heaven!). The students then returned to the Old Melbourne Gaol to participate in a courtroom drama. The trial was about Ned Kelly and the students were incredible at their different roles throughout the mock trial. Then it was back to school which signalled the end of their incredible week of Melbourne Experience.

A big thank you to the teachers and parent volunteers for their help during the Melbourne Experience. The students had an incredible week learning new information and extending their prior knowledge.

Canberra

The excitement was high at the end of Week 5 as we were only a few days away from attending camp either in Canberra or Melbourne.

At 6:10am on Monday of Week 6, there was a lot of tired but excited students ready to get on the bus to Canberra. We said our goodbyes to our loved ones with multiple hugs and lots of waving out the bus window as we set off up the Hume Highway. Our bags FULL of snacks!

We watched the landscape change out the bus windows as we made our way along the Hume Highway. We had our first stop at Euroa, where we had morning tea and explored the luscious green parklands. Then we were off again for a few hours before reaching our lunch spot in Holbrook. The students were quite surprised to see a large submarine at our lunch spot. We explored the submarine and read about the history of this landmark after we ate our delicious packed lunches from home.

Once back on the bus, we watched a movie before arriving at the ‘Dog on the Tuckerbox’. The students were intrigued to see the landmark and learn a bit of the history behind it.

Then we were on the home stretch to Canberra. One more movie and we were almost there!

Once we arrived at camp, we settled in our cabins before enjoying a delicious dinner then heading up to the Recreational Rooms for a movie and games before bed. The students were kept very busy over the next three days and nights in the three groups as we all attended Old Parliament House, Parliament House, National Portrait Gallery, Questacon, Rock climbing, Royal Australian Mint, ANZAC Parade Memorial, National Capital Exhibition, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Australian War Memorial and Mount Ainslie Lookout.

The students had the privilege of attending the ‘Last Post Ceremony’ at the Australian War Memorial before two students paid our respects by laying a wreath beside the ‘Pool of Reflection’. Whilst attending the experiences, they were engaged in role play scenarios, guided tours, hands on experiences and more. Questacon was a clear favourite with all of the students as they explored the National Science and Technology Centre at night.

Before we all knew it, the week was done and it was time to pack up our bags (lucky most items were labelled) and clean our rooms. We set off early on Friday morning towards Melbourne and the buses were quiet with whispered chatter about their favourite parts or sleeping children. The excitement returned to the bus as we arrived back at school to a sea of loved ones waiting for us with huge smiles on their faces!

The teachers, students and parent volunteers had a busy but exciting, fun, engaging and great time while on camp in Canberra. A big thanks to the parent volunteers for helping all week and joining in all the fun we had!

CERES Excursion! Grade 4

Last Friday the Grade 4 students went on an excursion to CERES Community Environment Park to learn more about our Inquiry topic ‘Beautifully Sustainable.’ In the classrooms, students have been working on their Inquiry Rich Task, in which they are repurposing materials to create a new, environmentally friendly object. CERES provided an opportinity for students to come up with additional ideas or other ways to improve their Rich Task.

While at CERES, students enthusiastically participated in a range of environmental education workshops.

In the ‘Rethinker Tinker’ workshop students discussed solutions to single-use plastic. They then followed one of two designs to repurpose their old T-shirts into new reusable bags. Students were proud of their bags and will hopefully use them at home.

In the ‘Paper Making’ workshop the Grade 4s learnt about how paper is made and the impact paper production has on the environment. Students got the chance to make their own paper. They used pulp made from recycled paper and a piece of equipment called deckle. At the end of the workshop, students learnt about lots of different materials that recycled paper can be made from.

Students enjoyed spending time in ‘Sustainable Gardening’ workshop. During this workshop, students learnt about the requirements for a healthy and productive organic garden. They investigated worm farms, companion planting, hunting for ‘minibeasts’ to feed the chickens and weeding.

During the ‘Farm Task’ workshop, students explored a working crop farm. Students investigated the different types of crops that can be grown, seeds, importance of soil pH and how the sun can affect how crops grow. They then went into the chicken pen to learn about how chickens and bees are used at CERES to promote a sustainable and organic farm.

Kind regards,

The Grade 4 Team

Specialist Showcase

What a wonderful night we celebrated on a great evening. There was a buzz in the school with the anticipation of the first Specialist Showcase.

The food trucks after school and the BBQ were a hit as was the environmental stall. Congratulations to all students who have produced fantastic artwork which was on display in the stadium.

It was a truly amazing sight to see the beautiful artwork. Then the students’ talents were on display again with the amazing performances. We touched on the Italian language program with Foundation students singing and with the opening to the show. Some Grade Five and Six students also showcased their language skills when sharing their written description of outfits with a fashion parade!

The evening also showcased the fantastic musical performances from every class in the school. What an amazing effort to put on such great singing and musical performances! They were so entertaining and had everyone singing along!

What a memorable evening! Congratulations to all involved!

The specialist team