Senior School News
SMC
Students step into the wilderness
With their packs loaded, boots laced and spirits high, seven of our Year 11 and 12 students – accompanied by staff members Mr Ian Cantle, Miss Amelia Roberts and Miss Madeleine Hayes – set off last Saturday from their base at Cradle Mountain to begin their five-day trek along the iconic Overland Track.
According to recent trail updates, our intrepid explorers pushed through a drizzly first day and may yet encounter more rain (thankfully, they packed their wet-weather gear!), but they have also enjoyed welcome pockets of sunshine (perhaps just enough to make the long kilometres feel worthwhile) as they traveresed some of Tasmania's most breathtaking alpine landscapes.
We look forward to welcoming them home on Thursday and hearing all about their amazing adventures. More photos to come!
Inside Parliament House | Year 8 HaSS Excursion
The following report was written by Lila Ransley, Sophie Medhurst and Amber Richardson (Year 8D)
Over three weeks, our Year 8 cohort had the opportunity to visit Parliament House. We walked through town to Parliament Lawns and bussed back to school, taking in the buildings and gardens along the way. It was an amazing experience to learn more about how Parliament works and how rules and laws get passed. The excursion supported our new HaSS unit on Civics and Citizenship.
When we arrived, we met our tour guide, Adrian, who showed us around and answered all our questions, big or small. He introduced us to the paintings and photographs of previous parliamentarians and explained how Parliament works in both Australia and Tasmania. We learnt more about our local MPs and councillors, and it really helped us understand how local and state governments work together to support Tasmania and help our community grow.
After a short break, we stepped into the House of Assembly, also known as the Lower House, where Tasmania’s elected representatives debate and pass bills. We got into character by selecting classmates to roleplay different government roles like Speaker, Clerk, Treasurer and Independents, and sat in the luxurious chairs normally used by members of Parliament.
Those assigned a role had a script to read from, but everyone had the chance to speak if they wanted to. This roleplay helped us understand how bills are passed and what each role is responsible for. We also noticed that Parliament had recently been sitting, and the desks were still set up with the equipment used during debates.
Next, we visited the Senate, which is also known as the Upper House. This is where we learnt more about the origin of our government and what happens to a bill after it passes the Lower House.
We also discovered that anyone could watch Parliament sit or take a tour around the building and its artefacts. Our 40-minute tour taught us so much, and we left with small gifts including a certificate, bookmark and magnet.
Overall, our visit to Parliament House was so much fun, and we would definitely recommend others see it as well.
