KLA News 

It’s been a busy and productive Term 1 across all Key Learning Areas—take a look at what our students have been up to over the final few weeks of term!

English

Year 11 English studies exploring the story “time capsule” by Margaret Atwood. They had to identify the symbolism out of the story and then turn it into a physical creation out of Lego or draw it. 

From Corn Chips to Creativity: STEP Day English in Action

At our recent STEP Day, Year 6 students had the opportunity to experience a fun and engaging English session led by Miss Armfield. One of the highlights was a creative activity where students designed a multimodal advertisement for corn chips. This hands-on task allowed students to explore key concepts in high school English while using their imagination and teamwork skills. It was a fun—and delicious—way to introduce students to the exciting world of secondary English.

TAS

Textiles excursion to NERAM

Students from Years 9, 10 and 11 Textiles and Design had the opportunity to visit the New England Regional Art Museum recently, to view a wonderful exhibition titled ‘echoes and silences’. It brought together a collective of artists who challenge the boundaries of traditional fibre-based art. 

The exhibition featured textile art works that explored the quiet, unspoken spaces between memory, material, and meaning. 

Memory, landscape, emotion, connection to the natural world, grief, disability, and womanhood were some of the main themes for the exhibition.

A diverse range of techniques included hand tufting, weaving, stitch, paper pulp, rust printing, and mixed media.

The collection was designed to invite viewers to "slow down and listen closely" to the profound echoes held within various fibre forms.

Here are some photos of the event. 

Year 8 Food Tech have been learning about modifying recipes to make them more suitable to the nutritional needs of teenagers. They had a fantastic prac where they created these original recipes. Enjoy these images of vitamin enriched, high protein, fibre and calcium content recipes

CAPA

Our CAPA department has enjoyed a vibrant and eventful term, filled with creativity and achievement highlights are captured in the photos below.

Dance 

Year 10 Music

Year 11 Music

Holy Horns playing at Harmony Day assembly. 

Year 7 Visual Arts - Self portraits

Year 9 Visual Arts  - Sectional Views

Year 11 Visual Arts - mixed media experimentation 

HSIE

It has been a busy and productive term for our Stage 4 HSIE students as they dive deep into the mysteries of the world. Students have been developing their skills as historians and geographers.

Year 7 History: Exploring the Ancient World

Our Year 7 historians began the semester by asking the big questions: What is history, and why does it matter? After mastering the basics of primary and secondary sources, students moved into our first unit; Exploring the Ancient World. 

We started our journey by exploring Indigenous Australia, recognizing it as one of the world's oldest continuous living civilizations. To help us dive into this rich history, we were joined by Mr. Griffin, who led us in a traditional yarning circle. We learned that these circles are a key element of Indigenous society, providing a safe, non-judgmental space to build respectful relationships, share stories, and collaborate. After our discussion on the importance of equality and communication in these circles, students headed outdoors to try their hand at throwing boomerangs, connecting with the practical skills and technologies of this ancient culture.

Following this, students moved into our case study of Ancient Egypt. We have explored how the geography of the Nile River acted as the lifeblood of the civilisation, providing the water and fertile soil necessary for Egypt to thrive. To kick off our study of Egyptian religion and the afterlife, we recently held the "Great Mummy Races." Working in pairs with a single roll of toilet paper, students raced to wrap their partner as a mummy. We celebrated winners for the fastest ‘Mummy’, the "best preserved" mummy who stayed intact during the race, and the most sustainable pair who successfully re-rolled their paper for future use! It was a fantastic, hands-on way to introduce the complex rituals and beliefs that defined this ancient society.

We will continue exploring these fascinating rituals into Term 2 before beginning our next major investigation into Ancient China.

Year 8 Geography: Water in the World

In Year 8, students have been expanding their horizons by looking at the world through a geographical lens. Our Year 8 Geographers have been immersed in the "Water in the World" unit, exploring the fascinating reality that the Earth contains no more and no less water today than it did a million years ago. To ground this global cycle in our own backyard, students investigated the importance of the Murray-Darling Basin and the Great Artesian Basin. We took a deep dive into our personal water footprints, with many students shocked to discover the vast amount of water required to produce simple everyday items, such as a single cotton t-shirt. Beyond just a physical resource, we explored how water is used economically, socially, and spiritually. A highlight of the term was a visit from Tully, who shared moving insights into the spiritual and cultural significance of water to Indigenous Australians. 

As we conclude our study of physical geography, we look forward to moving into our Human Geography unit in Term 2, where we will begin looking at the complex web of global interconnections.

We look forward to seeing the students continue to grow as critical thinkers as we move into the next phase of our HSIE journey!