Curriculum Matters
Level 3 Convicts & Captains Incursion
On Monday 18 November the Level 3 students had an incursion about Convicts and Captains. We participated in lots of interactive activities with costumes and props to experience life as a convict in Australia. We work as convicts to build a new settlement and made bricks from clay. We enjoyed recreation time, playing traditional convict games using marbles and learnt convict slang. Convicts used ‘slang’ so the guards could not understand what they were saying.
We had so much fun and learnt so much.
From Ava & Ethan
Level 3 Sovereign Hill Camp
On 7 November, I came to school at 8:30am because it was camp! Then at 9:00am we left school and 1 hour and 30 minutes later I touched the ground of Sovereign Hill for the first time ever. “Brrr it’s freezing here.” As you can tell, yes it was freezing. I even had to wear 2 jumpers and a top. My favourite part of camp had to have been the fun, amazing activities we did as a group. My favourite activity was bowling and the Red Hill Mine tour. After those fun activities we went to New York Bakery for dinner. We had fish and chips and it was so yummy.
By Gus
On Thursday 7 November, I went on my first ever camp. We put all our luggage in the bus and set off to Sovereign Hill. When we got there we had our snack and got sorted into groups. Suddenly I was so excited because we got to do activites like gold panning, Red Hill Mine tour, gold pouring demonstration and bowling. Once we got tired, we went to have dinner and supper. Soon later we went to sleep, or at least tried. The next morning we had breakfast. It was great! I loved it. After that, we went shopping then we went home to have some relaxing time.
By Grace S
Level 4 VR Aboriginal Incursion
On 20 November Level 4 had an incredible time learning about Aboriginal culture through Virtual Reality! They participated in hunting for bush tucker, traditional dances, and exploring dreamtime landscapes - all from the use of a VR headset!
The experience was thoroughly entertaining (as well as watching the students try to swipe around at the open air in front of them while their headsets were on!)
Level 5 Electrical Buzz Incursion
Last week the Level 5’s had our Electrical Buzz incursion. We started off by making a human circuit for the electricity to flow through. We learnt about series and parallel circuits and practiced making both of these with batteries and wires. A highlight of the incursion was creating a circuit that included a speaker that could change sounds depending on where the electricity was connected. Overall, we learnt a lot about how electricity flows through different types of circuits and had a wonderful hands on experience.
Level 2 Sea Life Aquarium Excursion
On Tuesday 26 November Level 2 went on an excursion to the Melbourne Aquarium, SeaLife Park. We took a water journey through the aquarium to meet the amazing animals on display and discovered all their unique features. Students had the opportunity to identify the basic needs of living things and learn about the diverse ways these animals survive in their habitats. We also learnt how some animals’ features change as they grow from babies to adults! Thank you to our parent helpers that helped on the day!
-My favourite part of the excursion was when we got to pick up stuff in the rock pool like shark eggs. –Zahra N
- I couldn’t believe that some fish go into the crocodile’s mouth to clean his teeth for him! –Alastair M
- It was so cool when we got to go in the big room and see all the sharks and huge stingrays! – Violet S
Level 2 Teachers
Level 1 CERES Excursion
On 19th November, Level 1s took a long bus ride deep into the inner-city oasis that is CERES. Surrounded by permaculture and native vegetation, we spent the day learning about weather and sustainability. With the hot sun beating down upon us, we played games focusing on the water cycle, walked along the Merri Creek, and spoke about the weather and Aboriginal culture. We had a ton of fun and gained a deeper understanding of the world around us, all while getting a chance to have hands-on experiences in a beautiful location.
Robotics Club
Robotics Club for students in Year 4, 5 & 6 has been running since second semester began. The Year 6 Media team have been making the new Lego Boost robotics kit available and about 10 Year 4 and 4 Year 6 students have been keenly constructing these cute little robots.
The students had to first download the free Lego Boost App on their device that then connects via Bluetooth to their particular robotics motor. The instructions are sequentially presented on the student’s devices with coding options given at certain stages of construction.
The group has been a mixture of girls and boys and they are getting very excited as their robots slowly take shape. The students were able to select one of 5 robots to make – Vernie the Robot, an electric guitar, a conveyor belt that builds a robot, a cat and a multi purpose tractor.
The race is now on to complete by the end of the year.
Heather Cook
(ICT Specialist/Support)