Class 5 News

Class Five has spent the last few weeks really connecting to the local country and community. We have been on several excursions which allowed the students to delve deeper into local Botany, Geography, Art, and Culture.

After much practicing behind the school, we had our anticipated Trek along the Larapinta Trail for our Class Camp. This included two days of walking from town to Simpson's Gap with an overnight stop at Wallaby Gap. We had an amazing time, and the students (and teachers!) really grew in their independence and their ability to deal with change and adversity. They were all very supportive of one another, and helped when they could.

Please enjoy just a few snapshots from this incredible journey!

Shortly after our return from a beautiful camp, we travelled with a few students from the upper grades to Topsy Smith Hostel to play a strings concert for the residents. The class dredged their memories and played a wonderful mix of songs from their recent lessons as well as a few from our days in Class 4!

To top it all off, we travelled out to Ntaria (Hermannsburg) this week to learn about the culture of pottery making there. We enjoyed a beautiful demonstration along the Lhere Pinta (aka Finke River), and the children were allowed to try their hand at making a small pinch pot. We did have to return the pots to the river, as the clay belongs to the country, but it was a great experience learning how the pots were made and feeling the difference in the soil along the river.

After our experience with the potters, we spent a short time exploring the historical buildings of the town, including a stop inside the old school! When we returned to Alice, the students imagined what it would have been like to live in Hermannsburg Mission in the early 1900s, and each wrote a journal entry as a student of the time.

It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful way to introduce our pottery lessons for craft!

Have a wonderful term!

Pam