Secondary

Stage 5 Food 

Students in Stage 5 Food Technology recently completed an exciting cupcake design project, where they researched, planned and created a series of cupcakes inspired by a chosen theme. Throughout the project, students explored a range of decorating techniques and applied their knowledge of food presentation and design principles to produce creative and visually appealing final products.

Students demonstrated impressive skills in piping, fondant modelling, colour selection and detailed finishing techniques, with many producing highly intricate and imaginative designs. The project also encouraged students to develop their planning, problem-solving and time-management skills while working in a practical kitchen environment.

The creativity, enthusiasm and effort displayed by all students was outstanding, and they should be very proud of the high-quality cupcakes they produced. Congratulations to everyone on their fantastic work and commitment throughout the project.

Stage 5 Textiles Technology 

Stage 5 Textile Technology students are making significant progress on their major projects and it has been wonderful to see their confidence and skills continue to develop throughout the term. Students have been learning and applying a range of new techniques, while improving their accuracy, attention to detail and sewing precision.

An important part of the learning process in Textiles is developing patience and problem-solving skills, and students have certainly been strengthening their “unpicking skills” as they refine and improve their work to achieve the best possible results. It has been pleasing to see students persevere through challenges and take pride in continually improving their projects.

The classroom has been filled with creativity, with students experimenting with bold colour choices, a variety of fabrics and an exciting range of techniques to bring their ideas to life. Each project reflects the individuality and imagination of its creator, and the quality of work being produced is extremely impressive.

Congratulations to all Stage 5 Textile Technology students on their dedication, creativity and positive attitude towards learning. We look forward to seeing their finished projects in the coming weeks.

Stage 6 Hospitality 

Stage 6 Hospitality students have been busy developing and refining a wide range of practical hospitality skills across both Year 11 and Year 12 classes.

Year 11 students have been focusing on the “Serve Sandwiches” unit, where they have prepared a variety of café-style dishes including bruschetta, focaccia and open steak sandwiches. Throughout these practical lessons, students have developed valuable kitchen skills such as mise en place preparation, accurate knife skills, safe food handling and professional presentation techniques. It has been fantastic to see students growing in confidence and producing dishes with increasing precision and creativity.

Year 12 students have continued building their barista and customer service skills through operating the school coffee shop every Monday and Tuesday. Students have shown great professionalism while preparing and serving coffees, managing customer orders and working effectively as a team in a fast-paced environment. Alongside this, students have also begun preparing recipes of their own choice, allowing them to showcase their creativity and independence in the kitchen. This week’s highlights included delicious cheese arepas and beautifully prepared cruffins.

In class, students have also been learning about front-of-house hospitality skills including table settings, plate carrying techniques and understanding different menu styles used within the hospitality industry. A particular highlight was learning a variety of creative napkin-folding techniques, which brought plenty of fun and laughter to the classroom while reinforcing the importance of presentation and customer experience.

Congratulations to all Stage 6 Hospitality students for their enthusiasm, teamwork and continued commitment to developing their hospitality knowledge and practical skills.

Science Extension Student Undertakes Authentic Agricultural Research

Science Extension student Mylee has commenced an exciting and highly authentic agricultural research project investigating the effects of injectable trace mineral supplementation on weight gain and body condition score in Black Angus steers.

As part of her Scientific Research Project, Mylee is exploring whether the commonly used livestock supplement “Multimin Evolution” produces measurable improvements in cattle growth and condition under practical grazing conditions. Her project combines real-world agricultural practice with rigorous scientific methodology, reflecting the increasing role of evidence-based decision making within the Australian beef industry.

Recently, Science Extension and Primary Industries students travelled to Bermingham Cattle Yards on Ballyryan Road, Boorowa, to begin the implementation phase of the project. Students assisted with livestock handling, weighing cattle, administering treatments, recording baseline data, and observing blood sample collection procedures. Dr Liz Simpson kindly volunteered her time and expertise to support the project by demonstrating professional veterinary blood sampling techniques, providing students with valuable insight into animal health procedures and scientific fieldwork.

A major strength of Mylee’s investigation is the quality of her experimental design. Initial statistical analysis of baseline data showed there was no significant difference between the treatment and control groups prior to supplementation, indicating the groups were extremely well matched in both weight and body condition score before the study commenced. This has established a scientifically valid foundation for the investigation and will allow future differences between groups to be analysed with greater confidence.

Mylee has also demonstrated exceptional maturity in her research planning, drawing upon scientific literature from universities and peer-reviewed agricultural journals to develop her methodology. Her proposal presentation and ability to confidently answer questions from an audience of peers reflected a deep understanding of both the scientific and agricultural aspects of her project.

The school looks forward to following the progress of the investigation over the coming months as additional weight, body condition score and blood analysis data are collected and analysed.

Stage 4 Music

This week in Stage 4 Music, students have been working towards their Term Two assessment tasks playing the C, A, G, E and D major chords on guitar. This term they have been learning how to incorporate these four chords into songs to famous movie soundtracks. Can you guess the movies these songs come from?  'Accidentally in Love' from _________,  'Don't You Forget About Me' from ________ and   'Heathens' from __________! 

 Wear It Orange Wednesday (on a Thursday) – A Big Salute to Our SES Heroes! 

Last Thursday, 21st May, our school went orange to show support for the incredible State Emergency Services (SES) during Wear It Orange Wednesday (on a Thursday). Year 11 student and SES member Cooper Downey shared his passion with us all, delivering an engaging and thought-provoking assembly presentation that truly inspired our school community.

Classes competed to see who could wear the most orange, with Year 8 and Year 9 battling it out for the top spot. The final showdown was a friendly paper-scissors-rock match between Ivy Taylor (Year 9) and Mason Friend (Year 8), with Year 8 taking the win!

Cooper’s presentation sparked insightful questions and conversations, exemplifying the power of student voice and the importance of sharing our thoughts and passions. A huge thank you to Cooper for raising awareness about the vital work of our SES volunteers.

 Do It For Dolly Day – What an Amazing Blue-tiful Day! 

On Tuesday 26th May, our school turned into a sea of blue for Do It For Dolly Day, and what a fantastic time we had! The Blue Shop was buzzing at lunchtime, serving up delicious blue sweet treats – cupcakes, cookies, lollipops, popcorn, pancakes, and cakes all baked with love by our awesome SRC students. Plus, you could jazz up your look with blue accessories like hair ties, ribbons, bow ties, hair clips, braids, visors, and sparkling face gems. Everyone looked fantastic!

Secondary students got competitive in the Blue Battle, where Year 8 with Mr McDonald and Year 9 with Miss Porch tied for the title of most creative and cohesive blue class! They’ll each enjoy a PBL event of their choice – well deserved! During Assembly and RAGE sessions, students watched the inspiring story of Dolly and reflected on how they can make a positive impact in their community. Primary and infants students have been engaging in activities focusing on kindness and appreciation - they constructed some thought provoking chalk art with positive messages and images on the COLA cement during breaks.

Big shoutout to Dusty Penrose in Year 4, who won the blue cloud lolly guessing competition by almost perfectly guessing 135 (there were 139 in the jar—so close!).

And the fun doesn’t stop there! Our SRC will be running a raffle with Dolly’s Dream merchandise on sale over the next three weeks at school and in selected community spots. The raffle will be drawn at the secondary school assembly on Tuesday 16th June – don’t miss out!

A huge thank you to our dedicated SRC members who brought the day to life despite the rainy weather, and to all our incredible students for raising awareness and funds for such a worthy cause. Together, we really did it for Dolly!

Year 7 Technology 

Year 7 Technology are working on their timber trains. Students have carefully marked out and cut the timber pieces using a set square and rulers. They have learnt how to safely use a range of tools including the disc sander and drill press. Students have learnt how to make a series of butt joints and use a coping saw to cut out the windows and large wheel housing. Greet effort so far by all students. Mr Blomfield