Around the rooms

STEM

St Margaret Mary’s is participating in the prestigious UNSW STEM competition, which provides our Year 5 and 6 students to practice their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills. This competition allows our young scientists and engineers to compete in a state-wide competition. The competition involves students completing courses on coding, robotics and maths.

Sistine Chapel Excursion

Last week Year 5 and 6 went to the Sistine Chapel Exhibition outside St Mary’s Cathedral. Our tour guide, Robert Haddad, showed us around and shared lots of information about classical art. 

One thing we learnt was how Michaelangelo created his masterpieces. He didn’t just start painting right way. First, he drew the outlines, then he used printing techniques and finally he layered on the beautiful colours and details. 

Michelangelo painted the entire story of Creation across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, connecting all the stories together through his artwork. This took 4 years to complete!

We looked closely at the most famous painting of all: God and Adam. In the artwork, their fingers are almost touching. Our tour guide Robert Haddad explained that they are creating a spark of life. Later in the story, when Adam and Eve betrayed God, the spark of life was gone! This resulted in God sending a great flood (the story of Noah’s Ark) to wash the world clean and renew it.

We also learnt that God had secret messengers. Michelangelo painted five ancient prophetesses (women who could see the future). Two of the most famous ones are Delphica and Libica. God told them what He was going to do and it was their job to warn all the people. 

Did you know that the Sistine Chapel was deliberately built to have the exact proportions of the ancient Temple of Solomon.

By Elyse and Issy

Year 4

Year 4 attended OLSH MCR CCCM Combined Schools Musical Performance of The Wizard of Oz at The Juniors, Kingsford.  They had a great time watching the performance.