Whole School Activities

Lower Division Mathematics

Lower Division students have been examining the concept of mass as part of our current unit in mathematics. Our focus has been on understanding how we measure the mass of objects, and the different ways we can compare their weights. Students began by ‘hefting’—lifting items in their hands—to estimate which objects felt heavier or lighter. This simple technique encouraged them to think critically and use descriptive language such as “heavier than,” “lighter than,” and “about the same”.

Lower Division selected a variety of objects from around the classroom, from pencils and books to toy blocks and glue sticks. After making their initial predictions, they placed items on each side of the balance arm to compare their mass directly. Students observed which side dipped lower, confirming which object was heavier, and discussed whether their predictions matched the results.

This hands-on activity not only reinforced key vocabulary and concepts, but also fostered important skills like observation, reasoning, and communication. The students thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with different items and sharing their findings with classmates. It was wonderful to see everyone so engaged, and using real-world objects made the learning experience both meaningful and fun.

Lower Divison Excursion

Lower Division recently enjoyed a wonderful excursion to three fascinating sites in Armidale, enriching their learning through real-world experiences.

Our first stop was the Armidale Folk Museum, where students had the unique opportunity to explore, observe, and even handle a variety of historical artefacts. This hands-on experience helped them gain a deeper understanding of how life has changed over time, perfectly complementing our current history studies. Seeing actual objects from the past brought classroom concepts to life and sparked great curiosity and discussion among the students. Our thanks to Eva and the staff of the Armidale Folk Museum for making this a great experience.

Next, we visited the Natural History Museum at the University of New England (UNE). The museum featured an impressive range of natural specimens and exhibits. We extend our sincere thanks to Julia from UNE Discovery, who generously guided us through the museum. 

Finally, after dodging some thunderstorms, we made it to the UNE Museum of Antiquities. Here, students were astonished by the ancient artefacts on display, including remarkable items from ancient Mediterranian cultures nearly 4,000 years old. 

We are grateful to our hosts at all three locations for their warm welcome and for making our visit so special. This excursion was an incredible opportunity for students to connect their learning with the world beyond the classroom, fostering a deeper appreciation for history and the natural world.

Stage 3 Writing: Exploring Theme in Narrative

Stage 3 are using The One and Only Ivan as a mentor text to explore how Katherine Applegate develops theme across a narrative. After each shared reading, students analyse the key ideas and events in that section and identify a phrase or statement that conveys the underlying theme. So far, they have identified themes of hope for the future of humanity and how attitudes to animal cruelty have changed in modern history. They have also explored the author’s use of juxtaposition to contrast different realities, which shows how multiple perspectives can coexist in a complex world. 

Students are jointly constructing an analytical, essay-style response that uses embedded quotations as textual evidence. Each paragraph is built to be cohesive, moving from a topic sentence to an elaboration, supporting evidence from the text, and a linking sentence that connects back to the central idea. Through this, students are considering authorial intent and how the author positions her audience. They have also recognised that the text serves a dual purpose, imaginative and informative, as factual knowledge about silverback gorillas is embedded throughout the narrative. Our focus on sentence-level punctuation and writing stamina continues through a gradual release approach. Each lesson moves from jointly constructing a text, to reviewing it against our success criteria, to students independently crafting their own responses. It has been wonderful to watch their confidence and skill as writers grow with each lesson.

Upper Division Art: Painting Like Ivan

Stage 3 are studying The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, and this week all Upper Division students had the chance to put themselves in Ivan’s shoes. More literally, they wore the hands of a gorilla to paint! Ivan was a real-life western lowland gorilla. He spent 27 years living in an enclosure at a shopping centre in the United States before moving to Zoo Atlanta, and he became famous for his artworks. Students looked at one of Ivan’s paintings and discussed its colours and abstract style, and what it might tell us about him. The novel is told in the first person from Ivan’s point of view, which helped students imagine how he might have felt in captivity and how freeing painting may have been for him as an enrichment activity. Wearing gorilla gloves, students found out how hard it is to hold a paintbrush with a gorilla’s hands. Without the gloves, they painted with their non-dominant hand, which helped them let go of perfectionism and focus on what was fun to paint and explore. Ivan painted with brushes, his fingers, and sometimes even his nose and tongue! We stuck to brushes, hands and fingers. Through our abstract art, we showed emotions, stories and experiences of our own. Our artworks and our written reflections will be shared at this Friday’s assembly - we’d love to see you there!