Classroom News 

F- 6 RECONCILIATION WEEK

A big shout out to all teachers and students who have made this week's Reconciliation Week such a great week of learning. Craftwork, storytelling, singing,  learning, understanding. Our school community can be proud of the work we have done this week. Well done everyone!!

Foundation

'V' is for VOLCANO!   

This week, the Foundation students continued to develop their letter-sound knowledge through hands-on experiences. Their faces radiated pure excitement, with wide eyes and beaming smiles capturing the thrill of the moment.

Buddy Time ~ National Reconciliation Week 

Thank you to Marty for teaching us about the native plant Ku-ra-wun (Lomandra); a tough grass that was used by Indigenous people to weave baskets and bags for carrying food, as well as fishing nets and house mats. 

Thank you to our Year 5/6 buddies for helping us weave the Lomandra. 

Year 1

In Maths we have been learning about Measurement- Longer and Shorter. We had to find an object in our classroom that was longer and shorter than our piece of string. Our pieces of string were different lengths. 

I think measurement is important to learn what is longer and shorter, like when you're measuring a book, you can use a ruler to see how long or short it is. An example that I am going to show you is a ruler can sometimes be shorter than a piece of string. - Abigail

Measurement is important so when you want to find out how long something is or how short something is you just have to measure and use your brain, like for example if you are measuring an object with another object you just have to see which one is longer and which one is shorter and then you will know the information. Another example is if you're comparing a book with a house, and a house with a book, the answer will still be the same. - Ezra

Measurement is important because if you want to measure something you can use a ruler or string to measure it. - Stella

The whiteboard was longer than the piece of string and the crayon was shorter than the piece of string. - Audrey

If you use scales to weigh two objects, and it's the same weight, they are not heavier or lighter than each other. - Valentino

If you measure an iPad and a book, the book is longer. - Bruno

A pencil is shorter than a piece of string. - Aiden

Year 2/3

Hello Families,

This Term as you know we are learning all about Science. The Year 2 children spend some lessons enjoying Discovery with the junior children and some lessons in their own class conducting investigations. The Year 3 children enjoy Science which involves chemical change in the 3/4 class and have been looking at investigations that are really cool! Below are some pictures for you to enjoy and ask your children about.

Stay warm :)

Year 3 and Year 3/4

Science in the Classroom - What makes the bubbles in the Lava Lamp?

Students have been learning about chemical reactions. This weeks experiment was to find out what made the coloured bubbles in the vegetable oil. 

We hypothesize that the alka seltzer tablet will make it react and have a chemical reaction and make bubbles. Vegetable oil and water will help it bubble. 

Results: It bubbled and fizzed. It was amazing. There were red and pink bubbles. They started at the bottom and came to the top. We think you should try it as it was amazing and fun. Massie, Laura, Lawrence and Emma.

We predict that it will fizz up and make bubbles from the tablet. The water and the tablet will make a gas. 

Results: It bubbled, the fizz made more bubbles. The shape of the bubbles rising was like a volcano and were blue. It made lots of bubbles and then stopped. Suzie, Katalina, Raffaela and Chloe. 

We think (hypothesize) that the tablet will dissolve and make gas to form the bubbles. 

Results: The blue water in the bottom is bubbling. It made bubbles of gas and made a lava lamp. The bubbles of gas rise up. The oil turned cyan and blue. Arvin, Olivia, Luke, Amy and Mia. 

Our hypothesis is that the tablet will fizz because of the chemicals in the tablet.

Results: The coloured water went to the bottom of the glass with the oil at the top. When we put the alka seltzer tablet in, it started fizzing with blue bubbles of gas and turned the oil green. The experiment was great and worked out. Aylah, Georgia, Benjermen and Viraj. 

We hypothesize that there will be an explosion. The tablets (alka seltzer) will make it bubble.

Results: When we put the tablet into the oil and coloured water, more bubbles came. 

Sai, Kaiden, Austin and Eva. 

Year 4/5                      

                       We go to see Mary Poppins!

Last Tuesday, the year 5s went to see a Mary Poppins performance at Santa Maria. Santa Maria girls collaborated with the Parade College boys to put on this amazing show. When we first arrived, we saw how big the stage was. We were so lucky to get front row seats. There were so many people and a lot of them were up the back. The show was magnificent. The clothes were very colorful and they represented the 1960s. We thought that the performers were very talented and their vocals were all perfect, especially Bert and Mary Poppins. After the show, we were lucky enough to meet the girl who played Mary Poppins and the rest of the cast. When we got back to school, we talked about and researched the film "Mary Poppins”.  By Lauren and Aleisha

On Tuesday the 21st, all the year 5 students got invited to Santa Maria to see the amazing Mary Poppins performance, performed by the girls from Santa Maria and the Parade College boys. We traveled by bus and it was so much fun. When we arrived and the show started, we were so excited. The music was wonderful and it made us feel like we were in the show! When Mary Poppins appeared, everyone was thrilled to see her. The way she sang made every corner of the theater feel full of joy. After the performance, the cast came out to say goodbye to all the students who got invited to see the show. We thought the show was fantastic and we are looking forwards to another experience like this again.

By Allie and Stephanie

Year 5/6

Reconciliation Week

The Year 5/6 students have used this week's national focus regarding Reconciliation Weel on learning more about this nation's history. We viewed two pieces of media :  a series called 'The First Australians' and the movie 'Rabbit Proof Fence'.

The First Australians, Episode Three, centered on local history, the Woiwurrung Wurundjeri, who saw their homelands devastated by the influx of half a million people in thirty years due to colonisation and the Gold Rush. 

Rabbit Proof Fence is a powerful film, highlighting governmental policy to forcibly remove Aboriginal children from their families. Those taken are known in history as the 'Stolen Generations'. I command all your children on their openness to learn and the deep respect when discussing these difficult but important times and events in our history. 

Jacob -  The Rabbit Proof Fence was a movie of sorrow but in the end it was good to see Molly and Daisy made it home safely. I felt sad for their cousin Gracie when she got taken away. The policy of any “half-caste” child being taken away was seriously wrong.  In the first part of the movie it was absolutely terrible when the girls got taken away. I give this movie a four out of five stars!

Jacob - In the First Australians, it taught us about the history of Aboriginals and it told us about 'Coranderrk  and its history. Like when a man named Wonga wanted a change so he started helping the Aboriginals to look after themselves. I really liked it when it told us how Wonga built a place for the Aboriginal people to live in harmony. 

Keefe - I liked it. It was very suspenseful, it had some sad moments in there, and was able to teach me some saddening history. I really thought Molly was gonna get Gracie back.

Connor - It was very educational. I learnt a lot about what happened back in the day. It was a very good movie overall. And it told me more about Australia's history and how people wanted to make sure that aboriginal people were made extinct. “The First Australians” taught me a lot, like how William Barak took over when  Simon Wonga who died from T.B (Tuberculosis). They were both known as Nurungeata (leader). 

Bhavin - I personally liked how accurate this movie was to traditional culture of the Aboriginal lifestyle, I also liked how educational this movie was for me and I give the representation of the story a 9.5/10. The show “The First Australians” follows the story of Simon Wonga and his cousin William Barak as they unite with John and Mary Green and try to save the children and their community.

The movie, ‘The Rabbit-Proof Fence’ was really good but also very sad, the policy about taking half-caste kids was bad in my opinion. This movie would be good for education and cultural understanding. Very different from other movies, it had a lot of history and it’s good to keep old traditions. I personally thought that Gracie was gonna come back alive but she passed away. 

"The First Australians" About The First Australian, there were two cousins, Simon Wonga and William Barak. Also, I learnt that the population of Aboriginal people in Victoria used to be 60,000 people but was reduced to only 2,000 over a period of 50 years. Aboriginal people were forced into slavery and the PB (Protection Board) took the Aboriginal lands but they won their lands back. There were a couple of safe spots like ; Framlingham, Lake Condah, Lake Tyers, Coranderrk, Ramahyuck, Cummeragunja and Ebeneezer.  - Harper :)

Izaac- This movie was heartbreaking and makes you wonder why? Just why? did people do that, but it taught us history and the importance of having resilience but the history was really melancholy without it we cannot move forward. 

Coranderrk- There were two cousins named Wonga and Barak they are the main characters and they defended their people over a long period of time. They were leaders.

Glendon- I feel sad for Gracie because she was found and killed in the Moore River Native Settlement. I think the movie was good.  

Roman- The movie was great, but really emotional. I never expected it to be so bizarre, some of the scenes are crazy. We as people now would think that’s crazy, but if you ask someone back in those days it was a normal thing, which gets us thinking why have we done this. In conclusion, it was a great movie.

4.5 stars 

Isabella - Rabbit Proof Fence was really interesting. It was about 3 aboriginal girls who got taken away, because the white people believe that Aboriginals don’t have a place in the world. I give this movie a 4 out of 5 stars, because it taught us a lot about what happen back in the day!

Rabbit proof fence is a movie that tells us about these 3 girls being taken away from their mom by the government! I think this movie really helped me understand the bad history of Australia. These people that have been taken away from their parents are called the stolen generation. I rate this movie 4.5 ⭐ -  Gail

Onella I think that this movie, Rabbit Proof Fence, was a great movie although some parts were heart breaking. Especially the part where the people took away the three half-cast girls away from their parents. I cannot imagine anything like that. But the movie was good because we as children get to learn about the past of Aboriginals. In my opinion I don't think this event should happen.  This movie was a four out of five for me!

Onella[ Coranderrk] The story about the first Australians was actually good to know about the past. You get to know about Wonga and Barrak, who are cousins. They wanted to have their own land because their people were getting sick. So they went to the PB [Protection Board].  Which was actually doing nothing and talked about it. But they refused. Later on Wonga had passed away and his cousin Barak had taken charge of his spot. Then Barak lost his wife and his son. This was heartbreaking to me. And also we get to know about the past and fix things. So it was good to know about the First Australians.

Maxie - The movie was really touching and enjoyable. I was really sad because one of the girls had to become a slave for the rest of her life. And it's a true STORY! Really racist, thank god people are nicer now,  this deserves a round of applause.

Maxie Santoso

Fortunato- Rabbit Proof Fence was racist against aboriginal people because the white people wanted the aboriginal blood extinct. Spirit animals do exist and to guide us on with our lives, which we also saw in the film. It was very educational.

Katelin- It was educational in a historical way, and it explained to me about what had happened in Australia's past which was quite informative. 

I did like how the three girls Molly, Daisy and Gracie walked more than one thousand kilometres with hardly any food or water, showing how aboriginals survived better in the country than cities. Plus it was really devestating when Gracie got taken back to Moor river. The Rabbit-proof fence was also really intriguing to watch, it had me hooked! So, educational, historical and super intriguing, I’d say it’s a revolutionary movie! But that’s only my opinion.  

Yianna~ (Rabbit Proof Fence) I did not fully understand it first when i heard about it but when i started to watch it i nearly cried because it was very emotional.  Imagine being taken away from your home , your parents and having to walk 1,500 miles? It took them about nine weeks to return back home. All I know is that people who are emotional people and get teary very easy  should not watch this movie even if it is very educating.

Ali - The film was all about our history and it showed how brave the older girl was and she was smart too. It also talked about how it was like back a hundred years ago in Australia.

Yianna~(The First Australians) I like how this series informs us about when it started, who tried to stop it ,who was involved and lots more! I feel very sad for Barak because he was not able to be there when his son passed because of a disease and the PB I think promised to heal him and take care of him and that they would meat up in Melbourne but didn't.

Weaving with the Year 1's

We also spent time with the junior classes (foundation and Year 1) to have a go at the aged tradition of using natural resources to weave. It was a great experience for all students involved!