Carlsruhe Annexe / 

Main Campus - Year 4

Hello and welcome back from what we hope was a restful break. The students were eager to share details about their holidays, and it appears that lots of fun was had!

On Friday 25th July, the Year 4’s took part in an activity day to celebrate National Tree Day, which we held at our Carlsruhe Campus.

The day started off with Uncle Peter, a Taungurung descendent, conducting a smoking ceremony on the Carlsruhe oval. We all came together and enjoyed hearing Uncle Peter's Welcome to Country. He explained the purpose of the ceremony and the importance in protecting the land. Uncle Peter also thanked us for continuing to look after the land of his ancestors so wonderfully and considerately. We then watched as the fire started, the flames grew and the smoke from the eucalyptus rose gently into the cool air, before excitedly passing through the smoke one by one. It was so empowering that we did it twice! Then we went into our groups to begin the activities we had planned.

We were very excited to have Emily from Regional ResourceSmart Schools of Victoria assisting us with our garden planting activity. Emily spoke about the importance of local plants for our native insects and animals, as well as the varied uses of specific plants by the Taungurung people. She also discussed the importance of creating the right habitats and management needed in order for our ecosystem to thrive. We looked at the plants chosen for our garden and the different benefits each one brings to the special place that we are creating. We cannot wait to share the finished result with you all!

The other activities we completed on the day included a leaf rubbing art activity and bunting making. During the leaf rubbing, students selected a favourite leaf to contribute to our collaborative piece and then they created individual works of their own. As part of the bunting activity, students enjoyed designing an individual piece using the indigenous flag colours, as well as the language of the Taungurung people. These will be combined to make bunting that we will proudly display around the indigenous garden and yarning circle.

It was a fantastic day and all the children had a great time collaborating and socialising together. 

Year 4 Teachers

Ashleigh Dodds (4AD), Lisa Sutch (4LS), Louise Safstrom/Alison Meggs (4SM)