Around the Senior School

Geography

Bringing people together

The HSC Geography students recently participated in a two day intensive collaboration with students and staff from St Ignatius' College Riverview and Loreto Kirribilli, investigating their case studies of an Urban Place, Sydney Olympic Park and a Rural Place, Orange.

On Wednesday, 25 February, students visited Sydney Olympic Park, applying a range of fieldwork methodologies to examine the changing character of the area from an industrial hub to an Olympic precinct and now a major entertainment and residential centre. A session with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority provided valuable insight into the 2050 Master Plan, highlighting the precinct’s growing connectivity and focus on sustainability.

On Thursday, 26 February, students travelled to Orange to investigate the social, economic and environmental changes shaping this regional centre. Students were privileged to hear from guest speakers including Phil Donato MP (NSW), Ms Charlotte Gundry (Head of Tourism, Orange City Council), Mrs Jane Heffernan (Orange Police) and Mr Scott Peterson (McGrath Real Estate).

Fieldwork continued at the Ploughman's Lane Wetlands, where students undertook water testing and evaluated the effectiveness of the wetland management scheme. The group then travelled to the summit of Mount Canobolas to examine the geographic processes that have shaped the town of Orange, including discussion of its cool climate viticulture. The experience concluded with a debrief and sausage sizzle at Lake Canobolas.

It was a highly successful two day collaboration enjoyed by both staff and students, with one student summing up the experience perfectly:“Geography is not a subject; it is a lifestyle choice.”

Liam Callaghan

Student International Exchange Program 2027

Launched on Friday, 20 February

The Student International Exchange Program (SIEP) 2027 was launched on Friday at our Year 9 meeting.

Dr Ernist, Student International Exchange Program Co-ordinator, gave an overview of the program, explained how the process spans across the calendar year and what to keep in mind in order to become a successful applicant.

Please find below the timeline of the program this year:

At Year 9 meetings in Terms 1 to 3 of 2026, SIEP 2025 participants will be presenting about their lived experiences at our available exchange destinations.
In Terms 1 to 3, interested Year 9 students will explore the info at The Hub - International Student Exchange and talk to the previous year’s travellers about their desired destination.
The Exchange Information Evening will be held at the end of Term 3 with exchange applications emailed to interested students and their families to be filled out during holidays and at the start of Term 4.
The due date for application submission is Monday Week 3 Term 4.
By the end of Week 3, the students who have been successful in progressing into the interview round will be announced.
Interviews are scheduled to take place in Weeks 4 and 5. Students will be assessed based on their written application and the quality of their responses given in the interview.
The successful candidates will be announced by the end of Week 6 with the offers being made in Week 7.
Depending on the circumstances, the placements will be finalised from Week 8 onwards and during Terms 1-3 of 2027.

All the relevant information is located at The Hub - International Student Exchange.

Any questions in relation to the program can be directed to Dr Signe Ernist at exchange@kws.nsw.edu.au

Year 11 Agriculture

Last Friday 40 Year 11 Agriculture students spent a day at Kangaroobie, a historic property owned by the Bateman family on the outskirts of Orange, as part of their Farm Case Study unit. Students were hosted by Mr Wade Peatman, the general manager of Gilmandyke who overseas all of the operations across several farms owned by the family. Mr Peatman provided an outstanding delivery of the operations within the farming system, including the relationship between subsystems, the influence of markets, pests and diseases, technology and the long and short term goals for both productivity and sustainability.

Students spent the day taking notes, making observations about infrastructure, understanding the importance of market specifications for the animals that are produced through Gilmandyke and conducting soil tests to consider resource management. Once again we are most grateful to Mr Peatman for spending so much time with us, the students ability to evaluate a farming system has been enhanced exponentially.