Junior School, Brooklyn Park

Sustainable Housing: Our Year 5/6 Model Homes Project

Last term, our Year 5 and 6 students explored an exciting and important topic: sustainable housing. We learned how houses of the future can be designed to protect the environment, save energy, and help people live more sustainably.

To bring their ideas to life, students worked in teams to design and build their own model sustainable houses. They used creativity, problem-solving skills, and their knowledge of eco-friendly materials and energy conservation.

Building with smart materials

One of the key focuses of the project was choosing the right materials. Students thought carefully about how buildings can reduce waste and help the planet.

Many students used:

• Recycled plastic materials to represent walls, roofs, or decorative features. This helped show how waste can be reused instead of thrown away.
• Strong, reusable items like cardboard and wood demonstrate how long-lasting materials reduce the need for rebuilding.

Students learned that using recycled and durable materials helps reduce pollution and protect natural resources.

Saving energy with Smart Design

A major part of sustainable housing is using less energy and creating clean energy. Students included several innovative features in their model homes:

• Solar panels on rooftops to collect energy from the sun
• Carefully placed windows for natural light, reducing the need for electricity during the day
• Designs that kept homes warm in winter and cool in summer (e.g. considering insulation and colour)

These strategies showed how homes can rely less on fossil fuels and more on renewable energy sources.

Conserving water

Water conservation was another important idea. Students included features such as:

• Low-flow taps to reduce water use
• Systems that showed how water could be saved and reused (e.g. rainwater tanks)

Growing food at home

Many students also thought about how homes can produce their own food. Their models included:

• Gardens for growing crops and vegetables
• Small spaces for plants, showing that even limited areas can help produce fresh food

This project helped students understand that small changes can make a big difference for our planet. By combining recycled materials, renewable energy, water-saving systems, and home-grown food, they showed how sustainable housing can create a better future.

We are incredibly proud of the creativity and teamwork our students have shown. Their models highlight the exciting possibilities for eco-friendly living and remind us that everyone can play a part in protecting our environment.

Tiana Raw

5/6 Teacher

Debate Teams Success

This year, we have five Debate teams, made up of 22 students from across our Year 5 and 6 cohort at Brooklyn Park. 

On Thursday 14th May, we had all five of our teams compete and was a wonderful celebration of our students and the incredible work happening across our campus. They achieved an outstanding result, with five debates, five wins, and an incredible five individual 'Speaker of the Night' awards! 

Congratulations to Jude L, David X, Jonathan M (Year 6), and Tori C and Aria C (Year 5) on receiving these awards.

Our Year 5 students debated the topic 'Cats are better than dogs', while our Year 6 students tackled the far more complex and thought-provoking topic 'There should be a pledge of allegiance for Australian school children.'

What made the evening even more special was seeing so many students thrive publicly with confidence, clarity, and courage, particularly those who, in earlier years, found literacy and oral language challenging.

To watch them now stand before an audience, construct persuasive arguments, rebut confidently, and speak with such presence and composure is a powerful reminder of the impact we all have every day.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to these students’ growth and confidence. It was a proud night for our community, (our parents and grandparents were beaming!), and a wonderful reminder of what our students can achieve when they are supported to find and use their voice.

Our next rounds of debates will take place in Weeks 6 and 9 this Term, on a Thursday evening, at Woodville Gardens Primary School. It is a fantastic evening and a wonderful opportunity to see our students shine.

Debate Teams 2026

• Year 5 Blue: Aria C (Captain), Imisi B, Evan P & Oskar H
• Year 5 Green: Annalena L (Captain), Tori C, Lucas E and Benjamin L
• Year 6 Blue: Jude L (Captain), Amayah N, Gulnaz B and Olivia S
• Year 6 Green: Joanna D (Captain), David X, Elspeth R and Daniela A
• Year 6 Orange: Jonathan M (Captain), Annmaria T, Bianca L, Rex H and Abby P

Warm regards,

Richard Heath and Bec D'Lima

Debate Coaches

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Term 2