In the Classroom

NAIDOC Day

On Friday 4th July we celebrated NAIDOC Day at Niangala Public School. Cassie McKenna, a proud Torres Strait Islander woman, visited to share her culture with us. Cassie helped us to locate the Torres Strait Islands on a map and read some picture books. She talked about how stars and the moon are used as landmarks in the Torres Strait, and there are 3 main languages that are spoken.

We then cooked some traditional Torres Strait Islander food - sop sop and damper. Sop sop is vegetables - golden and white sweet potato and pumpkin cooked in coconut milk. 

While the vegetables simmered in the coconut milk we dressed up in Torres Strait Island costumes - bright floral dresses and zazis (coloured skirts). We sang and danced to Taba Naba and made dharis.

We all tasted sop sop and damper. There were mixed reports, some students really enjoyed the coconut taste and others were not so sure.

Thank you Cassie for sharing your culture with us!

Books to Life - General Waste

On Tuesday, 22 July, Niangala students travelled to Dungowan for this year’s presentation of Books to Life. The book adapted for the live show was General Waste, written by Michael Streich. All of the children became actors for the afternoon by participating in the performance.

General Waste loves stuff! Wasting lots of stuff! He tosses away apples after one bite, he has hour-long showers, he must have the latest uniform fashion, and he rides around in a monster truck! He shares a house with Gram-Gram. She always saves her leftovers, does her own repairs and cycles everywhere! One day, when General Waste finds himself trapped under a mountain of his own stuff, Gram-Gram comes to the rescue.

Mr & Mrs Bazeley Visit

We were delighted to welcome Mr and Mrs Bazeley, who visited us to talk about Knight's Choice (2024 winner of the Lexus Melbourne Cup). We had the opportunity to ask them some great questions, and the answers will be on display during the Walcha Melbourne Cup celebration.

A big thank you to Mr and Mrs Bazeley for taking the time to visit us!

Tennis Coaching 

🎾 We’re thrilled to welcome Emma Wauch as our tennis coach this term! Students will have the opportunity to develop their tennis skills, build confidence on the court, and have fun while learning the fundamentals of the game.

Get ready for a fantastic season of tennis! 🏆