Specialist News

A big hello from Visual Arts!

This term in Visual Arts, students have been busily engaged in creating outstanding mixed media, textile and clay artworks inspired by First Nations art and culture. We took a look at a number of First Nations artists of different medium and learnt about their traditional techniques and stories, allowing us to explore texture, pattern, and symbolism through art projects that celebrated the richness of First Nations artistic traditions. From weaving and fabric design to intricate clay pieces, each work reflects a deepening appreciation for First Nations perspectives and a strong sense of creative expression. It’s been a vibrant and meaningful term of making and learning.

Preps

The eager Preps listened to Dreaming stories written by Gregg Dreise about 'Cunning Crow' and 'Mad Magpie' and excitedly created yarn wrapped birds to portray the colourful birds in 'Cunning Crow'. Then they looked at animals and insects represented as symbols and spiritual presence in Dreaming stories in First Nations art and culture and had a swell of a time listening to 'Tiddalik - the greedy frog'. They had fun painting colourful beetles with food dye and enjoyed experimenting with different colours, particularly as the dyes spread and mixed into different colours. Check out the colourful work of the Preps below.

1/2s

The enthusiastic 1/2s listened to the Dreaming story about the 'Seven Sisters' and identified many familiar symbols in First Nations paintings about this Dreaming story. They then used air dry clay to create a hand dish and decorated them with symbols representing their own stories. 

The 1/2 students were introduced to weaving on country with Adele Chapman- Burgess and her sister Avril Chapman and had a go at weaving using 3 straws. 

They were enchanted by the amazing tapestry created by Maree Clarke and her grand nephew Mitch Mahoney called 'Welcome to Country and then went on to have a go with weaving with burlap. 

They also looked animals and insects represented as symbols and spiritual presence in Dreaming stories in First Nations art and culture, and made paper collage echidnas using textured papers. Below are some of the vibrant work the 1/2s had created.

3/4s

Term 3 kicked off for the 3/4s with exploring what they already knew about First Nations art. They looked at the oldest form of First Nations painting which is rock painting to the most recent one which is dot painting. The 3/4s learnt about the art of traditional weaving of the Birpai country and experimented with making bracelets using wire, ribbons and blanket stitches.

They were introduced to Maree Clarke, a First Nations artist, who uses different mediums to promote First Nations histories, culture and knowledge. The 3/4s gained better understanding of what is involved in creating a tapestry, especially one that is as large as Maree Clarke's Welcome to Country. They learnt also about possum skin cloaks and how they are used as both clothing and as a map of the owner's identity, clan and connection to Country. The 3/4s then created their own map describing their personal journey or identity drawn on a piece of burlap and marked with stitches that they sew.

5/6s

The 5/6s began their exploration of First Nations art by identifying Art Elements and Principles represented in a range of First Nations artwork. Then they were introduced to 

Science night

On Tuesday 19th August, we were able to host our first Science Night in over a decade! Over 100 family members joined us in the BER for 5 different science activities. There was a chemistry experiment using milk and food dye to create patterns and demonstrate a simplified view of earthquakes. There was ciruits,  microscopes and robots available for the families to use and experiment with. However the highlight of the night was the rocket making and testing. Balloon rockets were tested in the classroom and many students decorated paper rockets which were launched out of our air cannon. It was really nice to see many students improved their rocket design after the first test and came back for more.

Thank you to the families who came and supported STEM at our school and apologies to those who wanted to attend but were unable to. In the future we hope to be able to invite more families. Thank you to Mrs Crane, Mrs Johnson and Mrs Lytton for giving up their time to help out on the night - and thank you to the 1-2 classroom teachers who allowed us to use their classrooms.