Congratulations to the Grade 4–6 students on completing their clay unit! It was a huge amount of work, but the results are truly outstanding—there are many budding ceramicists at RGLPS.

At the moment, around 400 pieces are drying in preparation for firing in the kiln, a process that takes about five weeks. It’s a slow journey, but by the end of next term (provided nothing explodes in the kiln!), students will be ready to paint and complete their creations.

Bird Watching!

The Prep students have begun a new unit on birds, where they will be creating wind-up birds using paper clay. Paper clay is ideal for young learners as it is soft, easy to shape, and goes a long way.

This week, students went on a bird-watching walk. Each time they spotted a bird, they paused to sketch it, practising observational drawing (drawing exactly what they see, rather than what they think a bird should look like). Back in the classroom, students used their sketches as inspiration to design the bird they will begin making next week.

Playing with Clay

This week, the Grade 1/2 students had the chance to experiment with clay. They learned how to wedge the clay to remove air bubbles, an important step in preparing it for use. After that, students were encouraged to play, explore, and create their own unique clay pieces.

Next week, students will be introduced to slab-rolling and the score, slip, stick, stitch technique for joining clay. To prepare, they created their own stencils, which will be used to trace shapes onto the clay once the slabs are rolled out. Students had the freedom to design any stencil they wished, either by drawing their own or tracing an image using the light boxes. Sample designs were available on the tables for inspiration, and the results show an exciting variety of ideas.

Sound Suits

This week, the Grade 4 students began creating their human armatures. These were created using wire, plastic, foil and masking tape. Next week we will decorate them accordingly. The students were proud of how great these looked once they had finished.

Balloon Sculptures

This week, students explored the work of Jeff Koons, best known for his iconic balloon dog sculptures made from shiny stainless steel. Using chalk pastels, they drew their own balloon animals, experimenting with shape and colour.

Next week, we will turn our attention to the contemporary artist CJ Hendry. Her recent New York exhibition, Keff Joons, reimagines Koons’ work through playful balloon motifs. Inspired by her approach, students will collaborate in small groups to design and create their own balloon sculptures.

Artwork of the Week

by Sadie and Pepper

Travelling Artists

A message from Sadie (Art Captain)

Zdravo (hello) from Croatia!

This term I have had the privilege to explore Europe with my family. Europe has been the best place to see lots of artwork, especially France! We visited many museums and art galleries.

In one of the art galleries we got the special opportunity to see art pieces by Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gough. We were very lucky to get a photo with the artwork, because the paintings were surrounded by many visitors. Also, during our stay in France we visited the Balloon Museum, it had lots of interactive balloon themed art pieces which were very interesting. I had never seen anything like it before, which made it very enjoyable!

I can’t wait to see all the artwork everyone has created while I have been away. I am also excited to rejoin art club in the last week of term 3.

Sadie Flanagan

Art Captain

Want to volunteer in the Art Room?

We are always on the hunt for volunteers in the Art Room. It is a room that accumulates a lot of mess and disorganization. The main tasks are tidying and organising. To volunteer you must have completed the Parent Helper course. Please email me at lauren.zahra@education.vic.gov.au if you would like to help.

Have a lovely weekend!

North East Link