Kinross Wolaroi Family Bulletin

Around the Junior School

Year 5 Dairy Day Incursion

Thursday, June 12

 

On Thursday, June 12, Miss Hazelton and Mrs Seedsman (Year 5 teachers) hosted a hands-on Dairy Day Incursion as part of Year 5’s Science unit exploring the ‘Paddock to Plate’ cycle, with a focus on dairy farming. Throughout the day, students experienced a series of engaging sessions that explored how ingredients and materials combine to form delicious dairy products.

Session 1: Ice Cream Churning

Students kicked off the day by making their own ice cream. They combined sugar, milk, egg, vanilla and cream before churning the mixture in an ice cream machine. After letting it set, students enjoyed a tasting session later in the day – a definite highlight!

Session 2: Insights from Lochie Hazelton (AFMH – Moxey Farms)

Lochie Hazelton shared his expertise about daily life on the Gooloogong Dairy Farm and introduced students to cutting-edge sustainable practices in modern farming. Students were fascinated to learn how cow manure can be used to generate power for the entire farm!

Session 3: Cheese Making with Second Mouse Cheese Co.

In the Senior School Food Technology rooms, students met SJ from Second Mouse Cheese Company. SJ guided them through the history and process of cheese making. Students had the opportunity to make ricotta and even taste test a range of cheeses including brie and blue cheese – for many, a step outside their comfort zone!

Session 4: The Science of Milk

In this session with Mrs Gibson, students explored the chemical composition of milk. Using scientific methods, they compared the fat and protein content of various products such as almond, soy, skim and full cream milk – even juice and egg!

Session 5: Dairy Products – From Farm to Fridge

Students learned how everyday dairy products like yoghurt, butter, and whipped cream are made and processed. As a special treat, Little Big Dairy Co kindly donated chocolate milk for each student – a perfect way to finish a day full of learning, making, and taste testing!

Dinosaur Party 

During week 6 in Pre-Kinder we have been learning all things prehistoric. On Thursday we decided to celebrate with a fun packed dinosaur themed day to enrich their learning. The day allowed the children to dress up as a dinosaur or bring a dinosaur toy to school. Our day was full of dinosaur themed art, craft, stories, games and even a re-enactment of the extinction of the dinosaurs through song. Our lunch time party was a great way to learn more about what it means to be an herbivore, carnivore and an omnivore. The children feasted on meatballs, dino nuggets, mini sausages and a mixture of fruit and vegetables. A very ROARSOME time was had by all. 

Brown House - Eat Up Australia 

On Thursday, 12 June 2025, sixteen Brown House students from Years 3 to 6 dedicated their lunchtime to supporting Eat Up Australia by making approximately 320 sandwiches for students who would otherwise go without. 

 

This relatively small but committed group of Brown House students worked frantically with Rev Sally and Mrs Fatai to complete the job. While making the sandwiches, there were discussions about gratitude and reflection on different opportunities for different children.

 

Eat Up Australia a vital organisation that works to combat food insecurity by preparing and delivering lunches to schools across the country, ensuring that no child goes hungry during the school day. The Junior School is very proud to be a part of the Kinross Wolaroi School’s commitment to supporting our local community through this meaningful initiative.

Mrs Fatai

JS Round Square Project Officer

Year 1 Museum Exhibition

Thursday 5 June was an exciting afternoon for the Year 1 students as their museum of ‘Every Object Tells a Story’ officially opened. Students displayed a significant family object and shared a video that they had created telling the story about their objects from home. Parents were invited to attend along with the classes from the Junior School. Thank you to Mrs Fatai for her technical expertise in assisting the students in their Digital Technology class, helping students to create and upload their photos and movie in preparation for the museum. Thank you also to Mrs Chapel for her attendance. The museum was a great success and a wonderful culmination of learning for history. 

 

The objects and videos from the Year 1 museum will be available for a second viewing at the Digital Technology Showcase being held in the Junior School Glasshouse, Tuesday 24th June from 12:00-12:50. 

Mrs Essex

Year 6 Canberra Excursion 2025

As part of Year 6’s Term 2 unit of work on ‘Rights and Responsibilities’, Year 6 travelled to Canberra for three days. Mr Barrett, Ms Dodson, Miss Hamblin, and Mrs Klein accompanied the students as they got to see many venues of national significance and educational value. 

They visited the Australian Institute of Sport, National Zoo and Aquarium, National Museum of Australia, GeoScience Australia, The Big Issue Magazine, Questacon, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Australian Democracy, Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial. 

 

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate Program. The rebate is paid directly to the school. The School would like to acknowledge and thank the Australian Government for their recognition and contribution of funds. 

 

Year 6 Student Report on the Canberra Excursion

 

Last week, Year 6 students from Kinross Wolaroi School went on an exciting three-day excursion to Canberra, Australia’s capital city. We gathered at school early on Wednesday morning, ready to depart by 6:30am. 

 

Our first stop in Canberra was the National Portrait Gallery. We explored portraits of famous Australians and our guide led us through drawing activities, challenges, and a self-portrait inspired by artist Thom Roberts. After that, we visited The Big Issue Magazine, where we learned about homelessness and the importance of breaking stereotypes. The Big Issue supports marginalised Australians to earn a living. Before our next location, Miss Hamblin led us on a bus tour of the embassies, each with its own unique architecture that reflects their countries heritage. 

 

In the afternoon, we stopped for afternoon tea at a rose garden, and two groups rotated around visiting the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. We explored the historic Senate and House of Representatives Chambers, which many of us found fascinating. Our final stop of the day was Questacon at night, where we had a blast exploring scientific exhibits, experiencing an earthquake simulator, and braving the giant drop slide. After a busy day, we checked into our hotel, had dinner, and then settled into our cabins for the night.

 

On Thursday, we started with breakfast at 7:00 am before heading to Geoscience Australia. There, we learned about earthquakes, tectonic plates, and even got to touch a real piece of the moon! KWS were honoured to add a layer of unique soil to their historial record of visitors to GeoScience. We also explored igneous rocks and saw a historic seismograph. We even created our own earthquake by jumping next to a seismograph. 

 

After morning tea, we visited the Australian War Memorial. It was a moving experience as we paid our respects to fallen soldiers and learnt about Australia’s military history, as well as listening to touching war stories.

 

Next, we toured the new Parliament House. We sat in the Senate and House of Representatives chambers and learned how laws are made. The modern design of the building impressed us all. Our next stop was the National Museum of Australia, where we explored exhibits about Indigenous Australians who changed Australia’s history for the better. 

 

That evening, we had dinner and then headed out for a fun night of laser tag and arcade games. We were split into two groups, which were then divided into 8 teams, and it was thrilling to compete against our friends—and even the teachers and bus driver!

 

On Friday, we were up early again to pack our bags and load the bus. After breakfast, we visited the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), where we saw elite athletes train. We even got to try out a sports simulator, playing games like soccer, AFL, and rugby league.

Our final stop was the National Zoo and Aquarium. Despite the rain, we enjoyed seeing a variety of animals, including endangered species. Some of us even faced our fears and touched a corn snake named Ted, who felt surprisingly like carpet! One highlight was spotting the endangered white lions.

After lunch, we boarded the bus for the journey back to Orange, arriving around 6:00pm. It was an unforgettable trip filled with learning, laughter, and lasting memories. We’re grateful to our teachers for organising such a fantastic experience and proud to be Year 6 leaders in 2025.

By Marley (6H), Reuben (6B) and Sofia (6K).

Year 5 da Vinci Decathlon State Competition

Our Year 5 daVinci Decathlon team travelled to Knox Grammar school to compete in the State Decathlon event alongside seventy other Year 5 teams from across New South Wales. Our students represented Kinross over 10 disciplines including Engineering, Art and Poetry, English, Maths and Cartography. The students, Liam Hayward, Mezen Jalal, Louis Pantehis- Marriott, Nikhil Prasad, Alexander Flynn, Elizabeth Milliken, Phoebe Westcott and Madeline Russell participated in a full day of problem solving papers working as a team to answer questions and devise new solutions with creativity grounded in current knowledge and understandings. A highlight was meeting other Year 5 students from across the state as well as being able to decorate their table with the theme of the Decathlon, "Light."

Merit Awards - Term 2 Week 7 

K Nemo

  • Odette Morley- for explaining her thinking when working on take away problems in maths.
  • Harrison Stirling- for improved reading fluency and handwriting.

K Bees

  • Harry Webb– for making encouraging strides in the classroom and taking on challenges. Well done!!!
  • Gertie Thomson– for consistently putting forth her best effort in every subject and striving to maintain a high standard in all her bookwork.

1 Eco-Octonauts

  • Jack Sanderson– for extended responses in reading comprehension.
  • Lily Jackson- for demonstrating mature work habits. Checking and changing work.
  • Ollie Byrnes– for connecting learning concepts in mathematics.

2 Tashi

  • James Meachin- for producing engaging creative writing through thoughtful planning, imaginative ideas, and a genuine enthusiasm for storytelling.
  • Leila Madden- for growing in confidence and actively participating in class discussions by regularly raising her hand to share ideas and ask questions.

2 Wall-E

  • Chloe Oldroyd– for making great progress in reading fluency and approaching every reading task with a positive attitude.
  • Anastasia Rogers– for consistently giving her best effort in all areas of learning and showing kindness and respect to everyone.

3 Wandi

  • Havana DeBattista Fadel- for her work in maths in learning about reading time to the nearest minute. 
  • Darcy Price– for his increased effort and focus when completing written tasks. Great work Darcy!

3 Kimmi

  • Stanislaus Fatai– for his exceptional listening and eye contact to demonstrate respect in the classroom.
  • Hareem Rashid– for demonstrating neat handwriting in all her books and taking pride in her bookwork.

4 Mumble

  • Ava Davies- for her innovative designs of two compost bins, demonstrating the importance of selecting appropriate materials for successful and unsuccessful composting.
  • Eleanor Dellar- for her impactful speech on improving food waste sustainability. Eleanor’s confident delivery, use of rhetorical devices, and high modality language persuaded 4M to take action.

5 Lin

  • Audrey Watkins- for taking courageous risks in her learning which has resulted in a greater writing output and a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.
  • Nicholas Rourke- for confidently sharing his mathematical thinking when answering challenging questions during Maths lessons.

5 Seed

  • Stella Hankin- for demonstrating a commendable commitment to her leaning and for showing maturity and personal growth across all areas of school life.
  • Kate Munmueang- for demonstrating perseverance and resilience when faced with challenges, and for consistently showing kindness and compassion in her interactions with others.

6 Kiernan

  • Liam McCormack– for being a capable and enthusiastic learner who demonstrates a strong understanding of mathematical concepts. He approaches problem solving tasks with confidence and accuracy, consistently producing high quality work in math.
  • Sophia Martin – for consistently demonstrating outstanding achievement in both mathematics and English. Sophia approaches learning with curiosity, confidence, and a deep desire to understand. Her insightful questions, thoughtful contributions, and high-quality work reflect a strong grasp of key concepts and a genuine love of learning.

6 The Cool Down

  • Finlay Simpson- for continued grit and celebration of success when working to solve equivalent fractions.
  • Aria Patel- for her determined, focused and empowered approach to all learning experiences in 6 ‘The Cool Down’.

6 Oz Harvest

  • Willa Dunlop– for her continued dedication and growth mindset towards all area of learning. Willa is to be commended for her increased engagement in class discussion and consistent implementation of taught strategies. Keep up the fantastic work!
  • Felix Knox– for his ongoing dedication to all class work. Felix has shown growth in his ability to respond to feedback and ensure he is answering the question accurately. Keep up the fantastic work!