Primary Year 3-6

There was lots of laughing and nose crinkling coming from the science room when Year 4’s made sherbert ( whizz fizz) to finish off their unit on Chemical Change.  

What a great way to learn about  chemical reactions that are fun and yummy to taste! 

Year 4 welcomed families, staff and primary classes to their Explorers Expo on Tuesday. Year 4 presented the Explorers Expo as the culmination to their Inquiry Unit on The Age of Explorers.

It was a great way to finish our unit.

More fun for Year 5’s on a wet Wheelie Wednesday ! 

"During Term 2, Year 4 Classes were successful in their application to trial a literature study project for MACS.  It centered around the book "Waves: For Those Who Come Across the Sea" by Donna Rawlins, Heather Potter & Mark Jackson. 

Each day students explored a story based on fact, but written with fictitious characters, about the journey of a child coming to Australia.  The timeline for these events started 50,000 years ago with young Anak with his dog and parents on a raft and ended in 2004 with Abdul and his mother escaping from war, famine and terrorism.  These stories outlined the hardships and sacrifices these children endured on their voyages and explored the reasons why they made such harrowing journeys to reach Australia.  Students each wrote a story based on the character of a child, but set in a true event and time. The three stories below were chosen and commended by Mr Smith, when he visited our classes for the Explorer Project Expo."

Leodoor by Edmund Ellicott

We sailed for months.                     

 People were sick but I was fine because I am the captain of the Sea hunter.   Although 

I needed 1,365 men to crew my ships before I could set sail. That's why I  have a fleet of 50 ships for my voyage to the Continent.

The date is1900.

I am an adventurer.

My name is Leodoor.

I am going to the Continent to find  gold to make my fortune.

But first I must get my ships and crew and passengers safely to the Continent. But we ran out of wind for months so we could not move.  All our food and fresh water was nearly gone.  Would we survive is the question I keep thinking.  People started getting measles next and many people perished.  

We had to throw the dead bodies off the ship and give them  sea burials.

The current is leading us but who knows where?  Suddenly the look out up in the crows nest shouted “Land A Hoy” The whole ship ran to the paddles and stroke, stroke, stroke we began to move towards the land. They paddled faster and faster. 

Would this be the continent?

Suddenly the wind started to push with them and the sails filled with air and sped up the ship as we got near the land.

Finally our ships arrived at the continent, Australia.

Luckily we had 25 carts.

We had to take the equipment on the carts.

It took a long time to get there.

It took months to get to the goldfields.

Noise after noise of mining, shouting, munching.

It has been five years since 1900.

Now we can sail back to Ireland.

My Boy by Axel Walker-Stritthof

Max. A long time ago in the 1900’s a young boy was named Max Stritthof. 

Max’s wish is to see Australia. 

One day later Max was sitting on the bench playing his harmonica. Then a newspaper flew next to him. The newspaper said “Ship sailing to Australia.”  Max was so surprised, but there was a problem.  He didn’t have much money and he didn’t have a ticket, so Max found old stuff and he started to fix them.  He tried to sell them but no one wanted to buy them so Max worked day and night.  Then in the morning when Max put them out for sale, 50 famous people wanted to buy the stuff.  Then 20 famous people wanted to buy the stuff. It was amazing!  But then he remembered all the ships were sailing in three days. Max had 2000.00 dollars and the ship cost 100 dollars.  The last thing to do was get a ticket. There was a ticket store where you get a ticket to sail off.  The ticket cost 20 dollars but max only had a 2000.00 note.  Max said to ticket man “I don’t have 20 dollars but I do have 2000.00 would you mind” the ticket man was so surprised the ticket man said “yes” to Max.  Wednesday was ship day Max packed his stuff, got his ticket and quickly ran to the ship.  Luckily he got on the ship quickly.  Max was so excited he was going to Australia.  He waited for this a long time and now his wish came true.  Two days later at night Max was sleeping on the bench ,in the ships hull then a big bang woke up Max in shock. There were three big strong rocks.  One on the left, one on the right and straight ahead! First they hit the left rock.  The captain tried to go to a nearby beach, but they hit the right rock.  Lucky the ship didn’t hit the last rock, but the ship started to sink. Max was so surprised and so scared he could barely move.  Then the ship started to sink faster.  Max ran quickly as he could to get to a life boat but all the life boats were all ready gone. Max had two choices, stay on the sinking ship and say goodbye to his future or try jumping in the freezing water and swim.  He wanted to live and Max was a good swimmer so the choice was done.   Max was on the back edge ready to jump.  He closed his eyes for a moment then jumped in the freezing water.  Max swam quickly to the right rock.  Max lay down on the rock and shut his eyes for 10 seconds.  Then he saw a life boat that was on the sinking ship.   Max was so happy the people rescued him. He quickly got on the life boat, but then the life boat had a hole in it and started to leak!  Lucky max had some tools in his pocket.  Max got out  of  the boat and quickly hammered the nails in. But then Max dropped the last nail in water.  Max then swam under the water trying to grab the nail. Max swam as quickly as he could to grab the nail.  Then Max got the nail and quickly swam back up.  Max quickly hammered the last nail in and climbed back in the life boat. 

The next day the life boat made it to Australia. Max was so surprised he jumped for joy.  Even his parents were there when Max got off the lifeboat.  Max ran quickly to his mother and parents.  Max hugged his mother tightly because he missed his parents very very much.     THE END!!!        Or Is It ?       

Finala by Kaylee Eaton

Hi my name is Finala and here is my life story. 

SLAM went the door. Clip clop went a girl running past,  bing some buttons fell from the girl’s pocket. The buttons they were expensive to buy and I don't know how she bought them. Then the policeman shouted “HEY you stole those  buttons!” “NO I DIDN'T steal the buttons, let me go!” “Get on the prison ship” said the police. SLAM “Oh hi” two old fish wives said “what is your name?” “My name is Finala Fransis dum Finala Fransis. I’m going to the Continent  and it is the worst thing in the world.”

It takes two months on the smelly ship to get there.  

We are here.  “Finola get to work” a scary man yelled.  Finala was so sad and lonely and they had to catch their food. That night she had enough of them so she escaped from the work site… But where would she go and how would she survive? 

Catherine Evans