Around the School  

 

Around The School - Mr O'Toole, Assistant Principal

Last week our Stage 3 students had the opportunity to visit our nation’s capital, Canberra, on their excursion. The students eagerly boarded the bus on Monday morning at 7.00am and departed for Canberra arriving at 4.30pm. The evening saw the students organise their cabins for the long week that lay ahead of them before heading off for a swim and slide at the Canberra Sports and Aquatic Centre. Great fun had by all! 

After a great night’s sleep the anticipation was over and we took a journey up to Mount Ainslie Lookout to view our capital city and got those cameras clicking. We then rolled down the mountain into Canberra and took a trip to the National Exhibition Centre and discovered how Canberra was planned around the designs of architect Walter Burley Griffin. We also saw the entries that were awarded second and third place. This was a great way to start our week of adventure. We then gathered at the Electoral Education Centre where we learnt about and took part in a preferential vote for the House of Representatives.

A tour of the Embassies was next, no surprise which one was the largest! Next on the list was the National Museum of Australia and the mighty Telstra Tower. Being 870 metres off the ground proved to be quite cool and an amazing view. After a wholesome meal it was off to the Australian Institute of Sport which included many hands on activities and is where some of our future Olympians reside.

This was our Federal Parliamentary day which proved to be a very insightful look at politics, as the students visited New Parliament House where they got to debate a bill on the proposal, 'Should We Have Free Wi-Fi on Public Transport?’ We have some budding young politicians in our midst!! We were also very privileged to have a visit from our Federal MP, Mr Barnaby Joyce. Next stop was the viewing of some outstanding and unique art at the National Gallery of Australia followed by a visit to the Royal Australian Mint. Finally, the time had come for ‘Lazer Tag’ which proved to be a fabulous evening of fun and enjoyment for everyone at Belconnen.

Our last day of activities had arrived; we toured the National Arboretum, National Zoo and Anzac Parade before making our way to the Australian War Memorial where our students looked at all the amazing items on display including the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were also invited to take part in the Last Post Ceremony with four other schools. This was definitely a highlight and proved to be a very moving and rewarding experience for our students. Please see the video below. Our students were very responsible representatives and were praised by the War Memorial staff and members of the public for their reverence and respect. Our day finished at Questacon where our scientific ability was challenged through a variety of activities.

It was fantastic to constantly hear the glowing praise bestowed on our students from all the different venues regarding the children’s behaviour and overall conduct. I know that the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and appreciated the opportunity to visit Canberra. I would also like to acknowledge our bus driver Phil whose knowledge of Canberra made the excursion very interesting for all of us.

Also, a massive thank you to Mrs Lockwood, Miss O’Shea and Mr Perkins for giving up time away from their families to ensure our students had a fantastic time away on their excursion.

Congratulations Stage 3 on a marvellous excursion! We are very proud of you!