Junior School
Junior School Update
One of the key features of the Junior School at St Patrick’s College is our ability to provide students with rich and meaningful learning experiences which broaden their knowledge and understanding. Whilst these often occur within targeted teaching and learning programs, there are also additional opportunities for students which sit outside of the ‘regular’ classroom context.
Year 5
Our Year 5 boys are currently participating in a Peer Support Program with a select group of students from Year 10. Within these fortnightly sessions, the Year 5 boys are given the opportunity to deepen their awareness of the College’s Wellbeing Framework and its five dimensions (academic, emotional, physical, social and spiritual), while exploring how these apply to their own everyday context.
Below are a series of student reflections from each of the Year 5 classes about this valuable wellbeing program.
5 Black
Our Year 10 leaders have allowed us to have fun with them. We have learnt about resilience and how useful it is to help us succeed in anything that life throws at us. Our Year 10 leaders have also shown us what it is like to be a true St Pat’s boy.
5 Blue
Peer Support has been fun, engaging and helpful to us because we get an opportunity to connect with Year 10 students. Our Peer Support leaders reflect on their own experiences as students and assist us with different aspects of our wellbeing, such as how to be resilient. It has been a busy and exciting time and we love this opportunity to build connections and to feel more confident and capable as proud SPC students.
5 Gold
Jacob Ibrahim
I unquestionably appreciate the Year 10 students giving up their time to help us every fortnight!
Xavier Khoury
During Peer Support we have done different group activities which helped me get to know everyone in my own group much better.
Christian Machaalani
The Year 10 boys have taught us how we can help to give someone else a hand and to be resilient because every good deed makes the future a bit brighter.
5 Green
Noah Murphy
Peer Support helps me to develop many skills that will be very useful in the future. I have already got to know some of the Year 10 students and have made my relationships even stronger with my friends in Year 5. I have learnt new skills such as resilience which is an important skill that will help me in many ways, both now and in the future. Peer Support helps me to make friends with people that I wasn't friends with before. I do not take Peer Support for granted as it helps me develop myself in a great way which I am very fortunate to experience. I am always excited for Peer Support as I know I will not only enjoy it, but everyone will. When I reach Year 7, I can look back on when I was in Year 5 and know that the Year 10 boys who will be in Year 12 helped me be the person I am. I am excited for the future of Peer Support every fortnight as I know I will always learn something new in a fun way.
5 Orange
Michael Rizk
Last time 5 Orange had Peer Support we looked at negative and positive mindsets with our Year 10 leaders. We watched a video on this and then discussed how to turn negative thoughts about certain situations into more positive ones. It was great to hear the different solutions we came up with as a group. We mostly thought that having a positive attitude as much as possible would help us get through tricky times.
5 Red
Lucas Shiner
Peer Support is a terrific way to connect with the Year 10 students, giving us opportunities to get to know them and develop friendships. Peer Support helps students with their health and wellbeing through the activities we are doing in class. I think Peer Support is a good thing to do because it encourages students to be more social with other boys that they may not normally socialise with. Peer Support also allows the Year 5 boys to see a friendly face in the Senior School. Peer Support is great because we get to have fun whilst also learning at the same time!
5 White
Tom Carragher
I think the Peer Support program is fun. It is good to meet new people and it’s a great opportunity to speak and do things with the Year 10 students.
Andrew Lambiris
Peer Support is fun and exciting as the Year 10 students make me feel included and a part of the whole College.
Jack Ronzini
The Peer Support program is a fantastic way for me to make friends with the Senior School students in Year 10.
Year 6
Last week, the Year 6 students embarked on an adventure to Sydney Zoo. The boys saw a variety of unique animals, attended a live workshop and made important connections between the unit of work they are currently exploring in class during science lessons, learning firsthand how animals have adapted over time to suit their environment.
Below are a series of student reflections from each of the Year 6 classes about the recent excursion to Sydney Zoo.
6 Black
Nathan Touma
On Monday the 16th of May, Year 6 went to the zoo for an excursion. During our time there, we learnt about various animals that reside in many parts of the world. We also learnt about the physical and behavioural changes they went through over time to adapt to their environments. We explored the biodiversity of ecosystems, and we saw animals that are native to Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia.
During the excursion, we went to a workshop where we were taught about the wonders of the animal world and how physical conditions affect the survival of living things. We were asked what adaptations were needed to survive in a certain environment and we created an animal that could withstand the conditions of that environment to thrive. We even got to pet a snake and a lizard!
We then went to an underground exhibition where we saw cave-dwelling animals like bats and other small creatures. We also got to see a mini aquarium where we spotted everything from sea turtles to catfish to bull sharks. During the middle of the day, we got to complete a booklet on our favourite animal and the adaptations of animals in different environments.
Overall, I would rate my visit to the Sydney Zoo an 8.5 out of 10. I had a really great time finding out about the mysteries of nature, how diverse everything is amongst other species and how valuable nature truly is. If I could go back, I definitely would, and I’m sure that I would have a great time all over again!
6 Blue
Jason Abraham
It was Monday morning and my heart was pounding as my class and I were travelling on the bus to Sydney Zoo. When we finally arrived, my class and I were the first to go in. I was shocked by the skill of the monkeys as they were flying through the sky to get something to eat. My class and I rushed over to our first workshop, which was so fun. We got split into 3 groups to see who could draw the best animal with adaptations for their given environment. I think that my group drew the best animal for the picture given. Then the lady who was running the workshop pulled out a snake and we all jumped in terror! The kind lady brought the snake around for everyone to touch. It was great going to this workshop because it taught us a lot about adaptations. My favourite part of the day was seeing the penguins in the aquarium section. They had a beach which they sat on and it was interesting to see they weren’t on snow. It was a fascinating day seeing all the animals with my friends.
6 Gold
Joseph Showah
On Monday the 16th of May, Year 6 went on an excursion to Sydney Zoo for an educational experience to expand our knowledge of adaptations. When we arrived at the zoo we started in the Australian section. A zookeeper told us about how the Aboriginal people used the land and how they survived by adapting to different environments. We continued to work our way around the zoo visiting different animals along the way. Some of my favourites were the baboons (who reminded me of some of our class!), the meerkats, and capybaras. We had a workshop about adaptations and how different animals adapt to particular circumstances. We learnt about 3 different animals, a Children’s python, a Shingleback skink, and the Goliath stick insect, which have some of the greatest adaptations ever. After the workshop we had lunch and continued our way around the zoo, looking at animals that we had never seen before and learning about lots of interesting facts and unique adaptations that exist on different animals. We went into the reptile and aquarium sections to see various adaptations in different environments, for example, how the chameleons and the snakes use camouflage to hide themselves from their predators. As a whole, I really enjoyed the zoo because I learnt about different adaptations and cool facts about many animals.
6 Green
Adrian Fenech
On Monday the 16th of May we went to Sydney Zoo for our excursion because we have been learning about animal adaptations in Science. When we got there, we were split into two groups and I was in Mrs Grant's group with my friend Leo. We saw many animals. They came from Africa, Asia and Australia. Out of all the animals, the lions were my favourite as they sat on the rocks and looked so pretty. One of the animals I saw that had adapted to its environment was a penguin. It had webbed feet to swim through the water easily and a sharp beak to quickly grab food and hold onto it. In the workshop the most interesting thing I learnt was that animals with blue tongues can't get them sunburnt. I enjoyed going to Sydney Zoo and had a great day overall.
6 Red
It is truly amazing the way animals have adapted to survive in their changing habitats. Just think of the rear-facing pouch of the wombat, and the blubber on the polar bear. Their structural and behavioural adaptations have taken millions of years.
Whilst we study this in Year 6, it was all theory until we went to Sydney Zoo. Then we were able to combine classroom learning with practical experiences. We saw animal adaptations close-up and participated in a workshop with a zookeeper.
Before the excursion, we completed preparational tasks, and at the zoo we engaged with cross-curricular and open-ended tasks. Now that we are back at SPC, we shall conduct our own experiments on plant seedlings. We want to know what will happen when we change their habitats!
6 White
John-Paul Rahme
On Monday the 16th of May we went to the new Sydney Zoo. When my class and I got there, we saw some kangaroos, a koala and a big snake. While my class and I were walking around, we saw an emu and some boys tried to pat it, but it escaped from its area. Then the whole class saw a huge emu just pacing up and down the path near a fence. After that, everyone went into the nocturnal area where we saw a lot of animals, including a bat, scorpion, snakes and more. It was very dark inside this area, but there were some lights at least.
We then walked to the safari part of the zoo where we saw animals like tigers, lions, hyenas, zebras, giraffes and a rhino. It was amazing to see all these wonderful animals from around the world and how they have adapted to a different environment. After that, we all sat down for a quick snack break and went to the aquarium area. The whole class saw lots of different species of fish. There was also other sea life including bull sharks, turtles, penguins and eels. It was very dark in there, but there was a light in the little habitat areas that the creatures were in. After we all got out of the aquarium section, we sat down to eat our lunch. 15 minutes later, everyone packed up their lunch to go to the workshop that was near where we were eating. When we got to the workshop the zookeeper greeted us and we all sat down. He talked about different environments and some animals that lived in those places. He also highlighted the adaptations that the animals have to survive in these places. He then showed us two creatures and let us pat them, one being a lizard and the other being a snake. They both had weird-feeling textures that made me think of leather. The zookeeper gave my class and I an activity where we had to circle five adaptations on an animal and then draw our own type of creature using those adaptations. After the task, we said goodbye to Sydney Zoo and travelled back to school after a great day of learning.
As always, if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (glenn.stephenson@spc.nsw.edu.au) or phone (8705 9247) and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.
May God bless you,
Glenn Stephenson
Director of Junior School