Chatham Happenings

Japanese Hinamatsuri

In Japanese class we have been celebrating Hinamatsuri (The Doll Festival). During the festival in Japan, families put out a display for their daughters. In our Japanese Room at Chatham, students from Prep - Year 3 made origami dolls and put them on display to celebrate the festival. 

Mr James Rampant 

Japanese Teacher  

Year 5 Sovereign Hill Camp Highlights

GOLD FEVER! 

Year 5 students embarked on a journey back in time to the Goldfields at Sovereign Hill, on Monday the 27th to Wednesday 29th March. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side, but that did not stop us! Everyone had the best time. Students attended several demonstrations including a printing demonstration, candle dipping demonstration, a gold pour demonstration and a play on how the Chinese were mistreated on the goldfields. Conor was lucky enough to have his name printed on a poster! We attended two educational sessions integrating our Inquiry concepts about Aboriginals on the goldfields and the effects that the Gold Rush had on immigration in Australia. On the first evening we were treated to the Aura Light Show, which was spectacular. It included a 3D cinema like experience about the beginning of time, followed by an Indigenous dreamtime story in an outdoor amphitheatre and an outdoor open theatre experience about life on the goldfields. Gold panning was a real highlight for our students, along with spending their money in the many stores found at Sovereign Hill (the lolly shop being extremely popular). Everyone was treated to a horse and carriage ride through the main streets, and we also experienced a mine tour, twenty-five metres below ground. The food was also very nice. We gathered in the Sovereign Hill café for mealtimes, which included a continental breakfast each morning, pastries and salad rolls for lunch along with spaghetti bolognaise and a country roast for dinner. There were ample snacks including fruit, cookies and slices. Camp was brilliant and we hope students in years to come enjoy the many highlights Sovereign Hill Camp has to offer.

Please read our students' highligths of their experience below...

“I loved mining for gold!” - Chloe

"I really enjoyed our camp concert performance. It was really funny!” - Madison

“My group performance at the camp concert. Everyone really enjoyed it and thought it was funny". - Charlotte

“My favourite part about camp was panning for gold”. - Ed

“I really enjoyed the horse and carriage ride”. - Lily

“The light show was brilliant!" - Hailey

“I loved breakfast, lunch and dinner. Delicious!” - Elle

“I loved hanging out with my friends”. - Conor

“I really liked all the food. It was all delicious!” - Abhya

“My favourite part was when we went to the lolly shop!” - Antonia

“I really enjoyed the horse and carriage ride”. - Mira

“The camp concert was so much fun! I loved performing with my friends". - Saskia

“The candy was delicious!” - Gregory

“The lolly shop! And I really loved hanging out with my friends”. - Callaghan

“I really loved the cabins and being with my friends”. - Elizabeth

“The lolly shop!” - Morgan

“Buying lollies at the lolly shop!” - Max

“Gold panning was my favourite”. - Sterling

“When we saw the Gold Demonstration! It was very interesting”. - Stella

“I enjoyed the performances in the recreation room”. - Evelyn

“My favourite part of the camp was when we went gold panning”. - Sam

“The Gold Demonstration! It was fantastic!” - Shresth

“I liked the recreation room and performing in the plays”. - Zoe

“The gold panning! I also really loved going into the mine". - William

“I loved the underground mine!” - Tom

“The light show! It was spectacular". - Jacqueline

“The underground mine!” - Ava

“I really enjoyed the candle dipping demonstration. It was very interesting!” - Kei

Mrs Hannah Scantleton

Year 5 Teacher

Mark Wilson - Author

On Monday 1st May and Tuesday 2nd May the Year 5 and 6 students participated in the 

Boroondara Writers In Schools program with Mark Wilson. Mark is one of Australia’s most successful author/illustrators of children’s books. He currently has seventeen books in print in Australia and the USA. His picture books have won many awards including two Whiteley Awards for children’s picture books, two Wilderness Society Awards and five CBCA Notable Picture Book awards. Mark writes a lot of fictional books that are inspired by historical events. 

Mark spoke about his passion for writing and how he became an author and an illustrator. He explained the importance of scrapbooking and shared his own scrapbook as inspiration. Mark also covered the importance of narrowing in on an idea when beginning to write and how he finds his own ideas. He also took the students through his routine as an illustrator from warming-up to large scale, detailed illustrations. The students practised these steps and produced some wonderful illustrations. It was a wonderful session and the students learnt many things they could incorporate into their own writing. 

Mr Zac Barry

Year 6 Teacher

ANZAC DAY

On Tuesday 25th April our School Captains and Vice School Captains participated in the Surrey Hills Dawn Service at Surrey Gardens. Our School Captains, Hunter and Ella, presented a speech about John Campbell Blogg, a member of the Surrey Hills community who served in WWI and WWII. Both Hunter and Ella spoke clearly and confidently. Our School Vice Captains, Gabe and Evie laid a wreath on behalf of our school. It was a wonderful experience for our students to be involved in.

Mr Zac Barry

Year 6 Teacher