KLA News 

AGRICULTURE

Mrs Janet Price

There are a number of projects at the College Agricultural Farm at the moment. With springtime, we have seen a growth in our livestock numbers and we have also been grateful to have more regular rain this year. 

Agriculture is offered at O'Connor across the Year Groups with the exception of Year 8 and the College continues to have strong numbers in the elective Year 9 and 10 groups along with classes in Years 11 and 12, Agriculture and Primary Industries. 

Zoe and Charlotte in Year 10 Agriculture showed our school photographer around today to see the gardens and livestock.  What a vast area and variety of things for our students to do down at 'The Farm'.

HSIE

Mrs Cherie Stoessel

Mummification

Year 7 have completed their studies about ancient Egypt and have moved on to a new unit about ancient China.  Students from 7HSIE4 class completed their learning about Ancient Egyptians by wrapping each other as mummies following the strict guidelines described below.  

Ella Vidler, Kyle Lotho and Archie Howarth from 7HSIE4 have described how the Egyptians mummified the deceased and why they did it:

In History we have been learning about mummification in ancient Egypt. 

Mummification is the process that ancient Egyptians used to send the deceased safely to what they believed was the afterlife. They preserved the deceased’s intestines, liver, stomach and lungs with natron, then placed them into canopic jars. They discarded the brain and preserved the heart to be placed back into the body when buried. And then the body is covered with natron to preserve it and then they wrapped the body and buried the deceased. The wrapping process of mummification must be done very delicately and in a specific order. They typically start with your fingers and your toes, then they wrap your hands and feet, then your arms and legs. After they wrap those, they just wrap your feet up to your head. Something important about the wrapping process is where your arms are located. If you are a pharaoh or a king, your arms are crossed on top of your chest. Whether you’re a noble or a peasant, as long as you’re not the pharaoh or a king, your arms will be at your side.

Ancient Egyptians believe that the process of mummification enabled them to enter the afterlife. The afterlife is a believed second life that Egyptians enter after they have died. Most of their current life is preparing for the afterlife, the Egyptians were so inlove with living their main priority was to get to the afterlife. The book of the dead (the cheat sheet to the afterlife) was a book of instructions of a way into the afterlife. They believed having this book was the key to entering the afterlife after the weighing of the heart and passing the hall of judgement. The afterlife was believed to be the ideal afterlife; they believed that whatever they took in their tombs was what they had in their afterlife. 

MATHS

Mr Mark Harris

Learning and teaching  has continued to progress well in the Mathematics KLA. throughout this term.  All Mathematics classes from 7-10 have been busy preparing for written tasks in class. With these written tasks comes the "golden second chance" to improve a result but more importantly improve a students knowledge and understanding. 

Year 11 have just completed their first Formal Assessment task in Mathematics Standard, Mathematics Extension 1 and 2. 

Mathematics Advanced candidates will sit for their first task next Wednesday. 

Regardless of the results achieved the purpose of these tasks is to give students the opportunity to show what they know. If they have applied themselves with diligence then results will follow.

With the HSC exams now well and truly underway we wait with expectation to see the HSC Mathematics Exams next week and wish our Year 12 students success.

PDHPE

Ms Camila Clydsdale

The College is patiently awaiting the rebuild of our new gymnasium centre. Over the past few months the PDHPE Department has been without their indoor gymnasium facility. This has been a good test of flexibility and resilience for both staff and students in PDHPE, who have endured everything from the Armidale winters and the more recent rain periods. During adverse weather conditions the innovative PDHPE staff have been busy inventing alternative and engaging indoor Physical Education lessons. Pictured below are some of our favourite wet weather learning lessons. 

Strength and Conditioning Programs in the College Weights Shed:

Table Tennis Competitions at the Armidale Showground in one of the Pavillions:

Handball Round Robins under the verandah and COLA:

Paddle Bat Mini Tennis Competitions under the verandah and COLA:

Pictured below is the architectural image of the new Gymnasium. Our staff and students cannot wait until our facility is officially reopened, hopefully in 2022!!!