Around The Primary

Dear Parents

From start to finish the Year 6 students had a fantastic time in Canberra! Being in a new place with different people might have been daunting at first, however feelings of happiness, joy and excitement quickly replaced any fears. It was impressive to witness the students move out of their comfort zones and and really 'giving things a go'. For some students this translated into facing their fear of being away from home; for others it was rising to the challenge of looking after your personal belongings and making your bed each day, and for others it was having a go at challenging new activities.

Listening to the children encourage and support each other was another highlight - from small things like, 'thanks a lot for helping me braid my hair', to big thanks, such as, 'thanks for saying what you did when I jumped off the freefall at Questacon, it really helped me a lot'.

Another important aspect to our camp was stretching children in terms of their willingness and openness to get to know and appreciate one another more. Whether at meal times, cleaning up times, sports activities, on the plane or sitting up the bus - many children took up the challenge to try and sit and mingle with a new person to find out more about them.

This camp was also a special opportunity to explore leadership skills and to tease out what it really means to work as a team. The students displayed excellent manners throughout the camp - there were plenty of 'please' and 'thank you' responses throughout the week.

At the same time, in perfect crisp autumn weather our students also enjoyed the civic and cultural features of Canberra. Well prepared for the cooler weather, the students looking very smart in their matching blue and gold jackets. The students made an impressive site at Parliament House (old and new), the War Memorial, Government House, the Australian Institute of Sport, The National Capital Exhibition, the High Court and the Electoral Education Centre. There was much to be learned from the informative guides at each destination.

We were very proud of our Year 6 students - they certainly are a group of creative, cooperative, reflective, passionate individuals , with a healthy sense of humour and a well developed sense of who they are. Opportunities such as this one really help to 'value add' to every child's Primary years experience.

Our Canberra Camp was a huge success. The Year 6 students exceeded our expectations and were wonderful ambassadors for their families and the College. The parents were kept connected by a daily blog of our adventures which helped them also enjoy this very special experience. On behalf of Mrs Fontaine, Mrs Goss, Mr Fromm, Miss Joyce, Mrs Murphy and myself thank you for entrusting your children into our care. We are indeed blessed to have such hard working staff and thank them for taking such wonderful care of the fifty-nine children and for being so generous with their time. A big thank to those parents who have already sent lovely messages of thanks to the dedicated staff.

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Canberra Camp Reflections from the Year 6 students

The 2017 Canberra trip was a superb adventure together with our Year 6 classmates. One of the best places was Questacon. In Questacon there were lots of 'hands on' activities such as an air hockey display, an interactive diagram of the human body, a rocket powered by splitting water into its elements of hydrogen and oxygen and finally, the awesome free fall slide. Another amazing activity from Canberra was visiting the Australian National War Memorial. There were many detailed diaramas about trenches and a super cool discovery centre where there was a helicopter, a submarine and a trench exhibit. But the most important thing for me was to place a poppy on my great grandfather's name in the Hall of Memory.

Quinn Binet (6B)

Canberra was arguably one of the best experiences I’ve had and ever will have! The greatly enjoyable activities such as visiting Questacon and participating in the more solemn ceremonies at the War Memorial in particular was a wonderful combination. The War Memorial was very moving, finding out about all those Australian soldiers who fought and died for us and for our freedom in foreign countries such as Gallipoli and Afghanistan. Some are still serving today! For this we thank those men and women who risked their lives for us. I also really enjoyed staying in the dorms with my friends and the food at the AIS was incredible. I learnt much more about everything from how meteors came to be to how the government works, all in one week! The Canberra school camp was one of the finest trips I have ever been on.

Ben Mignacca (6B)

Canberra was a once-in-a-lifetime experience with many enjoyable activities for us to take part in. The War Memorial was a beautiful building that was full of mysteries, like the grave of the unknown soldier. I loved the Dinosaur Museum because I love dinosaurs and our guide was very intelligent and funny. We all learnt many interesting things there. My number one favourite was…. Questacon! It had lots of cool things like the vertical slide, the earthquake room and the caged lightning. In caged lightning, it takes 3000 volts of electricity to only go 3 metres! I also loved going back to the dormitories at night and snuggling down into our bunks after a delicious dinner. On the last day, as a treat, we tried our luck at AMF Bowling. I don’t think I did very well but it was really fun.

Tiffany Cesare (6B)

Canberra was awesome! I was most fascinated by the dinosaur museum because I learned so many new facts about dinosaurs, and had lots of fun! I really liked the cool touchable displays. I also loved learning about the people who fought for our country at the Australian War Memorial. They also had these awesome short movies which must have taken forever to make. But, most of all, my definite favourite was Questacon because there were so many exotic displays and things to do. The Canberra trip was an awesome experience and we were very privileged to go there and stay at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Nathan Flack (6G)

Last week, the Year 6 students visited Canberra for a school trip. I felt very privileged to have the opportunity to stay at the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) with all my classmates and teachers and to have a delicious buffet at the dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each day, we attended something new and exciting places, such as, the Australian War Memorial, where we got to experience what it was like to live in the disgusting trenches of the war; Questacon, where I attempted the 6 metre free-fall slide; the Dinosaur Museum, where I learned so many interesting things such as the size of dinosaur bones; and bowling with my friends where we had a laugh at how many times I had missed the pins. I'd like to thank all the staff from John XXIII who attended and organised the camp, along with my mum who made this trip happen for me.

Charley Laver (6G)

In Canberra I had an amazing time. I learnt lots of new things. I especially enjoyed the Dinosaur Museum and Parliament House. Did you know that all birds are dinosaurs? Or that in the Senate there is an Usher of the Black Rod who carries a black rod? I had an amazing time and I saw great buildings, amazing people and beautiful sunsets! The tour guides there taught us so many things. I also enjoyed Questacon because there were things like a 6 metre freefall slide and the caged lightning. Michael, our bus driver, was very kind and patient driving a bus full of crazy kids all over Canberra. Overall I had a fabulous time.

Marie-Claire Hickling (6G)

Year 5 Chemical Science

This term, the Year Fives commenced their Chemical Science unit and have been investigating states of matter. They have analysed the properties of solids, liquids and gases and even conducted an experiment to demonstrate the way they change when their temperatures are altered. This week, we took a trip to B block in the high school and completed a lesson in a laboratory. Our aim was to figure out whether or not gases have weight by testing balloons filled with air, carbon dioxide (which we made ourselves by combining vinegar with bi-carb soda) and helium. Our results demonstrated that gases DO have weight, and we discovered that helium is the lightest. Here are some photos of our hands on science experiments!

Congratulations to all the Year 5 and 6 students who sat the Computational and Algorithmic Thinking Test. Special mention to the following students who achieved a Distinction.

Sophia Defrancesco

Amerie Chai

Ava Kwei

Thomas King

Year 5 Assembly

This morning the Primary School attended the 5B assembly. Miss Dernie and the fantastic fives put a lot of effort into sharing their amazing knowledge about the history of Australia and how our Nation came to be a democratic country. They engaged their audience with their outstanding performance. It was a very fitting assembly, as today marks National Sorry Day.