Excursions/Camps

Walamba Show 2019

Encore 2018

On Monday the 18 February, Year 9, 10, 11 & 12 Music students travelled to the Sydney Opera House to watch Encore 2018. Encore is the very best of the previous years Music HSC performances, performed on the stage at Sydney Opera House. It was an amazing concert which gave our students the opportunity to not only see Australia’s premier concert venue, but to also witness many outstanding performances and to inspire our students towards the preparation of their own HSC pieces in the future.

Gloucester Show

Junior Judging

12-under 15

Harry Green - 1st place

Chloe Bisley -2nd place

Jacob Bulmer - finalist

Samuel Frohmuller - finalist

15-25 years

Kaylee Green - 2nd place

Lucy Connon - finalist

Brett Dobson -finalist

Best Prepared Steer over 12 months

Sam Frohmuller - 1st place leading Baz (Amara Woolnough)

Grace Brkic -2nd place leading Ol’ Pete (Kaylee Green)

Led Steer/heifer

Mid weight

Ninja - finalist led by Ethan Lane

Heavy weight

Ol’ Pete -2nd place & reserve champion led by Kaylee Green

Baz -finalist led by Amara Woolnough

T-Bone -finalist led by Georgia Lane

Browser -finalist led by Alan Graham

Paraders

12 - under 15 years

Chloe Bisley leading T-Bone - 1st and champion parader

15 - 25 years

Georgia Lane leading T-Bone - finalist

Kaylee Green leading Ol’ Pete - finalist

Novice Paraders

Lucy Connon leading Simba - 2nd place

Brock Madeley leading Pumba -3rd place

Mackenzie Gray leading Alaska -finalist

Team Event winners

The Sleepers - Chloe Bisley, Harry Green, Sam Frohmuller & Sam Edison (independant)

IST and Visual Arts excursion to BiG Day In at University of Technology Sydney

Early (very early) on the morning of the 21st of March, 18 Stage 4 and 5 students and myself left Taree for Sydney’s University of Technology (Broadway campus) for the BiG Day In forum. The BiG Day In forum is designed to help students obtain more information about technology, creativity and careers, and hopefully to help them make more purposeful decisions about their future. BiG Day In events are held on university campuses around Australia to give students an insight into what “university life” might look like. It attracts speakers from various walks of life and companies. This year we heard from Adobe, Animal Logic (makers of movies like The Lego Movie), TechnologyOne, Woolworths, WiseTech Global, some start up companies and cybersafety organisations. We learnt about graduate and undergraduate programs that help support optimal and effective research and design programs within these companies. We learnt that if you like coding, design and/or video production, that you are developing skills that are going to make you “incredibly employable” (Tim Kitchen from Adobe).

On the way back from our epic journey in the mini bus, students wrote a few ideas down about what they found interesting, what they learnt and what they would like to know more about.

Some things the students found interesting were:

That John Lasseter, former CCO of Disney/Pixar observed that “art challenges technology and technology inpires art”.
That there are going to be a lot of new jobs in the future that do not relate to the ones we know about now.
That many people and companies start small and have proven that with persistence great things are possible.

Somethings the students learnt were:

That people do not need to start in a perfect place in life to succeed.
That you need a variety of skills to be employable. These can include great interpersonal skills, entrepreneurialism and creative problem solving skills.
That there are many possible careers in design and technology.

Somethings the students want to know more about are:

How to use software packages (like Adobe) for assignments, job interviews and personal enjoyment.
How to best learn design techniques and know more about courses they can be engaged with.

Thank you to all of the students for your enthusiasm and for behaving maturely, and to Mr Keats for driving us to and from Sydney on the day.

Mrs Grimwood

STEM Excursion to Eddie Woo

A group of 20 students from Years 6, 7 and 8 were very excited to set off to Newcastle for a big day of STEM Education. They heard mini lectures for a number of experts before the main attraction – Eddie Woo!!

Eddie shared his 3 Ideas on how he’d describe Maths to someone who had never heard of it –

Mathematics is playfulness
Mathematics is exploration
Mathematics is teamwork

We finished the day with a photo and Eddie was generous enough to sign a copy of his book for all of the 300+ students present.

Wallamba District A & H Association Show

Junior Judging - students rank a group of 4 cattle in order according to the brief from the judge. In this competition the students had 4 heifers and had to judge them as potential breeders. Top scoring students are then called up to make an oral justification of their choice. The judge will score them considering their personal presentation, observations, comparisons between placing the animals and public speaking ability.

12-under 15 years Finalists

1st Joseph James Also Junior Judging Champion

3rd Chloe Bisley

4th Georgia Smethurst

5th Grace Brkic

15 - 18 years

1st Kiara Green

3rd Lucy Connon

4th Kaylee Green

5th Hannah Bridge

Led Steer/heifer -in this section the animal is being judged on quality; mainly potential yield.

1st Rafiki, led by Lucy Connon

Mid-weight 3rd Bullseye, led by Landon Cini

Heavy weight 5th Ol’ Pete, led by Kaylee Green

Heavy weight 7th Betty, led by Hannah Bridge

Junior Parading - this section the students are being judged on their ability to handle the animal, personal presentation, animal presentation and the protocols of showing.

12 - under 15

3rd Chloe Bisley, leading Rafiki

4th Harry Green, leading Bullseye

5th Grace Brkic, leading Ol’ Pete

15 - 18 years

2nd Taylor Reid, leading Kryptonite

4th Kaylee Green, leading Ol’Pete

5th Georgia Lane, Leading Browzer

Best presented School

1st Taree Christian College - the judge commended them on their uniform and the selection of cattle displayed.

Nicholas Haynes leading Simba, Lucy Connon leading Ol’ Pete, Amara Woolnough leading Bullseye and Harry Green leading Browzer.

Grand paraders award Nicholas Haynes leading Simba, was awarded the Grand Paraders Award presented by Dr David Gillespie MP.

Student Reflections:

Grace Brkic Year 9

The show was a good experience, getting closer with other students in the team, it was a different experience because I usually ride horses at the show. All round it was very good, although I got very nervous doing the oral section of junior judging.

Joseph James Year 9

I liked the show because I won junior judging champion. I got to hang out with my friends and learn more about cattle. I got to see the show from a different perspective. I really liked the show.

Nicholas Haynes Year 11

I have been to 7 Cattle shows. Showing cattle enables me to be determined, willing, patient, and I get excitement and enjoyment.

I enjoy being able to teach the juniors how to do things like preparing and parading the cattle.

This year the show was a great couple of days. Despite the weather on Friday night, the experience was overall excellent. Being able to win “Best in Parade” chosen by David Gillespie MP, was an amazing experience and I felt very honoured to have been chosen. I am very excited for the next shows at Gloucester, Kempsey and then Beef Week.

Year 7 Camp

Camp thoughts Year 7

I loved year 7 camp because I got to hang out with my friends in a non-school environment. The beach walks were my favourite part!

Kaitlin Burns

The reason I loved camp was because I got to see a dolphin up close and get a photo with it I also liked surfing at the beach and having a ride in the life saving buggy.

Oliver Sparke

At camp I had lots of fun going to the dolphin marine conservation park and learning about what they do there and being kissed by a dolphin and being able to hug a seal!!

Charlotte Day

Camp was fun! I enjoyed wheeling Becy around in the wheelchair. Also, going swimming was great.

Sienna Lazzarotto

Camp was really fun, we got to do all kinds of games and do lots of singing. The talks from Paul Smith were really good and helped us to understand more about the Bible

Aston Hayes

I loved going to the beach at camp and going to dolphin marine magic conservation park. I loved the mornings when Mr Elith sang “One Tonne Tomato”!

Harry Green

I liked the dolphin kiss and seal kiss. The food was amazing and the beach walk was good to. :)

Maggie Berry

What I really liked about camp was the food and the mutton bird island walk we did.

The song that Mr Elith sang to wake us was a bit strange.

Ethan Fitzhardinge

I really enjoyed going to the marine park and getting kissed by a dolphin. I also met a lot of new people that I haven’t met before. Camp was a lot of fun!

Charli Cain-Ashford

I really enjoyed going to the beach and seeing the dolphins. I also really enjoyed making new friends and meeting people.

Georgia Walker

Year 8 Camp

This year our camp was full of surprises, such as the torrential rain and storms, as well as the surprise that some of us were not as bad as we thought we were at surfing. Though at times we had to take shelter from the storms, we were very lucky that they passed as quickly as they came. We spent the days in the water, learning how to kayak and keep our balance on the stand-up paddleboards. A highlight was definitely the 15 person board, when we would all cram on and try to push each other off. When we weren’t in the water, we were learning bush survival skills, and we found out that a few of us were great at making damper. Others were not so lucky. Overall, we all enjoyed camp and had a fantastic time.

By Lauren and Cory

Year 9 Camp

Year 9 camp was a journey of many emotions from happiness to surprises and tiredness.

We walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a cold reeked windy day and passed along the historical streets of Sydney and even stopped to get a group photo in front of ‘The Opera House’ in a downpour of rain. We had a great day at Taronga Zoo, visited Paddy’s Hay Market and had dinner in Chinatown.

Exercising was a must, and even walking up a small steep hill within the botanical gardens was enough to get most of us puffing!!

Our bus driver was aiding us along the trip, stopping for us when we needed to ‘go’ and dropping us off at various venues and locations. I’m pretty sure he was as tired as us by the end of camp!!

The camp ground was like a flourishing natural habitat, with trees and plants surrounding the area. The mosquitos did come biting once and a while, but we survived.

On our last day of camp we gathered our gear and headed for Fort Scratchley. The area was a historical site back in the war times, where many fought and died. The remains of Fort Scratchley were kept as a reminder and memory of the past. We got to see the shot of a cannon at exactly 1:00 pm and we all stood up on the very top of the hill and waited for the loud boom to explode, eager and surprised.

As we headed back for home, some were sound asleep, others vibrant and still loud. Lots of memories and new friends made.

Thank you to our awesome teachers, Youth Pastor Nathaniel and the camp committees for looking after us all so well.

Lilia Kyaw

Year 10 Camp

Year 10 Camp, 2019 – by Charlotte Worth

Camp was AMAZING! I really didn’t want to go at first, but surprised myself and had a good time.

I was really tired in the week leading up to camp, due to all of the excursions we had. I had gone on a Music excursion on the Friday beforehand, and a Drama excursion on the Monday. After these early mornings and draining days, I wasn’t too keen to go away again for another three days doing a bunch of ‘fun’ activities.

Well, was I wrong!

I got to camp after a long bus trip. Since I had missed a few lessons for the excursions, I was a bit behind in my studies so I read some of our English novel on the bus. I got from Chapter 6 to Chapter 30 before the bus stopped. Reading put me in a good mood and I was already feeling more positive.

Once we got there we were put into our rooms. I was with Lucy and Kaylee in a VIP (aka ‘teacher’) room – away from everyone else! I was sooooooo happy about this. Mickaylla and Emma joined our room a bit later, but that was OK.

Our first activity was rock climbing. I was a little scared, due to the fact that my belay team was all boys, and I didn’t know them very well. But it turned out to be fun! I pushed myself and managed to reach the top of the wall!

After this, we had free time. I went to the pool. I jumped in and broke my toenail. It hurt! (And still does.) So, it was a with a broken toenail and some reluctance that I went on the mountain bike ride. I yet again surprised myself and did almost every path. Archery was also great – I only missed the target once!

Abseiling was awesome. I was slightly scared for the 8m drop, but when I didn’t really find it too hard, I decided to attempt the 20m cliff! I was so proud! When I told my parents, they freaked out! They were so proud that I pushed myself to try every activity.

So, in short, I looooved camp, although I am now missing a right toenail. And even though it rained for much of the time on camp, that didn’t really bother me. I’m now a bit bruised, tired and sore, but I had an awesome time and have awesome memories.

- Charlotte Worth –

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Year 10 Camp – Savannah-Lee Green

Camp began at 7am, when we hopped on the bus and began the long trek to the Blue Mountains. I slept most of the way, although everyone was quite noisy. By the time we were going through Sydney, I gave up on trying to sleep. Another hour and a half later, we arrive at the Blue Gum Lodge in Springwood. We unpacked in our rooms, and then the first bell of many sounded to tell us all to meet and eat.

The rest of camp was sort of a blur – I was there, but felt somewhere different. The camp went so long and felt like it was never ending. I remember putting on my smile and laugh to make me feel Iike I wanted to be there. One of the highlights was the food: it was amazing! Plus, they gave us Tim Tams!!!!

The activities were a great experience. I had to push myself to do things that I never thought I would do, but I’m glad I did. One of the most challenging things was spending the whole day, every day, away from the people we actually wanted to be with. Being split into groups, and put with people you don’t usually spend time with was a bit of a challenge. I also really missed home. But in the end, it all worked out. I had a good time on camp. Relationships were tested, but eventually stood strong.

- Savannah-Lee Green –

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Reflecting on Year 10 Camp – Josh Jones

This year’s camp was very action-packed. We did so many fun activities, like abseiling, mountain-bike riding and rock climbing. Although it rained basically the whole time, we were still able to do everything. We had some funny late nights in our cabin, until three tired teachers would barge through our door and get angry at us.

My favourite thing was probably mountain biking, where we rode our bikes through a muddy forest track. We learned some bike riding skills and then put them into practice on the track.

I was a little challenged by abseiling - even though I had done it before, it was still scary leaning off the edge of a cliff. Once I’d completed it, though, I was so glad I did. It was such a cool feeling gliding down a cliff face.

- Josh Jones -

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Reflecting on Year 10 Camp – Izzy Sayers –

The best thing about camp was that everyone was shocked about how I was so good at archery. I always got the yellow bit in the middle and everyone just looked at me and was surprised. One of the boys was trying to prove that I wasn’t good, but I was – I got a total of 123 points and nobody was able to beat me! Not in any of the other groups, either.

By the end of archery, I was getting called Katniss Evergreen from the Hunger Games. It was really funny, because nobody actually believed I had done well until everyone else told them it was true.

I think I found the teamwork challenge a bit hard because it was our first activity and nobody really trusted each other. But after a while, we began to rely on each other to help us get through things. So, by the end of the day, we just did everything as a team. This helped with the other activities as well.

- Izzy Sayers –

Senior Camp

Seniors had a blast at the HSC Preparation Camp. We all loved the amount of free time, which was mostly spent in the water at Tahlee. Students and even some teachers chased the thrill of jumping from the diving board which was a 4-metre high platform, balancing along a wet slippery pole and sliding down a precarious water slide. Some even braved eating oysters fresh from the rocks. When we weren’t in the water, we were running around playing games or talking in groups.

The highlight of camp was the study seminars. We were taught the most effective studying tricks for boosting our grades while maintaining (or regaining) our sanity. The Elevate Education presenter was amazing, we got along with her really well and she helped us take practical steps for thriving through our senior years of high school. All the seminars were very informative and inspirational; we got heaps out of them. The HSC Preparation Camp gave us skills and confidence for the challenges ahead while giving us plenty of time to make fantastic memories with each other.

Erin Van Der Kaaden