National Sorry Day

Today we had a class visit where we discussed the Stolen Generation and the importance of 'Sorry Day' to Australians.

You can visit the National Sorry Day website here.


The original 'I have a dream' speech.

Term 2 Canberra Camp!

Today we gave out the permission note for our Term 2 trip to Canberra, we would like to see it completed and returned as soon as convenient. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email me here at school.

Please find following a copy of the itinerary - this blog is a lovely place to keep it so it may be accessed at any time.

Enjoy the convenience!

Camp Itinerary Scribd FINAL1

ANZAC Day

This year ANZAC Day falls right at the end of the NSW school holidays;
of course we will commemorate the day at our annual ANZAC Day assembly, however this year it will held on the first day of Term 2!

Unfortunately that leaves us very little time to remind our students of the ANZAC story and to answer the important questions that so many students seem to have.

So I have pulled together some interesting resources your child may like to explore if they wish to deepen their knowledge about ANZAC Day and the Australian contribution to war.

Firstly, I have found this very simple explanation of ANZAC Day which makes it very easy for us all to understand! The (gulp) wikipedia entry can be found here.

The amazing 'Australians at War' website is perfect for a Year 5 or 6 student to explore.

'What Happened to Smithy?' Is an interactive history mystery game where the player explores and discovers more about the famous Australian, Charles Kingsford Smith.

There are also the 'Symbology' games (army, navy, airforce) where the player has to use their knowledge of military symbols and code breaking to complete a successful mission. An online 'war aptitude test' is also available where players can test their knowledge.

The Australian War Memorial has an excellent 'Kids HQ' website where online activities are available for students to explore.

There is also this terrific 'Soldier's Slang' website where the language of Australian soldiers at Gallipoli is explored and explained.

An explanation of the 'rising sun badge' that all members of the Australian Forces wear can be found here.

Here is a New Zealand TV article about a school student that became involved in the commemoration of ANZAC Day. It focuses also on the contributions of Pacific Islander people to war.



Here is some actual footage of Gallipoli from the Auckland War Memorial Museum, along with dramatic music and explanations in text!


I also need to insert my warning here that the comments section of YouTube may contain nasty language - you may like to check before showing footage to your child.

A list of books about ANZAC Day can be found on the goodreads website (although they are generally aimed more at younger children, some wonderful illustration though!)
A more thorough list of ANZAC Day books (including adult titles) can be found here.
Some books for young adults include:
- Scarecrow Army: The ANZACS at Gallipoli by Leon Davidson
- A Rose for the ANZAC Boys by Jackie French

On ANZAC Day we wear a sprig of Rosemary to commemorate the day, an explanation can be found here. If you have some rosemary at home, you should bring some sprigs along to wear to our ANZAC assembly!

Lest we forget.

Day trip to Kirribilli

The first real day of holidays and my head is still at work! Well, not really, I wanted to get some exercise so decided to walk from my flat in Potts Point to the Sydney home of our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. The name of her residence is 'Kirribilli House.'

I had no idea that the walk from my flat to Kirribilli was almost 9km (Thanks iPhone!) Here are some photos from my walk, I hope it helps to out you into the right frame of mind for our upcoming Government unit.

I started out by walking through The Botanical Gardens. There is lots of school holiday activities happening here, but I recommend taking a self guided walk with your family.
Of course the first thing I saw of interest were the cockies, who were busy making a mess out of some trees.

A new sculpture has recently been installed, eventually lots of trees will be growing out of it to make a 'wave like' structure. Worth a look!

So I continued on my way to Kirribilli, walking across the Harbour Bridge. When I got there I noticed these Hills Hoists right near the Harbour, how very Australian.

When I got to Kirribilli House, the first thing I was greeted by was a 'Keep Out!' sign.

And there it is - Julia Gillard's house!

The nameplate outside of Kirribilli house.

My legs now very tired, I ended up catching the ferry back to Circular Quay from Kirribilli, I even got a little seasick on the trip (very typical of me!)

I do believe that Kirribilli House has an annual open day, it seems to happen around September or October of every year, you just have to keep your eyes on the internet as it is not heavily advertised.

If you'd like to visit the area yourself, it is definitely good for a walk around and there are lots of parks and cafes to stop by in for a rest. I also bought a few cheeky Easter Eggs from Coco Chocolate, definitely recommended!