During LIFE Week 2015 the College conducted its first Year 9 Sydney-Canberra tour. A group of 20 Year 9 students accompanied by Mr Hughes, Mrs Pastorelli and myself flew out from Perth Domestic Terminal on the evening of Friday, 21 August. The tour saw students visit the “Great Cities” of Sydney and Canberra where they had the opportunity to take their Year 9 Big Ideas project: “Where is the Great City of Oz?” out into the real world to find the heart, brain, courage or imagination of Sydney and Canberra.
Upon our arrival in Sydney, our first stop was a visit to the beautiful Darling Harbour where students had the opportunity to have breakfast and photograph the iconic harbour. It was then off to the historic Rocks precinct where the students explored the archaeological dig and investigated the inquiry question: Was the Rocks really just a dirty slum? They were surprised by the vast array of artefacts they discovered and made some excellent use of their discoveries to support their investigation of the heart, brain, courage or imagination of the city of Sydney. Saturday afternoon saw the students tour Mary MacKillop Place and the Sydney Opera House as well as the opportunity to capture photographs of some of Sydney’s other iconic features including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Luna Park and Circular Quay.
On Sunday, the students celebrated Mass at Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral before visiting Martin Place, Hyde Park, the Australian Museum and the Sydney Jewish Museum. By the end of our time in Sydney, the students had gained a great knowledge of the city and collected some excellent sources, with an appreciation for why Sydney truly is a ‘Great City of Oz’.
Monday saw our first full day in Canberra, starting with a visit to the Australian War Memorial, where students were immersed in the stories and artefacts of the World War I gallery and the commemorative areas, including the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They were captivated by the roll of honour and the many stories of heart, brain, courage and imagination from the war that now have a home in Canberra at the Australian War Memorial. On Monday afternoon, we visited Canberra’s other great icon – Parliament House, where the students toured the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as engaged in a role play about free wifi on public transport in a student senate.
On Tuesday, our exploration of the city of Canberra continued with visits including the National Museum, National Library of Australia, Questacon and the Australian Institute of Sport. The day developed the students’ awareness of the significant role Canberra plays as the nation’s capital.
Wednesday was our last full day in Canberra with visits to the Museum of Australia Democracy at Old Parliament House, the National Archive where students were able to view the original Federation documents and the National Dinosaur museum, before a tour of the Portrait Gallery and attendance at the Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial. Similarly to our time in Sydney, our tour of Canberra left little doubt amongst the students that Canberra too was truly a ‘Great City of Oz’.
On Thursday, we travelled to Berridale NSW, which would serve as our base for the snow experience. Students were treated to one and a half day’s lessons and experiences either skiing or snowboarding at Smiggin Holes. For many of the students it was the first time they had seen snow. On Saturday, we took the opportunity en route back to Canberra to tour the Deep Space Centre where students discovered the special role that Australia plays in space exploration and they added significant notes and photographs to their research journals.
The inaugural Sydney-Canberra Tour has provided the students with an enriching experience complementing all pillars of the LIFE curriculum – Learning, Interrelationships, Faith and Enrichment as well as provided the opportunity for them to ‘follow the yellow brick road’ and take their Big Ideas project well beyond the confines of the classroom.
Our tour of Australia’s national capital – Canberra – has provided students with the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $240.00 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards these costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.
Ms Karen Taylor
Learning Area Coordinator – Humanities and Year 9 Innovator
7 September 2015
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