Monday 28 August 2017

Year 9 LIFE Week: Melbourne Canberra Tour

YEAR 9 LIFE WEEK 2017: MELBOURNE-CANBERRA TOUR

Year 9 LIFE Week is based on the theme of Expanding Horizons and provides students with the opportunity to spend a week in Australian cities, engaging with all aspects of the LIFE Curriculum in a real-world setting. This Year a group of 23 students accompanied by Ms Bond, Mr McRae and myself travelled to the cities of Melbourne and Canberra before heading to the ski fields at Smiggin Holes. Melbourne proved to be a highly accessible city and we were able to move between venues using trams and by foot. Highlights of our Saturday in Melbourne included exploring the iconic Queen Victoria Markets, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and a self-guided tour of the Immigration Museum where students gained significant insight into the history of Melbourne and the contributions of a range of migrant groups. On Saturday afternoon, students visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch a match between Geelong and Collingwood, where Mr McRae cheered loudly for his team.

On Sunday, students took in some more of Melbourne’s iconic locations including the Royal Exhibition Building, The Old Melbourne Gaol and the State Library of Victoria where Ned Kelly’s original armour and Jerilderie letter are housed. Students then had some time for shopping in the Melbourne CBD before flying to Canberra.

While in Canberra, students visited many of the key venues of the Nation’s capital, including the Australian War Memorial, Federal Parliament House, Old Parliament House, the Australian Institute of Sport, the National Museum and Questacon. Students gained some significant insight into how the nation’s capital preserves the legacies of many groups in Australia, making close connections to their Big Ideas project. On the final leg of the journey, the tour was joined by Mrs De Courcier to lead the snow experience. Students and staff travelled to Smiggin Holes where they spent one and a half days enjoying the snow and experiencing either skiing or snowboarding.

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 – HASS and Year 9 Innovator

28 August 2017




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