Posted CGGS Newsletter 33 - 7 November 2008

‘Package it Better’

The Year 6 students have been busy working in small groups to discover the properties of packaging materials and to fulfil a design brief to create a package that will protect a fragile object (a raw egg) when dropped from a significant height. Much fun has been had when testing materials for properties such as elasticity, porosity and conductivity, and finding packaging materials that are also aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly and inexpensive has created some challenges. We are all looking forward to creating and testing the packages in the next few weeks.

Disco Fun

Last night we hosted a barbecue and disco with the Year 6 students of Canberra Grammar School. The barbecue gave us all a chance to get to know one another again before enjoying the excellent music provided by DJ, Angel, who encouraged everyone to participate and have a great time.  We all enjoyed a wonderful night in a relaxed, informal setting and we would like to thank our parent helpers, led by Adele Simpson, who provided and cooked the delicious sausages, salad, rolls and fruit for our barbecue.

Robyn Hetherington
6RH Teacher

Posted CGGS Newsletter 31 - 24 October 2008

YEAR 6 NEWS

Have you ever gone hungry?

Have you ever supported World Vision in their 40 hour famine to raise money for a cause they are supporting?

On Wednesday 22 October, the three Year 6 classes took part in an eight hour challenge to support World Vision. On this day, between the hours of 8am and 4pm, the students volunteered to only eat rice, drink juice and water, and to have a barley sugar lolly at the fruit, recess and lunch breaks.

All students were very excited at the beginning of this challenging day; however, by lunchtime, the reality that comes with hunger had kicked in. Whilst the plain boiled rice on offer was not of great interest, the barley sugar lollies were definitely in demand by the end of the day! 

Without doubt, everyone enjoyed the day and the unique understanding it gave to them about the reality of hunger - not just going without food for one day but having limited food everyday, every week, every month of some person’s life; always worrying where their next meal may come from; always hungry.

The money the Year 6 students raised during this challenge will go to World Vision to help free child labourers in India. With the knowledge that  there are currently over 60 million child labourers in India, the students agreed that  to spend two hours making match boxes and feeling hunger for a short period of time was a worthwhile endeavour and a  suitable way to raise money for a worthy cause. 

Kerry Hardge
6H Class Teacher

Posted CGGS Newsletter 29 - 26 September 2008

Exchange with CGS

Our Term 3 Year 6 exchange with Canberra Grammar School was held at our School on Wednesday this week. It was a wonderful opportunity to renew acquaintances made in Term 1 and to enjoy participating in a range of cooperative activities in a coeducational environment, with the favourite activity being Crocker, a game that combines the skills of soccer and cricket.   The success of the day was assisted by the beautiful spring weather and time was spent outside on the playground equipment during the morning tea break.  We are all looking forward to our culminating activity, a combined Year 6 barbecue and disco, to be held in November.

Robyn Hetherington
Year 6 Teacher

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 29 - 26 September 2008

Posted in CGGS Newsletter 25 - 29 August 2008

World Vision Visit

On a recent cold winter’s morning, Mrs McGregor rounded up the unsuspecting Year 6 students and marched them to the Gym for an alleged lecture on behaviour standards. Little did the students know that this was merely a ploy to get them to the Gym. Their ‘fate’ was to be much worse than a mere dressing down on behaviour.

The door of the Gym was opened by two people in dark glasses who immediately ordered the students inside. From this moment on and for the next hour and forty-five minutes, the students had orders and threats shouted at them. They had become child labourers complete with passports and had to work in teams to construct matchboxes. 

The matchboxes had to meet high standards and were quickly rejected, with extra rupees being added to debts for poor quality matchboxes. As the children experienced sitting in one spot, working on the same boring task whilst being yelled at, they quickly empathised with child labourers throughout the world for whom there is no escape.

The people in dark glasses revealed themselves to be John and Steph from World Vision who released the students from their labour. After a well earned Recess, the students were greeted by a World Vision Youth Ambassador, Phoebe, who had visited India and had witnessed child labour first hand.  The Year 6 students were also shown footage of real life situations and in depth discussions took place about how we can help to make a difference to the lives of children who have been robbed of their childhood. 

“I thought the day was informative and I now realise that children the same age as myself, live very different lives and are denied the opportunities to simply go to school and play.” (Rose)

“I was only in child labour for a bit under 2 hours but children in India work up to 16 and 17 hours a day in much, much worse conditions. I was uncomfortable and found the work monotonous so I can’t begin to imagine what their lives must be like…”  (Keely)

Jillian Shaw
Year 6 teacher

Please click here to return CGGS Newsletter 24 - 29 August 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter 23 - 15 August 2008

YEAR 6 SCIENTISTS OF TOMORROW

This term, Year 6 students are taking part in the Scientists of Tomorrow Primary School Program, a new initiative of the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity. The program aims to foster enthusiasm for science and to create an awareness of the need to protect our plants from pests and diseases. The students are participating in a range of interactive activities and experiments. In addition to these, they are working on group projects that place them in hypothetical situations that allow them to role-play being ‘researchers’. They are investigating, and attempting to solve, real plant biosecurity problems that are currently being investigated by the science community. The culmination of this project will be a mini-conference, held at school, at which each team will present their findings.  The students will then vote for the best research project in each class and the winners will be in the running to compete at the inter-schools Scientists of Tomorrow Summit to be held at the end of the year.

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 23 - 15 August 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 19 - 27 June 2008

Passing the Broomstick Regulation Bill in the Chamber-of-Not-So Secrets

During parliamentary sittings, Year 6 wizards have been endeavouring to pass the ‘Broomstick Regulation Bill’ in order to make broomstick travel safer throughout Jabbermania, Ausriomar and Tauralius.  The Minister of Magic Portals has introduced the Broomstick Regulation Bill into Parliament because of a large number of problems that have been occurring due to the reckless use of broomsticks.  There have been several serious injuries recorded, several reports of livestock being traumatised and many instances of extreme behaviour that has been setting a poor example for younger wizards. This bill has aimed to regulate the use of broomsticks and limit the powers of owners such that these problems can be resolved.

Debate has been strong in the Chamber-of-Not-So-Secrets and committees have been formed in order to make amendments to this important Bill. The process is comprehensive as the Bill is read three times in the Chamber-of-Not-So-Secrets before reaching the Grand Red Chamber (the Senate) for further consideration.

Jillian Shaw
6S Teacher

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 19 - 27 June 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 17 - 13 June 2008

International Tournament of Wizard Brains

On Wednesday evening, Year 6 students and their parents enjoyed a wonderful evening of fun, food and light-heated competition at our International Tournament of Wizard Brains, a trivia evening based on our unit of inquiry into Australia’s system of government.  The Honourable Pooh-Bahs (students) looked extremely dignified in their colourful ‘Parliament of Wizards’ costumes as they processed into the Junior School Hall to join their Wumble Sponsors (parents) in attempting to answer four rounds of questions and participating in a range of entertaining activities throughout the evening.  Many students amazed their parents with their knowledge and understanding of the concept of democracy and aspects of our federal parliament.  We were delighted by the antics of several of the brave parents and students who chose to undertake individual activities in order to earn bonus points for their teams.  The ‘Evasive Enchantresses’ table of Lauren Meinhart, Lydia Heaton, Matilda Millar-Carton and Melissa Monroe and their parents were the winning team for the night, while the overall competition was narrowly won by Ausriomar (or 6H); the perpetual trophy was proudly accepted on their behalf by their Grand Magus, Matilda Millar-Carton.

Robyn Hetherington
Year 6 Class Teacher

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 17 - 13 June 2008