The class of 6A built energy efficient houses as a project to help us learn how energy efficient houses work. Some of the concepts listed below can help your house be as energy efficient as possible.

Electricity is used in all homes to help provide for our needs. Electricity accounts for 53% of the energy used in Australian households but it still creates around 87% of greenhouse gas emissions. This is because most electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels. 

Coal, oil and gas are NON-Renewable energy sources.

Renewable power systems use renewable energy sources to produce electricity with very low greenhouse gas emissions.

Renewable energy sources such as the sun, water and air are continuously replenished from natural sources.

Insulation, renewable energy and energy efficient appliances all put together can save a lot of greenhouse emissions from being produced. Installing rainwater tanks, using grey or bore water to water the garden and installing water saving devices (such as water saving shower heads) can also help contribute to saving water and can save you a lot of money as well.

The direction different rooms of your house face affect the warmth of the rooms. Rooms that you want to be warm in the day should face the north-east to let in the most sun. Bathrooms, laundries, garages and store rooms should face the south-east since this is where you least go. It also can be a natural heater so that you don’t need to pay electricity bills for heater usage.

6A enjoyed the project very much, and here are pictures of their creations.

Peter 6A

YEAR SIX WRITING

HOW TO SKI

In this explanation you will learn how to ski very well.

 Firstly go to Ski Hire to get your clothes, remembering the outer layer has to be water-proof. Secondly get sunscreen so you don’t get burnt. Thirdly after you have gotten everything, catch the ski-tube down to get to the snow-fields.

 After, go to your lessons and firstly practise using one ski before moving onto two. Then practise going down little hills remembering how to stop and then you can experiment with a parallel turn.

A little while later, have a break to get a drink and something to eat. By now you should be able to ski and have fun. Now you can go home knowing that you’ve succeeded in your goal.

by Zan W. 6W

HOW TO SKI

This will explain how to ski using simple steps.

Firstly you will need to hire ski gear including boots, skis, poles and protective clothing. Then you may want to put on sunscreen to protect your skin from burning. After this you must catch the Ski Tube to Blue Cow Ski Resort. You must now put on sunscreen and go up to your lesson. Two of the things that you will learn are how to stand up and how to stop. When you ski down the mountain, you go in a zig-zag motion to stay in control. After lunch you have free time but you must ski in a group of three or more so you will always be safe.

After the lesson you will know the basics of skiing.

By Ryan J. 6W

HOW TO MAKE STRING ART

Are you artistic? Why don’t you make a string art design using the explanation below?

Firstly, collect a block of square wood and choose the side with the least number of knots in the wood. Afterwards sand the wood carefully including the four edges with sandpaper.

If you would like, you can paint the wood as it helps hold everything together. If you paint, you must wait for the paint to dry.

A basic design many people use is a frame. I am going to show you how to make a frame. I am going to show you how to make a frame. As you get better you can do diamonds, circles even the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

In order to make a frame, you will need to hammer an equal amount of nails on each side of the wood. For example:15 by 15 nails. Find some bright coloured string to use. Tie a knot on the first nail on the horizontal side and join the string on the vertical side. Then go back to the second horizontal nail and join to the vertical second nail. Keep going-third H to third V, fourth H to fourth V. Continue on all sides until you have a lovely frame to perhaps put on a mantelpiece.

I hope string art will be a great, fun and artistic hobby that you will continue in the future.

By Anjali

E.S.D. ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Today my mum (Amanda Pieriboni) came to talk about built environments and sustainability. She played a power point presentation about the Rouse Hill Town Centre and also talked about the construction of my family home.

First my mum spoke about Rouse Hill and the many things they have done in the development to make it sustainable.

1 Building Design

When they built the centre they orientated the building to suit the land and to make the best use of the natural light and sun. They also used building materials such as thicker glass on sides of the buildings that face the south and shading devices on sides of the building that get a lot of sun. Rouse Hill is designed as an open plan centre. There is no air conditioning. Some shops have air conditioning that can be turned on only for a period of time when they are most needed.

2. Lighting

In the shops they have used energy efficient lights, which use much less energy than normal globes. Lights such as such as florescent and metal halide.

3.  Water

In the food court they have fountains that can be switched on to cool the air in the food court. There is also something called potable water and non-potable water. Potable means you can drink it and non-potable you can’t. Non-potable water is used for things like flushing toilets and watering the garden.

Facts

One billion cans are used in Australia every year, enough to make 200 hundred jumbo jets!

Australians send 34 printer cartridges to land fill a minute!

Each human sends 700kg of waste to land fill per year!

by Benjamin 6A

ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Today, Mrs Pieriboni came to show us a slideshow on building an eco-friendly building because we are going to design an eco-friendly house. She had recently assisted with designing Rouse Hill Town Centre, which is very ecologically sustainable.

At the beginning we talked about firstly looking at where your building is, what animals are around, what plants grow well there and what people do in that area. We should make sure that whichever way the building is facing we take that into consideration and put windows and doors in appropriate places.

Another big aspect is ventilation and insulation. Using air conditioning excretes a lot of greenhouse gasses. Rouse Hill Town Centre has huge air vents to let the natural air in, so being inside is a lot like being outside. When it does get hot or cold, instead of having air conditioning, they installed fans and gas heaters. Having extendable eaves is convenient because you can pull them in or out, depending on where the sun is.

Every eco- friendly building should have water tanks, for the non-pottable water (the water you can’t drink). Another good water-saving tip is to only plant indigenous plants because they are built for Australian conditions and can withstand minimal watering and rainfall.

If you are inside your home or in a shopping centre, most of the lights are usually turned on. But the company Mrs Pieriboni works for believes that no-one is in every room at once. Therefore we should install more motion-sensor lights and fluorescent lights instead of incandescent lights and bright spotlights.

Although most places which are eco-friendly cost three times more than a normal building, we should spend the money to get things right!                        

by Sana 6A

ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Today Mrs. Pieriboni came to give us a speech on how to build an environmentally friendly house. She said that by 2030 we would need two earths to supply all the resources we use now.  Mrs Pieriboni recently helped design Rouse Hill shopping centre and is now helping design Wollongong central.

One way was they put a water fountain in the middle of the shopping centre which helps cool the air down when the air goes past the water. She also put waffle pods under her house to reduce the amount of cement usage.

The shopping centre has fluorescent lights to produce heat. Outside your house you should have native plants; they don’t need as much water because they are use to this environment.

You should have water tanks to save water. Her house is designed so that when it is hot you open the front door and the back door to cool the house down. The Japanese believe that it is bad luck. They call it feng shui. You should also have a gas heater because they don’t need as much electricity as air conditioners.

By Cameron 6A

HOMEWORK

Homework is an item of work that children take home with them and do to revise their schoolwork. There are two sides to this topic. Some people believe that homework is important, and some don’t. Some reasons are listed below.

Homework teaches you responsibility and also organisation skills. If you have something on and you can’t do homework, you still have to do that day’s homework. You could organise yourself and do it the night before. Homework needs to be in on a certain day so you have to be responsible. When you are older  and you need to get a job, you have to have things in on time. Homework can prepare you for this.

The second reason is that homework can extend your knowledge of things. You might not know how to do something in your homework, you then have to find out how to do it. So you have learnt something new. Homework can also give you facts about general knowledge.

Another reason is that homework helps you catch up on work you have missed. At school you might have activities that you go to in class time. If you have these activities you will miss out on class work. Homework helps you catch up because it is revising the school work, so you can learn it then.

The last reason is that homework stops you from watching TV or playing on the computer games too much. If you watch TV you don’t learn. If you do your homework it uses up the time you would use watching TV. Homework teaches you more than some TV shows.

Although there are many people who think homework is important, some people think it’s a waste of time. Listed below are some reasons why people think it’s a waste of time.

The first reason is that kids don’t want more work in the afternoon. When kids have been at school all day, they just want to relax. They have been doing work all day at school. They might want to read a book or watch TV or go on the computer. They don’t need anymore work.

Another reason is that the afternoon is the only time they can play outside. The afternoon is about the only time when kids can go outside, and still see what they are doing. The kids will probably want to kick a ball around or play with their dog. They could play tip or throw a ball around. Kids cant do this when it is dark.

The third reason is that you don’t have time. After school you could have to feed the pet or take the dog for a walk. After you have done that you have to help get dinner ready. Then eat dinner, after dinner a shower. Then you have to get ready for bed. You will get stressed because you cant do your homework.

This reason is that some kids have sport some afternoons. If you have sport, and something else you will have to do lots of homework the night before and you can’t relax. I have soccer at 6oclock, then scouts starts straight after that. I don’t even have time to go home in between them.

In conclusion, I think that homework is ok. Homework is ok in small portions. You have to have time for other commitments.

by Dominique D-G  6A

SCHOOL UNIFORMS

School uniforms are worn by pupils to acknowledge their attendance at a particular school. Many people believe that a school uniform is necessary however, others find it unnecessary. Below are the positive reasons.

The most profound reason for wearing a school uniform is safety. As an old saying goes ’Safety First’. School uniforms can definitely protect you from getting lost on a school excursion. They always provide protection to the neck against ultra violet rays which cause cancer.Without these types of hats people risk getting cancer.

School uniforms are made from special material that keeps you warm and comfortable. In summer all schools change their school dress code and wear short-sleeved shirts and pants. On sport days schools also have a particular uniform that ensure comfort and flexibility. All schools around Australia wear sport uniforms.

Wearing a school uniform to school saves time. You don’t have to raid your wardrobe looking for suitable clothes to wear. Wearing a school uniform can stop you from being bullied at school. School uniforms all look the same. This is reassuring to kids who do not dress nicely in designer brands and expensive clothes as they may get teased for not wearing the best clothes. As well as not getting bullied many people believe that school uniforms make you look smart.

Despite the fact that many people find uniforms suitable others find them uncalled for.

Below are some negative aspects for uniforms. People don’t like wearing a uniform because it is the same thing you wear everyday to school for the whole year and is unchanging.

Many people wear their own clothes to identify a sense of individuality. People wear different clothes each day depending on their mood towards the day ahead of them or their state of mind. For example: if I was feeling angry about the day ahead of me I may wear dark coloured clothing to express my feelings. Another instance is at funerals, people wear black clothes to express their grief for the deceased.

Wearing a school uniform is expensive. The fact that uniforms are specifically made for the particular school raises the cost. Buying a pair of jeans from Target may be three times cheaper than buying a school uniform pair of pants.

What is the point of buying clothes when you spend most of your life at school? Ever looked in the wardrobe? The only clothes you see are the ones you wore three weeks ago during the holidays. If you only wear a pair of pants once every two weeks, when you grow out of them buying them would have just put money to waste. It’s very hard to put Mr Rudd’s stimulus package to use on clothes because you will only wear them on the weekend.

Many people complain about some of the materials used to make school uniforms. Some children have skin reactions to some of the materials. If you could wear your own clothes you would choose something to which you aren’t allergic.

Personally, I believe it is appropriate to wear a school uniform because it makes you feel like a part of a team. Moreover you can wear your favourite clothes after school or on weekends.

by Phillip 6A

HOMEWORK

Homework is a small bit of work for you to complete at home during the week. There are positive and negative points for both sides of the discussion. The positive points are listed below.

The first and most important reason for homework is organisation skills. Let’s say I don’t have homework and someone else does. The other person is going to be a lot more organized than me .Homework is a great way to improve your organisation.

Another reason is responsibility.  Having homework weekly makes you more responsible for taking care of your homework and also to take responsibility for completing it. If you don’t have homework obviously you’re not going to be as responsible, it’s the easiest way to learn.

Revision is also very important. For example if you do work at school without doing homework on it it’s most likely you’ll forget about it. But when you revise what you’ve learnt in homework you will remember it for a long time.

Homework is good for keeping off TV for a long period of time. TV can be bad for you. For example it could have inappropriate language and decreases your IQ and it’s just bad looking at a TV for a long time. If you have homework it keeps you away from the TV for a long time.

I am now going to talk about the negative things of having homework. The negative points will be stated below.

Physical activities are important. With homework you don’t have as much time to play soccer or a game with friends. If you’re studying hard for a test it’s good to go outside and be free to relieve the stress. If you always study or work and no physical play there is a chance you will become obese.

Stress is very annoying and at school doing too much work is stressful. So when I get home from school I just want to relax and chill out for a while. So if there is homework I can’t relax as much.

A point for homework being a nuisance is having other commitments. Like on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I have sport. So it’s hard to do four days worth of homework in two days.

Another reason is that more school work is not needed. At school we do five hours of work and at home adding more time is ridiculous. Doing so much work is annoying.

Although there are reasons for homework I believe we shouldn’t do homework. I think we should have homework once every two weeks.

by Lachlan 6A

SCHOOL UNIFORMS ARE IMPORTANT

School Uniforms are a form of clothing that school children wear to identify themselves. In this argument there are two sides. Many people think that school uniforms are good, but others don’t agree.

The most significant point of uniforms is that they keep you safe. They keep you safe by having closed in shoes, long sleeves, a hat that covers your neck and they keep you warm or cool in different seasons.

Another important thing about the school uniforms is that it prevents you from being teased. If children have there casual clothes on and other children are not impressed  they may start to tease you. I have seen people being teased and “NOBODY” likes it.

Another highly important thing is that if you are on an excursion you can’t get lost. People can identify you and get you back to where you should be.

Although there are so many great things about school uniforms, there are downsides. Some people think that school uniforms are bad. These reasons are listed below.

One of the worst things about school uniforms is that they can be “REALLY” uncomfortable. Who wants to go to school in boring everyday clothes when you can go in the comfortable house clothes.

Continuing on from that if you have a school uniform you have no individuality. People will not know what type of person you are, what your favourite colour is or even what your favourite thing is. All these things you can tell from a persons clothes.

A real problem for all is that the school uniforms are expensive. With the world’s dollar going up no one wants to buy another piece of clothing when you already have a cupboard full.

Also to make things worse there are many things you need like: a jacket, for girls two dresses for each for summer and winter, a tie, school shoes, hats and socks.

In conclusion I agree with both sides. I like school uniforms because they keep you safe. I also don’t like them because they aren’t comfy.

By Kate 6A

DISCUSSION: HOMEWORK

Homework is extra work that is set by schools, to help students revise on what they have learnt. There has been an issue involving homework and why, or why not homework should be set. So this means that there are two sides of the issue, below are some positive reasons for homework.

Homework teaches children responsibility. It helps students to work hard to complete it by the due date. Also it helps students to think hard on how to revolve things around homework. This improves their organisation skills.

It also stops children from watching television, which makes them become lazy. Some programs on television have strong content which is unsuitable for children.

Doing homework extends your knowledge and enables you to learn more. So if a student doesn’t understand a topic, homework explains how to do it well and accurately. It keeps the mind alert and sharpens your skills which benefit you in future years.

Homework helps children to catch up with their studies. So if a child has an event during school time, homework enables them to catch up to the rest of the group.

Despite the fact that homework is important to some people, others find it unnecessary and a nuisance. Listed below are some negative reasons about homework.

After a long day at school the last thing you’d want to do is more work. Having an extra load of work stops you from relaxing and having a break. If a child doesn’t get any relaxing time it is unhealthy.

There needs to be a balance between studies and social activity. This is true because homework isn’t the only commitment children have after school. Many children have sporting activities and may need to help around the house. But homework comes in the way of that because you have to have it in by ‘the due date’ and that is not good.

Homework stops you from going outside and having a play, which means exercise. Australia is becoming more like America, because more and more children are becoming obese and it’s not healthy. Homework comes in the way of getting out and having a play.

Some children are under a great deal of stress because of homework. They think that they need to study and study without relaxing because it’s not ‘important’. People need to realise that there needs to be balance.

My personal opinion on homework is that there needs to be a balance between homework and social life and after that it is alright.

by Zach 6A

THE KINDEST PERSON I KNOW IS . . .

The kindest person I know is Sam R. He is kind, generous and fair, and when he gets out in a game, he goes out instead of arguing. If you ask for something he has he will let you borrow it.

He doesn’t interrupt people, he does not call people names or tease them. He has lots of friends in almost every grade. He has a younger brother. He makes friends easily.

He is the kindest friend I have ever had. He invites me over to his house a lot. His mum and my mum are good friends.

That is why I think Sam is the kindest person I know.

by Aaron 6W

MY FAVOURITE PIECE OF CLOTHING IS . . .

The piece of clothing I like best of all is my Code Red dog tag. I got it at Kyle’s friend Alex’s birthday party. You normally get it if you come first in a game, but I came first in both games.

In the second game, Jake (6A) played and at my birthday and he won but I showed him and I got the dog tag. Both games I was red and I was at the blue base and hid behind the wall. I shot at their base both times and I won out of both games. I scored lots of points.

Code Red is a Laser Tag Battle Field of moving doors and three levels. It is very cool.

by Ryan 6W

THE FUNNIEST THING I EVER SAW WAS . . .

One of the funniest things I ever saw was when I went out to dinner with Lauren, mum and dad and a few other friends. This happened in the holidays. We were just in the car leaving from a Vietnamese restaurant and as we were on a red light just near the restaurant. A car parked on the street with people in it saying “Hello!”, “Over here!” , “Woo-hoo!”. We didn’t know who they were. Mum was driving. Dad kept saying don’t make eye contact and Lauren and I were laughing so much. As I looked, I saw grandpa in the back and a woman driving. Then we went off. In the morning mum was talking to the people we went out with and it ended up to be them!

by Becky 6W

ICE-SKATING!!

Ice-skating is my favourite sport I have ever done.

I have been doing it for nine years and I am really good at it.

I have been in lots of competitions. I skate with a synchronized team.  We skate at club championships, state championships and nationals.

Ice-skating can be dangerous when you get into the big spins and jumps like a flying sit spin and a Axel and double loop.

By Charlotte 6W

PAUL WADE CUP REPORT

On Tuesday the 16^th of June 2009 the PSSA Knockout Football team went to North Rocks Oval to compete in the Paul Wade Cup gala day. The first match we played was against Sherwood Ridge Public. It was a good match but the end result was 5-0 in our favour. 

The second match was a local clash against Cherrybrook. It was very even but the end saw us 1-0 up. In the third game we played North Rocks. They were a very tough opposition at half time it was 1-0 our way. In the second half Tom scored two more goals to put us into the grand final.

This was it! The grand final of 2009 West Pennant Hills against North Rocks!  In the first half they had a breakaway and scored. Then the half time whilst blew and we had a quick pep talk with Mr F and we were straight into the second half. We had a break and we scored to equalize. Unfortunately they scored straight away and the end result saw us 2-1 down. We were presented with a finalist medal.

by Sam and Tom

By Maddi 6W

I remember a Dad time,

Where his face was pale

And so was mine.

We drifted through the snow,

On black and red boards,  

Bending right, left, then forward once more.

We smiled at each other,

Hoping that this life would last forever,

Listening to the snow blow in this awful weather.

We flew around corners

 And several people at once,

Yet somehow we didn’t notice a bump.

We flipped in the air,

And landed with a thud, I cried in pain.

Yet somehow got up.

Dad lifted his legs

 I did the same.

We had a wonderful day. 

by Tom 6W

I remember a dad time.

It was an exciting time with nine carts,

a metal trail and safety bars of long metal.

His tight grip taking away breath

which could never feel better on this experience

It was an exciting time with nine carts,

a metal trail and safety bars of long metal.

His tight grip taking away breath which could never feel better on this experience

as if the world had been blown-up

the wind blew our hair back,

I in his arms screaming away,

looking at the track waiting for it to stop

it was the end feeling sick

Dad! Mostly he wasn’t

mostly it was just a dad time

Recently, 6W have been studying artwork by a famous artist, Andy Goldsworthy. Now we are beginning to create our own versions of nature artwork.

One of our great artworks was by Anjali Nadaradjane. She has put different coloured autumn leaves together to make a pattern similar to a flower.

By Sharon 6W

EXPLANATION:  HOW TO WASH A DOG

 Ingredients

·       Dog

·       Leash

·       Treat/toy

·       Washer/towel

·       Big tub/bucket (make sure it’s big enough to fit your dog)

·       Brush

·       Dog Shampoo/Normal Shampoo

·       Warm water

Method

1.   Find the dog and put it on a leash.

2.   Fill the tub with warm water but make sure the water is no higher than the dog’s belly.

3.   Place the dog gently into the tub.

4.   Squeeze a line of shampoo along the dog’s back.

5.   Massage the shampoo into the dog’s fur, making sure that you don’t get it into their eyes or ears and make sure you wash under the collar.

6.   Use the cup to scoop up the water and pour it over the dog to rinse the shampoo.

7.   Rub your dog mostly dry with the towel.

8.   Comb your dog’s fur with the brush until there are no knots.

9.   Give the toy to your dog so they’ll start being trained to be more still in the bath because they know they’ll get a treat at the end.

By Sharon 6W

Dear Journal,

On Saturday I played a game of soccer. We won 4-0 and I played centre fullback and centre midfield. I had a lot of fun.

On Saturday night I went to my cousins’ house for dinner. It was both my cousins’ birthdays. When we got there we rung the doorbell and Laura answered the door and she was dressed up like she was the Queen. Her dad was in Thailand but I thought he was in Perth in Western Australia.

On Sunday I went to James Lea’s house to play bakugan. I beat James 6 times and James beat me 2 times. For lunch we had macaroni and cheese. James and I traded a lot of bakugan and cards.

On Monday I played a catch-up game of soccer. Before I warmed up I felt as cold as ice but when I started playing I was as hot as the sun. It was 1-1. I had a great time.

Regards,

Timothy 6W

My Journal....

On Friday, I played tennis at school. I love the feel of the rebound of the ball when it hits the racket. The smell of the fresh air gliding through the trees. Tasting the moisture in my mouth while running up and down the court. When you hear the small birds cheer you on up on top of the trees and when you see the spotlight of sun rays beam down on you. It’s like a wish come true,

It was almost a perfect day, since all that was blocking the sky was dark grey clouds ready to cry. The weather didn’t really worry us because we knew it wouldn’t rain. Well, we didn’t know, we felt the air as it tinkled our tongues. It wouldn’t go away! If it was sort of stuffy and the air tasted dry, we would know that it would rain.

We had a new guy today, since the other one was sick or away. He was called Joel and he looked exactly like my cousin! He was extraordinary and weird. He laughed like a hyena and literally couldn’t stand up straight without fidgeting!

It was a good class, yet it could be better.

At least I learnt something!

by Maddi 6W

THOUGHTS ON ANZAC DAY

I think ANZAC Day is a very sad day and it makes you think about what the soldiers did for us and for us to be a free country. When I saw the old men and women on the television I tried to picture the war and how they felt being in that environment. I hate war and I wish it would stop. I mean what’s the point?

ANZAC DAY means a lot to me, because people respect the War Veterans, we are also very lucky. The ‘Last Post’ which is played on the trumpet means a lot to me as well. It was first played on a bugle, which is like a very long trumpet, but it doesn’t have any keys, because when the Last Post or Rouse is played, you don’t use any of the keys. At ANZAC services or ceremonies, two people carry wreaths down to the front, then the Last Post is played.          

By Charis 6W

I think Anzac Day means that we remember the Anzacs who fought for our country and we will never forget what they did for our country. I will not forget.

By Michael R 6W

In my opinion I think ANZAC Day is to remember and think of the people who went to war to help Australia become a free country. We should always think of these brave people, even those Australians fighting today.

By Anjali 6W

BAND CAMP 09 REPORTS

BAND CAMP 09

On the weekend I went to band camp. I was there at 5:00 at Crusaders. I got there and went straight to my cabin and Tom was already there. When everyone got there we did massed band for one hour then we had supper. Then we went to our cabins to go to sleep. But we stayed up eating lollies and then we went to sleep but I stayed up until 4:30 in the morning. On Saturday night it was the best. The brainy bunch. After Saturday night I went to sleep. The next morning we went to band camp and after breakfast the performance band went to do activities. Our team did BMX then we went to set up for the Sunday concert. The organisers are the best!

By Michael 6W

BAND CAMP

On the weekend I went to Band Camp at Galston Gorge Crusaders. I arrived at the camp at 5:00pm Friday. There were three activities BMX Bikes, Archery and Rock Climbing. The camp went from Friday to Sunday; the parents didn’t get much sleep because they were telling the kids to go to sleep. 

By Tom 6W

BAND CAMP ‘09’

On Friday I got ready to go to Band Camp at Crusaders Sport and Recreation Camp. When we got there we found out who was in our cabins and where we were then it was straight to Massed Band which is where all the bands get together. It took a while to get to sleep that night but we kept getting into trouble so we gave up and went to sleep.

On Saturday we did activities including BMX, archery and for the first time Performance Band did rock climbing. Also on Saturday we did band sectional which is where we go with our tutors just in our section and again we did Massed Band. On Saturday night we had Trivia Night and we answered weird and funny questions but we all took part in it and did something else that night, which was Earth Hour where we all got electric rainbow candles and it looked amazing but we contributed to earth hour, which was the best part. The next day was concert day and the last day ever at band camp, which was also really sad.

It was a busy day organising and setting up but we mainly did band. When we got to the concert there was lots of people there and everyone was excited. Senior band was playing first than Beginner band then us Performance Band and we all played really well. Then we played Massed band and we sounded awesome. Everyone was tired afterwards and I don’t think any of us had much sleep but besides that BAND CAMP ‘09’ was AWESOME!!!!!

By Kate 6W

BAND CAMP 09

On Friday afternoon I left to go to Band Camp. I was in Sharon’s, Sana’s, Emma’s, Sally’s and Charlotte's cabin. Helen also moved in. That night we had Massed Band and Supper. I then quickly ran to our cabins to get ready for bed. We talked quite a lot.

For breakfast I had cereal. After breakfast I did sectionals (all the clarinets from the Performance Band), band and after morning tea. During Saturday we also did Archery - I almost got a bull eye. More sectionals, more Band and in the afternoon we did BMX bikes, which is one of my favourites. I don’t know why but Band Camp gives out a lot  of cake so we had that for afternoon tea. For two hours it was free time so I ran to the pool and went in for a while. We didn’t do many other things except for playing Rat-a-Tat-Cat. At night we had Trivia but our team didn’t win. At Band Camp we did Earth Hour and during the Trivia we went outside and had safety candles.

I slowly walked out of bed and had breakfast. I slightly got used to doing so much band. We did it straight after breakfast. During the day we did Rock Climbing, which I really enjoyed. We had lunch and got ready for the Concert. My mum and dad came to watch. First the Senior Band played, then the Junior and the Performance Bands.

By Becky 6W

ART FROM 6A

ART FROM 6W

PORTRAITS USING CHARCOAL

John Jagamarra

Many years ago I was born at Dryborough Station. My European father had left long before I was born but I did not think twice about him because I had a wonderful family of uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents and of course my mother, Liyan, how could I forget her ? She was a fabulous mother!

We were part of the Barramundi tribe. We all used to gather around the campfire and the elders would tell us stories about the king brown snake and how his pink in the sky is always watching over us. After eating and listening to the stories my mother would go to our beds and I would lay there in her arms and feel her soft skin against mine.

I used to swim in the creek with my cousins after it had rained. After swimming we dried on a flat rock called the Lizard rock. At dusk when we were dry and we were eating around the campfire the men would return and we would listen to stories about what they did during the day.

When I was four or five years old Charlie Worragin, the head stockman, came to my mother. He told her, “The Big Man from welfare is travelling in police truck to all the camps and taking all the light skinned children.” I felt my mother tense up and she squeezed me closer against her. All the women screamed and cried.

The next morning at the break of dawn my mother took me to the burnt out fire and rubbed ashes into my skin. When the sun rose the welfare man arrived and he looked at me and then at my mother.

He was tricked! The big man was tricked! He did not realise I was not dark skinned. We all celebrated and we swam in the creek. This happened twice and the big man came again and Liyan rubbed ashes into my skin and the big man was tricked. We celebrated again and my cousins and I went swimming in the creek.

The welfare man returned to our home again and we were all asleep. He slowly made his way up the drive. I did not have ashes rubbed into my skin so I was light skinned. The man grabbed me and took me to the truck. The women were screaming,” He is not yours,” and “You can not take him away.” I was crying for my mother as he drove away. My mother fell face down into the dirt.

Many years later John Jagamarra returned to the camp with his own son. There was nothing left of the camp except for the campfire area. John and his son sat down around the campfire and John told his son the stories that the elders had told him. John also rubbed the ashes into his and his son’s skin.

By Sally 6A

MODEL MAKING BY 6A

BRIAN'S CAMP

Brian was on his way to visit his father in Canada when his plane crashed in the Canadian wilderness. Brian managed to build a shelter inside a cave area. The shelter was on the sand near the lake. Behind the shelter he had the forest where he found berries. He found two types of berries, raspberries and some berries called gut cherries. On the left of the shelter he had a lake which he caught fish to eat and on the bank of the lake he managed to catch some birds. Brian survived in this environment until he was rescued.

By Jake

Models of Brian’s shelter from “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen. 

GRANDPARENTS DAY  

On 18 March in the morning at West Pennant Hills Public School our grand parents were invited to our special Grandparent’s Day. First our grandparents came to our classroom. They showed us some artifacts. Some of them were dolls, books and photos. Next we interviewed our grandparents about what has changed since they were little and now. After that we went to assembly. We sang We all Live in a Yellow Submarine, Someone’s in the Kitchen with Dinah and Saturday Morning. I did a part in the poem called Grandparents Meet a Need. Then we went to do some dancing. The kindies did three dances. They were called When you Wake up in the Morning, Hey Babe Let’s Rock ‘n Roll and Touch the Stars. While the kindergarteners did their health hustles the year two and ones watched them. Then the year twos and ones did three dances. They were called Heel and Toe Polka. Another was the barn yard dance. The last one was the hokey pokey. We invited our grandparents to come and dance with us. There were so many grandparents the hokey pokey was a bit different to the normal hokey pokey. Lastly we went to morning tea on the cola.  The grandparents had their morning tea. If your grandparents were there you could have morning tea with them. I had a great time on grandparent’s day. I can’t wait for it to happen again.  

6W AND 1G BUDDIES

This year, 6W and 1G have been buddy classes. When we first met our buddies, we shared a book and our toys on the infant’s veranda. Now we meet them every week on a Monday during their computer time and teach them many different skills such as logging on, using a Word document and changing fonts.  During computer time, 6W have also shared our Power point photo stories about ourselves. Coming up, the infants are having an Easter Hat Parade and 6W are going to help the 1G students make their hats. We hope we can have more time with our buddies during this year!

Have a look at the Year 1 page for more photos