Exploring Our Nation’s Capital: Year 6 Students Visit Canberra
A highlight of the Year 6 calendar is the much-anticipated study tour to Canberra — a four-day adventure that immerses students in the history, culture and civic life of our nation’s capital. Throughout the trip, the students explored many of Canberra’s key landmarks and institutions, deepening their understanding of Australia’s system of government and how citizens contribute to our democracy. Closely connected to their Civics and Citizenship Unit of Inquiry, the experience brought classroom learning to life in meaningful and memorable ways. The students’ enthusiasm, curiosity and positive engagement made the trip a truly rewarding experience for all involved. The Australian Government recognises the value of all young Australians visiting the nation’s capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. Through the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program, the government provides funding of $90 per student to help cover the costs for each student participating in this experience.
Jane Angove, Rebecca Riley and Kim Butler-Nixon
Year 6 Teachers
Reception Girls Dive into Swimming Week!
The Reception girls were so excited to go swimming this week. They were so organised with all their belongings and thrilled to go swimming like the little penguins we learnt about last term! The morning was chilly, but the water was so warm! The girls loved gliding, blowing bubbles, kicking and collecting the ‘sinkies’. We have special swim platforms and noodles to help them feel safe in the water as they learn how to stay safe in the water! They are looking forward to swimming every day this week!
Kat Clark and Antonia Mbizvo
Reception Teachers
Expressing Ourselves: Year 3 Shines on Stage
Our Year 3 girls truly shone during their annual assembly, captivating the audience with a vibrant celebration of the Performing Arts. Inspired by their recent Unit of Inquiry, “How We Express Ourselves,” the performance offered a meaningful opportunity for the girls to share their creativity through movement to music.
Throughout the Inquiry, the students explored how people around the world express identity and emotion through the arts. Each girl selected an area of personal interest within the Performing Arts, investigating cultural dances, traditional dress, visual art techniques, musical instruments, diverse music genres and more. With enthusiasm and imagination, the girls collaborated to connect their discoveries into a joyful and dynamic stage production, a rich tapestry of colour, rhythm and movement that celebrated artistic diversity and cultural understanding.
Their performance beautifully reflected the Year 3 cohort’s courage, compassion, and creativity, and stood as a wonderful showcase of how inquiry-based learning empowers students to express themselves with confidence and pride.
Sarah Mulraney and Monique McLeay
Year 3 Teachers
Every Drop Tells a Story: Year 4s Water Science Adventures
Our Year 4 students have been making quite a splash this term with two fascinating excursions that brought their, “How the World Works,” unit of inquiry to life! The girls explored Adelaide’s water systems from source to tap, visiting both the SA Waterhouse in Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga and the SA Water Desalination Plant.
A Clean Getaway at the Waterhouse
The stakes were high when infamous crooked billionaire Richard Ransom and his bumbling assistant Phil Tration threatened to use their Water-Eraser-Laser to evaporate all of South Australia’s water! Fortunately, our Year 4 water experts were on the case. During this thrilling 90-minute mission, students had to crack codes and disarm the laser by mastering the science of water treatment.
The girls learnt about the conventional water treatment process, including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection. They built and tested their own water filters, explored the importance of water quality testing, and discovered the pH levels of safe drinking water. Through hands-on experiments and problem-solving, our students successfully stopped Richard Ransom’s greedy water-gorging plan whilst gaining valuable insights into how SA Water treats water from various sources across South Australia.
Desalination Discoveries
The Desalination Plant visit revealed the incredible science behind water security in our driest city. This remarkable facility has been operating since 2012 and can produce 100 gigalitres (100 billion litres!) of fresh water each year – enough to supply all of Adelaide!
Students discovered the fascinating reverse osmosis process, where seawater is pushed through semi-permeable membranes under high pressure. Water molecules pass through whilst salt is left behind. Interestingly, the water is actually too pure at this stage and needs to be remineralised with hydrated lime to bring it back to safe pH levels. Approximately 70 per cent of the plant’s energy comes from renewable sources including solar farms and hydroelectric power.
A Special Recognition
Our students’ exceptional behaviour and thoughtful questioning so impressed tour guide Jade that she took them on a special extended tour into the main plant to see the control room. This wasn’t part of the standard tour, but Jade wanted to reward our girls for their genuine engagement and curiosity. Well done, Year 4!
Student Reflections
Our Year 4 students will be sharing their Plus, Minus and Interesting observations from both excursions, giving us their unique perspectives on Adelaide’s amazing water journey.
Poppy 4STVI: My plus was learning lot’s of new things and looking inside the buildings – my minus is did smell really bad – like fish. My observation was that both excursions were really fun and I enjoyed them.
Beatrice 4STVI : My plus was that we got to do code breaking – my minus was that the weather was not too good – My observation was that they were both really great excursions.
Stasia Vigor and Olivia Coulter
Year 4 Teachers
Ready, Set, Race! Year 4 Billy Cart Project Zooms to Success
Our Year 4 students experienced an unforgettable STEM learning adventure throughout Term 3, building and painting their own billy carts using DIY kits from Supreme Incursions. The project culminated in an exciting celebration race day that commenced last Friday.
A special thank you to our Maintenance Staff who worked alongside students throughout the build process, expertly operating power tools and ensuring every billy cart met strict safety standards upon completion. We also extend our gratitude to Mr Randal Irvine for working with the Technology team to design their House Number Plates using Tinkercad – no easy feat – and 3D printing them to perfection.
Real-World Learning
This hands-on project perfectly aligned with the Australian Curriculum, with students investigating materials and systems, developing design ideas using technical terms, and learning essential workplace skills including accurate measurement and safe tool use. Most importantly, they demonstrated collaborative and cooperative work practices throughout.
Team Approach
Each house organised students into five specialised teams – Design & Livery, Engineering & Build, Technology & Data, Safety & Track, and Team Management & Media – mirroring real-world project management structures and ensuring every student had a meaningful role.
We are incredibly proud of our billy carts and hope Year 4 students in the future will enjoy racing these as much as we did!
“I enjoyed the Billy Carts because everyone had a go and everyone was supporting each other and it felt like we were driving F1 cars.” – Cate 4STYI
“It was fun because everyone was cheering and had super fun.” – Maddie 4STVI
Stasia Vigor and Olivia Coulter
Year 4 Teachers
Chemical Science Workshop Gets Great Reaction from Year 6 Students!
Our Year 6 students recently took part in engaging Chemical Science workshops led by our Scientist in Residence, Amelia Grigson. Students explored a range of exciting chemical reactions and investigated the difference between reversible and irreversible changes. Through hands-on experiments and lively discussion, they deepened their understanding of how substances interact and transform — sparking plenty of curiosity and scientific thinking along the way!
Jane Angove, Rebecca Riley and Kim Butler-Nixon
Year 6 Teachers
