Our Year 6 students recently embarked on an unforgettable camp to Canberra, packed with excitement, learning, and adventure, which linked to the student's HSIE unit this term. 

Throughout the camp, our students deeply engaged with the 7’Cs of Deep Learning, ensuring a rich and meaningful experience. Visiting the Australian War Memorial and Old Parliament House instilled a sense of character, fostering respect and appreciation for our nation's history and the sacrifices made for our freedom. Touring Parliament House and meeting Ann Stanley - our local MP inspired a deeper understanding of citizenship, highlighting the importance of participating in our democracy. 

From group activities at Questacon, students worked together, showcasing the power of collaboration and shared problem-solving. The role-play at Parliament House honed their public speaking and debating skills, essential for effective communication. Questacon ignited their curiosity and innovation, encouraging them to think creatively about science and technology, thus nurturing their creativity especially when using Lego to create ducks!  Analysing exhibits at the Museum of Australian Democracy challenged students to think critically about political systems and their role in shaping society, promoting critical thinking.

The adventure continued with a tour of international embassies, broadening their global perspective, and a visit to the breathtaking Mt Ainslie lookout as well as the Australian Mint. The teachers could not commend Year 6 more for their outstanding behaviour across the two days and were impressed with the enthusiasm demonstrated at all venues with the questions that were asked and active listening that was observed by staff at the venues and also the teachers. 

This trip was more than just an educational experience; it was a time to foster new friendships and support students' personal growth, especially for those experiencing their first stay away from home.

A camp like this doesn’t happen without the support of amazing staff, a massive thank you to Ms Kolar, Mrs Sanchez, Mrs Weaver, Mrs Vega, Mrs Cox, Mrs Teuma, Mr McKendry and Miss Borzycki for taking time away from their families and supporting our students on this trip. It wouldn’t have been possible without you. 

Some students wrote short articles about their time in Canberra, sharing their experiences and what they learned from the trip. Let's see what they have to say! 

Miss Daniella Sultana
Stage 3 Pastoral Coordinator

Nathanial: 

Our experience at the Year 6 camp was truly amazing! We engaged in a wide variety of enjoyable and educational activities. My favourite parts of the Year 6 camp was going to Questacon and Parliament House. The tours of all the places we visited were so great and fascinating. We also went to other places such as the Museum of Australian Democracy (Old Parliament House), the War Memorial, The Electoral Education Centre and The Royal Australian Mint. The staff at all these places were so knowledgeable. Canberra is such a beautiful and well-planned city. Overall, we had an enjoyable time at camp with a lot of activities packed into two days.

Emma: 

Camp was an amazing experience for Year 6 as we had so much fun doing the activities and seeing different sights. It was about a 3 hour drive to get to Canberra but it was worth it in the end. First Year 6 went to the Parliament House to see what we have been learning about in HSIE. We got to have a look in the Senate and House of Representatives. We got to meet Anne Stanley personally (Anne Stanley is a representative of the House of Parliament who represents the Werriwa electorate). Year 6 even got to see people debating in the House of Representatives! We then went to the War Memorial right next to the parliament and got to see real clothing they wore and bombs that were used. We saw real planes and boats that they used during that time and were told how they survived during the tough times. This was a very interesting adventure for Year 6 as most of us had never seen or heard most of these things in the war memorial. Next we went to Mount Ainslie which had a great view of Canberra. After this we went to the cabins, had dinner then made our way to Questacon. We had so much fun at Questacon with the different games but my favourite was the free fall slide. We went into different rooms that had different activities and themes which was so cool! We got back to the cabins and went to sleep. The next day we went to Old Parliament House and learnt how to vote so we are prepared for when they are older. We also got to sit in the seats that politicians used to sit on and learned some of the things in there that were over 100 years old! We went to the mint and learned all about coins. We learnt that the 1 and 2 cent coins are now being used for 3rd place Olympic medals. We then got back on the bus and headed back to school where there were parents were waiting for us in the bus bay with smiles on their faces.

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 contributed the amount of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs.