BUSKING SUCCESS

Congratulations to all the students who took part in the busking event that took place in Stanthorpe on Saturday 23 March. There was certainly a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the Piazza at 10am and 11am that morning and the students enjoyed performing to a large crowd.

We were delighted to find out that we had won second place in the School’s Section and fourth in the People’s Choice category. Our prize money of $125 will be put to good use.

Thank you to Mrs McLucas and Mrs Barker for their help in preparing the students for this event.

Students showed the St Joseph’s School spirit with their participation in the recent busking event.

YEAR 5/6 CAMP

The time had finally come. We were off to camp! As we waved goodbye to our parents, we felt a little sad. However, once we got going the excitement on the bus took over. Some of us played cards and read books and all of us talked happily.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at Lake Moogerah. The first thing we noticed was the heat. It was boiling! Once off the bus we met our instructors who told us what would be happening over the next couple of days and enjoyed some delicious hamburgers for lunch.

Next it was time to explore our cabins and unpack our bags.

We were all split into three groups – Red, Blue and Purple. Each group got to design their own team flag. Over the three days we enjoyed many activities such as archery, canoeing, mountain biking, raft building and high ropes.

My favourite activity was archery where I nearly got two bullseyes. I think the teachers were all very relieved that we all managed to send our arrows in the right direction! I was happy to try some of the more challenging activities even though they were a bit scary for me. I felt so proud of my achievements!
(Abraham)

I really enjoyed canoeing, sometimes it was a little funny as we watched people capsize their canoes. A highlight was seeing lots of turtles while we were in our canoes. One of them looked like it was about 1 metre long! The high ropes were a big challenge for me, and I felt so nervous that my legs were all wobbly. I kept going and managed to make it to the other side. I felt amazing that I had achieved this.
(Madysen)

Friday afternoon came around quickly and the we headed back to Stanthorpe, tired and a little grubby, but so happy and proud of we had achieved. Many great times were had and lots of new friendships were made. Camp was awesome!

Written by Abraham Caruso and Madysen Doherty.

The Year 5/6 students had a wonderful time at their recent camp.

MAKING ART

To get students thinking about what constitutes drawing, the Year 7 students were introduced to non-traditional and non-conventional ways of drawing and mark-making. Inspiration was taken from Australian painter Lorna Crane to make their own brushes, choosing from a variety of natural materials, fibres and foliage from the local area. They used this in some experimental marking on different paper surfaces. and will use these to create a layered collage of their mark-making papers.

The body was also used as a medium for making art. Students looked at how drawing can be created by using the body as the primary tool in making marks and designing a composition. Students viewed work by Heather Hansen and Tony Orrico who create ‘performance drawings’ and use symmetry of movements of their body to draw large scale works.

Students then spread out in the stadium - armed with charcoal and laying down on large paper to create pieces inspired by these artists, moving their arms in symmetrical motions and patterns to create their own body drawing. It got a little messy, but students embraced a different way of drawing!

Year 7 students embraced learning different ways of drawing.

PROPOGATING PLANTS

In Year 3/4 Science this term students grew more than just in their minds. They learned about plants and their life cycles. They expanded their ‘scientist skills’ as they honed their observations and participated in many experiments including the highlight so far - propagating plants.

Mrs Williamson shared many of her skills, tips and tricks with students before they were able to attempt to grow their own plants from cuttings and from leaves of succulents. What a wonderful experience for students who can't wait to see the results of their handy work.

Year 3/4 students enjoyed learning about propagating plants.

BRINGING HISTORY BACK TO LIFE

This term, Year 8 History students have been studying medieval castles in Europe from 1000 AD to 1550 AD.

For their assessment task, the students had to explain why castles were built in the medieval period and how and why their design changed over time. They also chose one type of medieval castle to demonstrate the design features and constructed it out of various materials. The castles produced were the Motte and Bailey, Stone Keep and Concentric.

The students were super excited when Sophie Day produced her castle - a butter cake, with all the trimmings. This was devoured at the end of presentations. They certainly loved bringing history back to life with these beautifully constructed castles.

Year 8 students loved bringing history back to life.

BUDDING HORTICULTUARALISTS

The Year 3/4C class have been dissecting flowers to identify its parts.

Amongst the sneezing, they were able to successfully locate the stamen, pistil and pollen contained in the flower.

What budding horticulturalists we have!

VISUAL ART

Year 9 Visual Art students have become creative entrepreneurs in their first unit this term. Inspired by the recent trend of makers/crafters markets and online shops like ‘Etsy’, this unit merges the fields of art, craft and design.

Students were tasked with designing and making their own collection of polymer clay earrings based on the theme ‘Australiana’. They chose their own focus from this, sourced visual stimulus, developed slab designs and experimented with polymer clay techniques. Students also viewed the work of Australian polymer jewellery artist Molly Coombs Marr and contacted her to ask questions and advice.

This unit has seen students develop their conceptual, design and problem-solving skills, their ability to analyse and justify opinions of good and bad design, as well as inform their knowledge of the Art Design Elements and Principles. Students have invented their own business name and will be presenting their collection of earrings on display cards like those found in jewellery shops and clothing stores.

The Year 9 students have enjoyed learning about art, craft and design.

PREPPING INTO EASTER

In the lead up to the Easter, Prep students were delighted to make some treats for their Easter basket. On Monday, they made marshmallows and Tuesday they made Easter chocolate and Easter bunny biscuits. On Wednesday the biscuits were iced, ready for all the tasty treats to be put in their Easter basket to take home.

Preps were delighted to take their Easter basket goodies home.