Week 8 was again a challenging week with Mother Nature up to her usual tricks! The shoulder-dropping groans that follow the three most hated words in Primary school – ‘Wet Weather Lunch’ are now a thing of the past. It appears, our Year 4 boys have developed a much thicker skin when it comes to dealing with minor setbacks.  

This new-found resilience was put to the test on Friday as we all journeyed to the heart of Sydney and visited the Royal Botanic Gardens. As part of our History/Geography curriculum we have been focussing on Aboriginal life and the plants, animals, weapons and art that has influenced their culture.

The Royal Botanic Gardens gave us an incredible insight into the flora and fauna that has been part of the Australian and Indigenous landscape for centuries. The boys were shown native wildlife and totems that were carved into sky scraping trees. They were educated about the first contact site and the deepening of the once shallow harbour by Sir Arthur Phillip and his men. We handled spear throwing Woomeras and felt the weight of various boomerangs. All while trudging through a steady deluge of rain!

As part of the excursion Mr Jenson made a special trip out to work with the boys in developing some key communication skills. He stepped the boys through some activities that helped them build their social and emotional intelligence, focussing on their active listing skills and how our emotions can influence others. It was a lot of fun and we owe Mr Jensen a bit ‘thank you’ for making the effort to join our excursion.

The 3rd part of the excursion involved a guided tour through the Art Gallery of NSW, visiting Aboriginal exhibitions. It was eye-opening for our boys to see the detail and meticulous nature of these art works. Considering we were all still three parts wet, the behaviour of the boys was very impressive.

Ms Prizmic and Ms Vuong made special mention of the way the boys handled the day and just ‘got on with it’ in spite of the horrible conditions. Instead of complaining about the rain and the cold, our young men once again handled themselves with perseverance and class. They continued to stay engaged and ask questions that often had the adults raising their eyebrows and nodding in agreement.

Special thanks must go to our parent helpers who gave up their time to brave the weather and attend the excursion. We also thank and appreciate the many parent volunteers that offered to attend as well – we sincerely thank you for your support. 

Mr David King
Year 4 Team Leader