Year 5 Creativity & Curiosity
Our Year 5 students have been diving into a wonderfully tactile learning experience this term, combining creativity with curriculum in exciting ways. In the classroom, they’ve been exploring geometry and design by working with clay—shaping intricate 3D forms that bring mathematical concepts to life through sculpture. This hands-on approach has sparked imagination while deepening their understanding of shape, form, and spatial awareness.
Outdoors, the learning continues in our garden. Students have been investigating different soil types, learning about their properties, and discovering which are most suitable for growing vegetables. This exploration was brought to life through a practical project just two weeks ago, when the class set to work clearing weeds from the garden beds. This task not only prepared the soil for planting but also offered a valuable lesson in the care and maintenance of a thriving garden ecosystem.
It’s been a term of creativity, curiosity, and connection with the natural world—both in the art studio and the garden!
Zahraa – Year 5ZA Teacher
Year 11 is Cooking for Indepedence
For the past three weeks, our Year 11 crew have been cooking up more than just meals — we’ve been prepping for independence! During our Main Lesson Food block, we learned essential life skills for when we eventually fly the nest. From budgeting and planning meals to shopping online and mastering time in the kitchen, it was a crash course in adulting… with a side of sponge cake.
We kicked things off by completing our I’m Alert food safety units online and diving into recipe research. Week one had us whisking, flipping, and baking our way through sponge cakes, pancakes, crepes, and scones — learning to follow recipes while managing teamwork, food allergies, and kitchen chaos.
Week two got real. We faced the cost of meat head-on and explored the magic of meal prep. Dishes like Thai beef salad, lamb kofta wraps, and crispy panko fish fingers with hand-made tartare sauce and fresh mesclun salad made their debut. “I never thought I could do this,” one student admitted, amazed at their own kitchen prowess. Another said they were so inspired, they planned to recreate their own pizza night at home. Speaking of pizza — we tackled Orana’s outdoor wood-fired oven, learning to manage heat, flames, and a fast-moving pizza production line. Let’s just say… it got hot in there!
By our final week, we were pros. We turned one humble pumpkin into a silky soup, a tray of pumpkin scones, and even saved the seeds to plant in the garden. We also rolled our own sushi, flipped fish cakes, and baked up Grandma’s legendary orange cake. On the final day, we cleaned like champions and whipped up our last meal together — and with the smells coming out of the kitchen, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d walked into a MasterChef finale.
We came hungry… and left inspired.
Claire Hennessy – Design & Technology Teacher
