Dear Parents/Grandparents,
Term 3 commenced very busily indeed, with students plunged into rich and engaging learning tasks. The themes for this term are Deserts (Science) , the combined histories of European and Aboriginal Australians and Australian Federation. During English sessions, Years 4-6 students are studying the novel Crow Country by Kate Constable, a time-slip narrative set in the small Victorian country town of Boort. The themes of the book cover racial discrimination, heritage and culture, and justice and resti-tution. The students are enjoying the story and the ethics and morals portrayed within; their writing tasks stem from the themes in the book and include the composition of persuasive, informative and creative texts.
Year 2 students are enjoying the novel Bungawitta, by Emily Rodda. The setting is a fictional town in outback Australia that has nearly been deserted due to a “big” drought. It is a humorous and engag-ing story about how the remaining townsfolk make plans to keep the town alive by holding a mud sculpting festival. Students are engaged in many comprehension activities and writing tasks.
During numeracy lessons, students weaknesses have been targeted through extensive testing and observation and supported by directly teaching the specific skills needed. Having Mrs Graham here in the school 3 days per week has made it possible for us to split the class during maths lessons, with two teachers (Mrs Graham and myself) then having ample time to spend with individual students. This has been working extremely well and we are already seeing improved outcomes for most stu-dents.
Unfortunately, the Term 3 excursion to Canberra has been postponed due to Corona Virus Depart-ment of Education restrictions. At this stage we have been given the go-ahead to tentatively plan the excursion for Term 4, with the understanding that it still may have to be cancelled if further directives are given by medical experts and the department. I shall keep you all informed as soon as I have new information!
Also, at this stage, parents and community members are still not allowed on the school premises. However, sporting deliverers, such as the Bluearth staff, are now able to deliver their programs to the students face to face. Prior to this, it was very interesting watching our trainer Kelsey attempting to organise active and cooperative games over the internet!
Stay safe and we shall be back with more updates in a few weeks!
Anita Houldsworth
Principal
Urana Public School 62 William St URANA NSW 2645 Ph 0269 208005 Fax 0269 208103
Email: [email protected] Website: www.urana-c.schools.det.nsw.edu.au
We have been learning about the Federation of
Australia and how we became one nation, instead of 6
different Commonwealth colonies. We have a copper
portrait of Henry Parkes, who was 5 time Governor of
New South Wales in 1889. The nation became one
nation called Australia in 1901.
We have been studying Desert survivors and how
plants and animals survive in the desert. We have
been conducting experiments. We have been putting
bags onto trees to see if they will survive in the radiant
heat. For plants to survive in the desert they need to
store as much moisture as they can hold.
Hunter Bell
Reyen Smith
. BOORT (an Exposition)
Come to visit the fantastic Boort! Meet the lovely people and culture.
There are lovely tourist attractions and accommodation. There is
certainly freedom in Boort. You must explore Boort! Boort has
beautiful tours and parks.
Firstly, come to Boort to experience the Aboriginal culture and history.
The Indigenous Eco tours have a full day of fun or a half day. You can
also do canoeing and kayaking. You can also do art and craft at the
Eco tours. Come and see the scar trees, they are one of the more
significant show pieces of Aboriginal culture.
Furthermore, the history of Boort is amazing. The 2011 floods happed
on the 12th of January 2011 to the 14 January 2011. Boort was found-
ed in 1817. The aboriginal meaning of Boort is “Smoke from the Hill”.
The early white settlers built Boort. Come to Boort’s resource and in-
formation centre or Boort’s post office to purchase Jennie Weaver’s
book called “chat with old friends”; it outlines the history and describes
the people of Boort.
Also, there are magnificent accommodations in Boort! There are
beautiful Bed & Breakfasts stays. There are fabulous farm stays in
Boort too. Come to the Boort Caravan Park beside the lake. You can go
canoeing and go on boats and boat tubes. You can stay at “Porridge
and Daisy” Airbnb near the lakeside, it was the old Boort Westpac
Bank Building. There is antique furniture in the house and plenty of
bedrooms and it only cost $152 a night- “not bad”!
Come and see the incredible places of interest! Come and see the
sparkly water of the lakeside whilst strolling on the walking track.
There is also a view from Tower Hill and you can see the rainbow birds
and the colourful wild life. Purchase Boort’s sensational art work at
Boort’s Oasis Gallery. See the outstanding Leaguer State Forest and
the remarkable wild life there.
You must come to Boort to see the famous history and culture. See the
adventurous beautiful Boort. It has splendid dining, it has outstanding
community services. There are so many things to do in Boort!
By Hunter Bell and Melissa Smith
We have been doing
Bluearth with Kelsey.
Bluearth is about self-
umpiring, teamwork
and having fun. In
Bluearth we learn new
games.