Excursions throughout Term 1

Year 8 Take on Sydney Zoo

Our Year 8 students had an exciting day at Sydney Zoo exploring the incredible world of animals and their adaptations. This hands-on experience allowed the students to observe firsthand how different species survive and thrive in their environments. Below are two students reviews on this adventurous day.

A particular highlight of mine was being able to travel around the zoo with friends. Having free time to roam around the zoo with friends meant that we were able to explore different animals at our own pace. We researched together to prepare for our assessment making our learning more enjoyable.

We visited different areas and observed various species of animals, such as the giant elephants and the funny-looking capybaras. This hands-on experience helped us to better understand our biology topic. We learned about animal habitats, behaviors, and adaptations by observing them up close.

This excursion gave me a sense of independence and allowed me to learn a lot more about our biology topic in a fun and engaging way. It was a great opportunity to combine learning with exploration and teamwork.
Cyrus Bousha

During the Sydney Zoo excursion I  learned about the importance of team cooperation. As  we had the freedom to explore the park, my group and I had to rely on each other rather than working separately. This teamwork was beneficial when taking photos of the animal descriptions, answering the science booklet questions taking into account our different viewpoints as well as sharing facts and jokes about animals.

By working together we were able to learn more effectively. We combined our knowledge and perspectives which helped us understand the material better. This experience taught me that cooperation is essential and that individuality isn’t always the best way to get things done. The ‘group freedom’ we enjoyed made the excursion both educational and fun.
Leo Crisafulli

HSC Encore Music

Our Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 Music elective students attended the 2024 HSC Music Encore at the Sydney Opera House. The purpose of this excursion was to enhance their understanding of musical concepts and assist them in making informed choices regarding their performance pieces for the coming year.

On the 24th of February, Elective Music students from Years 9-11 attended the 2024 Encore Concert at the Opera House. “Encore” showcases the best HSC performances and compositions from 2024, helping us understand the level of HSC Music performances. My favourite piece was the Trio for Flute, Alto Saxophone and Piano, Movement 3. The way each performer played made it sound like there were more than three instruments. The instruments worked together, holding back or coming forward to achieve a particular sound. The flute’s airy tone and the performer’s heavy use of vibrato, combined with the rich, mellow timbre of the saxophone, created more than just a piece of music; it was a whole experience.
Paddy Schott 

At the Encore Concert at the Sydney Opera House, there was a wide range of performances that I thoroughly enjoyed. Among the jazz fusion pieces and classical works one performance that stood out was a piano rendition of Claude Debussy’s ‘Feux d’artifice’. The performer conveyed a strong sense of tension through the blending of harmonically dissonant progressions and flourishing non-tonal scales, while demonstrating great sense of expressive control in her dynamics. Ultimately, this piece truly showcased the capabilities of both the composer and the performer, making for a unique and memorable performance.
Kai Pons

Macbeth

The Australian Shakespeare Company recently performed ‘Macbeth’ for our Year 10 English classes. The performance featured extensive student participation, which greatly helped the students develop a deeper understanding of the play, their current topic of study this term.

Visual Arts

Our Year 11 and Year 12 students attended the Australian Gallery of NSW to view the ARTExpress and Cao Fei exhibitions. During their visit, they were able to enjoy an exemplary HSC Body of Works and explored one of their Year 12 major case studies. The students were inspired not only by historical practices but also by contemporary ones, which they can incorporate into their own artmaking practices.