Term 1 enrichment update

da Vinci training

Students from Years 6-10 have been hard at work, training for the da Vinci Decathlon in May. On Monday afternoons students gather in teams of eight to develop their skills. They have been focusing on the theme Machines and Mechanics and skills such as code breaking.

I love analysing problems and working with my team to solve them. I think we all learn a lot from training, not just about the questions themselves but also about our own thought processes and skills.
Jess
Year 9

da Vinci training has helped me feel more prepared and given me a clear understanding of how the competition will run. It also helped me develop the key skills required for the event.
Haesol
Year 8

da Vinci training is a really fun and challenging way of helping us think outside of the box and tackling things that we might not experience in the classroom. Our most recent training session was about codebreaking, where we worked with our peers to solve the puzzles. This was hard, but rewarding when we got it right. I think that working as a team really helped us to do our best on the questions as we all have different strengths and talents.
Annabelle
Year 8

The Da Vinci Decathlon training sessions are valuable and enjoyable sessions which allow students with a variety of strengths and skills to participate in fun, thought-provoking activities. Recently, we worked through papers with a range of code-breaking riddles in teams, and built our collaboration and creative thinking skills. This opportunity was very enriching and rewarding, as we felt very accomplished after every solved problem.
Sienna
Year 9

‘My favourite part of the training was when our group solved a code we’d been working on for so long. We all kind of looked at each other and then burst out laughing because we couldn’t believe we’d actually done it. It was such a good reminder that teamwork makes a huge difference.’
Estelle
Year 9

Being part of the da Vinci training has shown us how powerful teamwork can be. Code breaking challenges pushed us to think creatively, communicate clearly, and rely on each other’s strengths. It’s amazing what you can achieve when everyone works together toward the same goal.
Shanaya
Year 8

In the code-breaking section of da-Vinci Decathlon, we were asked to solve a series of problems which enabled us to think deeper about the different puzzles. Although these were challenging, we were working collaboratively in teams. I believe that teamwork is an essential skill that helps us to look at a question from another’s perspective. By working together, I was able to solve multiple questions and felt extremely achieved at the end. Overall, this experience was so much fun and I enjoyed it deeply.
Elizabeth
Year 8

Middle School Ethics Olympiad

A special congratulations goes to the silver medallists from 2025’s Middle School Ethics Olympiads who competed in the international finals in mid February against 50 other schools. Girls discussed the ethics with teams from across the globe, in different timezones with teams from the US, UK, India, New Zealand and Australia. The team received an Honorable Mention and gained valuable experience, especially as some of these students have graduated to the senior bracket in 2026.

Science and engineering training

Year 9 and 10 students with a passion for design, building and engineering have been honing their skills for the Science and Engineering challenge that occurs in late March. Girls have been developing teamwork skills by building bridges and catapults on Tuesday afternoons

This activity stimulated my mind and helped me to think outside the box in a fun but challenging way. In the end, my group and I successfully made a stable and effective catapult which not only educated us on the structural importance of certain shapes and techniques, but also enhanced our collaboration and communication skills.
Sienna
Year 9

Senior Ethics training day

The first time our students have participated in an online training day run by the team from the Senior Ethics Olympiad. This day is not a competition, but rather an introduction to ethical ways of thinking. It allows students who have not competed in the junior years to have a taste and see if they want to try out for the ethics Olympiad in May.

Canada Bay Youth Week Art Competition

Congratulations to Harper Klein in Year 11 who was the winner of the Canada Bay Youth Week art competition. Her digital artwork combined traditional drawing techniques and more than 13,788 brushstrokes to create an image with a dynamic sense of movement and community.