Our journey to Parliament House in Brisbane began bright and early with a group of excited Year 6 students and two of our amazing teachers. We started the day off full of energy and enthusiasm; everyone was there. We boarded the train feeling a buzz of excitement. I mean who wouldn’t be? As we sat on the train, we spoke about our day ahead and played some games to pass the time...
As we stepped off the train, we saw the city of Brisbane. We had a short scenic walk over the South Bank bridge and the view was breathtaking. Before we knew it, we were at the doors of Parliament House. We patiently went through security before we had a quick snack, then entered the grand stairs to the House of Representatives. We eagerly rushed to our assigned seats in the House and soon we were seated on the soft cushiony chairs of Parliament House! Could you imagine sitting in the seat of a real Queensland Parliament Member?
During the session, we learnt about the formalities such as bowing when you walk out of the room and how to agree with a statement (here, here!). Transport and private members spoke about their topics. Of course, there were other schools there too! In fact, there were 88 students in total! We were truly inspired by their unique thoughts and ideas. After the first session of parliament, we walked to the gardens for morning tea.
Our stomachs longed for popcorn, sandwiches, fruit boxes and more! Within seconds the tables were swarming with children like a hive of bees. The juices were grabbed and slurped, and sandwiches were devoured within minutes. Did you know that I ate a total of seven sandwiches? As we walked back into the House of Representatives, we met Ros Bates our local MP and learnt that Youth Parliament only runs once every four years, so we were really fortunate to be involved in this activity! While we were seated, we heard about our local issues and technology usage.
Before we realised it, Parliament was finished! We returned to the train station and were on our way back home. As we exited the train our parents greeted us with warm friendly smiles and big hugs. Parliament was fun and an unforgettable experience.
Leading up to Father’s Day, members of the WorldWrights Digital Media Club crafted a gift for their father figure/s or guardian.
Using the Blender 3D modelling and animation software, students designed and 3D printed a modular photo frame system.
These frames were then painted and populated with art and messages from the heart.
Lastly, club members constructed and customised a gift box to house their creations.
Thanks to Will Hazelton, Mr O’Brien, and Mr Keefer for helping to make this project a reality.
The Annual Somerset Scholastic Book Fair continues to grow each year but this year we broke through the $22,000 mark. A whopping $22,150 was raised over the five days of Book Week in Week 6.
The commissions from the Book Fair give us $2319 to spend on Scholastic books for our Library, put together a $500 surprise box of toys and books for Mudgeeraba Special School and make a $2629 cash donation to Roomtorerad.org.
Room to Read is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to improving education in developing countries and our donation is enough to keep around 10 children in school for a year, making their futures so much brighter.
We wish to extend a huge thank you to everyone that supported our 2023 Book Fair, you have helped to make a lot of children very happy!
Once a year, Year 8 and Year 9 students have the opportunity to take part in an intensive day of scientific investigation.
During these 'Student Experiment Days', our young scientists pick a discipline of interest to explore a particular scientific concept.
The day begins with students gathering in classes specific to Biology, Chemistry or Physics to be introduced to a concept and begin designing their investigation.
Budding Biologists explored yeast growth under varying conditions.
Clinical Chemists analysed impacting factors on reaction rates.
Pragmatic Physicists focused on energy conversion and forces.
After data was collected and processed, students crafted an experimental report detailing their findings.
Congratulations to our Somerset scientists for bringing their best attitude and enthusiasm to the SE day.
In this week’s episode of Spartan Stream, we celebrate success in the pool with our swimmers, recognise our surf life-saving champion and see Spartan success in football, netball, rugby, hockey and triathlon.
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