30 Apr 2024
PACER
Students had an opportunity to participate in a variety of education programs with the focus on Australia's history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of our Civics and Citizenship education. We would like to thank the Australian Government in contributing funds to families to assist in reducing the cost of the excursion. The Parliment and Civics Edcuation Rebate program contributed $30 per student and from the news item below it was a fabulous few days spent in Canberra
Canberra!
Day 1:
Stage 3 all got to school around 6:15am with their bags and pillows to get ready for camp. At 6:30am everyone went to their class lines so they could get their name marked off the roll and hop on the bus. The bus trip was about three hours long but we had a little rest stop at the park so people could go to the toilet and stretch their legs. When we hopped back onto the bus everyone was really excited to see where we were staying and see all of the places we were going to. When we got to Canberra the first place we went to was the Australian War Memorial. The War Memorial was really fun and it was great to hear all of the stories about the people who went to war. It was nice to pay our respects to the people who served for Australia. After the War Memorial we went to the old Parliament House which is now most likely to be known as the Museum of Australian Democracy. At the old parliament house we got to do a little scavenger hunt while learning about the history of democracy and what democracy is like nowadays. After that we got to have a little look in the old House of Representatives chamber. After the Old Parliament House we had a little lunch break and then went to the Electoral Education Center. At the education center we learned about elections, voting, and the rules of democracy. After we learned about all of the information, we did our own little vote of which fruits are better. The fruits we had to vote on were peaches, bananas, apples and oranges, and bananas won! When we finished at the Electoral Education Center we got back on the bus and headed to where we were staying. We stayed at the Canberra Accommodation Center and the girls had one level to themselves and the boys had one to themselves. I stayed in a room with one of my best friends Scarlett.
Day 2:
When we woke up we got dressed and went straight down to breakfast. For breakfast everyone could choose between cereal and toast. For drinks you could choose if you wanted to have orange juice, apple juice and water. After breakfast we hopped onto the bus and went to Parliament house! When we got off the bus we had to climb up a winding staircase from the parking lot to get up to Parliament House. We walked through some massive doors and up some stairs to go to a small little room that was used as a fake House of Representatives so we could understand what all of the politicians do during a bill getting passed. After the little role play we all went to the proper House of Representatives and the Senate. It was really fun to see all of the rooms and what the politicians do. When we finished at Parliament House we went to a Royal Australian Mint exhibition because the real Mint was closed for renovations. It was really fun to see how the workers make the coins and all of the special coins that have been made. After that we had some lunch and then went to the AIS (Australian Institute Of Sport). The AIS was really fun and we got to see where the gymnasts train, the strength and conditioning area, the swimming pools and the volleyball courts. At the end we also got to play in a little sports gaming room! When we finished at the AIS we went back to our accommodation and had a little rest before dinner.
Day 3:
As soon as we woke up we packed our bags up and got ready for the day. Today was our last day at Canberra so we needed to make the most of it. When we finished breakfast we packed our bags into the bus and hopped on. The first stop was Mt Ainsley. Mt Ainsley is a lookout where you can see the whole of Canberra. The lookout was very pretty and I loved seeing Parliament House and the War Memorial from far away. We stopped there to enjoy the scenery of Canberra because it was our last day. The next stop was the National Museum Of Australia. We all loved looking at the artifacts and listening to their stories. After that we went to the National Museum of Australia. The artworks were very interesting and I loved seeing all of the different ways of art. Next we stopped at the front of Questacon to eat lunch. For lunch we had ham and cheese croissants, muesli bars, fruit and a bottle of water. Then it was time to go into Questacon! First we went to the gift shop and then we got to experiment with all of the science activities. My favourite part of going to Questacon was the huge drop slide. We had to get dressed into a funny suit to go down the slide which would help us go faster, then we had to hold onto a bar and then drop down the steep slide. Then it was time to go home! We hopped on the bus and started to drive away. The bus ride was fun and we had a short stop at a park for a toilet break. Not long after that we got home!
We started to miss Canberra but we were excited to be home and see our families!
Piper