NEWS FROM HSIE
RAMSES EXHIBITION
Students from year 7, the MC class, Stage 6 Ancient History and Year 10 Elective History were transported back 3,300 years, across the sands of the Sahara Desert to Ancient Egypt, once ruled by Rameses; he was one of the most celebrated pharaohs in the country's history. Ramses ruled Egypt for 67 years – the second longest reign for any pharaoh and lived to an astonishing 92 years Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs collection at the Australian Museum had more than 180 artefacts including including the sarcophagus of Ramses II - one of the most impressive royal coffins from ancient Egypt ever to be discovered.
'What surprised me about the museum was how Ramses raised over 100 children which shows how rich the Pharaohs were and how much food, water and slaves that they had.’ Harrison Humphries
‘I liked the Mummified animals because it was something I have never heard of before.’ Ellie Muscat
‘I really enjoyed the Museum of Ramses, I especially enjoyed watching the videos about The Battle of Kadesh and looking at all the ancient jewellery. I learnt about who Ramses was, what was his everyday life like, for example what was his diet like and what weapons his army used in wars.’ Olivia Seymour-Munn
'My favourite artefact was probably one of the coffins as it was really cool to see, the exhibition helped me understand the way Egyptians battled and lived. i found it fascinating that they could transport dead animals' James Jirgens
YEAR 12 BUSINESS STUDIES
YEAR 12 ABORIGINAL STUDIES - YIRRAN MURA PLAYSPACE EXCURSION
As part of the unit Heritage and Identity, Aboriginal Studies students visited Yirran Mura, a playground in Shellharbour that has been designed with the purpose of celebrating and sharing Dharawal culture. The playground features a language wheel, knowledge of dreaming, ancestors and the escarpment. Students use this case study to demonstrate the ways Aboriginal heritage and identity is expressed. The playground is a silver medal holder and an impressive outcome of a community driven project.
'The playground was so well designed and I loved all the different aspects of Aboriginal culture and knowledge' Emma-Louise Sultana
'I wish Nowra had a playground like this based on our Aboriginal knowledge and Dreaming' Ella Haig
YEAR 12 ABORIGINAL STUDIES - MAJOR PROJECTS
A major part of Aboriginal Studies is the major projects. Students undertake their major projects across two terms. This year students studied a variety of topics including Kinship, Weaving, Food, Knowledge held in Waterways and Aboriginal Sports people. Students presented their finished projects to the year 11 class, family and friends on Friday 17th May. Well done to all students.
The main thing I learnt:
'How complex Kinship is for Aboriginal peoples.' Oliva Oke
'How much knowledge the waterways hold.' Ella Haig
'hat cultural elements like weaving and language are being maintained by Elders.' Ellie Crangle
'That Aboriginal sports people are inspiring and important as role models to Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal peoples.' Nakita Boatswain
'That while Aboriginal food is popular in the hospitality industry, it has barriers in making its way into everyday kitchens- these barriers include cost and availability of ingredients.' Emma-Louise Sultana
YEAR 10 ABORIGINAL STUDIES
It has been a number of years since Year 10 have studied Aboriginal Studies as an elective course. The class this year is a very passionate and dedicated group of students that are enjoying what the course has to offer.
The Core topic, Aboriginal Identities, has engaged the students in some interesting concepts that have clear links to Aboriginal peoples identity.
Students studied the diversity of Aboriginal identities where they researched individuals from a variety of backgrounds and communities.
Students also researched specific individuals how international Indigenous forums, artists and performing arts companies, and sporting teams and people may contribute to the self-determination and autonomy of Aboriginal Peoples. They presented their findings in the form of an infographic.
The following images are a representation of how country is connected to identity for Aboriginal people.
YEAR 11 GEOGRAPHY
This year sees the introduction of the new Stage 6 Geography syllabus, so our current Year 11 students are the first group to study the new course. The Geographical Investigation remains an element of the course. This requires students to undertake an independent investigation of their choice. Gathering primary data is the main focus of the task. Students are currently busy spending their weekends conducting water and soil tests, surveying people and tallying a whole variety of things. With an increase in fieldwork hours in the course, we have been undertaking fieldwork activities on campus to support our theory work in class and we had a full day of fieldwork at Shoalhaven Heads, exploring Earth’s Natural Systems in that environment. During the day the students used a range fieldwork equipment to gather data to create a transect of the beach, tested the direction of the longshore drift, identified what was happening with the waves and the impacts they were having, tested the quality of the water in the river and identified a range of management strategies being undertaken in the area. After a great day of hands-on learning we are all looking forward to our next fieldtrip in a few weeks time where we’ll be off to Jerrawangala National Park assessing its bushfires risk.
YEAR 12 LEGAL STUDIES
As part of the Year 12 Legal Studies Crime module, students had the opportunity to attend the Court House in Wollongong and witness, firsthand, court proceedings in criminal cases. They were fortunate to receive a guided tour of the local and district courts, gaining insights into the various roles within the justice system, including clerks, police, court officers, judges, solicitors, and barristers. By observing a broad range of cases, such as bail applications and summary offence judgments, students found the experience invaluable. Seeing how the rule of law is applied to achieve justice made a lasting impression on all students.
Ms Sarah Blades
HSIE Coordinator