Year 6 Crookwell Excursion

On Monday, 23rd September, at about 8:50am, all of Year 6 boarded the bus and headed to Crookwell. The drive took about an hour and a half and it was a pretty bumpy ride. 

Once we arrived at Crookwell, we drove straight to St Mary's Primary School. Before we got off the bus, we got to meet the Principal of St Mary’s, Mrs Croker. We all got out of the bus and walked into the hall, and met the Year 6 cohort of St Mary’s. In the hall, we got paired with our pen pals who we had been writing to in class. It was very fun to meet our pen pals, and it was very interesting to learn how different our lifestyles are. Then, we went out for recess and played with the other kids for a while. Before we left, Mrs Lowe took us for a tour of St Mary's Church and their school classrooms. We then farewelled our new friends and headed to Mrs Lowe’s farm, which was a 7-minute trip.

Once we arrived at the farm, we met Mr Lowe and their two kelpie dogs, Rocky and Pippy, along with their sheep and lambs. We got to pat the sheep and feel how soft their wool was. I think the wool was the softest thing I've ever felt. Mr Lowe showed us how to drench the sheep. Drenching the sheep involves someone placing a big straw in the sheep's mouth and giving it medicine which helps to prevent worms and other parasites. 

After the drenching, we got to hold the lambs, which were extremely cute. We headed to the shearing shed where Mr Lowe and Mr Hunt sheared a sheep. It was mind-blowing to see how much wool was removed from just one sheep. Then Mr Lowe put all the wool into a big hydraulic press, which pressed 164 kg of wool. Mr and Mrs Lowe took us for a walk around some of their property, and from afar, we saw some cattle and bulls. 

There was so much poo all over the paddocks that there was no point in trying to step around it. After the walk around the fields we enjoyed our lunch together. Then we said farewell to Mr and Mrs Lowe, their two dogs and all their sheep and headed back to St Matthew’s. 

Overall, the excursion was very enjoyable, and I know that all of Year 6 a lot took away from it.          

Sean - 6B    

Monday, 23rd September, was an exciting day for Year 6. At 8:45am, we boarded the bus, and we were on our way to Crookwell. The trip took an hour and 45 minutes, so during that time, we got to see wind and canola farms while we were passing through Gunning. 

We arrived at our first stop, St Mary’s Primary, where we met the pen pals that we had been writing to in class. We also got to play an icebreaker game that allowed us to get to know everyone better.  We had recess and played with our penpals in their paddock, which is equivalent to their oval. We had a quick tour of St Mary’s Church, which was across the road from the school. The Church was built in 1882, and it was constructed using bluestone. Sadly it burnt down in 1950. Mrs Lowe also took us on a tour of the school, which was renovated recently.  

Afterwards, we went on a 7-minute bus trip to the farm, where we were introduced to Pippy and Rocky, Mr and Mrs Lowe’s sheepdogs. We got to pat the sheep and classify the different types of wool. Mr Lowe showed us how to drench a sheep, and we got to hold the lambs. We headed into the shearing shed where Mr Lowe sheared a sheep and taught Mr Hunt how to shear, which was fun to watch. It was incredible to see how much wool could be removed from a sheep, about 5 kilograms. 

Then, everyone headed on for a walk around the farm to see the cows and bulls that they have. Afterwards, we had lunch on the paddock and headed back to St Matthew’s.

I absolutely enjoyed going to Mrs Lowe’s farm and to St Mary’s, but especially going to Mrs Lowe’s farm because we got to learn more about the sheep and the different varieties of wool. Sheep wool is one of the best fibres because it is good for your skin, and it can be used for a long time if looked after properly. 

Stephanie - 6M

Rubrik Cube Whiz!

A huge congratulations to Lucas in Year 5 M on his recent success at the Wollondilly Speed Cubing Competition.

Lucas competed in the 2x2, Pyraminx and 3x3x3 events and took out third place in the 3x3x3 Newcomer event.

What a whiz!