Newsletter

The start of the 2026 school year was a busy one for the Year 9 students. Two days of school which included school photos, then we were straight into the Canberra trip!

Canberra

Day 1

For many of the students and some staff members, it was the first time they had been to Canberra, so the feeling of excitement was high in the cohort. The trip began early on Tuesday the 3rd of February with the students departing St Aloysius prior to 7am. The majority of the first day was the bus trip up the Hume Highway, but this did provide the students a chance to visit parts of Victoria and New South Wales they may not have heard of before.

The first stop of the trip was in Benalla where the students were able to stretch their legs in the Benalla Rose Gardens in the mid-morning sun. Lunch was in Holbrook which was a highlight of the day as the students climbed all over the decommissioned Australian submarine HMAS OTWAY, located in the main park. The students also learnt that the town was town was named in honour of Lieutenant N.D. Holbrook of the Royal Navy who was the first submariner to receive the Victoria Cross in World War I. Previously the town was called Germanton.

The last stop before arriving in Canberra was in the town of Gundagai where the students were able to admire the famous statue “The Dog on the Tuckerbox”.

After 8 hours of bus travel the students arrived at the Capital Airport Motel (actually in Queanbeyan (NSW) not Canberra). The staff of the motel arranged all meals for the students while staying there and were also in charged of getting the students up each morning. The motel staff were very good at this job and had the students at breakfast each morning on time.

Day 2 & 3

As the students were split within 4 buses (A1, A2, B1, B2) by pastoral group, each bus had a slightly different itinerary but still visited all the educational institutes listed below.

Parliament House

Here the students were educated about how Parliament functions through a role play where students took on different roles of the lower house and were able to debate on an issue they were given by the Parliament tour guide. Following this learning experience students were able to observe some of Australia’s politicians at work by watching the House of Representatives and then the Senate in session. If students were lucky, they were also able to meet some of the politicians in person including the MP for Melbourne Sarah Witty.

The Australian War Memorial

Students were presented with an orientation of the memorial before a 45-minute tour which is part of the memorials program called “We Will Remember Them”. The end of the tour took students to the Memorial’s Commemorative Area which lists the names of the 103,000 service men and women who have died while serving for Australia

For a few students and staff members this was extra significant as they were able to find the names of relatives.

Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre

A 2-hour timeframe here allowed the students to see all exhibitions in detail and inspire their scientific curiosity. Most exhibitions were hands-on which kept the students well entertained. Highlights were definitely the Earthquake house which simulated a low-mid level earthquake and the free fall slide.

Electoral Education Centre (EEC)

The EEC staff explained in detail how Australia’s preferential voting system worked before getting the students to vote on their favourite snack from a list of options. Once students had voted they were able to see how preferential voting worked by working through 3 rounds of preferences.

National Gallery of Australia (NGA)

In the NGA the students spent an hour focusing on the influence of Indigenous cultures, and the connections between art, people and Country and viewing art installations such as The Aboriginal Memorial which is an installation of 200 hollow log coffins from Central Arnhem Land.

Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House (MOAD)

Here students learnt more about democracy in Australia and events that happened in the original Parliament House before the construction of our current one. Students also participated in another role play where they either took part in the historical debates of the introduction of conscription during the Vietnam War or damming of the Franklin River in 1983.

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)

Students were given the opportunity to see the resources and areas that Olympic and high-level athletes use to train in a tour of the AIS facilities. Along with this student could partake in the games and activities at Sportex.

The Embassies

Each bus took a drive past the embassies of the foreign diplomats who call Canberra home. Students learnt that if a country belongs to the Commonwealth their embassy is knowns as a ‘High Commission’.

Mt Ainslie

On the Wednesday all students and staff took a drive to the Mt Ainslie lookout which provided excellent views of Canberra under the setting sun

The Thursday Disco

Back at the motel on this night the camp staff ran a disco for the Year 9’s on their last night of camp.

Day 4

A very similar day to Day 1 as it involved a lot of bus travel on the Hume Highway however the stops on the way back were different. Morning tea was a quick stop in Tarcutta before Lunch in Wangaratta which allowed the students 45 minutes to run around in the park and stretch their legs. Thanks to the bus drivers who got all students back to school by 3:15pm which allowed them all to head straight home and rest up for the school year starting properly.

St Aloysius

Since returning to school the Year 9 students have settled in smoothly to their new pastorals and subjects and begun to focus on the academic year ahead. As it is already week 5 their thoughts are turning to upcoming assessments which will soon be appearing in their classes. To assist with these preparations the Year 9’s are encouraged to use their school diaries they received last week to write down key dates and important information.

An important key date the students do need to remember is that the 3rd of March is the Whole School Opening Mass. For this Mass it is essential all students wear their academic uniform.

Dan Sullivan
Year 9 Leader