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Year 6s Parliament House Incursion

Parliament House represents the fundamental freedoms and rights of Western Australians.

This week, our Year 6s were fortunate to participate in an incursion with Parliament House, as part of their Term 2 HASS unit, which focuses on the role of government, civics, and citizenship.

What would normally be a visit to Parliament House in West Perth, was completed via a Zoom call due to COVID-19. The girls were given a virtual tour and Q & A experience. The Zoom experience by no means made their encounter any less valuable!

Throughout the session, the girls were shown some key features and given a history of Parliament House. Additionally, students explored the difference between the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, as well as the roles and responsibilities of our representatives, including how laws are made.

From this incursion, students will have gained a greater understanding of how important our democratic system is and how it relates to them as Australian citizens.

We asked some of the participating students what they took away from the experience. Here is what they had to say:

I thought it was very interesting that they had to carry the mace to protect the speaker when discussing if the rules/laws were fair. Also, the history of the Parliament House and how Edith Cowan was the first woman to be allowed in. She even had to use the men’s toilet because they didn’t have women’s toilets. To make sure no men walked in she would leave her shoes outside. Scarlett Kildare, 6.6

I enjoyed listening to what they do in Parliament House, and I am very interested in the things they do in the different parliamentary rooms. I loved learning about the differences between the United Kingdom Parliament and the Western Australian Parliament. Louisa Donovan, 6.8

I learned that in the development of Parliament House, our state kept running out of money! It was also interesting to learn about Edith Cowan being the first woman elected to parliament in Australia and I’m proud that this was in WA. Lucy Lomma, 6.9

I found it interesting how the mace was made of silver inside and gold on the outside and was the oldest one in WA. It looked beautiful but was a weapon if the king or other people tried to kill the speaker. The speaker is like an umpire, they helped the people debate the laws and share their views by taking turns. Eadie Lucas, 6.10

To finish off the unit, students will be focussing on lawmaking, then dive specifically into the rights and responsibilities of citizens in Australia.

The culmination of learning will be a collaborative project that expresses their learning about Australian citizenship.

We look forward to seeing more of their work in the coming weeks!  

What A Term! So Many Opportunities – Jennifer Oaten

As I look back on the past nine weeks, I am so grateful for who we are as a community and what we have achieved. Through the dedication of our staff and the enthusiasm of our students, we have established new connections, immersed ourselves in opportunities and worked through challenges.

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