11 Jun 2013
In the first week of June, 15 Stage 3 students along with Mr Pho, Mr Campbell and Mrs Robinson trekked 1000km to our remote, western NSW partner school, Menindee. Monday's 13 hour train trip provided the delegation with an appreciation of the vastness and geographical diversity of NSW. Activities throughout the week have included cooking with indigenous elders, Aboriginal cultural performances, interacting in joint cooking and environmental lessons, fishing and touring Broken Hill.
Charlotte F commented via the travel blog at her astonishment that 'In a class of year 2, 3 and 4 there are only about 10 people' and that they'd learnt 'Ngyai' means hello in the language Paakantyi. This is the native language in the Menindee area. Paakantyi is pronounced 'bakanji'. This is just one of the many things we have learnt it's been lots and lots of fun'
The Premier of NSW, Barry O' Farrell is a patron of our unique regional/urban connection and is a joint signatory to a 'memorandum of understanding' that was formalised in 2011. This commitment by both schools and their learning partners has pioneered a model that other Western and Sydney Region schools are now starting to replicate. Establishing authentic, tangible and sustainable links with Menindee and other partners remains integral to our endeavour to prepare students who are holistic thinkers and best prepared to succeed as global learners in the workforce of tomorrow.
Read more about their rich cultural, outback adventure via the blog: lepsmenindee.weebly.com