Whalan Public School

Don't forget
3-6 Athletics Carnival
Tomorrow - 10 June 2026

Newsletter Term 2 Week 7

Last week, Stage 3 students had an incredible opportunity to visit the Banksy exhibition in the city.

As part of our Visual Arts learning with Miss Zorlu, students have been exploring the work of Banksy, with a focus on graffiti art, symbolism, and the powerful social messages communicated through his work.

During the excursion, students engaged thoughtfully with a range of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and installation pieces. It was wonderful to see their curiosity and enthusiasm as they made connections between what they have been learning in the classroom and the works on display.
Here are some reflective comments from our students on some of the artworks they viewed:

Review of Meat Truck, by Mason: This artwork had a truck filled with stuffed, moving animal toys. I think Banksy was trying to spread awareness about how we slaughter animals and how they have feelings.

Review of Show Me the Monet, by Ajay: This artwork had the famous waterlilies painting by Monet, but the green jungle contrasted with the red cone and trolley in the disgusting river. The two opposite colours - red and green - drew your attention to the artwork. I think Banksy was trying to communicate how humans are destroying natural environments with rubbish, polluting the homes of animals. I feel heartbroken seeing that it hasn't changed.

Review of The Leopard and the Lamb, by Isabella: This artwork really stood out to me because the dirty, graffiti covered leopard looked calm yet protective over the soft, pure, white lamb. The leopard almost blended in with the background - I didn't even see it until I read the title of the painting! I think Banksy was trying to convey a message of peace and hope in the world - almost as if predator and prey weren’t a thing. The leopard was just relaxed with the lamb and that could maybe relate to real life human situations - a world where we are all relaxed with each other - no more war or racism - just peace.

In Geography, 2G have been learning to identify Australia's states and territories on a map. Students have enjoyed drawing maps of Australia and labelling the states, territories, and capital cities. They have shown great enthusiasm and developing map skills throughout their learning. Well done, 2G!

Today, all students participated in Sports House meetings to celebrate their house teams and practise their house chants ahead of next week’s Athletics Carnival. It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm, teamwork and house pride as students came together to support their teams.

A reminder that our 3–6 Athletics Carnival will be held on Wednesday 10 June. All students are invited to wear m***i in their Sports House colours on the day, including our K–2 students who will be remaining at school.

House Colours:
🟢 Kokoda – Green
🔴 Madang – Red
🔵 Rabaul – Blue
🟡 Wewak – Yellow

We can't wait to see a sea of colour across the school and hear our house chants loud and proud as we cheer on our athletes!

Our students had a fantastic time watching Mr Huff performed by Meerkat Productions today! The engaging performance brought the story to life and had students laughing, thinking and participating throughout the show.

A big thank you to Meerkat Productions for delivering such an entertaining and meaningful performance. Our students loved every minute of it!

This term, students in 5K have been reading and exploring the novel *Leila and the Blue Fox*. Through this text, students have been learning about important real-world issues such as climate change and how changes to the environment can affect animals living in the Arctic.

As part of their English learning, students have been creating a variety of written texts using descriptive and figurative language, including similes, metaphors and personification. They have also been developing their use of strong noun and verb groups to make their writing more engaging and detailed.

Students have explored how authors use symbols and imagery to convey meaning and have learnt about the difference between literal and figurative language. Using modelled examples, students have practised drafting paragraphs that include adverbial phrases and clauses, as well as clear declarative sentences, to strengthen their writing skills.

World Environment Week

During our excursion to the crossing for Road Safety Week, the children noticed a lot of rubbish along the pathway outside our preschool. This observation sparked important conversations about how we can care for our environment and show respect for Dharug Country.

The children shared their ideas and decided to create signs to encourage others not to litter. Some children carefully copied words such as "No Rubbish," while others used symbols and images to communicate their message. This allowed all children to participate in a way that was meaningful to them.

We are so proud of the children's initiative and the way they chose to take action to help care for their local environment. Their signs will be laminated and displayed along our fence line as a reminder that we all have a role to play in keeping our community clean and caring for Country.

Keep an eye out for their wonderful work and help us support their message by keeping our shared spaces litter-free.

In K-6S, we have been writing diary entries from the perspective of astronauts exploring space. The children dressed up in space suits and became space explorers, using brushes to uncover hidden colourful rocks.

We also had a very special visitor—an alien! The alien left behind some slime and an alien costume for us to investigate. We were amazed to discover that he had been taking photos around our classroom and was even spotted sitting in our teacher's chair!

The children have loved using their imaginations and bringing their space learning to life.