HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK!

After a wet and windy Monday, today has been a sunny and pleasant day. Today we departed on time for the Royal Australian Mint and a drive past the various embassies. The Mint is undergoing renovations so they had to watch some videos of the minting process. A number of students made special edition $1.00 coins but had to invest $2.60 for the privilege. The renovations look exciting so should be great for the 2010 National Captial Tour.

From the Mint we headed to the National Film and Television Archive. It was an interesting program which showed the way technology and media have developed. The emphasis was on how we can learn about our history and heritage by examining film and radio files. I am sure the students have learnt to be more critical viewers of the media. The teachers particularly enjoyed a trip down memory lane with clips of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.

Lunch was Subway outside Questacon with views of both Old Parliament House and the War Memorial. Students then walked a short distance to the High Court of Australia. The tour guides took the students through the 3 different courts and explained how the High Court functions and how Justices are appointed. The students learnt that the High Court of Australia is a court of appeal and a court to interpret Australian law. The students have been most impressed with the opulent architecture of many of the buildings in Canberra - the High Court was no exeption.

The highlight of the afternoon was a visit to the Australian Institute of Sport where students were taken on a guided tour by an elite athlete. They also had the opportunity to participate in a range of sporting activities such as rowing, basketball, cycling and skiing using a number of different simulators. The gift shop was not as exciting and as cheap as they had hoped.

The last port of call for the day was the National Dinosaur Museum where students had the chance to see the displays and exhibitions in the dark. As with all stops the gift shop received a high level of patronage.

Tonight we will have a cake for Jack's birthday and then it is early to bed ready for a 6.30 a.m. departure to Perisher Blue.

The day has been busy and action packed so I am sure everyone will be pleased to see their pillows. All students are coping well and staying well. The Murrays' coach captains have been excellent and relate well with our students.

Enjoy the photos … until tomorrow night and snow pics …

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