On Friday, 16th August, Year One travelled to the Sydney Olympic Park to study for their Geography unit, the Features of Places. Many of us had been to the park previously but we had never realised the amazing variety of animals, plants and natural features that make this environment special and extraordinary.
We walked along wooden trails through the mangrove forest, looking down at the roots and trees. We tasted salty leaves that soak up the salt from the water, collected different types of seeds and threw the furry seeds into the creek and watched them float downstream where, one day they will grow into more mangrove trees. We observed some Australian native creatures that live around the mangroves or in the dry forest. We were introduced to the friendly long neck turtle, Petal and the Blue tongue lizard, Garigan. We explored a dry forest and identified the different invertebrates and their homes. We had a visit from a friendly kookaburra as we talked around the Yarn time circle.
Back at the Education Centre we used scoops and ice-cube trays to catch water bugs that are so important for the environment. We used magnifying cubes to observe them close up and identify them by looking closely at their body parts and compare them to some identification pictures. We then observed them using a camera that magnified them onto the television screen.
Most importantly of all, we learnt how important this area is to keep for all living things and it is our responsibility to look after our wonderful world that God has made for everyone.
Click on this link to view a gallery of photos from the day.
Christ the King North Rocks
www.ctknorthrocks.catholic.edu.au
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30 Aug 2026
From Facebook
πΏ Celebrating NAIDOC Week at Christ the King Primary! πΏ Our students enjoyed celebrating NAIDOC Week through creativity, connection and learning. Students had the opportunity to colour and create beautiful dot paintings, exploring Indigenous Australian art and expressing their creativity along the way. It was wonderful to see our students engaging with culture, learning together and celebrating the rich history and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. ππ€β€οΈ
29 Aug 2026
From Facebook
π Basketball Clinic at CTK! π Recently, our Year 4 students were lucky enough to take part in an exciting basketball clinic with Cumberland Basketball! Coach Hayden put the students through their paces with some awesome drills and skill-building activities, helping them develop their dribbling, passing, shooting and teamwork skills. The students had a fantastic time learning new skills, challenging themselves and, most importantly, having fun! A huge thank you to Coach Hayden and Cumberland Basketball for a fantastic clinic! ππ We canβt wait to see our Year 4 students put their new skills into action! β #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
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30 Aug 2026
From Facebook
πΏ Celebrating NAIDOC Week at Christ the King Primary! πΏ Our students enjoyed celebrating NAIDOC Week through creativity, connection and learning. Students had the opportunity to colour and create beautiful dot paintings, exploring Indigenous Australian art and expressing their creativity along the way. It was wonderful to see our students engaging with culture, learning together and celebrating the rich history and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. ππ€β€οΈ
29 Aug 2026
From Facebook
π Basketball Clinic at CTK! π Recently, our Year 4 students were lucky enough to take part in an exciting basketball clinic with Cumberland Basketball! Coach Hayden put the students through their paces with some awesome drills and skill-building activities, helping them develop their dribbling, passing, shooting and teamwork skills. The students had a fantastic time learning new skills, challenging themselves and, most importantly, having fun! A huge thank you to Coach Hayden and Cumberland Basketball for a fantastic clinic! ππ We canβt wait to see our Year 4 students put their new skills into action! β #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
28 Aug 2026
Our schools are cracking the reading code
Do you remember how you learned to read? For a vital skill that is linked to all other learning, itβs surprisingly difficult to explain how to go about learning it.
27 Aug 2026
From Facebook
ππ¦ Early Birds Reading Club β Kindy & Year 5 What a wonderful way to start the day! π π Our Early Birds Reading Club brings together our Kindy and Year 5 students for a special time of shared reading and connection. Our Year 5 students become reading buddies encouraging our youngest readers and helping them develop confidence and a love of books. πβ€οΈ Itβs not just about reading β itβs about building friendships, developing leadership, sharing the joy of stories and creating a strong sense of belonging across our school community. Cross-age reading programs can support both literacy and social development, while giving older students opportunities to develop leadership and empathy. A wonderful start to the morning for our Early Birds! π¦β¨ #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
22 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Zone Athletics Carnivalπππ½ββοΈ Earlier this week, we had 35 students represent CTK at the Zone Athletics Carnival! Congratulations to all students who represented our school with pride! A special congratulations to those students who qualified for the Diocesan Athletics Carnival, that will be held in the coming weeks. πππ»ππΎππΏ
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
17 Aug 2026
From Facebook
π¦ Kindy Zoo Excursion β Living Things π¨ Our Kindy students had a wonderful day exploring the zoo as part of their Science unit on Living Things! πΏπ Students had the opportunity to observe a variety of animals in their habitats and learn more about what living things need to survive and grow. They looked closely at how animals move, eat, live and interact with their environments. The excursion provided a wonderful opportunity for our young scientists to take their learning outside the classroom and make real-world connections with the natural world. ππ A fantastic day of exploring, observing and discovering! Well done, Kindy! πππ¦ #Kindy #LivingThings #Science #ZooExcursion #YoungScientists #LearningBeyondTheClassroom #HandsOnLearning #CTK #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic
14 Aug 2026
From Facebook
π¨Learning to use Proportion like an Artist! π¨ Year 3 loved being able to pull from their inner artist and learnt how to use their pencil as a measuring device - just like a true artist! The students brought in a loved plushy and used their new skills to bring their fluffy friend to life on paper! Take a look at these talented artists in Year 3! #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks
11 Aug 2026
From Facebook
St Mary MacKillop Faith In Action Award - Advocacy Yesterday we were privileged to have Taleishah visit from the Jarara Team to help our award students advocate for healing country and care for country. Our project is to reimagine the 2021 NAIDOC Week poster for our school. Watch out for the finished message stick! #cspd2026 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #CTKCommunity #ChristTheKing #CTKNorthRocks #faithinactioncspd
06 Aug 2026
From Facebook
ππ Young Mary Comes to Life! ππ Today, our students were captivated by the inspiring performance of Young Mary, a play exploring the early life of St Mary MacKillop. Through storytelling students discovered how Mary's deep faith, courage and compassion shaped her life from a young age. They learnt about her determination to help those most in need and her unwavering trust in God, even when faced with challenges. The performance reminded us all that we can make a difference through kindness, perseverance and service to others, just as St Mary MacKillop did. Her famous words, "Never see a need without doing something about it," continue to inspire our school community to live our faith through action every day. Thank you to the performers for bringing Mary's remarkable story to life and helping our students connect with the legacy of Australia's first saint. β€οΈπ #StMaryMacKillop #YoungMary #FaithInAction #CatholicEducation #CTK #LearningThroughTheArts #cspd2025 #catholicschoolsparramattadiocese #parracatholic #westernsydney