Cluedo
Cluedo-Full of mystery and tricks,
You have to find out room, weapon, murderer.
The only noise is dice slapping on the gameboard,
And short breaths.
By Alex Hall
Alone, In a dark, damp trench, Bombs sing as they fly over my head. Guns reloading! Absolutely terrifying. By Phoebe McCrabb
| Inside, Sitting at My Desk, Doing Howework, My homework sheet, Frowns at me, Like those big, buffy angry dogs you see in movies. It snarls a deep, angry snarl! I hate it! -A tantrum never works to drag me away. By Isabelle Dudley
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At the tip, Plastic bags flying on the wind, A journey! Bags swishing, Rats squealing. I feel dirty and smelly. By Blair Sartore
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Lolly Land 
The path is a half-eaten, red, licorice stick-left to rot.
The waterfall is a fountain of warm chocolate.
The sun is a melting marshmallow on fire.
By Bridie Howe
Buckland
The deer stood still hiding in the lush green grass. The wild blackberries were tangled through the hundred year old trees and a stream running past us. The water there is crystal clear. It is melted snow and clean enough to drink.
It is good to go to sleep there at night and hear the water running in the rocks.
by Riley Norris
Message in a Bottle
Please help me!-I am in the middle of a big, blue hole on a raft made of bamboo and a giant, mutant panda is swimming beside me with an evil glare because it was snacking when I took its bamboo. I'm scared its going to push me off and sail to Asia to see its cousins with me as a sail. The sea is moving East..to..Asia! I think the giant, mutant panda is magically gifted like Harry Potter and is manipulating the currents to its home town. I keep getting blood noses because its too hot. Send me a box of tissues and some ice packs and a helicopter to save me. Also, an Asian to English dictionary and a needle to knock out the giant, mutant panda.
By Isabel Osborne
Should We Change Our National Anthem?
Change our national anthem to Waltzing Matilda? What a ridiculous idea! National anthems must be suitable for important occasions. Who in their right mind would want their national anthem to celebrate robbers and crimes? Waltzing Matilda is a lovely, lively song for football games or cheering up soldiers but it's not meant to be a national anthem. Thousands of school children have taken lots of time to learn our Australian anthem, ‘Advance Australia Fair'. Changing it would be a terrible waste of all that hard work.
To begin with, Waltzing Matilda is not appropriate for small children under six years of age because it is about robbers and crimes. The swagman, who steals a sheep and ‘shoves it in his tuckerbag', is not a good role model. Some children also might be upset by the swagman jumping into the billabong and drowning! Imagine all the… "Why did he do that, Mum?" questions! If it was a movie, this song would probably be M-rated
because of the violent images; very inappropriate for young children! Our current anthem, Advance Australia Fair is about glory, pride and sharing our great country. Isn't it better to be singing about peace and glory than robbers and ratbags?
In fact, national anthems are often sung in front of important people such as kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers. My friends and I sing our anthem at school assemblies every week. Lots of Australians sing it passionately at Anzac Day, football matches and Olympic Games medal ceremonies. Politicians even sing it at Parliament House as well. Therefore, it is vitally important to have a sensible, suitable and appropriate anthem. Advance Australia Fair is the perfect anthem, so why change it?
In addition, if we changed the anthem to Waltzing Matilda, millions of schoolchildren would be forced to learn a new anthem. That takes a lot of energy! These children are often the only people in Australia who know two verses of Advance Australia Fair – yes there's more than one! What a shame to waste all that learning and practice by swapping anthems! And furthermore, when else would we learn words like ‘girt'? This anthem expands our vocabulary just as spelling lists try to.
Finally, as we grow up, more and more people will rejoice in celebrating our glorious country with boundless plains to share, beneath our radiant southern cross by singing, ‘Advance Australia Fair'. We will all learn the funny words that make us laugh like kookaburras together – it will unite us. I wholeheartedly believe that Advance Australia Fair is the best anthem for us.
By Phoebe McCrabb (5/6S)
The Cane at School
Some school teachers believe that schools would be better if we bought back the cane. Right down inside my body I disagree. Canes should be banned from schools because they leave blisters or sores, children would cry and children wouldn't want to come back to that school.
By Phoebe Aitken
Waltzing Matilda or Advance Australia Fair
Some politicians believe that the current national anthem, ‘Advance Australia Fair' does not fit the spot and that ‘Waltzing Matilda' should fill its place. I completely disagree with all my heart and other bodily organs. Advance Australia Fair is perfect for the job. It represents Australia splendidly, is horribly horrendously historic and easy to learn.
For a start, Advance Australia Fair should not be changed to Waltzing Matilda because it represents Australia. Advance Australia Fair talks (or sings) about sharing land: asylum seekers and many other important issues to do with our big, bright beautiful country. The song states ‘our beauty rich and rare'. In that particular line it is saying that Australia is truly the lucky country. Isn't it obvious that it represents Australia much more than a silly song about dancing ever will? That's just one of many reasons that the Australian national anthem should NOT be changed to Waltzing Matilda, which by the way doesn't even relate to Australia!
Moreover, the current Australian national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, contains much more history about Australia. The original copy was written by Peter Dodds McMormick in 1878. Now that's what I call some historic history! In 1977 there was a referendum held about whether to change the national anthem from God Save the Queen to either Advance Australia Fair or Waltzing Matilda. Everybody wanted Advance Australia Fair out of them all. If Australians chose that beautiful, historical brilliant song only 34 years ago, then why have some Australians changed their minds? If it was a billion years ago then it would be understandable, but a mere 34 years! So now, isn't it obviously pristine clear that Waltzing Matilda will never have that much history so therefore it should never be the Australian national anthem?
Above all, Advance Australia Fair is so easy for children starting kindergarten and just anybody in general to learn. I remember when I started school we were expected to sing the national anthem at school assemblies. I was first lost in the words but by our third or fourth time of hearing others sings it, I was amazingly already managing to mumble ‘in joyful strains mmm mnm nmn nnm and that's an Australian fair'. Yes, I know they are not the words but up until Year Two I always thought it was ‘and that's and Australian fair'! But, that was my own silly fault when everybody around me was singing ‘Advance Australia Fair' . That's why it's the perfect national anthem, everybody but me can learn it by heart, super-duper easily, unlike Waltzing Matilda which is the hardest song to learn, ever!
So now, it's got to be as clear as the sky on a sunny day that the current national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, is beyond brilliant for the role because it represents Australia fantastically. Also, it has so much of Australia's history in it and it is also ‘easy, peasy chips are greasy' to learn. So, stand up for Advance Australia Fair because it's a fantastic national anthem, and why change a perfectly good one?
By Isabel Osborne (5/6S)