Firstly we had to get safety gear on, like fluro vests, protective goggles and earplugs. No one can get past the security gate without a security gate card. The silos were MASSIVE and they hold up to 250,000 litres of milk. The robots have lasers so they can see where to stack the boxes. At Murray Goulburn factory we got to see how milk powder is made. Milk has 87% of water and the driers take 84% of water out. After the milk powder is made it is packed and stacked by robot. Safety rules are very important to keep everyone safe in any big factory, we got told this when we went to Murray Goulburn. We saw super shiny clean rooms in the factory and the outdoor region were clearly signposted. MG produces different dairy products, in different dairy packages and they're sent to the supermarkets. Customers, like you and me buy them. At the IGA, we explored properties of packages for most dairy products. We had activities looking at packaging including drawing and explaining. We also found out that you can buy different sized packages for smaller and larger amounts for people. Most dairy products have to be refrigerated or stored in a cool place. Andrea Vallance and Sean Fitzpatrick sharing our unique TAP model at the Country Education Partnerships Conference. Floods can cause severe damage to farm land in a rural environment and damaged fences, sheds and other structures are expensive to replace. Year 10 students are currently investigating all these aspects in a flood project in maths using scale diagrams, calculating area with trigonometry, using Pythagoras theory, calculating costs, volume exercises and Herons Formula. The students are very busy using the lavender farm products to make lavendar spray, and assorted items. Sales are exceeding all expectations. Michael was measured against our Picasso cow which was as tall as his shoulders. We also measured him against 'Cami' , Mrs Taylor's cow, to see how tall show breeds can be. Luke and Olivia were learning how to measure a cow by practising on Luke. All the students then looked at how to measure a cow. Mr Taylor then showed us how he milks 'Cami' and other cows when they are at a show. We looked carefully at the milking machine where the milk went to. Tomorrow our class will look at how the milk separated and how long it takes to separate. A great experience for the students and we thanked the Taylor family for allowing us to see their pride and joy. Our 2 calves Snooki and Nelly were at the school for 3 weeks as part of the Year 7/8 Cows Create Careers program but on Friday they returned home to Peter Fulton's farm to join their mates. Thanks Peter for your support and expertise in helping us learn more about calves & the Dairy industry Year 6 students are currently studying Poultry as the basis for their Biological science curriculum with our science Specialist teacher, Mr Mottram. We have investigated the physical characteristics of chickens, their behavior and this week we conducted experiments to learn about a chicken's digestive system, their gizzards and we used balloons to make our own chyme which is a semi fluid mass of digested food! Year 6 was excited to welcome Martin Green from the Victorian National Trust to our school last Monday. He came to extend to us a fabulous opportunity. Nehill Brothers’ Heritage Farm, which is owned by the National Trust, would like to include heritage chickens in their display of rare livestock breeds. He has asked the students of Year 6 to design the hen house and breed the hens to fill it. This is a great opportunity for the students to be creative and see their ideas used to create the ‘best chook house this side of Colac’. Staff and friends had some professional development on the art of cheese making. Thank-you to Nigel for organising the session. On Friday the 17th of April Industry advocate Simone Renyard and local farmer Peter Fulton spoke to the Cows Create Careers students about careers in the dairy industry and helped them select their work groups and calf names. Peter has supplied our two calves for the program for the second year now. Both Simone and Peter are industry contacts for our students to assist them with any questions while completing their project work. |
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February 2024
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