Year Three visits Cockatoo Island

Busy but fun day.

Year 3, together with their teachers and five amazing parent helpers, travelled by bus and river cat to Cockatoo Island.

We split into groups and were given a tour of the island by our guides for the day. It was a fantastic opportunity to experience what life might have been like in the past, particularly for early convicts. Needless to say, we all came home with a new appreciation for life in the present and look forward to what the future brings.

Here are some of the highlights:

I loved the whole excursion. It was great to travel on public transport, especially the river cat. We got to see how convicts lived. It would have been a hard life. I’m glad that things have changed.

Mia

My favourite part of the Cockatoo Island excursion was walking through the dog leg tunnel. It was a brilliant experience to see how long, and old the tunnel was.

Owen

This was my first time travelling by ferry. I loved it. If I was a convict, I would have found it very hard to live in one small room with 50 other convicts, sharing EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING!

Joel

I enjoyed the whole Cockatoo Island experience. It was my first time there. I got to see how convicts lived a long time ago and how much things have changed now.

Bella

The excursion was a great opportunity to experience the past. I also enjoyed travelling by ferry and bus. Our guide Sue helped us understand what life would have been like for the people living on Cockatoo Island at the time. She was so enthusiastic.

Juliana

I was lucky enough to be selected as a parent helper on the year 3 excursion to Cockatoo Island today and wanted to pass on a few comments I had about the day.

Parent

On the way.

The children were exceptionally well behaved at all times during the excursion with other passengers on both ferry trips commenting on how well behaved and courteous the children were. A couple of times a child or two were engaged in conversation with a member of the public and their responses were polite and sensible.

I was fortunate to be with 3W for the tour and their attitude towards the learning opportunity was amazing. At all times the children were engaged and attentive to the tour guide and their questions were well thought out and reasoned which is a magnificent reflection on the way they are being taught.

Please pass on my deepest thanks to the Year 3 teachers for this wonderful excursion. The children were a shining example of how to conduct themselves in public and a wonderful reflection on OLA.

Thank you once again for everything you and your staff do. We feel very blessed to have our children attend OLA.

Written By

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au

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30 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Yesterday our Kinder students celebrated 100 days of school- 100 days of faith, fun, and learning together at OLA! The day was filled with creative activities based around the number 100- counting, building, crafting, and laughing their way through this special milestone. We have loved watching our littlest learners grow in confidence, curiosity, and friendship. A huge thank you to our amazing Kinder teachers for planning such a joyful celebration, and to our wonderful parent helpers for their support throughout the day. We are so proud of the littlest members of our OLA family. We are grateful for the joy, energy, and smiles our Kinder students bring to our OLA community every single day!

29 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Today, Mr Calabria and Mr Cauchi settled their fun Wacky Wager, much to the delight of our students! Buckets of bright pink slime sealed the deal for 2026, creating a moment of pure joy for the students and teachers! It was definitely a day filled with faith, FUN, and learning at OLA. A huge thank you to Mr Calabria and Mr Cauchi for making our school not only an outstanding place to learn, but a place where memories are made- memories our students will carry with them forever!