Jennifer Selinger – Head of Science

View From the Kleinlehrer Family Science Building

There is a flood in K20. And one in K30! And yet another in K24! In fact, it there are about 20 floods! Before you panic and reach for the phone to call Andrew and the Maintenance Team, you should know that these have nothing to do with the deluge that is currently occurring over my head and everything to do with the ecology being studied by Year 8.

The students have built a flood plain in a baking tray and provided it with desirable residences in this picturesque area. Their teachers then played the part of the deity and provided a beakerful of water down the river to simulate the natural disaster. Much hilarity and despair followed and the students walked away with an insight into the complexities of planning for this type of event and a greater understanding of some of the variables involved. They also practised their group work skills and their ability to deal with disappointment as they watched their towns collapse under the weight of the flood.  There were no arks to be seen…

Flood plain

Year 10 students have been exploring the dangers that lurk in typical household cupboards and are coming to the realisation that there is more to the concept of chemicals than they might have imagined. They have been establishing methods of identifying acids and bases and are using the skills developed in Year 8 to observe reactions and record them using scientific equations. They have also begun their Independent Research Project. The variety of projects always astounds me as the students choose their own areas of interest, research the science involved and carry out an experiment related to their research. Their displays are always very interesting and I look forward to learning more about topics ranging from Black Holes to the internal workings of the human mind at the Night of Science and Wonder in Week 10 of this term.

Year 9 students are coming to the end of a topic on disease called What Keeps You Alive and should be well on their way to forming an opinion on the importance of vaccination. They will soon be embarking on an exploration of electricity and we are hoping that this will spark an interest in Physics. The focus for this topic is on learning from making and doing and we hope that the students will develop skills in persistence and resilience as well as learning more about what makes things tick (and whirr, and buzz, and light up).

In Rube Goldberg news the machine is coming along, after an extended break while the team was on camp. We have been granted a week’s extension on the due date and are working every lunchtime to meet the tight deadline. The photos below give a snapshot of what it is to be in a Makers’ environment! It is a pity that it is impossible to truly capture the excitement – there is nothing like being there to see all the ideas popping out and turning into reality.