Spark Holiday Program

On Friday 12 July, Sarah Avitabile, Sarah Chuck, and Simon Gurowski welcomed local primary school students into our labs here at Kilbreda for the Spark Holiday Program. The miniature scientists had the opportunity to design and launch bottle rockets, explore life under a microscope, and investigate the properties of different liquids by making a density column.

National Science Week

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. This year, Kilbreda will celebrate Science Week between 9 and 14 September. The theme is Species Survival: More Than Just Sustainability.

We will have several lunchtime activities, including the Annual Periodic Table Reciting Competition. Last year, Kara Gurung recited all 118 elements of the periodic table. We hope someone can match Kara’s efforts this year. Below is the periodic table song, so get reciting!

Melbourne University Girl Power in Engineering and IT program

Congratulations to Pratima Thomas and Jessica Griffith, who were accepted into the highly competitive 4-year program. Over the July school holidays, Pratima and Jess participated in a camp at Melbourne University. Below is a reflection from Jess.

During the holidays, I had the great opportunity to go to Melbourne University as a part of the Girl’s Engineering and IT program. The camp went for four days, and it runs from Year Nine to Year Twelve.  Throughout the camp, we got to do so many different activities, starting with icebreakers which helped me connect with the girls I was going to spend the four days with. The physical activities that we had the privilege of doing were programming a boat, making a prosthetic leg, building a bridge, coding and designing a website and my favourite, programming and flying a drone. We also had a tour of the university and had the opportunity to speak to engineers at a panel on the second night. On the first day, we got into groups and created ideas for usable, sustainable housing. The camp showed me all the different aspects of engineering and how they help the general public. Overall, it was a great camp and I have no regrets about going.

Jess Griffiths, Year 9

Around the labs…

Speeding Through Space

In this elective, Year 10 students engage in a four-week unit called “Engineering Solutions” that explores the wide-reaching impact of engineering on our daily lives. From household appliances to digital technology, transportation and infrastructure, the field of engineering applies to almost every aspect of our world. Working in teams, students tackle real-world challenges, such as constructing the sturdiest bridge with limited materials or designing a device to burst a balloon with water.

In Semester 2 of the Speeding Through Space class, students have showcased their ingenuity in problem-solving, demonstrated strong collaboration skills and unwavering persistence, and had some fun along the way!

Year 8 Science

Our Year 8s have been busy learning about the human digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems during class. While this topic is long and challenging, students have enjoyed creating a website that compares each of these systems to how they differ in structure and function in animals. The sheep’s heart dissection was a highlight (for some), which allowed students to apply their knowledge of the heart’s internal structure and develop important dissection skills. Students could identify the four chambers and observe the valves and cardiac vessels, such as the aorta and coronary arteries. A small number of students elected to observe a sheep’s pluck (heart, liver and lungs) demonstration. Thank you to Mr Christopher Moore, who gave up his lunchtime to make this opportunity available.

Sarah Chuck

Learning Leader: Science