Science and Design Technology News
Beginning Term 3 :
Science Department
Term 3 is traditionally a very busy and exciting term for the Science Department, with a number of excursions, special programs and important practical activities taking place. It is also a particularly important term for our Year 12 students, who are currently completing the final areas of study in their Science subjects and beginning their preparation and revision for the upcoming VCE examinations. We wish all of our Year 12 Science students the very best as they approach the final stages of their VCE studies.
Our Year 7 students have been exploring Ecosystems and Classification, developing their understanding of how living things are organised and how they interact with their environments. A highlight for some classes has been creating their own ‘ecosystem in a bottle’, allowing students to apply their learning in a hands-on and creative way. Later this term, students will begin their next topic on Forces.
Our Year 8 students have been learning about body systems, developing their understanding of how the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems work together to keep the body functioning. This topic will culminate in one of the highlights of the Year 8 Science course: the heart dissection, which will take place over the next few weeks.
Our Year 9 students will spend the term exploring different human body systems. They have begun by studying the nervous system, including how the brain and nervous system coordinate and control the body. Students will then move on to learning about the immune system before exploring how ethical principles can be used to guide decision-making in science and healthcare.
Robotics club
This term at Robotics club, we have been continuing to build on the programming and construction skills from last semester. This semester we have introduced a series of increasingly difficult challenges to give teams a clear goal to aim for. We still have space for new members if anyone is interested, no experience required. If you are interested please send Mr Presland a message on teams
Science Club
This term at Science Club, we have had a lot of fun completing a range of exciting practicals and demonstrations. Students have had the opportunity to explore science beyond the classroom through hands-on activities each Friday in the DLC.
We started off the term with the elephant’s toothpaste practical, where students observed a rapid chemical reaction that produced a huge amount of foam. Students also took part in brain dissections, giving them the opportunity to examine the structures of the brain and see how they relate to its different functions. During our flame tests, students investigated how different metal ions produce distinctive colours when heated in a flame. We also explored air pressure with the crushing cans experiment, where students watched cans dramatically collapse as changes in temperature and pressure created an imbalance in forces.
Science Club will continue to run every Friday lunchtime in the DLC, with plenty more fun and engaging practical activities planned. Keep an eye out for advertisements in the Science club team or on the vertical screens outside the theatre for upcoming sessions.
Monash Tech School – Superhabitats
Over Weeks 5 and 6, all Year 7 students will have the opportunity to spend two days at Monash Tech School participating in the Superhabitats program.
Superhabitats challenges students to investigate how technology and sustainable practices can be used to protect the environment. Throughout the program, students will use design thinking, robotics and ARCKIT physical and digital prototyping to design ecological and resilient habitats.
The program will build on what students have been learning in Science this term, while also providing them with the opportunity to develop their design-thinking skills and experience a range of new and emerging technologies.
VCE Biology Excursions
Early in term, two classes of VCE unit 3/4 biology students went to the city to engage in a program run by the University of Melbourne to provide them the opportunity to engage in science experiments relating to Unit 4 biology. The first experiment allowed students to investigate changing attributes of Drosophila flies over the course of multiple generations, namely their wings. By counting and measuring frequency of wing variations, students were able to determine which type of wings were being selected for by the flies.The second experiment involved students conducting an indirect ELISA test, which involves testing for the presence of influenza antigens in a sample. Students were able to utilize scientific equipment including micro-pipettes to transfer samples and indicator solutions to demonstrate a blue colour change if a sample presented for antibodies.
This excursion was another great opportunity for students in our VCE science cohorts to engage with real life applications of what they learn in the classroom, and I am excited for them to have more opportunities to apply their learning in all subjects to better understand how they could proceed beyond their learning.
A Visit from Channel 7's own Jane Bunn
We had the pleasure of hosting Channel 7 News meteorologist Jane Bunn at South Oakleigh Secondary College as part of the Edrolo program.
Jane shared her knowledge, experience and insights into the world of meteorology, giving our students a fantastic opportunity to hear firsthand about the science behind weather forecasting and what it’s like to work in the media.
Thank you to Jane for taking the time to visit our school and share your expertise with our students.
Rowan Presland
Learning Specialist STEM | Science
