College News
3, 2, 1... and racing! CO2 Dragsters in action
The final series held last Monday & Tuesday in the Benilde Indoor Street, is the culmination of a very disrupted couple of terms of work. The CO2 Dragster unit, called CO2 due to the carbon dioxide cylinders that hurtle the aerodynamically designed dragsters down the 20m track in a second, is the first project in the Yr 10 iSTEM course.
The CO2 Dragsters facilitate the learning intentions of the unit which are;
- to collect, organise and analyse data
- use a variety of technologies including CAD & CAM to assist in investigations into engineered solutions
- utilise various hardware and software technologies to solve a broad range of STEM based problems
In this unit of work students produce a CO2 Dragster. Through a range of design, experimentation and testing procedures students are set the challenge of creating a CO2 Dragster with a balance of velocity, durability and aesthetic features. Throughout the design, development and practical creation of the project, students will expand their knowledge of Science, Technology and Mathematics as they collaboratively improve and apply their content knowledge to practical problem-solving situations.
Ultimately we focus on these BIG questions;
How can we use qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate engineering design ?
What factors can affect speed?
What factors can affect quality?
How can mathematics and science concepts assist in design solutions?
The “Show & Shine” section where the dragsters are peer assessed on their aesthetic qualities involves collecting qualitative data.
In the “Dragstrip” section of the course the students collect quantitative data about their dragsters.
The 2020 Champion dragster was produced by James Rogers who also set a new CO2 record time in the final of 0.99 seconds. The one second barrier has only been broken 3 times in 5 year history of CO2 racing at O’Connor. James defeated Judah Flint in the final, with Lara Windred and Solomon Layton in the semi finals.
Elijah Whitely produced the best time of 1.025 seconds in the time trial section.
In the “Show & Shine” section Calan Louden was judged the aesthetically most pleasing car for Mr Hawthorne’s class, followed closely by Ned Maurer. In Mr McCann’s class, Fletcher Schultz won the vote, with Connor Miller coming a close second.
Both Year 10 iSTEM classes are looking forward to starting their new units on drones and robotics for the remainder of Term 3.
GALLERY: Photos from the CO2 Dragster Finals
VIDEO: (above) The Final (real time)
VIDEO: (above) The Final (slow mo)
Enrolments 2021
Enrolment applications for Year 7 2021 are now open. Contact Mrs Gemma Creagan by calling 6772 1666 or email gcreagan@arm.catholic.edu.au for an enrolment pack. Limited spaces are also available for Years 8 -12.
Promotional Video
'Let's Hang it' - 2020 Congratulations to Elinor Summers and Zach Hale!
Congratulations to our O’Connor artist finalists, Elinor Summers with ‘River of the Alley Cat' (Year 11) and Zac Hale with ‘Zentangle Black and White’ (Year 7) for this year’s Let's Hang it Exhibition. Elinor received a highly commended for her drawing.
Elinor's drawing: 'River of the Alley Cat'
Zach Hale's ‘Zentangle Black and White’
Sixty five works were shortlisted and displayed professionally from 450 entries this year in an online exhibition due to COVID-19. To be a finalist was an achievement. NERAM Exhibition link:
https://www.neram.com.au/unesap-2020-online-exhibition/
The University of New England runs the competition annually in conjunction with the New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale. The winning entry in each age category are on permanent display at The University of New England to promote young artists. Thirty schools to our east, west, north and as far south as Newcastle entered this year. It is unique in that artworks are represented from Kindergarten to Year 12. The range of talent is virtually displayed from now until the 16th of August at NERAM.
Z-Club Knitting Progress
Z Club are still asking for any interested people who like knitting to whip up some squares which will then be sewn into small, snuggly blankets for foster children. This is a project that we are supporting through Kylie Giles (an O'Connor parent) and the wonderful work she does at Pathfinders. When small children are faced with the unknown and perhaps being taken from one place to another, sometimes at night, a blanket can offer them comfort and a sense of security.
It is a great skill to have, so if you wish to learn the art of knitting, please ask Mrs Chanon and she will be more than happy to teach you. There are some great youtube clips out there too.
We are also making fabric masks and will be selling these for $10 each. The money raised will go towards purchasing birthing kits for the newly branded KIT international. This is an organisation that we have supported from the inception of Z Club at our school back in 2013. If you are interested in finding out more here is the website. https://www.kit.org.au/
ATSI Report
New Personal Development Program for ATSI Students - PRIDE - has Commenced at O'Connor
The O'Connor ATSI Team have been working hard to put together a program to try and support our ATSI Students to achieve their full potential. We are calling the program PRIDE and it focuses on…
Personal Development
Relationships
Identity and Culture
Dare to Dream
Engaging with Enthusiasm
It will be presented by our ATSI Team as well as various guest presenters who have expertise in the area that we are covering at the time. The program will involve Year 7 and 8 students and will run one lesson per fortnight during Tutorial Periods, limiting disruption to regular classes and learning. Topics to be covered this term include Belonging and Identity, Healthy Relationships, Healthy Lifestyle, Conflict Resolution.
GALLERY: Our ATSI Students engaging in a variety of activities during their PRIDE program session recently
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All students who identify as being Indigenous on the roll will be encouraged to participate in the program. It should be a fantastic way to build rapport between staff and students and to build self confidence among our students.
Z-Club Report
Today the members of O’Connor Catholic College Z Club came together after a long break due to COVID. It was lovely to gather with like minded individuals who want to make a real difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves. One of our main fundraising activities is to conduct a pizza day and cake stall. Watch this space for further information regarding this. However, due to the increased risk of COVID across the world and the need to protect ourselves against coming into contact with this infectious disease, we have decided to make handmade face masks to raise money for KIT International Foundation. Formerly known as Birthing Kit Foundation Australia, this global enterprise works in collaboration with global partners to provide vulnerable women and girls with opportunities that allow themselves, their families and their communities to flourish. The realisation of better health, education and sustainable livelihoods are our key priority areas.One way that this goal is achieved is through Zonta International who raise funds to purchase basic birthing materials which are then assembled into a simple but often life saving kit to allow women a cleaner, safer and more hygienic way to deliver their babies.
The process of making the masks is not too complex, but time consuming and it is important to be precise in the manufacture of them. It involved students cutting out fabric and attaching the cotton fabric to a non woven polypropylene interfacing, which acts as the non-penetrating layer in the mask. The girls then continued to sew together the layers to craft stylish and protective face masks appropriate in a small and large adult size (at this stage anyway).
If anyone is interested in supporting our fundraising efforts, these homemade face masks will be available for purchase ($10) at the school’s front office. We would love your support in this. If you wish to learn more about what Z Club does, please do not hesitate to contact the school and Mrs Channon or one of the many members can help you out. Otherwise, you are welcome to come to a meeting/sewing workshop for the next few Thursday lunches and join in the fun.
Report written by Mrs Channon, assisted by Isabella Kennedy, and Kaitlyn Stevenson for photos.
Year 8 TEXTILES
Year 8 Technology 1, sadly, had their last lesson of the Textiles Unit for Technology on Thursday this week. The students were asked to design and make a cushion cover that focussed on the theme of ‘reduce, re-use, recycle’. The name of the unit: New Earth Entrepreneurs encourages the students to think about sustainability and the consequences of what will happen if we all do not do our bit for the environment. Stewardship of God’s Creation is the Catholic Principle and Value that becomes the focus, and the students are made aware that we are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. The students were very engaged in their learning, developing skills in the use of the sewing machine, collaboration, problem solving and evaluating.
GALLERY: 8.1 Textiles showing their cushions with pride.
Virtual Debating
On Tuesday, the inter-school virtual debating tournament began with the year 9/10 team up first. O’Connor was beaten by TAS with the topic "The Commonwealth Games should be scrapped (we were the negative), but all team members debated well. We have entered five teams across all year groups so the next few weeks will be very busy but also great learning opportunities 😀
PHOTOS: The Year 9/10 College Debating Team participating in their first ever virtual debate.
