Science
The Higher School Certificate examinations have finished for 2024. Now, we wait for the news and the support for the direction that our students have taken for a career. We wish them every happiness and success. It's time now to enjoy some laughter, music and dancing with the family at graduation.
A word from Mrs Morrison……..
The start of Term 4 for the year 7 students commenced with a depth study looking at the diverse ecosystems in Australia. Students research different animals that live in a particular ecosystem and what adaptations they have developed to survive their habitat. The favourite part for the students was when they created imaginative animals which combined an adaptation from the different animals to create one super adapted animal. Students explained and justified their selection criteria.... safe to say Australia does not need any of these animals to kill us faster!
Year 8 students have been exploring many chemical reactions. The arms went up and the heads flew back when the hydrogen gas was tested and the POP test was heard and understood. Then students were amazed at how quickly copper ions can snatch electrons from the iron in steel wool. It is great when we can hear and see the chemical world working and we understand how it is doing it!
Year 9 have just watched another of David Attenborough’s documentaries on “Climate Change: the facts” It certainly opens one's eyes and minds to the fragile systems on the Earth that we need for survival. They were able to discuss the evidence in class and explain the biomes and ecosystems and they came up with some great questions. Now it onwards and upwards, as we explore the universe. Many unanswered questions that are interesting to explore. We need evidence!
The recent excitement was watching the comet fly past our sky. It was easily seen at sunset close to the position of Venus in the southern sky. Mrs Morrison took some great photos for us, but the best thing is to see it for ourselves.
Many year 10 students have been away for a few days on camp and while they have been away, some students stayed to play a great game of “GO EXTINCT”. These games were generously donated by the Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage and engages students with extinct megafauna and evolution.
The seniors for 2025 have been very hard at work building brains.
The biologists are exploring the intelligent system that our body has to build proteins. They did some of their own building this week when they joined three amino acids to make a simple polypeptide, the start of a protein. It always amazes me how the body communicates with itself to know when, how and where to build the molecules that we use every day. It is miraculous!
The Chemists have been watching how little changes to the environment can make big changes, like changing the colour of Cobalt Chloride and nitrogen dioxide because of a chemical change. They are all working hard to understand the microscopic particles and how they perform in their world. They can predict how changes can affect the yield which is a particular skill that chemists need to know.
The Physicists have been exploring circular motion and how it impacts the drivers of cars as they drive around a bend in the road. The year 7 students did a depth study on circular motion in Semester 1 which allows students to start thinking about these harder concepts.
I would like to thank those parents who had a chat with us, checking in on their children’s progress and communicating in the Parent Teacher interviews online.
We have OH Day coming up on December 6th, when we will again meet the students we will have in our Year 7 classes in 2025. They will understand how dynamic and vibrant the community at Marian is and will be encouraging them to contribute their gifts, being respectful and loving their learning.
Best wishes
Esther Dumbleton (Science Leader of Learning)