STEM

Year 5/6 

STEM Nesting Box Workshop with the Melbourne Men’s Shed

On the 31st of July, seven volunteers from the Melbourne Men’s Shed joined our Year 5/6 STEM classes to guide students in building nesting boxes for indigenous birds.

The Men’s Shed team had pre-cut all of the timber and arranged the pieces into flat packs, ready for the students to assemble. Working in small groups, students built four different types of nesting boxes designed for native animals, including possums, galahs, lorikeets, and redrumped parrots. Using glue, nails, and screws, they constructed the boxes and attached hinged lids so they could open and close easily.

The workshop ran like a well-oiled machine, with a hands-on production line that gave every student the opportunity to participate. By the end of the session, many students had learned how to hammer nails straight—a valuable life skill!

We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Noel, the incredible volunteers from the Melbourne Men’s Shed, and Melville Timber for donating all of the wood. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn, build, and contribute to the environment.

Year 3/4 

Building an Indigenous Garden for Indigenous Birds

Our Year 3/4 students are close to completing the planting of their indigenous garden, designed to provide a welcoming habitat for smaller insect-eating birds. So far, they’ve planted around 400 indigenous ground covers, shrubs, plants, and trees in the Park Street Reserve, just outside our southern gate.

Now comes the next big challenge—keeping everything alive! Thankfully, we’ve got help from our trusty friend, the giant hose!

A favourite activity for many students has been tackling the invasive plants growing along the fence line, including ivy and cotoneaster. It’s been a great way to learn about the importance of protecting native ecosystems.

A huge thank you to Rowan, Noel, and Jenni for sharing your expertise and supporting the planting. We truly couldn’t have done it without you!

Science Week Cake Competition

A big thank you to every family who participated in the Science Week Cake Competition! It was a major undertaking and undoubtedly a significant part of your weekend schedule. We were truly blown away by the incredible range and creativity of your cake creations — and the thoughtful descriptions that explained how they reflected this year’s theme: Decoding the Universe.

We love how our community embraces every challenge with such enthusiasm and imagination. Thank you for helping make Science Week such a memorable and inspiring event!