Science

2024 Science Week  |  7A Boomerangs

The school theme around Australia for National Science Week in 2024 (10th - 18th August) was Species Survival - More than just sustainability. The theme aims to highlight the importance of science and innovation in ensuring the survival and thriving of different species in an ever-changing world.

 

At Cheltenham, students took time out from their normal science routine to participate in various classroom activities.

 

Year 7

The Year 7s got down and dirty by making worm farms. Worm farms are a great way of providing fertiliser for your garden. The worms decompose food scraps and turn them into worm castings and worm wee. Both are amazing for plants. Mr Chida sourced some polystyrene fruit boxes from a local fruit market and hessian bags from the local coffee roaster. Re-purposing is a great way to contribute to sustainability. If you are interested in learning more about making a simple worm farm, you can follow these links to Gardening Australia.

Year 8

The students participated in the “sticky dogs” activity which required them to create a “designer” dog. The population of dogs was then tested against environmental changes. Sadly, not all the dogs survived, which demonstrated the challenges faced by many species currently. 

 

 

Year 9

The Year 9s took part in an escape room challenge that focussed on species survival and conservation. Students watched a video about a fictional wildlife conservation park. The conservation scientist explained the important role of conservation work in the survival of vulnerable species, they hear and see a stampede of animals. They notice that some cheeky monkeys have deactivated the park's power, allowing the endangered species to escape! Students had to restore power to the park gates by completing eight challenges related to the science behind conservation work and the survival of species and then entering the eight codes into the simulation.

 

 

Year 10

Students had the opportunity to take part in online Masterclasses run by the University of Melbourne.

 

Monday’s masterclass introduced them to the concepts of superbugs, with particular reference to tuberculosis becoming resistant to antibiotics.

 

Wednesday’s masterclass was titled, How to catch a coconut cracking rat, which detailed the search for a new species of arboreal rat.

 

 

Other Year 10 students attended an event held by GTAC and the University of Melbourne for students interested in the biomedical sciences. https://gtac.edu.au/events-calendar/biomedical-sciences-day/ 

 

Our students had the opportunity to:

  • Work alongside young scientists to learn about their research, and use light, fluorescence, or electron microscopes to capture images that highlight their discoveries. 
  • Explore the Harry Brookes Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology which has one of Australia's largest collections of real human tissue specimens and historical anatomical models.
  • Experience the Biomedical Sciences Digital Learning Hub where they held a virtual reality heart to learn about its anatomy.
  • Meet University of Melbourne biomedical sciences student representatives and learn about the three departments within the School of Biomedical Sciences as they discuss how each department has a role in exploring the body.

 

Whole College - Astronomy

Our college has two new astronomy-related murals, with the sun and planets drawn at a 1:200 million scale. One shows the sizes of planets in the solar system, and the other shows the distance of the planets from the sun. 

 

During National Science Week, students coloured in the planets and the sun with coloured chalk. The planets were coloured in with realistic colours, whereas the sun was coloured in using traditional Aboriginal themes and motifs. The murals were created thanks to a grant that our school received from the Australian Science Teachers’ Association and we thank them for their support.


7A Boomerangs

Our Year 7 students recently tackled an exciting project on boomerangs, exploring them as examples of simple machines. For this hands-on activity, the students crafted boomerangs from a template, adding their own designs.  The project not only enhanced their understanding of physics but also connected them with the rich history of innovation by Indigenous Australians.