STEM News

Dear fellow scientists,

We’d like to welcome everyone back to Term 4, and we’re excited to jump into more fun and engaging STEM activities!

Prep students are identifying and naming the different ways humans and animals move their bodies. Through fun activities, discussions, and movement games, they are exploring actions such as walking, jumping, crawling, slithering, flying, and swimming. 

Grade 1 students are learning to use ScratchJr to create a picture of our Earth. Working with a partner, they created a background and added a character that moves to illustrate the natural features we have on Earth.  Watch this video on ScratchJr Coding Lesson 1 | How to Make Character Move | Free Programming Lesson 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5XiZpzWcNc&list=PLh-lE4JDTAZaqPLNqe4VqF4X4F5H_BLlZ 

Grade 2 students are working in groups, taking turns, and collaborating to create and follow an algorithm that moves a Bee-Bot from one location to another. They are learning to plan their steps carefully, test their code, and make changes when needed to achieve their goal. 

All Grade 2 classes participated in an incursion this week with Ainslee from Ecolinc. Students learned how recycled paper is made and had the opportunity to create their own piece to take home, choosing their favourite colour for their paper-making activity.

Grade 3 students have been learning about how night and day occur on Earth. They have been identifying the key features of night and day, exploring why these phenomena occur, and demonstrating their understanding through annotated drawings. Students have been able to explain the Earth's movement in relation to the Sun and communicate their ideas clearly, demonstrating great curiosity and engagement in their learning. Watch this video on day and night: https://www.clickview.net/primary/videos/53696435/day-and-night?tocId=transcript 

Grade 4 students have been completing an investigation to test different materials for a spinner axle in a board game. They carefully tested which axle material worked best, recorded their results in a table, and analysed their findings to determine whether their predictions were correct. Students also reflected on their testing process and evaluated how the investigation could have been made fairer, demonstrating critical thinking and a scientific approach to problem-solving.

Grade 5 students are creating their very own revision books to consolidate their prior physics learning. As part of this project, they are revisiting key concepts such as light sources, how shadows are formed, how sound travels, and the difference between contact and non-contact forces. This activity not only supports their scientific understanding but also encourages collaboration, as students work with a partner to organise, illustrate and explain their ideas clearly. https://www.clickview.net/primary/videos/80352437/spot-the-shadows 

Grade 6 students are identifying the features of different environments and learning to distinguish between a habitat and an ecosystem. They are also exploring the features within various ecosystems that can affect the survival of living things. Watch this video on ecosystems: https://www.clickview.net/au/primary/videos/7334501/ecosystems 

Australian STEM Video Game Challenge 2025

This year, some of our grade 5 students spent two terms creating video games using the Scratch coding platform in an after-school club and submitted their games into the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge.  While they did not get through to the third round, the Goated Guyz (Nalan and Tejas) scored very well and received high praise from their judge for their game ‘The Adventures of Blocky’.  This group created their own music and enthusiastically, cooperatively and patiently coded an amazing platformer game.  We are so proud of all of the students who submitted games and wish them luck with their future entries to the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge!

Click the links for a preview of our students’ entries.

The Adventures of Blocky – Nalan (5H) and Tejas (5D)

Super Cat Hero – Akshaj (5H) and Ayan (5H)

Rocky Collectors of Space – Sanvi (5I) and Riomi (5B)

The Forest Adventure – Keya (5D)

The Legend of Shadow – Keola (5J), Jonathan (5E) and Avyukth (5E)

The Legendary Trio – Krivi (5I), Riaan (5C) and Tanish (5C)

                                                                                  STEM Team