STEM in Action: Designing to Make a Difference
Gather Day Fun in STEM
On Thursday September 10th, we held our Term 3 Gather Day, always a highlight for me, as I get to watch students use their design and creative thinking skills through LEGO. Students began by choosing their own multi‑age groups, each made up of three students from different year levels. We then spun the wheel to reveal each team’s theme. The Einsteins landed on Fun Fairytales, the Davincis received In the Jungle, the Bartys got Sport! and the Perfects were given Outer Space.
Students spent time discussing ideas that matched their theme before having 20 minutes to design and build their best LEGO creations. Anna, our amazing LSO, took on the role of “Brickman” from LEGO Masters and had the very tough job of selecting the top three builds from each team. I was so impressed by the quality of the creations, the collaboration within groups and the way our older students stepped up to lead and support their teams.
A special well‑done to our newest student, Jeronimo, for giving it a go and working so well with his group. I hope you enjoyed your first LEGO challenge at COHR.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the Parents’ Association for their ongoing support of the STEM program and for allowing me to purchase new LEGO kits for our students. Their generosity makes days like this possible.
Looking forward to our final Gather Day in Term 4 - hmm, I wonder what the theme might be for this day?
Enjoy the holidays everyone!
Ms T
Look at our wonderful STEM LEGO creations! These fantastic creations were designed and built by our students during Gather Day, showcasing their creativity, teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Ambassador Highlights
Check out the official i sea i care Term 3 Newsletter, brought to you by the Dolphin Research Institute and read all about COHR’s whole school World Oceans Day event, which has been proudly featured in the official newsletter!
What a wonderful achievement! A huge congratulations to our very own ISIC Coordinator Ms Taylor and our i sea i care Ambassadors, Jasper, Alba, Imogen and Henry from Grade 5 for helping COHR make waves in ocean education. Your passion and commitment to protecting our oceans is making a real difference. Well done!
We would like to thank Ms Taylor for her initiative and passion for STEM and for creating opportunities for our students to engage in meaningful, hands-on learning experiences.
5/6 STEM Excursion
Our 5/6 students have had a wonderful two days of hands-on STEM learning, with 5/6GN attending on Monday and 5/6CN attending on Wednesday. Students designed and built their own prosthetic hands, using the engineering design process to create a hand capable of picking up small objects. This allowed them to explore how engineering can improve accessibility and inclusion.
Students also took part in a LEGO Spike Prime robotics workshop, where they learnt about coding, engineering and robotics. They programmed LEGO robots to move and respond to instructions, experimenting with loops, conditional statements, colour sensors and ultrasonic sensors. It was fantastic to see students working collaboratively, testing their ideas, solving problems and making improvements along the way.
The experience concluded with a Women in STEM Kahoot, celebrating the students’ learning and highlighting the contribution of women in STEM. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to be creative, curious and confident problem-solvers while experiencing STEM learning in a university environment.
