Secondary News
Stage 5 Future Made Industry Tours Story
St Philomena’s was invited to join a Future Made Industry Tour which was organised by the Department of Education alongside local manufacturing and engineering businesses. 9 students joined other schools from the Moree area to learn from the business owners and employees about the industry, including the type of machinery, skills and career opportunities that exist within that field. It was a great opportunity to talk to industry professionals and for students to see the various career progression opportunities.
Spring Has Sprung at the Ag Plot!
Spring weather has brought a burst of energy to our school ag plot! Students across all year levels have been rolling up their sleeves, getting their hands dirty, and taking advantage of the warm sunshine to kick off a busy growing season.
Our Year 8 ag tech students have been hard at work tending to their garden beds. They are keeping busy every day watering, weeding, and carefully planting a variety of seeds and seedlings. It has been wonderful watching them take ownership of their patches as the first green shoots begin to pop up.
Our Year 9/10 Elective Agriculture students have stepped into high gear to prepare the main plots for the upcoming summer months:
- Soil Enrichment: Tilling the soil and working in rich organic matter to boost nutrient levels for heavy-feeding crops.
- Summer Planting: Laying the groundwork to grow cotton, sorghum, sunflowers, and corn.
- Coop Duty: Keeping the little ag plot running smoothly, including gathering fresh eggs, feeding and cleaning the coop.
Curiosity in Action: Year 9 Independent Science Tasks
Our Year 9 science students are officially underway with their Independent Science Research Tasks, exploring real-world questions driven entirely by their personal interests. To answer their big questions, students are either conducting original first-hand investigations or undertaking deep dives into secondary research sources.
Hands-On Investigations
Students running practical experiments are gathering their own data and putting everyday claims to the test:
- Energy Drinks & Dental Health: Measuring the pH levels of popular energy drinks to evaluate their acidity and potential corrosive impact on tooth enamel.
- Battery Longevity: Testing various household battery brands under controlled conditions to determine which ones truly last the longest.
Secondary Research & Deep Dives
Students exploring complex global and historical phenomena are analysing scientific literature, data trends, and peer-reviewed studies:
- AI & the Environment: Investigating the hidden energy consumption and resource footprint required to power modern artificial intelligence models.
- Climate Change: Examining global environmental data and evaluating the effectiveness of emerging climate solutions.
- Prehistoric Extinctions: Analysing competing scientific evidence from asteroid impacts to intense volcanic activity to understand what caused the fall of the dinosaurs.
Building Lifelong Skills
Whether measuring liquid acidity in the lab or synthesising research papers at home, students are refining critical scientific skills: controlling variables, evaluating source bias, and backing up their conclusions with evidence.
