Learning Across the
Senior School
Happy National Science Week!
Patterns exist everywhere in nature. From the spirals of seashells and galaxies, to the veins of a leaf that flow like a miniature river system or the complex, invisible rules that govern the way that flocks of birds move together. Once we recognise these patterns in nature, science leads us to explore them and create knowledge that we use to understand them. In doing so, we create opportunities to explore further, and ask more questions!
The theme for this year’s National Science Week has been Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language. Our students at Loreto are doing this every day – whether exploring forces and gravity, the communication systems in our bodies or the logical way that atoms interact with each other through chemical reactions. and asking Why? Science thrives on curiosity, creativity and the courage to venture into the unknown.
This spirit of discovery has been on full display through student participation in the Big Science Competition, the Chemistry Olympiad, and the Oliphant Science Awards. The college was well represented in the Oliphant Science Awards with over 30 superb projects created for judging in the state-wide competition. Congratulations to Linyi H (Year 6) and Grace C (Year 11) whose projects are among the high-quality prize-winning entries and to those receiving Highly Commended recognition – Allegra D (Year 2), Harriet E & Millie G (Year 4), Minny W & Giselle S (Year 7).
As National Science Week draws to a close, remember Science isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about having the courage to ask the next question. So keep exploring. Keep questioning. And keep decoding the universe, one idea at a time.
Dr Alison Thompson
Leader of Science
Year 7 Science: Exploring Forces
Our Year 7 Science students enjoyed observing a range of forces in action in our Exploring Forces Unit recently. They were required to record the changes in the motion, direction or shape of an object whilst performing the specific task and to determine what produced the force. Using a reverse functioning vacuum cleaner to balance a table tennis ball, or two, or three, was the highlight! There was also 'A Fraction Too Much Friction' in the laboratory as the girls moved a wooden block across varying surfaces.
Year 9 Science: Body Coordination
Creating a 'brain cap' and a model of a nerve cell when exploring ways in which the nervous system responds to changes in the external and internal environments was certainly a relaxing and fun activity for our Year 9 Science students, yet also creatively reinforced aspects of the Body Coordination Unit being taught.
Dissecting the lamb's brain highlighted how delicate brain tissue actually is. The girls have also enjoyed working with all the senses, including walking whilst being blindfolded and feeling one toothpick when two are actually pressing on the skin!
Patty Warrender
Biology/Science Teacher
Mary Ward Connect Loreto Normanhurst: student reflections
In week 2, myself, Scarlett, Hennie, Charlotte, Grace, Rose, Lucy, and Charlotte along with Ms Baldwin & Ms Grech travelled to Loreto Normanhurst for the weeklong Mary Ward Connect trip. On this trip, we fostered new connections with girls from both Ballarat and Normanhurst and explored the city of Sydney.
Ruby B
On Tuesday, we arrived at the Adelaide airport at 7:15, where we also met up with the girls who were travelling to Ballarat. We then parted ways, as we went to check in and find our way to our gate, as well as grab a snack before we went onto our plane. Our trip to Sydney took about 2 hours, and we arrived at the Sydney Airport at around 11am. Here, we decided to buy a pack of cards, and played a variety of card games together, as we waited until it was time for us to travel to Loreto Normanhurst. We were all very excited to meet and connect with other Loreto schools.
Scarlett F
Once we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the other Loreto girls and taken on a tour of the campus by the Normanhurst students. We were amazed at how different their school was compared to ours as they had a different unform, bigger campus and more house teams with different names. After the tour, we were officially welcomed by the principal, Miss Ugonotti. Later, we all gathered for a BBQ dinner, which was a great opportunity to get to know one another. It was the great way to end our first evening before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Hennie H
On our second day, we learnt a lot about the connections between the Loreto schools. Despite never meeting each other, we all bonded over comparing the similarities and differences within our own lives. Many of these differences at Normanhurst included their 8 schoolhouses, each divided into homerooms. Together they share weekly prayers and meetings within their houses, and we noticed the same passion that our school promotes. We shared stories about our Loreto traditions, activities and our daily routines. The Loreto spirit is shown throughout all the girls we met. Loreto Normanhurst welcomed us wholeheartedly and made us feel included throughout our trip.
Charlotte K
On Wednesday, we were up at 6:30 for a buffet breakfast before heading off to school, where we were warmly welcomed, especially by the Year 5 and 6 students, who, while curious about the similarities and differences between our schools, were just as passionate about letting us know how much they couldn’t stand their straw hats. We then joined Year 10 Loreto students from around the country on a zoom call for a reflection on being ‘faithful to grace’. Later in the afternoon we took part in a surprisingly intense trivia competition and an even more chaotic game of Normanhurst bench ball, which, as we learned, is very different from how we play it. We ended the night with pizza and a ‘moo-off’, which involved mooing on all fours until someone laughed.
Grace L
On Thursday morning, we arrived at the school and met our buddies to attend their first two classes. It was a great experience joining them and getting a glimpse of how their school day runs. After class, we gathered as a group, all eager to catch the train into the city. Many of the students usually take the train to school every day, which was really interesting for us since we don’t often use trains to get around in Adelaide. The ride was smooth, and it wasn’t long before we were in the centre of Sydney.
Rose P
On Thursday afternoon we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to venture beyond Loreto into the city. We caught the train into the heart of the city and spent the day exploring. Despite the rain that began as we were walking, we stayed positive and continued on, trying to make the most of this amazing experience. We visited the Opera House, took photos by the harbour, walked through the Botanic Gardens and explored St Mary’s Cathedral. Before dinner we went on a ferry ride through the harbour with the Ballarat girls.
Lucy W
To end our experience, we attended Loreto Normanhurst’s Friday morning Mass, which was ran by year 11 students. We then joined our buddies for a lesson, then bid farewell to our newfound friendships. Overall, it was an amazing experience that we are very grateful for. Special thanks to Ms Grech and Ms Baldwin for their tremendous support on the trip, as well as Ms Donnelly and Ms O’Connell for making this experience possible.
Charlotte
