Science Week

Another whiz-bang science week was held at Cheltenham, with this year's theme being Decoding the Universe. Students took part in special activities in class and various lunchtime activities. 

The week began with a lunchtime competition in the library - a race against extinction - Brains vs Brawn, Teeth vs Teamwork to survive - Fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds or mammals - teams battled to survive as the environment changed around them.

In a cold, wintry week, some students sought shelter from the elements and viewed the Star Wars marathon at lunchtime in the auditorium. Of course, we showed the original one and the best! Lunchtime activities finished with students and teachers displaying their artistic flair and strutting their stuff on the catwalk in decorated lab coats that they had designed themselves. Old lab coats have now been upcycled, and students get to wear theirs until the end of the year. Oliver A from 7C and Ethan H from Year 11 took the big prizes, but all the entries showed imagination and flair. Taylah from 8D has sworn she will be entering again next year and will improve on her design. Ms Peng will be wearing hers proudly in class, and what a spectacular effort she made.

Science students took a break from regular activities, with the Year 7s investigating which seed would be best to grow on the moon; Year 8s doing some kitchen chemistry and looking like they had rabies as they tried their very frothy sherbet. Year 9 students took part in an escape room challenge, and Year 10 students worked out some DNA challenges or designed a marshmallow catapult. Ms Hoy's Year 11 chemistry class learnt some fun new facts in the science trivia and were glad of the break.

The finale for Science Week...well, the week after Science Week was the inaugural Year 7 Astronomy Night. Students and their families were treated to a night of stars by the Astronomical Society of Victoria. Through some very impressive telescopes, they were able to view Mars and various stars and star systems. It was a clear night with the chill being alleviated by the magnificent hot toasties provided by MasterChef Ms Moore, ably assisted by Mr Wang. Our fearless principal, Mr Russell, tended the campfire where students could warm themselves and toast marshmallows. Tea, coffee, milo and even popcorn made this event a real treat, and the science department put on a great show. The event couldn't have gone ahead without the assistance and planning skills of Mrs Smith and Ms Hargreaves in the office. Mr Rigby determined that the school's telescope was really just suitable as a decoration in the physics room, and Ms O’Brien and Mr Chan helped out wherever they were needed. The event was recorded by photographer extraordinaire, Ms Peng. It was great to see staff from other domains attend the event (and scoff the toasties), and the night was pronounced a great success. Stay tuned for next year, which promises to be even more spectacular!