Shine the Light
Foundation
Do you recognise this student?
Indira has developed a genuine passion for running, particularly through participating in Parkrun throughout the winter months. She consistently asks to attend Parkrun regardless of weather conditions—rain, hail, or shine.
Today, we Shine the Light on Indira for her upcoming 10th Parkrun, a milestone that truly exemplifies determination.
Over this relatively short period, Indira has made remarkable progress, improving her time by five minutes from when she first started at the tender age of 5!
Congratulations, Indira - continue to Let Your Light Shine!
Year 4
Last week, the Year 4 cohort enjoyed an excursion to Moonee Valley City Council, Queen’s Park, and the Moonee Ponds Police Station! Students embraced every experience and wrote reflections, putting their learning about rules and laws into practice.
Year 3, 5 & 6
Engineers without Borders
Students in Year 3, 5 and 6 recently took part in the Safe Structures Workshop with Engineers Without Borders. The session introduced how engineers design buildings to withstand natural disasters, highlighting concepts such as sustainable development and appropriate technology. Working in teams, students planned, budgeted and built their own “safe structures” from everyday materials, testing them against simulated natural disasters. It was an engaging, hands-on experience that encouraged teamwork, problem-solving and creativity.
Year 6
Scienceworks Design Sprints
On August 6, our STEAM and Library Captains attended the Design Sprint at Scienceworks. The event was held in the old Pumping Station with two other schools, including Grade 6 and secondary students. The focus was circuits.
We began by experimenting with circuits, lighting bulbs and buzzers. Jess even created a parallel circuit with one battery and two bulbs. Guest speaker Josie, a mechatronics engineer, shared her work on robotic dinosaurs and a moving Elmo chair. In the Lightning Room, Maeve bravely became a conductor of electricity!
In the design challenge, students created their own electronic games. Lukas, Miller and Wally built a basketball hoop game that triggered lights and buzzers. Maeve and Jess designed a guessing game where the correct door lit up blue.
It was a fun and inspiring day of science, technology and creativity!
On September 3rd, our STEAM and Library Captains attended the second Design Sprint at Scienceworks. The focus this time was on transportation.
We began the day with a city planning activity, arranging 3D models of buildings and spaces to design a well-functioning city. In the Lightning Theatre, we explored electromagnetic energy and how it powers transport such as trains. Guest speakers from the Metro Tunnel then inspired us with real-world examples and we were able to ask lots of questions about the project.
The final challenge was to design new forms of transport for specific users. Maeve and Jess created a wildlife crossing over a river for animals, while Miller, Wally and Lukas designed a skatepark crossing for teenagers with scooters and skateboards.
It was a creative day of problem-solving and innovation!
