Specialist Team News

Visual Arts 

What a term! This week and next we will be wrapping up our final artworks. Our Dr. Suess Balloons in Foundation are looking amazing, our Junior School Realistic Owls are ready to be hung up, Middle School 'Fantastic Felines' are nearly complete and the Senior School watercolour Flamingos and Giraffes are just stunning!

Next term we move onto learning about new mentor artists and working with a new media for each level. We will also be creating artworks to celebrate Anzac Day and Mother's Day. 

Term 2 in Visual Arts

Foundation will be manipulating materials in different ways to create three dimensional sculptures and collages. We will be taking inspiration from Alexander Calder and Henri Matisse. 

Junior School will create a number of artworks with interesting line and texture. We will explore the process of printmaking and look at works from Robert Indiana. 

Middle School will be exploring textiles and will be designing and constructing their own monster after reading mentor text 'The Monster Machine'. Students will use simple patterns to help cut out designs, learn a variety of stitches and when best to use them and explore different ways to join materials. 

Senior School will create a sculpture based on Pablo Picasso and Alexander Calder's 3D artworks. They will design and create a wire armature on a wooden base.

Bec Bertrand

(Visual Arts Teacher)

Science

This week saw the ever-popular once a term special event of the Scientist in Schools program. Our school works in a partnership with the CSIRO to bring a community scientist into schools. Kilsyth works with Michael Turner who is an avid scientist. This term our focus was on Biological Sciences.

Foundation students enjoyed working with Michael on their investigation of how animals stay alive by breathing. The students simulated lungs by using balloons and had a competition to see how long each could hold their breath! I must say we have some students with amazing lung capacity! They also saw the physical effects of their breath by breathing onto a mirror and observed fog on its surface.

Junior School students had a lot of fun playing a quiz to discover whether a small animal was an insect or something else. Using their prior knowledge they were very successful and I'm sure Mr Turner was very impressed! After that, the students tested each other by playing a specially made version of the game, Guess Who, which focused on all the small animals and their physical features that students have been investigating throughout the term.

Middle School students continued their focus on the plant lifecycle and what keeps them alive. Mr Turner introduced a specific focus on how plants transport water in their systems. Using celery and carnation flowers immersed in a food dye the students investigated that transport system. Using the dye was a very visible indicator of what is called capillary action. Students then drew some detailed scientific drawings of the cross-section of the celery and included the cells that transport the water.

Senior School students showed fantastic stamina as they immersed themselves in a Martian landscape! Mars is a desert planet and surviving there would prove tricky at best. Students were challenged to think about how they could design a biosphere to allow survival on Mars. They had to think about how they could take everything they needed up there and how they could generate more food and build the biosphere on the planet. It was great to see such an innovative design thinking from the students. 

In Term 2 we will move into Chemical Sciences. This field is a lot of fun with a lot of hands-on investigations in the planning.

These are the topics of investigation.

Foundation: What's It Made Of?

Junior School: Bend It! Stretch It!

Middle School: Melting Moments

Senior School: What's the Matter?

Kind Regards,

Jane Seemann

Ethics, Global Studies and Indonesian

Well it has been a very interesting time in the world- how great is it that we teach Global Studies and Ethics at Kilsyth P.S. The older students are seeing the issues that are happening first hand and love to give me daily updates. They are discussing the ethical issues involving the people storing up on essential items. Is it right or wrong? Can it be both right and wrong? Why is it happening? Such interesting discussions, the answers are not so clear cut. Just as well there is no right and wrong answer in these classes, just evidence to support your ideas and an ability to really listen to other students views.

Seniors- In a more formal aspect of class, the senior students have been looking at first impressions. Are they always right? They have also started looking at refugees and what makes a person flee their country.

Middle- The middle students have been looking at probability and have started researching Kenya. The students are learning to research more deeply and not just getting the first answer they see from Google. They are learning to make their answers true, interesting and written in their own words.

Junior- Our students have been looking at Fairy Tales and the meanings behind them. Is there a moral/ethical message? What is it?

Foundation- Our students have continued looking at good and bad. Is everything only ever good or bad or can something bad also be good and vice versa.

Next Term

Seniors- We will be looking at human rights, identity and celebrations around the world. In Indonesian the students will be learning new vocabulary related to the body.

Middle- We will be looking at self identity, right and wrong and doing something for the greater good. In Indonesian the students will be learning new vocabulary related family and self.

Junior- We will be looking at how our decisions impact the way both we and others feel. Further, we will be looking at schools in other counties. In Indonesian the students will be learning new vocabulary related to feelings and school.

Foundation- We will be looking at families from other cultures and how our feelings change in different situations. In Indonesian the students will be learning new vocabulary related to families and feelings.

Harmony Day

Do not forget to wear orange this Tuesday in celebration of Harmony Day. I will be wearing orange all week because I love the meaning behind the day so much. I am looking forward to celebrating a great day of fun and meaningful activities with all the students during the week.

Kym Wallace