School Highlights (cont'd)
Year 4 online incursion
Francis McGinley, Year 4 Classroom Teacher
Recently, the Victorian State Library played host to a captivating online session which left our Year 4 students spellbound. During the session, students delved into the art of creating unforgettable characters and bringing them to life through mesmerising illustrations.
The students were brilliantly guided by Matt Cosgrove, the author behind Macca the Alpaca and the Epic Fail Tales, and Eva Amores, the talented storyteller of the Worst Week Ever.
The session kicked off with Matt Cosgrove sharing his insights on creating memorable characters. He emphasised the importance of not revealing everything about a character right away. Just like peeling back the layers of an onion, a character's depth should gradually unfold throughout the story, surprising and engaging readers at every turn.
Eva Amores further enhanced the session with her expertise in captivating storytelling. She encouraged the children to surprise their readers by subverting expectations and incorporating unexpected plot twists. By introducing unforeseen challenges or dilemmas, young storytellers can keep their audience engaged and create unforgettable reading experiences.
As the online session progressed, our Year 4s had the opportunity to put their newfound knowledge into practice, creating ‘Macca the Alpaca’ as a pirate character! The excitement in the air was palpable as young imaginations ran wild.
Creating memorable characters and bringing them to life through illustrations is an art form that demands careful craftsmanship. By following the expert guidance of Matt and Eva, the children were equipped with invaluable tools to embark on their own creative journeys.
As the virtual session drew to a close, the children left with a renewed sense of wonder and a burning desire to tell their own stories. Watch out for young authors/illustrators coming out of Year 4 in the future!
Year 11 Chemistry excursion to the University of Melbourne
Louise Macfarlane, Academic Dean of Science
On 16 June, both Unit 2 Chemistry classes embarked on an exciting excursion to the prestigious University of Melbourne.
Students had the chance to perform analytical chemistry experiments on ions found in water samples using the U.V. Visible spectroscopy equipment from the first-year university laboratories.
Students were then taken on a tour of the second-year laboratories for an introduction to the following chemical instruments: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography (GC), Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), and Infrared Spectroscopy (IR).
The tour not only exposed the students to the instruments themselves, but also provided them with valuable insights into the application and significance of the instruments in Unit ¾ chemistry.
Overall, the excursion to the University of Melbourne proved to be an engaging and enriching experience for the Unit 2 Chemistry classes, offering them practical exposure to analytical chemistry experiments and a glimpse into the advanced instruments that will shape their future studies in the field.