Secondary School News

Dean of Teaching and Learning, Kathy Paul

The Science and Technology Departments have been busy this term implementing a range of new STEM initiatives to engage, extend and enrich our students in order to ‘future proof’ them for the skills they will need for life beyond school. Guided by the principles of creativity, curiosity and collaboration, students from Years 8 – 12 have been actively engaged in activities which harness and integrate science, technology, innovation and knowledge.

Year 8 Energy Efficient Homes – Real World Design 

During the Term 4 Physics course, our Year 8 Science students have been investigating different forms of energy, including chemical energy, gravitational potential energy, elastic energy and heat energy. They have conducted experiments to observe how energy can be transferred or transformed within different systems. Through this project, the Year 8s have obtained first-hand experience of the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) and applied their knowledge of the Physics of energy (heat) transfer to the real world (energy efficient housing). Students have applied their knowledge of energy transformations to design and build their own energy efficient model homes. Working in teams, they had to research energy efficient home design, draw a house plan and then use their plan to accurately build their model home. Teams have had to incorporate their understanding of the heat transfer methods, conduction, convection and radiation to ensure that their house meets the design brief and remains within a strict budget. Students have enjoyed this STEAM-based challenge, applying their Maths, Science and Design skills, and have been very surprised to learn just how expensive it is to build a new home!  

The students’ comments below are testament to the skills they have developed through this ‘real-world’ project and the fun they have had working in teams to design a house.

“It was fun to do because it allowed us to collaborate with a teammate about how to design an energy efficient house.” - Emily 8.1

“I think the energy Efficient houses have been a major success for all Year 8 students. We have all learned new skills or improved skills such as communication, distributing ideas, listening skills and others. I think my group has done lots of talking, taking in new information and learnt a lot about each other, more than we would outside class.” – Lily 8.3

“We really enjoyed putting our ideas together and creating something that reflects both of us.” - Lucy 8.1

“We enjoyed having a productive time with our friends and making the project.” – Daniella 8.2

“I enjoyed drawing the floor plan, because I got to make my own house from scratch.” – Thomas 8.2

“I found that it was really interesting making the houses because we were able to see the cost of each product including power and water billing.“ Chase 8.3

“The energy-efficient home was difficult but I found it fun to make the homes and learn about all the new energy-efficient ways we can keep ourselves hot in Winter and cold in Summer.” Abdul 8.3

“I have really enjoyed working on this energy efficient house and enjoyed working with my friends on this project. Building the house is kind of a challenge with the measuring and the placement but we ended up figuring it out and it has been a fun experience.” – Kyle 8.3”

Esports comes to JWACS

Students in Year 9 have been battling it out this term to see who is the Esports champion of John Wollaston. The Esports competition is far more than students playing computer games. It is founded on a strong understanding of Digital Citizenship and exemplary sportsmanship. In addition, students learn about cyber safety with an emphasis on their digital wellbeing and develop their teamwork skills. 

Students are supporting Rocket League, the game of choice, with immense enthusiasm. There are 11 Esports teams of 2 students each, and as the week has progressed, the teams have been eliminated down to the semi-finals. This week has seen the remaining teams compete for a place in the finals, which will be held this Thursday in the Babbage classroom. There has been a strong audience component and the competitors have enjoyed being cheered on and supported by their peers. 

We look forward to hearing of the results of the Esports competition this term and to further Esports competitions next year.

Year 9 Science Challenge – SPIRIT Image Competition

The Year 9 Science Challenge class has recently participated in a series of Astrophotography incursions and have developed images to be submitted to the SPIRIT Image of the Year competition. 

The School has forged a partnership with The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) to explore programming and imaging with SPIRIT telescopes.  This project centres around some very large, research quality telescopes which can be accessed and programmed online. 

Melissa Van Dam from The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) has been working with the Science Challenge class to show them how to program the SPIRIT telescopes to acquire light images of very distant space objects including nebula and galaxies. In addition, she has been teaching the students to process the image files using photoshop so that they accurately represent the colours and luminosity of these amazing objects.  

Overall, the students have produced beautiful images which reflect their interest and enthusiasm for the project. Winning images in the competition will be displayed as part of the Astrofest Astrophotography Exhibition and we look forward to hearing news of our Science Challenge students success in this competition in the future.

Year 11 and 12 Remote Pilot Licence Program 

We are very pleased to report that John Wollaston has nine new Year 11 and 12 professional drone pilots this year. All Year 11 and 12 students successfully completed the Remote Pilot (RePL) qualification and are now fully certified professional drone pilots and are able to work in this expanding and dynamic industry. 

The students found this a challenging and rewarding program, with some planning on doing further study in this field as part of their future career pathway. To achieve this qualification, pilots had to score at least 85% on an externally set Civil Aviation Safety Authority theory examination and then pass a practical exam under the watchful eye of a drone professional.

Congratulations and happy flying to our new professional drone pilots.

Best wishes for the remainder of Term 4.

Kathryn Paul

Dean of Teaching and Learning