Killara Schools Partnership

Maths Workshop

On Monday 31 May and Tuesday 2 June, we had some very eager Year 4 girls come to Killara High School to engage in a lesson about ‘Fractals’ – patterns that keep going and going. They learnt interesting facts about fractals and were shown pictures of them that occur in real life. Some of these were in trees, ferns and even the Eiffel Tower. At first, working in groups of about 4-6 they created their own fractal patterns, continuing from a starting shape. 

After this introduction to the topic, the students learnt about the Sierpinski Triangle by colouring in their own. Afterwards, the Year 10 students helped the Year 4 girls in creating their own Sierpinski triangles with toothpicks and mini marshmallows, which were combined in larger triangular pyramids with a hole in the centre. These were tricky to put together as they tended to fall apart.

The feedback was all positive from the young learners with comments like “that was the best maths lesson I’ve ever had”. Great thanks to Ms Ali, Mrs Nath, Ms Zhang and Ms Dixon for running such a successful and beneficial experience for both the Year 4 and Year 10 students involved.

Eva V

Year 10

Sustainability Video Conference

On Tuesday 8 June, the Year 8 members of the SJC, Elliot D, Dong K, Keeva O, Noam S and Ethan Y, participated in a video conference, along with many other primary schools. These included Beaumont Road, Lindfield East, Lindfield, Roseville, Gordon East and Killara Public Schools. The topic of this conference was ‘How can sustainability be increased in schools?’. Everyone had incredible ideas to share with each other.

One idea that was mentioned a lot recycling, as it is a well-known and impactful way to increase sustainability. The reason this is a great path to sustainability is because it stops much of our waste from being sent to landfill or deposited into the ocean. It is also an incredibly easy thing to do in schools, as it doesn’t require much funding or thinking on behalf of students or teachers. The only things needed are a few bins.

Another topic that we came across, was eliminating our most common pieces of rubbish, one of which is soy sauce packets. These small plastic fish shaped containers and red lids are often seen choking birds around the school and washing up in our oceans. One school had their school leaders on a roster walking around at lunchtimes with a large bottle of soy sauce, and giving it to students in small biodegradable containers. Another school has a reward for students who hand in the small red caps to a teacher, who then keeps them until there are enough to recycle.

Finally, the idea that is the most sustainable is solar panels. Although expensive, solar panels have the most impact out of any of our methods, as they eliminate much of our greenhouse gas emissions, and slow global warming. 

Overall it was a great experience that enlightened us all about sustainability. We would like to thank Ms Dixon and Ms Zolezzi for organising this amazing event.

By Elliot D

Year 8