Junior Secondary 

Wonder Days

Wonder week is all about Junior Secondary embracing all things WONDER-ful about STEM! This year our Year 7s explored the universe by entering into a Space Dome set up in the gym and our Year 8s became Lego Masters with a visit from Ryan Evans of the recent Grand Masters TV series! The lab was also alive as Mr Ellis and the students explored the unusual properties of dry ice and finished with a bang!

Here's what some students had to say:

The Discovery Dome was a thrilling and highly 3D experience. This science incursion was a really great interactive way to make our topic of the sun, moon and earth more fun and engaging. So thank you to all our teachers for organising this!

India, Year 7

I think it was so fascinating to watch and experience. It was so amazing to step through the pillow door and step into another world. I love that we got taught all about the sun, moon and stars and I am so grateful that we got this experience.

 Leni, Year 7

The dome was an amazing experience. Laying down and looking up at the planets and displays was stunning and calming. 

Isy, Year 7

The Lego Masters workshop was so much fun, we got to meet a real Lego Master who gave us challenges to do. The challenges we did were the tallest tower, in which we had to make a tower at least 1 metre tall and the one hanging brick, where we had to make something to hang on a string by one brick. I loved it.

Ollie, Year 8

Lego Master was a blast. It was very exciting to see someone from Lego Masters. First we built a 2 metre tall tower and ours had the biggest base so it was the strongest. Then we built a 1 metre long bridge. Ours was long enough but we didn't know there was going to be a twist. They put weights on our build and ours collapsed at 2Kg.

Riley, Year 8

During Wonder week, at the science lab was a bunch of dry ice experiments, such as putting dry ice in a test tube then pour some hot water into it and quickly put a balloon on top, and it would inflate! Near the end of the lesson, we put five pieces of dry ice into a large bottle, then poured hot water into the bottle, and put the cap on quickly. We waited a while, but it didn't explode, so we tried a smaller bottle, and the explosion was so loud! During the quarter after that, the large bottle blew up, and I heard it all the way from my class!

Levi, Year 8

Big problems, Bigger God

Last term, in Year 8 Humanities, the students conducted research into what factors make a place livable. After studying some 'push' and 'pull' factors of various places around the world, the students realised just how blessed we are to live in a country like Australia. Australia has many pull factors that make it a desirable place to live and very few push factors. 

Inevitably, when undertaking such studies, students are confronted with information that can be very disheartening. What is our response to situations that are beyond our control but where people are in circumstances that are unlivable? Sometimes this can feel overwhelming. How wonderful it is to know that no matter how big the problem seems, God is bigger still! From some of the research students conducted, we created a list of prayer points specific to the various places we had studied. As a class, we have spent time praying for these places and asking God to intervene where we feel powerless.

This term the Year 8 students are taking a closer look at Global Issues and working in groups to develop a response to bring positive change to the world. It will be interesting to see which issues they select and the responses they create to address them. Through these studies, our deep hope is that students will learn to empathise, understand and respond to the current issues impacting our world.

Sue de Pyle

Year 8 Teacher & Coordinator