Science Education

🧪️ STEM Job of the fortnight:

Chemist

Chemists study the physical and chemical properties of materials to determine their composition and use this information to develop new materials and products, to devise more efficient processes for making materials and to increase scientific knowledge. Chemists should not be confused with pharmacists. 

🗼STEM MAD Digital Showcase October 27, 2020

STEM M (Make) A D (Difference)

This year the Catholic Education STEM MAD Competition went digital due to COVID-19. 

During remote learning in term 3, all year 3-6 students worked in teams on a design thinking project to cure COVID bored. 

27 students were selected from Years 4-6 to attend the digital showcase day on Tuesday, October 27. The day included winner announcements, keynote speakers, STEM competitions, and much more. St Raphael's students won the virtual padlock/maths challenge and were runners up in the spaghetti tower competition. 

I just wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the wonderful achievements of some of our Year 5/6 students who were selected to enter the STEM MAD showcase in 2020.  Year 5 students Connie, Stella, Gessica and Giordana's Science Themed Spot Game, engineered and designed to improve well-being during COVID 19 was announced as a finalist in the CEM Executive Director’s Award for demonstrating the Catholic Ethos. Year 6 students Maya, Carla and Keeley's projects were also shortlisted and deserve a huge congratulations. 

Please see below, Odessa's (Year 4) reflection of the 2020 STEM MAD Digital Showcase.

Are you STEM MAD?

By Odessa D’Lasselle

STEM mad doesn’t mean you’re crazy about science, although, it really helps if you are!

STEM MAD is a Science Technology Engineering & Math competition, which involves lots of primary snd secondary school students around Victoria, participating in STEM challenges that boggle the mind. This year four Grade 4 students joined our Grade 5 & 6 students in the fun that is STEM MAD. Usually, this Competition is held in the City, but this year was a little different. Students from all over Victoria and New South Wales joined in the FUN via a live web link and the four challenges kept us thinking, inventing, building, and creating all day.

Some students are St Raphael's were finalists in the digital showcase. The Students were all judged in some of the 4 categories:

Wellbeing

Creativity

Disability & 

Math

A team of 4 St Raphael's students in grade 5, were the finalists in the Wellbeing section.

During the day, we all participated in STEM challenges. 

The first challenge was a Code Cracker; it was all about math. To unlock the padlock on the envelope, we had to choose a combination of 4 numbers that added up to 12. In the envelope, there were jelly beans (the code was 1236)

The second challenge asked us to build a Spaghetti and Clay Tower which had to stand on its own for 3 minutes, topped with a marshmallow.

The third challenge was The Hogwarts Digital Escape Room. This was an online challenge where we had to solve lots of math riddles.

Finally, the fourth challenge saw us assembling a Mars Rover, which was made out of recycled materials and powered by a balloon.

All the activities got us to work as a team to problem solve; trying to come up with new ways of looking at how things were structured and powered.

We got to meet Professors of STEM and Students from Monash University who were studying to be all kinds of scientists and engineers. It was a fantastic day and I learned so much about how STEM is in every part of our lives. I am aspiring to be an engineer. 

🎩 Year Foundation: That's My Hat!

🧫️ Years 3-6: Non-newtonian stir thickening fluid

❄️ Delivering milk bottles to school!

A big thank you to all the students who have been collecting milk bottles. Students can deliver all their clean milk bottles to the STEM/Music space during the remainder of term 4. We will aim to build the Igloo during term 1 2021. 

Please ensure all milk bottles and lids are thoroughly washed with detergent.

📧 Contact Details

Patty Luna:   pluna@srprestonwest.catholic.edu.au

Please note, I will respond to emails Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm.