John Monash Science School

PFA and Amateur Radio event

PFA

Thank you to every one who assisted at the VCE Parent forum last week. A cuppa is always welcome after work. It was a very informative and helpful evening with some great speakers.

 

Our last PFA meeting was an extremely useful planning time with lots of new suggestions as well as some old favourites. Keep your eyes open for the Entertainment Book and the Bunnings BBQ opportunities.

Please feel free to email ideas and suggestions for events or speakers.

 

The next meeting is Tuesday April 12th 7.00pm.

 

The BIG PFA event that is coming up is HARMONY DAY on Friday 29th April.

We need many volunteers to prepare and cook a BBQ lunch for the 650 students. We start at 10.00am and finish about 2.30pm. We would love to see you for part of the time or the whole day. It is a wonderful opportunity to be part of the JMSS community and see our school in action.

Please email us johnmonashpfa@gmail.com with the time you are available so we can set up a roster.

 

Meredith and Julie

Radio event on Anzac Day 25th April

9am to 4pm at 1st Bentleigh Scout Group Hall, Victory Park, 21 Patterson Road, Bentleigh.

 

Here is the proposed program for the ANZAC day Amateur Radio event that we will be running at the 1st Bentleigh Scout Group

Hall. The program is aimed at young people 6 -16 (ish), but all are welcome - age is no barrier!

 

This family event is for schools, scouts and young aspiring amateur radio enthusiasts:

  • An ANZAC day commemoration
  • BBQ lunch and drinks
  • High Altitude Balloon launch and tracking
  • School Amateur Radio Club displays and demonstrations
  • Scout proficiency badge activities displays and demonstrations
  • Amateur satellite, shortwave, line-of-sight and weak-signal communications
  • Portable and emergency radio communications challenge
  • First aid CPR demonstrations
  • Hidden transmitter hunts

Assemble a radio station for use in a disaster scenario. Prepare youself for Jamboree on the AIR (JOTA) by practicing radio communications, try your hand at Morse Code and learn about some new communications method that can work when all else fails.

 

The High Altitude Balloon launch will be part of the annual Global Space Balloon Challenge. This is a program of Amateur Radio groups, whereby balloons carrying Amateur Radio transmitters are launched, with the goals being highest or greatest distance or longest duration flight. Many balloons carry cameras, and are actively 'chased' to recover the photos. Large balloons get up to 20km high, the one we will be launching should be able to get up to 9km high. It will be tracked in real time on the day.

 

FYI - one Aussie Amateur has had balloons up that are on their 3rd orbit of

the Earth !

 

http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2015/20150116-1/index.php

 

https://www.amateurradio.com.au/news/new-vk-pico-balloon-be-launched

 

Murray Taylor

VK3MJT  - amateur Radio callsign