Science News

This week, the Science Report is all about CELEBRATION! 

We are celebrating our students for trying new things and extending themselves, often out of their comfort zone. Not all students receive a distinction for sitting Science competitions, but each student who participates learns something. Whether it’s a stimulus in a question that is new or interesting, or they are hoping to improve their ability to answer questions under test questions, it is all a learning experience. Well done to all of our students who participated in any of the Science Competitions during 2022.

Zoo Youth Leadership Program 2022 – Congratulations to Sophie and Caitlin!

Over the course of the last 6 months, we have had the privilege to participate in the 2022 Zoos Victoria Youth Leadership Program, a science based leadership program run for Year 9 and 10 students across Victoria. This experience was shared with a special group of likeminded people. Over 11 days we visited Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, Melbourne’s CBD, St Kilda Beach and Phillip Island. Here, we learnt the ways in which many unique ecosystems are cared for, all while thinking about how we could protect marine animals from soft plastic litter. Our adventure culminated in us pitching our solutions to the campaigns team at Melbourne Zoo. Now, they hope to create a campaign aimed at secondary school aged kids to help reduce litter.

I’m so grateful that I got the opportunity to participate in such an exclusive program. I went into it with a passion for protecting the environment, helping people and excitement to learn new things. Through this program I learnt more about myself as a leader and my love for animals was nurtured. My favourite part was exploring the different leadership styles and visiting places I may never get the opportunity to again. Seeing the seals at Phillip Island was amazing and getting to do activities on St Kilda beach was very insightful. I will use the skills I learnt to help people around me and I will ensure to pass on the knowledge I learnt about conservation to others in my community. I will forever cherish the friendships I have made over the past 6 months and I would encourage people to put their name forward for exciting opportunities such as this one in the future. I’m now inspired to help people see why we should protect our natural environment and looking forward to contributing to the changes I want to see within the school, community, city and the world.

Caitlin (Year 9)

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the Zoos Victoria Youth Leadership Program. During my time at locations throughout Victoria, I met some amazing people who I now consider friends; and learnt so much about both conservation and myself. I became a more confident, motivated and environmentally aware person. What made this time truly special however, was the unique experiences I had along the way. My favourite moment from the program was at Phillip Island, when we travelled on a boat to Seal Rocks, a large colony of Australian Fur Seals. The sight of hundreds of seals on the island and swimming in the water, back dropped by the choppy ocean views was nothing short of incredible. This allowed me to reconnect with my long-time passion for the natural world, which was put on hold in the past few years. To me, this activity sums up the entire program: experiencing the priceless wonders of our environment, being inspired to protect it for future generations, and finally working together to implement change in our behaviour.

Sophie (Year 10)

Our graduation ceremony was held at the Zoo on the last day of Term 3. This was a very special event that our parents and teachers were invited to attend, in which we showcased everything we learned over the program and celebrated our amazing progress. After hearing from several important people, such as the inspirational CEO of Zoos Victoria, Dr Jenny Gray, it was our turn to take to the stage, using the science leadership skills we gained along the way. Together, our group addressed the issue of soft plastic litter in high schools. We are excited to try and implement some of these suggestions at VSC. 

A big thank you to Ms Green for being our support at school and to Mrs Richards who took time out of her day to come to the graduation.

Australian Science Olympiads

This year a small group of students participated in the Junior Science Olympiads – the most challenging of the exams, each student completed a 2 hour exam that covered all aspects of Science. Much of the material had not yet been taught to students and tested their ability to apply their knowledge to new and challenging questions. 

We also had a group of Year 11 students participate the Australian Olympiads. These two hour exams are subject based and VSC had representatives across the disciplines of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. 

Certificates of participation will be distributed to students soon, and I want to thank each of the students for putting themselves outside of their comfort zone to attempt the Olympiads – well done!

Special mention needs to be given to the students that achieved either a High Distinction (placing them in the top 10%) or a Distinction (in the next 20%). 

Year 8:

• Jerrard C – Distinction
• Raki R – Distinction
• Zuomo L  – High Distinction (in the top 50 of all Year 8’s)

Year 9:

• Anisha R – Distinction
• Aden A – Distinction

Year 10:

• Ben S – High Distinction
• Stephanie M – High Distinction

Australian Biology Olympiad Exam:

• Reuben A – Distinction
• Edric C – Distinction 
• Charlotte C – Distinction 

Australian Physics Olympiad Exam:

• Hannah Z – Distinction

Australian Chemistry Olympiad Exam:

• Hannah Z – Distinction 

International Chemistry Quiz Results

The results for the ICQ have finally been released! Thank you for your patience as the organisers were navigating the new results platform. All students will be given a certificate of participation and again I applaud you for having a go at something new, improving your examination skills and putting yourself out there! This exam is not broken up into year levels, but rather “divisions”, therefore for students in Year 7 and 9 they are answering questions that aren’t in their curriculum for at least another year! Well done to all.

Special mention to the following students who received either a Distinction or High Distinction:

Junior Division 1 (ages 12-13):

• Nicholas O – Distinction 

Junior Division 2 (ages 13-14)

• Ashley T – High Distinction
• Zach K – High Distinction
• Jerrard C – Distinction 

Intermediate Division 1 (ages 14-15)

• Clement L – High Distinction
• Aden A – High Distinction
• Anisha R – High Distinction
• Ella D – Distinction 

Intermediate Division 2 (ages 15-16)

• Omkar G – High Distinction

Senior Division (ages 16-17)

• Edric C – Distinction 

Final Division (ages 17-18)

• Ryan C – High Distinction

ICAS Assessment Results 

The ICAS assessments were run during Term 3 and the results are in! The competition questions are set in modern, real-world scenarios where students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. Sitting the competition is an opportunity for students to extend their skills, and recognise their academic performance in a way that others may celebrate achievements in sports or the arts. All students will receive a certificate, but the following group received either a Distinction or High Distinction.

Year 7

• Ryan A – Distinction
• Surya B – Distinction 
• Aarij K – Distinction 
• Ziyaan K – Distinction 
• Nicholas O – Distinction 
• Adeep G – High Distinction
• Luke S – High Distinction

Year 8

• Jerrard C – Distinction 
• Vincent L – Distinction 
• Ashley T – Distinction 

Year 9

• Anisha R – Distinction
• Colin D – Distinction 

Year 10

• Ben S – Distinction