Science Education
“Going into science: my advice would be that you need to try to keep your mind open. Never say the word ‘never’. So often throughout my career I’ve heard people say the words, ‘It will never be measured,’ ‘It will never be seen,’ and ‘We will never be able to do this,’ ... So try to keep your mind open to ideas for as long as you can.”
Dr Amanda Barnard,
Computational physicist
Marine Biologist
Marine Biologists study the origin, structure, functions, and behaviors of all forms of life in the sea, estuaries, rivers, and lakes as well as their relationships and how they are affected by environmental factors.
The Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, was launched on July 30, 2020, and landed on Mars on Friday, February 19 (Melbourne time), 2021. The main job of the Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, is to search for signs of ancient life and to collect rock and soil samples for a possible return to earth. Perseverance was based on the Curiosity rover configuration. It is car-sized, about 10 feet long (not including the arm), 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall (about 3 meters long, 2.7 meters wide, and 2.2 meters tall). But at 2,260 pounds (1,025 kilograms), it weighs less than a compact car. The rover parts are similar to what any living creature would need to keep it "alive" and able to explore.
Follow the mission with your space enthusiasts, using the link below:
All students are welcome to come along and enjoy all things STEM in the St Raphael's Sustainability Garden every Wednesday and Thursday from 11:10 am to 11:35 am.
Find out more and register with the link below. This is an online event on Sunday, March 7.
Physical Sciences Unit outline: Look! Listen!
Learning Intention: Students will be able to identify light as a source of energy. | Success Criteria: Students can work scientifically by participating in a guided investigation to see how light travels in a straight line. |
Chemical Sciences Unit outline: Melting Moments
Learning Intention: Students will be able to engage and question how to change the shape of objects by adding or removing heat. | Success Criteria: Students can observe objects that have changed shape due to melting and cooling. Students can form ideas about the melting and cooling of materials. |
| Please support your child to enter the 2021 3/4 Science Classroom, code: 353ea5x |
🚰 Run, Run, Runny Home Project
This term, Years 3/4 are learning how a change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat. Please support your students at home to complete the Run, Run, Runny Home Science Project (information and results sheet is attached below).
Student presentations due: Wednesday, March 24
Physical Sciences Unit outline: Seeing the light
Learning Intention: Students will be able to understand that light travels in straight lines called rays. | Success Criteria: Students can invent a new creature that is bioluminescent, or they can add a bioluminescent ability to an existing creature. They draw it in the provided space and Explain exactly how bioluminescence helps give the animal an advantage in life. |
| Please support your child to enter the 2021 5/6 Science Classroom, code: sm47vvf |
🗞 Exciting news!
We have secured sponsorship from Catholic Education Melbourne and in partnership with Akorn Educational Services, to assist our students with engineering, learning, and some financial support to develop our Igloo Project. Year 5/6 students will participate in a Design thinking incursion during science in term 2, guided by engineers from Akorn to inspire and build the skills for our students to see this project come to life. We aim to enter the Igloo Project into the CEM's STEM MAD 2021 competition.
A big thank you to all the students who have been collecting milk bottles. Students can deliver all their clean milk bottles to the Science/Sustainability space during term 1. We will aim to begin building the Igloo during term 2 2021.
Please ensure all milk bottles and lids are thoroughly washed with detergent.
Students have really enjoyed storing the milk bottles in our Sustainability Shed.
This year we will continue to collect bread tags for 'Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs' and we will also begin collecting plastic bottle tops. Last year, the students were moved to action when they discovered that many young shearwater birds hatching on Lord Howe Island were dying because of the plastic they were consuming which includes plastic bottle tops. There are collection tubs in the Science Room, so please encourage and support your children to collect bread tags and plastic bottle tops to care for Our Common Home.
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.
