27 Oct 2017
Science Update
Our brainy scientists in Stage 3 are studying energy this term. They are building on their knowledge of electricity from Term 3 to learn about how we generate and use energy. Stage 3 will be learning about sustainable energy sources and the role they will play in our lives. We hope that one of our budding young scientists will be able to solve the world's energy problems in the future.
Geography Focus
This term as part of our Geography unit, Stage 3 students have been learning about bush fires and the impact they can have on individuals, communities, and the environment. We have been focusing on the causes of bush fires, how to protect our homes, arson and significant Australian bush fires that have occurred in the past.
On the 17th of November, Stage 3 students will be holding a bush fire exhibition in the school hall to showcase their learning and share some resources they will be making with our community. We have also invited the Rural Fire Brigade from Berkley Vale to join us on the day and answer any questions we may have. More information about our exhibition will be sent home closer to the date.
STEM Activities
This term Stage 3 have participated in a range of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) projects. This project-based learning allows students to gain and apply knowledge through planning, completing and reflecting on tasks. Students complete activities that rely on creative and critical thinking. Examples of these engaging activities were;
- Creating circuits and exploring the flow of electricity through these circuits.
- Newspaper buildings – Using newspaper and sticky tape, students created a 30cm tall tower that could hold the weight of 3 books.
- Spaghetti and marshmallow towers – Students used dried spaghetti and small and large marshmallows to create the largest tower possible.
- Dome Challenge – Students had to create a dome using only Jubes and toothpicks. The done needed to hold some maths text books.
Our robotics course will start again in the coming weeks during lunch. We look forward to seeing the results of the collaboration between our stage 3 students.
Student Leadership
The leadership process for 2018 has started. All of Year 5 participated in Leadership Training last week with Mr Clarke and Miss Isgit. At the end of the day students had the opportunity to nominate each other for a student leadership position for next year. The students who had a successful nomination are busy writing their speeches which will be presented to Year 5 in Week 5. All students involved were given a copy of the Leadership Policy which outlines all the important dates.