SENIOR SCHOOL LEARNING

THE LANGUAGE OF FOOD

Year 8 languages students immersed themselves in a full day program of activities designed to provide an insight into the cuisine and culture of Italy, France and China. The Italian classes discovered the joy of making fresh pasta. French students made crêpes, and students of Chinese made delicious dumplings.

CRAFT OF WRITING

Year 12 English students explored writing and exposition techniques in an all-day Craft of Writing workshop in preparation for the Creative Writing module of the HSC.

CHEMISTRY

HSC Year 12 Chemistry students enjoyed a day of practical investigations. Students explored chemical reactions and created everyday products such as soap and perfume, investigating techniques to synthesise new substances, including pharmaceuticals, fuels and polymers.

YEAR 8 STEM PROJECT

Our Year 8 STEM project challenges students to imagine a more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable future. Students collaborate to address the future of transport in Sydney as they compete in the NRMA Future of Transport Challenge.

Senior School Learning

RACI TITRATION COMPETITION

Year 11 Chemistry students competed in the Royal Australian Chemical Institute's Titration Competition for schools, an excellent opportunity to develop scientific skills and understanding by conducting a practical chemistry experiment in a laboratory environment. This was the first time Loreto Kirribilli has entered the competition, where students Emily Fikkers, Emma Ko, Molly Menzies, Olivia Scott, Kyra Seeto-Lee, Elza Svilans, Olivia Thorn and Emma Wong competed against teams from Barker College, Hornsby Girls High School, Cheltenham Girls High School and Ravenswood School for Girls. Most of these experienced teams included Year 12 students.

One of our teams (Emma Ko, Emma Wong, Olivia Scott) came 7th out of 22 teams, and Olivia Scott had a wonderful individual result effectively determining the 11th most accurate result out of 66 students. The students had a wonderful time and it was a very valuable experience, giving the students additional skills for 1st Year Science at university.

Joe Liu Science Teacher

ARTWORK ON DISPLAY

Students in Years 7 and 8 had their creativity and talent on display in the Term 2 Art Show, with an exhibit including still life, pottery, portraits and drawings. The students also had the opportunity to nominate for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ - a future Archibald Prize winner may be in our midst!

Senior School Learning

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

Year 12 student, Lydia Colla, was awarded a Bronze Medal in the UNESCO-sanctioned International Science Olympiads, held in Canberra in July.

Lydia represented Australia in Physics, one of only five students nationally selected to compete against the most capable, young scientific minds from 70 countries around the world.

Earlier last term, Lydia was presented with her traditional Olympiad team green and gold blazer during the official ceremony to formally announce the Australian team at Parliament House in Canberra.

Among the distinguished guests attending the ceremony were the Honourable Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science, Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic of the Australian National University Professor Grady Venville. Representatives from the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Principals from schools around Australia including Loreto Kirribilli Principal Mrs Anna Dickinson, proud parents and of course, the Olympians themselves, were also present.

Lydia was invited to address the audience on behalf of the Olympians and inspired all in attendance with her eloquence, poise and humility, beginning with the candid statement, “Science is scary. The fact that we exist on a not-so-random, floating rock in an infinite yet expanding region of space is very existentialist. When we acknowledge the complexity of our existence, the fact that our universe can be defined by a series of basic, fundamental laws - and quantum theories - can be honestly terrifying.

"Yet, the more we explore these fundamental laws - the more we understand of life and the universe - the less intimidating our reality becomes, and the more comfort we can have in our existence.”

Lydia went on to explain why she loved science. “I love being able to understand what makes the universe possible, and why you and I can be here in this modern world today.” Lydia congratulated all the Olympians for their achievements, and wished the teams the best of luck in their respective competitions. She thanked Australian Science Innovations, and the Australian Maths Trust for coordinating the Olympiad, and the Australian National University for hosting the event.

After the ceremony, Lydia was selected to represent the Olympians on ABC TV’s Afternoon Briefing, hosted by ABC journalist Greg Jennett, where she was asked to reflect on her aspirations beyond high school. “As a society we are facing a precipice as to what we want to see in our future. We have all these technological advancements that we can put forward with regard to climate change and other areas of society. I want to be able to use my skills in physics and mathematics to help shape the future of our society, and create one that is just and equitable, and looks after the environment and the world that we live in.”

We extend our warmest congratulations to Lydia on this truly outstanding achievement.

Senior School Learning

SUPPORTERS IN LEARNING

SUPER BEAM WORKSHOP

Over 60 aspiring engineers in Years 11 and 12 attended a fascinating workshop on the 'super beam' which now spans our new gymnasium space and connects our new building Spiritus. Led by Northrop Engineers, students heard how the structural engineers and builders solved the real-world problem of reengineering structural support pillars in order to integrate spectator seating. Students were then challenged to solve an engineering problem in their Mathematics classes afterwards.

“By showing us the initial sketches, and construction photos and taking us through both the design and construction phases, we were able to understand both the engineering process and the physical properties which allowed for the development of our gymnasium, and see the content we’ve been learning in maths applied in the real world.”

Lydia Colla & Greta Perrignon Year 12

POWER OF ENGINEERING

Our Year 10 scientists discovered the power of engineering as they explored engineering and STEM related careers and applications. Students visited a variety of organisations including Qantas, Arup, Buildcorp, Inventia Life Sciences and the UNSW Industrial Solar Facility.

MACROECONOMICS Q&A

Year 11 and 12 Economics students visited Shore School for a panel discussion showcasing economic issues with questions posed by students. The panel included Su-Lin Ong (Chief Economist RBC), Stephen Halmarick (Chief Economist CBA) and Rochelle Guttmann (Senior Manager, Analysis and Policy RBA) who joined in a Q&A-style session to discuss the current state of the domestic and global economy.

Libby Carey Year 11 Economics student

BUILDING CAREERS

A career in construction was the topic of an informative lunchtime talk facilitated by our partner in learning, Richard Crookes Constructions. Six inspiring women involved in the design and construction of our new building, Spiritus, shared their insights and career journeys.

Senior School Learning

AN ENGINEERING HOLIDAY

Over the Easter holidays, I was selected from students across New South Wales to participate in the Autumn School of Engineering with Engineers Australia. The program allowed me to spend a week in residency with other likeminded students, to visit university campuses across Sydney, and to connect with university students and graduates who are working in industry. Over the course of the week we visited five universities. At Western Sydney University, we were introduced to the field of engineering and given a tour of their brand new industrial design facilities. At Sydney University we participated in interactive workshops in electrical engineering, tracking planes overhead and building our own antenna systems, and we also toured the brand new engineering building including chemical and biomedical facilities. At UNSW we explored food science and chemical product engineering and made our own motorised houses powered by a solar cell whilst learning about scholarship opportunities. UTS gave us a tour of the engineering campus including the robotics lab where we were able to experiment with the robots they had constructed, and explored the vast 3D printing facilities accessible to all students. Finally, at Macquarie University, we were given the opportunity to experiment with catapults and bridge building from an engineer’s perspective. The underrepresentation of women stood out across all the universities, and many female engineers I spoke to urged more women to pursue this career option.

In addition to visiting universities, we were also granted access to the RAAF base at Richmond where we learnt about the role of engineering in the defence force. We explored the equipment they use from engines on aircraft to water filtration systems, and connected with the engineers working on the air base. We also spent an afternoon at ANSTO, Australia’s only nuclear facility, and saw the nuclear reactor and the facility where scientists run experiments on the particles produced to create new medicines and other technologies. Here, we were able to talk with university students completing internships at ANSTO as well as engineers who worked on the reactor daily.

Imogen Wills Year 12