From the Head of Mathematics and Science

From the Head of Maths and Science Ms Charlotte Donovan

Last Thursday, a group of exceptional Year 8 -10 girls attended the WISE Women Showcase at Murdoch University. WISE stands for Women in STEM and Enterprise. The students listened to the engaging keynote speaker Alison Barnes, Head of Robotics and Commercialisation Manager at Woodside, before participating in two hands on workshops. The workshops focused on Oceanography and Code Cracking. The day enriched our students with women who have dedicated their lives to STEM and highlighted the many and varied opportunities available in the Mathematics and Science fields. Students were encouraged to keep their options open and attempt a wide range of subjects and activities as they progress through school.

We are currently wishing our Year 11 students well with the Semester Two examinations. The results from these examinations will provide our students a measure of how effective their preparation for formal assessments has been and enable them to make goals for Year 12. In Human Biology we aim to immerse our students with real-life practical applications. In that context we completed DNA profiling and electrophoresis to determine inheritance patterns. Students familiarised themselves with the equipment and were confident in reading the gel produced. These skills set a foundation for some of their Unit 4 work next year. We also welcomed our ‘Future Year 7s’ into the laboratory as a part of the transition program at the end of Week 5. They had a wonderful time making slime in their house colour. For many it was their first time in a proper Science laboratory! We are all looking forward to welcoming them into the St George family next year.

The final 4 weeks of term will see a wind up on content and the final assessments. We encourage all our students to stay focused and enjoy the last few weeks of the school year. The excursions continue with some students attending ChemDay at the Chem Centre this coming Friday, the Year 11 Physics students will be having a tour of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research at UWA, and some Year 10 girls will be attending Girls Sum it Up at Murdoch University in Week 7.

I thank my Science and Maths team in advance for their continued hard work and efforts in providing enriching experiences for our

Charlotte Donovan Head of Mathematics and Science

students.