Around the School Science Report

On Tuesday 9 May, Mr Lim will accompany some Year 10 students to the annual Science & Engineering Challenge, run by the University of Newcastle. If you have not already expressed your interest in attending, please send Mr Lim or Miss Donovan a Direct Message.

Science staff will be available for Homework Help afterschool on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of Term Two. All students are welcome to come and get help with Science, especially the Year 10, 11 and 12s as they prepare for their examinations and EST’s.

Ms Charlotte Donovan Head of Learning Area - Science

The Science team welcome all our students back into Term Two ! We have a jam-packed term ahead, filled with competitions, excursions and opportunities for all students to engage in Science. We welcome Ms Amy Perejmibida to the team, she is teaching Year 7 Science and 7 Nobel (along with Mr Quan) until the end of the year.

Student Feedback on Year 11 and 12 Biology Camp

“The Year 11 and 12 ATAR Biology classes went to Dwellingup last week for Biology Camp! Some highlights were spending what felt like hours taking trips back and forth in the commuter, learning how hard it can be to put up a tent, learning from Mr C, the expert on the unique wildlife in the South-West, mixing peanut butter, oats, and sardines with our bare hands, walking through the bush at 6:30 am when it was 4 degrees, and catching, recording, and tagging 4 Mardos and a Chuditch! Thank you to Mr Quan, Ms Donovan, and Mr Hanssen for putting up with so many grumpy teenagers at 6:00 am and cooking an amazing sausage sizzle.”

Sadie Tibbitts

Year 11 Biology Student

The Year 11 and 12 Biology students ventured into the forest at Dwellingup for an overnight camp last week. Biology students must complete field work as a requirement of their course. Tasked with very cold overnight conditions, students set traps, and rose before the sun, to measure, tag and release any fauna. We were so fortunate to trap four mardo and a chuditch, with the Parks and Wildlife officer showing students the correct way to microchip and record the animals’ data. The surroundings of the forest was beautiful, and the students were able to appreciate the great biodiversity in the area and the need for conservation and education around preserving these forests.

Coming up in the next two weeks is the annual Big Science Competition. Year 7 – 10 students will participate in this online quiz during a Science lesson, putting their Science skills and knowledge to the test. Good luck! We have a fine history of students performing strongly in this competition.

“In week one of Term Two, Year 11 & 12 biology classes went to Dwellingup to learn about transects, quadrats, and trapping. We spent the first day learning about animal ethics and how to safely trap native fauna as well as studying the characteristics of certain native wildlife in Western Australia. Finishing off the evening with a sausage sizzle and an “early” night. Although it was freezing, the early morning was worth it when we caught multiple mardos and even a chuditch.

Thank you to Mr Quan, Mr Hanssen, and Ms Donovan for organising the camp and making sure we were all still alive by the end of it.”

Hannah Seymour.

Year

11 Biology Student