Junior School

“Science is simply the word we use to describe the method of organising our curiosity.” Tom Minchin

There have been times over the past two terms when I have pinched myself as I see the high level of science occurring in the Junior School. We are so lucky to have access to the secondary Science Faculty. Together, the Junior School team and the Science Faculty make a fierce team committed to inspiring our young ākonga to develop curiosity about how our world works. Class teachers work alongside science specialist teacher, Michelle Brennan who both leads science classes and provides support to the Junior School team through planning and brainstorming of ideas. She has worked with each teacher to plan and deliver engaging science through class inquiries.

Earlier in the year, the Year 4, 5 and 6 classes were fully immersed in an inquiry study of Antarctica. Michelle and the classroom teachers delivered a programme of science experiments to illustrate the challenges of life in this extreme environment. The girls learned why icebergs float as they created density towers experimenting with a range of liquids of varying thicknesses and masses. They learned about the behavioural and physical adaptations of Antarctic animals through the creation of a blubber glove which they submerged into ice cold water. The girls were amazed that their blubber- gloved hands could withstand the freezing temperatures!

Our younger learners are also loving their science lessons. Year 2 has been studying animals and Michelle presented the class with a selection of teeth and feet to explore. They learned about categorising living things with the acronym, MRS C GREN, as well as the features of the teeth of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. The girls loved exploring these items and it was exciting to watch their curiosity and high-level questioning skills develop.

The Year 5 class is currently studying Sustainable Energy Sources and recently, teacher Betsy Ryan was excited to have the support of the science faculty as she gathered resources to enable the girls to learn about a range of energy-related scientific principles. A quick trip up to the Science Faculty to borrow a piece of pvc pipe resulted in Betsy being given lots of fantastic resources including personal solar cells enabling the girls to conduct their own experiments. The Year 5 girls are so engaged in this science and it’s fantastic to watch their reading and writing skills develop further as they communicate this complicated science.

We feel so fortunate as a Junior School to have access to the resources and expert teaching of the Science Faculty. We love the opportunities we have to use our different educational strengths to collaborate with our secondary colleagues. Our Junior School ākonga are so fortunate to benefit from this partnership.