At the start of the year, we welcomed to the science Learning Area our eager Year 7 students along with new staff, Danielle Nyikos and Katrina McMahon. Year 7-12 Science students have enthusiastically embraced their first unit of work, complementing theory with lots of practical work. Let’s have a look at a few of activities.

Year 12 Physics Practical application activities

In this activity students were building a track for hot wheel cars which illustrates the physics behind circular motion, kinetic and potential energies, and gravity. In the second picture students are using their knowledge of projectile motion to line up ramps taking a marble from the tabletop and completing a vertical loop. This activity uses the theories of gravitational potential energy and vertical circular motion.

Year 7 Science

Students have begun developing skills in Science and knowing that Science is about understanding the natural world around us – observing, asking questions, using what we already know, coming up with some possible answers, find a way to test them , showing curiosity and persistence, and possible finding answers.

In their first practical activity, students investigated how bubbles work e.g. how wet and dry fingers affect bubbles, what they need to do to blow the tallest bubble.

Haileigh Buttigieg (Year 11)

Congratulations to Haileigh Buttigieg (Year 11), an aspiring neurologist, on the outstanding interview recorded with Professor Misty Jenkins from The Brain Centre, for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science which was on 11^th February, 2024. Haileigh organised to travel to Melbourne during her holidays to prepare and record the interview with Professor Jenkins, demonstrating incredible maturity and commitment. The cancer researchers and staff at The Brain Cancer Centre are extremely impressed with Haileigh and look forward to following her progress as she continues her VCE and tertiary studies. Hailey took up many opportunities during her participation in the Ballarat Tech School’s Girl in STEM program in 2023. Damascus College, along with the Ballarat Tech School are incredibly proud of Haileigh and congratulate her on this latest endeavour.

The interview is now published online by The Brain Cancer Centre: https://www.thebraincancercentre.org.au/ and can also be accessed via YouTube and Instagram links.

• Extended interview link - Haileigh & Misty Jenkins (youtube.com)
• Instagram short interview link - https://www.instagram.com/p/C3L0SpXMAQ7/

Introduction to Horticulture begins during harvest season! As such, one of our first assessments is a ‘Farmer’s Market’, where students use produce from the garden, in combination with their understanding of the 7’P’s Model of Marketing, to make a profit from their labour. They are asked to get creative in coming up with the best ways to sell their products. Raspberries picked over the summer are turned into ‘Hand picked, home-style, organic jam’; branding and packaging is developed for dried bay-leaves; crops are protected with netting and fertilised for maximum growth; and plans are made for when and how to harvest the produce. And of course, there are always weeds to tackle!