Big Science Competition

Last term, 31 Kilbreda students took on the challenge of the Big Science competition. This national competition is conducted over 50 minutes in which students respond to 30 complex multiple-choice questions. Congratulations to all the students who entered the competition.

Of these students, 13 were awarded a credit certificate, placing them in the top 25-30 % of entrants:

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

One student, placing in the top 5 % of all students was awarded a high distinction. From Year 8, congratulations, Amelia Meure.

Thank you to all the girls who participated in 2022. The competition will be open again for students in Years 7-10 in 2023.

Science Week 2022

For the first time in three years, we were delighted to host Science Week onsite. The theme of National Science week was “Glass: More than meets the Eye”. This theme was chosen because 2022 is the United Nations, International Year of Glass. As we aim to build a more sustainable future, using glass, a 100% recyclable material, offers many advantages over materials such as plastic and can assist us in creating a circular economy. For more details, please see the link below.

Science Week for Kilbreda included:

• The Elementary Challenge: Congratulations to Caitlyn Singleton for incredibly stating all 118 elements of the Periodic Table in order!
• Mentos and Coke and Bottle Rockets: This was a blast, in the literal sense! Many thanks to Mr Gurowski for his rocket expertise!
• The screening of the inspiring movie: Hidden Figures over three lunchtimes in the STEM Room. Thanks to Ms Donoghue and the very committed group of viewers who returned three times to see the end of the film!
• Making (and eating!) Sherbet: As always, a very popular science experiment!
• The Science Week Quiz: It was a close contest with two Year 11 teams of stars tying for first place!

Around the Labs

Year 7 Toys and Machines

Our labs have been in full swing. To single out only a few events, our Year 7 students have been testing their design skills through building hydraulic machines. In addition, they created a moving toy or machine as an assessment task and presented these to their classmates. The top three entries from each class won a canteen voucher and have been on display in the Library. Some of the toys were exceptional!

Year 9 Solar Ovens

Our Year 9 students have been harnessing the energy from the sun to cook! In a STEM Project, the have designed, built, tested and modified solar ovens. There has been great excitement and a keen eye on the weather! Many thanks to Sarah Chuck and Dr Sarah Avitabile for taking on the challenge of creating this learning experience as part of a STAV Grant Application.

Melbourne Zoo – Biology Field Trip

As part of Unit 2 Biology, we had the opportunity to go to the Melbourne Zoo to learn about animal adaptations. We learnt about the endangered Southern Corroboree Frog and its adaptations to survive in the wild. We were informed of Melbourne Zoo’s conservation efforts to protect the species from harmful diseases in the natural environment. We were all so amazed to learn that the Southern Corroboree Frog is the only frog to produce its own venom, its yellow and black stripes warn predators to stay away as it is poisonous!

We also had the chance to investigate butterfly feeding habits for our SAC, as well as contributing to the Zoos Research program. We learnt that they thrive in warmer climates and tend to feed from warmer toned feeders. It was a lot of fun to experience Biology first-hand, visit the animals and learn about the zoos’ compassionate conservation efforts.

Gabrielle Smyth
Year 10

St Louis Primary School Visit

On Tuesday 6 September, Kilbreda hosted the Grade 6 students from St Louis De Monfort’s to participate in some science experiments. Based on the theme of ‘reversible and irreversible changes’, students saw the epic ‘Elephant’s Toothpaste’ demonstration, before completing their own scientific study of the temperature rise that occurs when an acid and a metal react. It was a fun-filled day with a lot of excitement! Special thanks to Coralene Crawford for all her work behind the scenes, and for the Year 7 students who assisted on the day.

Jacinta Devlin
Learning Leader: Science