MakerSpace has continued, and most groups now have their 'robot' well-and-truly built and have begun to use block coding to give the robot some simple commands. Block coding is a very simple coding language that allows students to slide pieces of code (that look like a puzzle piece) onto a work area, and with the click of a button, the iPad communicates with the LEGO and we see creativity come to life! Some groups have become very attached to their robot, giving 'it' a name and ensuring that he/she is well-cared for and feeling the love!

Term 3 Science and Technology STEM Unit - Up, Up, and Away!

The first component of our Term 3 Science unit has come to an end, the culmination being every child having an opportunity to 'enter' the STANSW Young Scientist Paper Plane Challenge. We had some fantastic results, with one student from Year 3 throwing a plane that saw him finish 8th in his age division. Congratulations to Hussain Hijazi throwing an incredible 17.7 metres!

The plan for 2021 is to go bigger and better (and throw longer), with hopefully other classes having student representatives involved! The second part of this unit is looking at how butterflies use both gliding and the flapping motion of their wings to move. Students are in the process of constructing a butterfly that will be attached to a timber frame and then placed in a wind-tunnel to look at the amount of lift that is generated, pending the angle of the wings. 

All students who participated in the Paper Plane Challenge will receive a certificate in Week 10 that will also have their distance thrown recorded.  Well done!

Students had the opportunity to participate in a webinar on the topic of Privacy and Security on the internet on Monday 7 September. This webinar looked at all the different ways children can make sure they act in a safe manner on the internet and the things they can look out for when interacting with others.

Mr Gilmore
Year 4 Class Teacher.