It’s almost time for us to celebrate STEM Fest at Woodend Primary School!
This year, from 13–17 October, STEM Fest will take us on a journey through the design thinking process and explore the puzzles, patterns, and possibilities of the natural world.
STEM education encourages young people to be problem solvers and deep thinkers, developing curiosity and understanding of the world around them. It draws together skills and knowledge from Science, Technologies, and Mathematics, and develops dispositions, including creativity, persistence, empathy, and collaboration.
Providing opportunities for children to develop dispositions (students who are…), skills (students who can…), and knowledge (students who understand…) is at the heart of the South Australian Curriculum and supports the Department for Education’s vision for empowering all students to thrive.
This year, STEM Fest and our Expo celebrate the journey of problem-solving and shine a light on the rich learning that unfolds along the way!
Important STEM Fest Information:
• Term 3 Holidays: Take Part in our ‘Family Design Challenge’
Families are invited to take part in our 2025 ‘Explore the Universe’ Family Design Challenge.
We encourage families to take part in this fun challenge over the holidays! The sky’s the limit as you discover the patterns, puzzles, and mysteries in the natural world.
Family projects will be displayed at our Expo on Thursday evening and Friday.
This challenge invites your family to explore, tinker, and problem-solve together as you look closely at the world around you to learn more!
We ask that all designs be brought to school on Wednesday of Week 1. Please ensure they are clearly labelled with your child’s name and a brief description. A template for this is available below or from the office. You may wish to complete this beforehand or help your child prepare what to write when they drop off their design.
• Do you have a STEM related interest, skill or career?
Register your interest in sharing your STEM-related career, skills, or interest with a group of our students.
Families and friends of Woodend are invited to visit classes to share about their interest or career in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and/or Maths. This valued part of the STEM Fest program shows the wide range of pathways offered through STEM-related fields.
Please contact your child’s teacher for more information. We would love to hear from you!
• STEM Fest Expo
Friends and family of Woodend are invited to visit our STEM Fest Expo on Thursday evening or Friday of Week 1, Term 4.
Each class will showcase their Term 3 design-thinking projects, alongside family responses to our ‘Explore the Universe’ Family Design Challenge. Also on display will be entries for the library’s Shoebox Challenge, as well as a whole-school investigation into how we can look to plants and animals to solve everyday problems through biomimicry.
The expo will be open on Thursday, the 16th of October, from 5.30-7pm & Friday, the 17th of October, from 8:30am-2pm in the Gym, Office and Atrium areas. Guests are welcome to come at any time during these sessions. No bookings are required.