Once again, we started Term 4 with an amazing STEAM Week at Woodend!
We thoroughly enjoyed coming together as a community to celebrate STEAM Week and we trust that you and your family were engaged and inspired by the variety of experiences on offer.
- Thank you to all those families who participated in the ‘Thrive’ family investigation! We were very impressed by the number of thoughtful and creative designs in order to make life for something or someone happier, healthier and/or more exciting. The children love the family projects at our Expo – they provide an extra special spark!
- We appreciate the work of staff in ensuring students were engaged in a ‘species survival’ investigation prior to or during STEAM Week. Throughout the weeks prior and/or during STEAM Week, students had to call upon their critical and creative thinking skills to design and create thought-provoking, interesting and/or imaginative pieces. Some designs were individually created and other classes focussed on collaboration through group tasks
- Thank you to those families who could attend the Expo on either Thursday evening or Friday. Your support, involvement and positive feedback was highly valued
- What about the egg?! So much mystery surrounding its arrival, the daily changes, and its departure. We were very impressed by students’ degree of curiosity and critical and creative thinking – so many questions, predictions, hypotheses, imagination and story telling. Thank you to SAPOL and Flinders University Archaeology department for helping us with our investigations. We also thank students and families who engaged in the mystery – your support and enthusiasm brought it to life!
- We are very grateful to our many visitors who volunteered to come and talk to our students about their occupation and/or interest. These scientists, mathematicians and parents/carers gave up their time to come and inspire our students with their passion, thinking as well as provocations for our future. These visitors included:
– Dr Alexandra Whittaker – Alex is a veterinarian, animal welfare scientist, and lawyer. Her work involves developing new tools for assessment of animal welfare, of importance to all of us for the welfare of pets and animals, and to minimise the spread of disease
– Daniel Harvie – Daniel is a Physiotherapist, Pain Scientist and Educator. He is the Program Director of the Masters of Advanced Clinical Therapy program in the Allied Health and Human Performance unit at the University of South Australia, a physiotherapist with interests in musculoskeletal and persistent pain, and a clinical pain scientist
– Teacher Mrs Deb Lasscock – Deb challenged the students to focus on number and place value in an interactive, authentic problem-solving approach
– Kate Washington from Green Adelaide and our Youth Environmental Leaders (YELP) prepared and conducted workshops for some of our early years’ students providing them with the experience of making “hotels” for bees to take up residence in our garden areas
– Rob from Bunnings who helped our Reception students learn more about the types of plants that pollinators are attracted to and help us plant those special plants
– Numerous parents/carers who spoke to classes across the school. Our students were so fortunate to have so many parents share their interests, passions and/or occupations linked to STEAM
We appreciated the many compliments received for STEAM Week. We also welcome any constructive feedback that will help us improve STEAM Week and make it an even better learning experience for our students and families.
Look forward to more photos to come!
