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STEAM Week is coming!

by | Sep 9, 2019

Are you getting excited for STEAM Week? Read on to see some new events!

Monday 14 – Friday 18 October 2019 (Term 4 Week 1) is Woodend’s celebration of all things STEAM.

This year we have a theme called:

Do something … make a difference!

Along with the students enjoying and engaging with science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics related activities, they will be working together to solve an authentic real-life problem.  The students will have a stimulus (egs. poster, video, presenter) and from this, work within the science, technology, engineering, art and/or mathematics fields to make a difference and/or improvement to the world.  It is hoped that students build an emotional connection to the stimulus to want to make a genuine difference to someone/something. The students can engage in observing, noticing phenomena, identifying relationships and patterns, posing and answering questions, designing, investigating, experimenting, trialling and re-trialling,  hypothesising and/or constructing, creating, making models/products and the applications to real life.

STEAM EXPO

STEAM Week is also about family engagement. One significant aspect of STEAM Week is the involvement of families in the STEAM Expo.  This is a time for families to have fun with science, technology, engineering, art and/or mathematics!  Can your family follow the theme?

‘Do something … make a difference?’

We encourage families to find something that you feel emotionally connected, engaged, personally interested in and/or passionate about to make a positive change/difference.  Using science, technology, engineering, art and/or mathematics can you and your child problem-solve, investigate and create/make to make a difference?  You have time between now and Term 4 Week 1 to investigate, research, explore and/or design together.

Your family creation/investigation/product may be presented in the form of a:

  • poster
  • diorama
  • construction
  • display (photos/ description/labels with drawings/mixtures)

The displays may be interactive (students can trial your experiment/investigation) or just for viewing (students are not permitted to touch, just observe). With your poster, diorama or display, you can also have a digital demonstration. This is optional. If you are producing something digitally, we recommend you upload it on a Google slide so that we can run it as a loop.  If this is not possible, we will convert whatever you provide.

Your child can bring their Expo item to their class from Monday 14/10 – Thursday 17/10/19.

The STEAM Expo begins on Thursday 17 October from 6 – 7pm and all day on Friday 18 October 2019 in various rooms throughout the school. We will hold a launch of the Expo and also Music Evening at 6pm in the gym. Soon you will receive an invitation to our STEAM Week Expo and we hope you can attend some time on Thursday evening or Friday during the day.

HELP FOR FAMILIES WITH EXPO

Here we have some stimulus ideas that you may like to pursue or you may have your own!

1. RECYCLING – CAN YOU REPURPOSE / REUSE?

2. PLASTICS – HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ON YOU? WHAT CAN BE DONE?

3. CLIMATE CHANGE – WHAT CAN YOU DO?

4. SPORT – HOW CAN STEAM HELP EVERYONE TO FIND THEIR STRENGTHS IN SPORT?

 

5. GLENTHORNE FARM – HOW CAN YOU HELP TO DEVELOP THIS COMMUNITY SPACE?

We are excited for your family to share your authentic real-life problem with our school community and the fun, interest or passion it generated.

We ask that you start to put your STEAM hats on, be creative and make a difference!

ACTIVITIES DURING STEAM WEEK 

Additional to the Expo, we have networked with a number of experts and sourced their knowledge and inspiration to work with our students during STEAM Week.  This includes:

  • Scientist, Katharina Richter a SA’s Tall Poppy Scientist award recipient and winner of the 2018 SA Science Excellence Award for PhD Research Excellence for her work in developing new ways to treat biofilms, a thin and usually resistant layer of bacteria that form on and coat various surfaces in the body. She aims to change the lives of those suffering from recurring infectious diseases, such as chronic rhino-sinusitis.
  • Seaview High School’s Pedal Prix coordinator and students setting us some STEAM challenges all related to Pedal Prix (as well as trial runs in the cars!)
  • Nature Play day at Woodend – Room 1 will organise cubby-building, building shelters and creative constructions
  • Experiencing STEAM opportunities in Japanese lessons
  • Students engaging in planning for the newly developing Glenthorne Farm
  • Students listening to and learning from Woodend parents/caregivers as they explain their STEAM occupation or interest.  We hope that you can be one of these parents/caregivers willing to talk to students
  • Students creating art works with Art teacher, Cate Ellis incorporating STEAM
  • Students engaging with STEAM challenges with Ms Gregory in Design and Technology lessons

If you have any questions about this week, please see your classroom teacher.

Not long to go until this week is here!  We are very excited to engage in so many STEAM opportunities and we look forward to your involvement.