New Science Labs at Secondary Campus

There have been some large changes made in science since last year. Over the summer break, the amazing Maintenance crew completely gutted and transformed both labs! We now have twice the number of lab benches which means we can now have more students doing experiments and engaged in hands-on learning. The Science team spent the first week back looking for more experiments to add to our programs which are now being implemented across each year group.

The Year 7’s have been introduced to the Science lab and the how-to think and work scientifically. To this end, they have been introduced to the science equipment and are working towards getting their Bunsen burner licenses. They are also learning how to design experiments that test variables such as how the length of a straw affects the travel distance of balloon rockets.

The Year 8’s have been reviewing science inquiry skills, focusing on collecting and working with different types of data. They’ve been collecting data from seeing which paper towel absorbs the most water, which type of balls bounce the highest, seeing how mass affects parachute drop speed, and will soon be making a mousetrap-powered vehicle.

The Year 9’s are currently (some puns intended) learning about electricity. They’ve had a hair-raising experience with a Van De Graaf generator and are practicing making simple circuits with a range of components. They’re learning why you can’t just hook up any old power source to their devices and that it is actually a good thing when the fuses turn the power off.

And finally, the Year 10’s have been learning all things Motion. They’ve been trying to work out how to calculate gravity (and why their numbers tend to be quite different from the given value). We’ve also found an excuse to bring some remote-control cars into the lab so students can calculate maximum speed and acceleration.

~ Leticia Vander Ros (Science Team Coordinator)

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