High School and Senior College
Testing ideas, asking probing questions, posing hypotheses and building experiments. These are the types of activities which have kept the High School students’ minds active over recent weeks.
Class 9 students have asked lots of questions about the life of a plant and the forces which impact on the growth of a plant. Testing plants for the properties needed for dying paper and fabric, investigating the use of gravity on the germination of plants and exploring the relationship between fruits and vegetables with the size and quantity of seeds were some of the ideas explored during the Class 9 Plant Chemistry Main Lesson. With a world focused on producing food in a sustainable way, and more environmental awareness about the way we manufacture consumer goods, much more information is needed in order for us to create a more sustainable world. The questions asked by these students will one day help add to this body of knowledge.
Class 10 students tested their projects for a Main Lesson on the Physics of Motion and Rest by dropping eggs — safely secured, they hoped, in milk cartons — from the roof of the Overture. Newton’s Third law, momentum, force and time, were all concepts racing through students’ minds as they watched, sometimes helplessly, as their eggs connected with the concrete in various states of success. Shrieks of delight rang across the School as students shared in this learning experience. Oh dear, Humpty Dumpy!
I have also given students a challenge to end the term by thinking about what they can do for someone else through a simple and random act of kindness. It is wonderful how sometimes something small, a thank you when you least expect it, an offer of help, or someone to share in your journey, can make such a difference in someone else’s day. Our days are short at the moment; we get up in the dark and come home in the dark, and this tends to take a toll on us all. It’s time to share something simply with others, to let them know we are thinking of them, and to remind ourselves that we have worth and a place in the hearts of others.
Susan Pascoe
Acting Deputy Principal High School and Senior College
