Schools have been notified of their successes including student Sticker Competition winners.

Congratulations to the Sticker Competition Winners

Winning students have come from the following schools:

South Ballajura Primary School

Beeliar Primary School

Belmont Primary School

Glendale Primary School

Kondinin Primary School

STAWA schools science pack Year 6: Electrical Energy:

The pack and teachers’ guide is a resource to help Year 6 Primary Teachers and Students in the teaching and learning of electricity and energy Australian Curriculum Science Year 6. ExxonMobil community contributions program funding enabled the distribution of 40 science packs to WA Primary School in its launch in 2012.

ExxonMobil in 2013 is funding 40 more packs to help resource science in another 40 WA Primary Schools.

How to Enter your School in 2013

For a chance to receive one of the 40 STAWA Year 6 Electrical Energy packs all you need to do is:

1. Provide a letter (< 500 words) signed by the Principal that describes: (Download sample letter)

• How you will promote being awarded the science equipment to your local community
• The importance you have placed on science in your school
• How the teaching of science is organised/implemented in terms of staffing

2. Enter students in the design a sticker competition. Please select up to a maximum of 10 entries for submission for external judging.  (Download 2013 information)

Submission EXTENSION

Completed Entries to STAWA by Thursday 18 April 2013

• Send the Principal’s letter and student sticker entries either by:
  • Email: admin@stawa.net
  • Post: PO Box 7310, Karawara 6152

2012 Schools       Winning 2012 Sticker Designs    2012 Schools Evaluation 

2012 Launch

 Mr Luke Musgrave,  Mrs Cheryle Elphick, Professor Lyn Beazley, Maddie Tapley, Mr Mark Tapley, Mr John Clarke (STAWA CEO) present Year 7 student Maddie Tapley 1 of the 8 winning Sticker entries for the STAWA Science Sticker Competition with her prize; a Brain Box electronic kit..

The school science Pack  includes a teachers’ guide with hands-on classroom experiments, student activity sheets and relevant science equipment, was launched at Lesmurdie Primary School with the support of Western Australia’s Chief Scientist Professor Lyn Beazley.

Professor Beazley said the world needed more scientific thinkers and researchers to make great discoveries and our younger generations were the key.  “This is an exciting initiative that will go a long way towards encouraging Western Australia’s primary school students to connect science with investigation, discovery and fun. All with the idea that they will take these positive impressions through high school to university and choose to make this very important area their profession,” she said.

The Packs are being made available to primary schools that responded to an offer of support from STAWA for science resources.  To be eligible for selection, School Principals were required to write a letter outlining their science program and resource needs together with up to 10 student entries into a Science Sticker Competition. STAWA Primary Committee members judged the hundreds of stickers selecting the 9 finalists. The student artwork has been included on promotional stickers for the two STAWA initiatives, ScienceIQ and Science Talent Search.

Mr Luke Musgrave, ExxonMobil Vice-President LNG, attended the launch and motivated the students on the bright future and need for scientists and engineers.  Mr Musgrave also attended a follow up presentation of packs to school representatives and Principals on 21^st June at a cocktail function held during the WA Primary Principals Association Conference at the Burswood. STAWA Primary Committee members were also invited to this event.

STAWA Schools Science Pack Year 6: Electrical Energy

There are 10 energy-related activities for the students to undertake in the packs ranging from safety with electricity, to electrical circuits and conductors, to the generation of electricity from a variety of sources including solar and wind power.

Writers: Frank Dymond & John Clarke.
Graphic Design: David Keigwin.
Final proofing by primary teachers, Susan Doncon & Natalie Birrell.

Friday 17 May 2013: 12:00 (12:30 Start) – 4:30 pm

Mazenod College

Gladys Road, Lesmurdie

STAWA is hosting a Science Curriculum Leaders’ Day starting at 12:30 pm Friday 17 May. The purpose of this event is to provide science teachers and curriculum leaders an opportunity to be informed, to discuss and to provide feedback to changes to the Senior Secondary Science Courses to accommodate the Australian Curriculum.

To view or download a copy of the agenda and to register follow the links.

• Science Curriculum Leaders Day:
  • Agenda
  • Registration
    

CONSTAWA will immediately follow the Leaders’ Day and all those who register for the leaders’ Day are invited to participate at no extra cost.

• CONSTAWA Details:
  • Program Outline
  • Information: program, sessions and Registration

We will be living and working on Henbury Station about an hour and a half from Alice Springs.

Accommodation will be swags and tents with deliciously hot solar showers. The Finke River runs through the former cattle property and supports a diverse life. Days will be long – sometimes requiring helicopters to transport us to sites as the station is huge! We will be setting up pit traps, Elliot traps and using a variety of other methods to collect and then identify reptiles, spiders, snails, moths, true bugs, fish, plants and mammals. At night we will be sorting, identifying and storing specimens and sometimes going back out in the field to observe or collect nocturnal species.

I will be linked to my Science students at Armadale Primary School via the website in the FORUM where students can ask me (or the scientists) questions about the important taxonomic and conservation work being carried out. I will also be writing a daily blog (listed as HIGHLIGHTS on the website) including photos of what we find. I have also developed lessons for my Year 5 and 7 classes based on the conservation and adaptation concepts of the program. These are also on the website.

http://bushblitz.teachlive.org.au/

I invite you and your students to jump on the website and follow my adventure! You and your class are welcome to email questions in via the forum. No need to identify individuals fully – just include a first name and year level so I can answer at an appropriate level. I will do my best to answer all questions – between all the other activities we will be undertaking!

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and learning about the sensational plants and animals which are adapted to living in these harsh conditions.

Mady Colquhoun

Science Specialist

Armadale Primary School

I sincerely acknowledge the wonderful organisations which are the core supporters of this opportunity:

• Bush Blitz is a government sponsored program to identify our native wildlife in different environments with the view to assisting future conservation programs.
• Earthwatch Institute is an independent, non-profit environmental organization. Their mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Earthwatch gives people the opportunity to be involved in scientific conservation research by becoming a member of a research team.

ASTA also supported the program by coordinating the application and selection process.

Click here to download information and registration for Trade Opportunities

Call for Presenters – Closed.

Follow the link for conference event details.

Download the PriSci Conference 2013 Booklet

Registration is open online.

Click here to view photos from the STAWA Primary Science Conference 2012 on Flickr (you do not need to register to view).

This PD program, aimed at facilitating work around the transition to the Australian Curriculum in Western Australian schools, is a cross sectoral initiative supported by WA Government funding.  This is a FREE program. There will be no charge for the workshops, but schools will be responsible for relief cost as required for teacher attendance.

Download the REGISTRATION FORM: 2013 EOI Registration Primary Science PL

Download the Information Sheet: 2013 Update Primary Science PL

Locations and Dates

Aims of the program
The key aims of this professional learning program are to:

• enhance engagement with the Australian Curriculum: Science in primary schools
• raise primary teachers confidence in methods of teaching science
• empower teachers to develop engaging, teaching, learning programs that include effective assessment practise.

About the program
Workshops will be after school 4:15 to 5:45PM.

The program will involve primary teachers of science in three, 90 minute, professional learning workshops covering:

1. Links between Science Inquiry Skills and Science Understanding in the Primary Years
2. Science Understanding: exploring key concepts in Science and
3. Formative and Summative Assessment in primary science

Participation
Participation in this free Program is via an expression of interest coordinated by STAWA.

Teachers are expected to:

• attend all three workshops
• participate in and contribute to the action learning process

Congratulations to both ladies for their well deserved awards.

The WA teachers selected are listed below:

• Mark Lehmann – Ocean Reef Senior High School
• Stacey Fairhead – St Norbett College
• Richard Meagher – Mt Lawley Senior High School
• Michelle Lloyd – Mercedes College
• Vicki Healey – Carine Primary School

Click here for further info 

The 2013 National Science Teachers Summer School (NSTSS) will be held on the campus of the Australian National University, Canberra from Sunday 13 January to Saturday 19 January 2013.

The NSTSS is made possible through the collaboration of The Australian National University (ANU), the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA), the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) and the University of Canberra (UC). It is designed to provide teachers of science unique experiences in science and science education in order to stimulate their passion for science and, in turn, enhance the teaching of science to their students.

The NSTSS will pay for economy airfares to and from Canberra, six nights accommodation on the ANU campus, all excursion travel and most meals whilst on the NSTSS. Successful applicants will be asked to pay a $250 + GST registration fee to the program. This amount is fully tax deductible.

For more information please contact Peter Russo at ceo@asta.edu.au or phone (02) 6282 9377 during office hours.