Rocket Launching in Year 10
In 2023, OLMC was the recipient of a Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) STEM in Space grant, which resourced rockets and rocket launching equipment to introduce space engineering into our Year 10 curriculum. As 2023 has been a trial year, not all students took the program but those who did produced a much more sophisticated understanding of the applications of Newton’s Laws, motion and forces. The classes had huge fun, and a little bit of fear, as the bottle rockets shot up and around the Sports Fields. Students who didn’t take the rocket program investigated centripetal forces that drive engines in turbines or explored collision forces.
Science Learning Leader
STEAM Extension Program
On Tuesday 30 May, 16 Year 8 students who participate in the STEAM Extension Program travelled to Banyule Nillumbik Tech School to take part in their Design Fundamentals workshop. Here, students were introduced to the Design Thinking Framework, a tool commonly used across design, engineering and technology to generate ideas and create innovative solutions to problems being faced by society.
Students had the opportunity to put the framework to the test by creating a prototype for a product which aimed to support people in being more conscious and informed recyclers. There were a variety of solutions created across the group including a self-sorting bin, an advertising campaign, a ‘frequent flyer’ program which rewarded people for good recycling, and apps which enabled people to scan their rubbish and be advised of the appropriate bin to put it in.
The students are now well-equipped to tackle the STEM MAD Showcase in Term 3, a competition which asks them to work in groups to design a solution to a real-world problem which makes a difference to those in need or the environment.