SASTA eNews - July 2017

JULY 2017

eNEWS

And breathe. Holiday time is here again (well, almost for some...)!

What does July bring for SASTA, I hear you ask? Some are off to CONASTA in Hobart, some are furiously preparing for the Oliphant Science Awards (offsite projects are due for delivery in Week 1 of Term 3 - yes, already!!). Coordinator packs were sent out on 30th June, so anyone already on holidays won't receive theirs until they return to school. DECD school coordinators should receive theirs before Term 2 ends at the end of this week.

Otherwise, Term 3 brings Stage 2 Trial Exams, along with End of Year Stage 1 Trial Exams, workshops on additions to the new Stage 2 Biology, Chemistry and Physics curricula; and, something new - a two-day workshop for one Science teacher AND one Maths / Technology teacher from your school! This is a new and exciting STEM initiative created just for you! There's more information below if this has whet your appetite.

We are hunting for presenters for both the Early Career Teachers Conference (13th October at Immanuel College) and the STEM (6-11) Conference (1st December, venue TBA). If you are interested in sharing your knowledge with your colleagues, why not consider submitting an abstract for one or both of these conferences?

Happy holidays!

Forward

SASTA EVENTS

Designing STEM Tasks - Primary Years
(this is a repeat of the workshop held on 23rd June)

Date: Monday 14th August 2017
Time: 9.00am to 3.00pm
Venue: Education Development Centre, Hindmarsh

This workshop is designed to help teachers acquire the skills and confidence to design, develop and implement their own STEM-based teaching resources.

Building on a common understanding of STEM teaching, teachers will explore methods of transforming inquiry based science investigations into tasks that reflect real world challenges and incorporate the technological/engineering design process.

Using provided exemplars and strategies, teachers will collaborate to develop STEM focussed tasks to use in their own classrooms.

Who should attend: Primary Years teachers

Registrations CLOSE on 10th August 2017
Don't miss out - CLICK HERE to register now!

SACE Stage 2 Biology (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics 1 - 3
(Topics 4 - 6 will be covered in a separate workshop to be held on Wednesday 16th August)

Date: Tuesday 15th August 2017
Time: 5.15 to 7.45pm (registration from 4.45pm in 121 Physics Building)
Venue: The University of Adelaide, Darling West Lecture Theatre (G14 Darling West)

The introduction of the senior Australian Curriculum into the SACE Science subjects has enabled new content to be incorporated into Stage 2 Biology course, to be introduced in 2018. The new content will be explained and numerous examples will highlighted in contexts for the curriculum.

Key Topics 1 - 3:

DNA sequencing and the removal of genes using CRISPR;
The nervous system; and
Reproductive isolation.

Who should attend: Stage 2 Biology teachers

NB: the ticket price includes a light meal.

Registrations CLOSE on 10th August 2017
Don't miss out - CLICK HERE to register now!

SACE Stage 2 Physics (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics

Date: Tuesday 15th August 2017
Time: 5.15 to 7.45pm (registration from 4.45pm in 121 Physics Building)
Venue: The University of Adelaide, Kerr Grant Lecture Theatre (103 Physics Building)

The introduction of the senior Australian Curriculum into the SACE Science subjects has enabled new content to be incorporated into Stage 2 Physics course, to be introduced in 2018. The new content will be explained and numerous examples will highlighted in contexts for the curriculum.

Key Topics:

Electromagnetic induction;
The Standard Model; and
Relativity.

Who should attend: Stage 2 Physics teachers

NB: the ticket price includes a light meal.

Registrations CLOSE on 10th August 2017
Don't miss out - CLICK HERE to register now!

SACE Stage 2 Biology (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics 4 - 6
(Topics 1 - 3 will be covered in a separate workshop to be held on Tuesday 15th August)

Date: Wednesday 16th August 2017
Time: 5.15 to 7.45pm (registration from 4.45pm in 121 Physics Building)
Venue: The University of Adelaide, Darling West Lecture Theatre (G14 Darling West)

Key Topics 4 - 6:

Allopathic and sympatric speciation;
Maintaining biodiversity; and
Homeostasis.

Who should attend: Stage 2 Biology teachers

NB: the ticket price includes a light meal.

Registrations CLOSE on 11th August 2017
Don't miss out - CLICK HERE to register now!

SACE Stage 2 Chemistry (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics

Date: Wednesday 16th August 2017
Time: 5.15 to 7.45pm (registration from 4.45pm in 121 Physics Building)
Venue: The University of Adelaide, Kerr Grant Lecture Theatre (103 Physics Building)

The introduction of the senior Australian Curriculum into the SACE Science subjects has enabled new content to be incorporated into Stage 2 Chemistry course, to be introduced in 2018. The new content will be explained and numerous examples will highlighted in contexts for the curriculum.

Key Topics:

Ion (Exchange) Chromatography;
Reverse Osmosis; and
New Materials e.g. composites.

Who should attend: Stage 2 Chemistry teachers

NB: the ticket price includes a light meal.

Registrations CLOSE on 11th August 2017
Don't miss out - CLICK HERE to register now!

SASTA STEM Project - Middle Years

Date: Thursday 7th AND Friday 8th September 2017
Time: 9.00am to 3.00pm (both days)
Venue: Education Development Centre, Hindmarsh

The SASTA STEM Project will offer teachers the opportunity to work together across subject areas for two full days, developing a series of coordinated lessons that can be taught in each of their classrooms to support a shared STEM program.

We are inviting participation from two teachers from each school, a science teacher and a maths and/or technology teacher.

Participation will be limited to 20 places (10 teams of 2 teachers) so that each team will be able to access the support they need across the Project.

Who should attend: Middle / Secondary Years teachers

Head to the SASTA website for more information and to book.

Registrations CLOSE on 24th August 2017
Don't miss out - CLICK HERE to register now!

STEM (6-11) Conference

Date: Friday 1st December 2017
Venue: TBA
The Call for Presenters is now open!
click here to submit your abstract

SASTA SACE Stage 1 End of Year Trial Exams
are now available!

Back by popular demand are SASTA's range of Stage 1 Trial Exams!

The 2017 Stage 1 end of year exams feature a range of questions with difficulty levels ranging from simple to challenging. All questions are in context, are mapped to the subject outlines for teaching in 2017, and are designed to cover the topics:

Mixtures and Solutions, Acids and Bases and Redox Reactions (Chemistry);
Multicellular Organisms, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (Biology); and
Energy and Momentum, Waves, Nuclear Models and Radioactivity (Physics).

Students apply their knowledge to a 100 mark examination which is designed to support assessment at Stage 1. Each exam comes with a complete set of solutions with variations on each answer to cover a wider range of student responses.

Take some of the pressure off in Term 4 and purchase one or all of our end of year exams for Stage 1 biology, chemistry and physics. Two different marking summaries are provided for teachers' use to derive final grades.

You simply must try our exams! We are confident that you will come back for more!

Priced at $165.00 each (incl. GST), these exams are worth your investment!

Click on the image above to order your copies now!

DISTRIBUTION: delivered as a downloadable file for each available subject. Once payment has been received, the files will be stored in your Digital Products page in your login, where you are able to download each file as needed. Please note that SASTA will not provide paper copies.

The 2017 Study Guides are now available!

For schools who have not yet placed an order, simply fax (08 8354 0008) or email (office@sasta.asn.au) your purchase order
(including freight - $11 flat fee plus $1 per item ordered) today!

Prices for 2017 Study Guides are $28.00 each (including GST).

Click here to shop now!

EVENTS AND NEWS IN THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY

REMINDER OF KEY DATES:

Offsite project delivery to SASTA Office from Monday 24th to Friday 28th July (9.00am to 4.30pm daily)
Close of project amendments - BEFORE 9am on Monday 31st July
Open Day! Sunday 27th August 2017 at Festival Functions, Findon from 12noon to 4pm (click the banner below for more info on Open Day!)

Oliphant Science Awards now has a dedicated Facebook page!
Head on over and like the page to get regular Awards updates!

#OSA17 #OliphantScienceAwards

Opportunity for all science teachers to attend
International Astronautical Congress 25-29 September

SASTA is pleased to announce that 25 scholarships are available for public and private school teachers of science to gain professional development from attending the largest science congress ever held in Adelaide.

The International Astronautical Congress (IAC2017) is to be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 25-29 September 2017. IAC2017 will be a congress in which there will be 24 space science paper sessions running in parallel over five days. It is expected to attract over 3000 international delegates including a significant number of astronauts. More details are at http://www.iac2017.org/.

Each recipient of an IAC2017 Teachers Scholarship will receive free Congress registration and be expected to attend one day of the Congress. Attendance at appropriate lecture sessions should provide teachers with knowledge and understanding of aerospace science which could be used to illustrate applications of science in their school classes.

The sponsors of these Scholarships are the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) and the Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith Fund.

Attendees at this Congress have a good chance of meeting an Astronaut!

Closing date for submission of scholarship applications has been extended and now close on Monday 31st July 2017.

Click here to read more about the scholarships on offer.

Click here to download the Application Form

SA Space School: Applications are now open!

Year 10 students are invited to apply to attend the 3 day residential conference in the October school holidays. Application forms can be found at www.spaceschool.com

ANSTO's Big Ideas Forum
If you’re a Year 10 student with a big idea for the future of science,
ANSTO wants to hear from you!

ANSTO’s Big Ideas Forum invites students from around Australia to ponder, “What problem would you like to see scientists solve for the future of our society?”
Twenty-two students and eleven teachers will be selected to investigate their Big Ideas with some of the country’s brightest scientific minds. The chosen participants will be brought to Sydney, all expenses paid, for a week of hands-on science in Australia’s landmark research facilities.

Applications are now open.
Register your interest at http://www.ansto.gov.au/bigideas

Various Information for Science Teachers

Education Perfect have recently released 40 online lessons to support the study of Sustainability and Climate Change, and it is freely available for SASTA members to use. Click here for more info.

The Why Waite program offers free lab-based classroom activities for secondary school students at the Waite campus, for The University of Adelaide. Our activities range from molecular biology to flavour sensory and can be tailored to specifically suit the class or curriculum needs. Please head to thewaite.org/participate/schools/why-waite for more details, including our simple online booking system. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter, @whywaite_uoa, to see what we’re up to each week too! Can’t WAITE too see you!

Entries in the CRC Care High School Essay Competition are now open! Students in Years 7 to 12 can enter to win a cash prize and a trip to Melbourne. Entries close on 13th August. Click here for more info.

Science Alive Careers Day - SA High School teachers can head to the website for more info and to register their students to be involved in this year's event.

Introducing Science Max - a brand new science series for secondary students, airing on ABC Me at 11am on Mondays during school terms. Click here for more info

National Science Week - free teacher resources are now available!

An 88-page, 2017 National Science Week teacher resource book ‘Future Earth’ is now available on the ASTA website.

It can be viewed as a digital ‘flip book’ or the PDF can be downloaded for printing. The resource book is also accompanied by 2 student journals - one for the early years and one for primary and secondary students.

Click here to browse the available resources

SASTA EVENT CALENDAR

Oliphant Science Awards - Offsite projects due at SASTA
Monday 24th to Friday 28th July 2017

Oliphant Science Awards - Computer Programming & Robotics Judging Day - Pulteney Grammar School (only by appointment)
Saturday 12th August 2017

Designing STEM Tasks - Primary Years (repeat) at EDC, Hindmarsh
Monday 14th August 2017 - register now!

SACE Stage 2 Biology (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics 1 - 3 Workshop at University of Adelaide
Tuesday 15th August 2017 - register now!

SACE Stage 2 Physics (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics Workshop at University of Adelaide
Tuesday 15th August 2017 - register now!

SACE Stage 2 Biology (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics 4 - 6 Workshop at University of Adelaide
Wednesday 16th August 2017 - register now!

SACE Stage 2 Chemistry (Aust. Curriculum) New Topics Workshop at University of Adelaide
Wednesday 16th August 2017 - register now!

Oliphant Science Awards - Onsite projects due at Festival Functions, Findon
Friday 25th August 2017

Oliphant Science Awards - Open Day, Festival Functions, Findon
Sunday 27th August 2017 - more info here

Oliphant Science Awards - Collection of ALL projects from Festival Functions, Findon
Monday 28th August 2017

SASTA STEM Project - Middle Years at EDC, Hindmarsh
Thursday 7th and Friday 8th September 2017 - register now!

Oliphant Science Awards - Presentation Ceremony - Invitation ONLY
Friday 22nd September 2017

Early Career Teachers Conference - Immanuel College, Novar Gardens
Friday 13th October 2017 - call for presenters now open - click here to submit an abstract

STEM (6-11) Conference - venue TBA
Friday 1st December 2017 - call for presenters now open - click here to submit an abstract

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