January 2020

You'll notice that the SASTA E-News is looking a little different from 2019! SASTA is tweaking all of its publications (Journal, Newsletter and E-News) – so keep an eye out!

If you haven't yet renewed your membership for 2020 then do so quickly before you miss out on any benefits.

If you've never been a member or have let it lapse for a couple of years, then there are lots of benefits! Educators SA have a great video on why you should join a professional association.

Find out more about becoming a member of SASTA...

Is your school taking part in this year's SASTA Oliphant Science Awards? Then make sure your School Coordinator is registered so that they receive all the important information! Each school can only have ONE Coordinator so make sure it's the correct person!

Over the holidays you'll have had time to reflect on what worked and what didn't work in your classroom last year. Why not share your experience with colleagues by presenting a workshop at this year's Annual Conference? Sharing knowledge and experience helps us all to become better educators. The call for workshops closes on Sunday 9 February.

A series of workshops for those new to the subject or for those who need to brush up after not teaching for a while. Workshops will cover an overview of the course, planning and assessment, sample tasks and discussion, and moderation.

Participants will be given the opportunity to share and discuss ideas, tasks and other resources.

• Biology: Friday 14 February
• Physics: Friday 14 February
• Chemistry: Friday 21 February
• Nutrition: Friday 21 February
• Psychology: Monday 2 March
• [NEW] Scientific Studies: Monday 2 March

This workshop examines how we can make the laboratory experience more meaningful for students and reflect the continuing emphasis on STEM. Through hands-on engagement, teachers will be guided through how to design practical investigations that ask students to apply their content knowledge and skills to create solutions to a real world application of science. Copies of the practical activities explored will be supplied to all participants.

Looking for inspiration or don't quite know where to find a good resource online? Have a look at SASTA's Padlet for Designing STEM Tasks curated by Kate Dilger. You'll find links to all sorts of inspiring ideas!

The new Second Edition follows the revised SACE subject outline for Stage 2 Biology and includes revised chapters, extended explanations, new diagrams, and best of all, hundreds of new questions! The review tests have been revised to include questions that address criteria relevant to the strands of science inquiry skills and science as a human endeavour.

First Edition also still available – just $29

• Biology • Chemistry • Nutrition
• Physics • Psychology

2020 Study Guides are currently being prepared for publication. Pre-order your copies now for immediate delivery when ready.

Each year, ASTA receives federal funding for grants to schools of $100 to $500, to stage school events to promote and encourage science. The grant money available for SA schools will be about $15 000.

Grant applications will open on Monday 24 February and close on Friday 27 March. More information will be available in the next E-News.

This year, National Science Week is 15–23 August.

The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest is a chance for tomorrow's engineers, designers and creative thinkers to let their imaginations run wild by drawing an image of their 'Dream Car'.

Students are required to draw or paint a picture of what they imagine their dream car will look like. There are three age categories: under 8, ages 8–11 and ages 12–15.

Competition, prize and entry details are available on the competition website. Cool Australia has prepared lesson plans and other information for teachers and schools.

South Australian Science Teachers Association
249 Henley Beach Road Torrensville SA 5031
P 08 8354 0006  F 08 8354 0008  E office@sasta.asn.au
www.sasta.asn.au