Welcome back to Term 2 and the May edition of the SASTA e-news, we hope you had a relaxing break! We have a number of Professional Learning workshops coming up this term and registrations are closing soon!

SASTA Member Events

Register now for our FREE SASTA Member Events in May to help support your teaching! Places are limited and bookings are essential - click on the links below for more information.

Cleland Wildlife Park Teacher Excursion
Saturday 25 May | 10am

Teachers that book into this event through SASTA will have free admission on the day and a guided 2-hour wildlife experience.

Escape Mr Johnson's Science Class
Tuesday 28 May | 5pm

In this 'Escape Game' you will progress through a series of challenging rooms focussing on Physics, Biology , Earth and Space and Chemistry.

Social Media Post of the Month

Congratulations to our Credit Union SA / SASTA Outstanding Contribution to the Teaching of Science Award winners and Helen Castle Memorial Scholarship recipient. All very well deserved!

Junior Primary Years - Carly Tate
Primary Years - Abby MacPherson
Middle Years - Alexandra Fowler
Helen Castle Scholarship - Hannah Fryar

Oliphant Science Awards

Don't forget that school coordinator and student registrations close on Thursday 6 June! Click here to register. We are also still looking for judges to assist with this year's competition. Click here to find out more information.

Term 2 Professional Learning

STEM in the Early Years (Engineering Focus) | Friday 10 May
Navigating the Oliphant Science Awards in your School FREE Workshop | 20 May
Designing and Implementing STEM Challenges (Primary) | Monday 3 June
Designing and Implementing STEM Challenges (Secondary) | Friday 14 June
Innovating through science (Primary) | Friday 21 June

Stage 1 Trial Exams

Mid year and end of year exams are now available for Biology, Chemistry & Physics!

These are newly written for 2019, with brand new questions to help teachers build up their resources. The questions are of a higher quality, assess different concepts and are more contextual than previous years. Find out more and order your copies here.

2019 Study Guides

Due to unforeseen circumstances, delivery of the 2019 Study Guides is not expected until June. Pre-orders are still available via the website and we will be in contact as soon as they are available.

Don't forget to check out the Events & News in the Science Community below!

Events and News in the Science Community

Pint of Science is a festival bringing science to society in the comfort of a pub. The festival will be held from 20-22 May and 18 fantastic local speakers have been lined up for the program (from cancer treatments to glowing bacteria under water to saving Aboriginal languages to Apollo 11 to predicting disease outbreaks through tweets)

For more information visit the website.

Microscopes in Your School

In 2018, the Rotary Club of St Peters donated a small number of microscopes to two local primary schools. From the reports of these schools, it is evident that their science students are using these microscopes both within and outside the schools for a variety of purposes, and from lower to upper primary. Schools were also supplied with a copy of ‘Beyond the Visible’, a booklet which outlines some of the ways in which these microscopes can be used.

The Rotary Club of St Peters is now looking to expand the project but needs to ensure there is sufficient interest from primary schools, and that there is educational value in the project. If your school is interested in receiving a set of donated microscopes and is able to use them effectively, please email Chris: chris.dawson@adelaide.edu.au.

National Science Week

School theme - Destination Moon: more missions, more science

The National Science Week Resource Book is available! There are also two further complementary resources; a timeline Australia’s history in space. The story of Australia’s contribution to space exploration and a student journal. To view these resources, click here.

Year 12 STEM Outreach

Operating for over 36 years, the National Youth Science Forum offers STEM outreach programs designed to give students a broader understanding of the diverse study and career options in STEM and encourage them to continue studies in these fields. Year 11 students are invited to apply now for the 2020 program. Applications for 2020 open from 1 March to 31 May 2019. Visit the website for details.

ABC Radio Adelaide Kids Quiz

Peter Goers’ long running Kids Quiz on ABC Radio Adelaide is requesting your assistance to help our gifted science and maths whizz-kids take part. Can you set 5 maths and 5 science questions a week that will provide a fun (but not too testing) challenge for them? We need curriculum based questions that can be posed and answered orally, from educators that understand the material. Our kids are brilliant, and we want their time on the radio to be the best it can be for them. Please contact ABC producer Steven Raeburn on 8343 4420 or via Raeburn.steven@abc.net.au to submit questions or chat further.

Australian Science & Mathematics School Professional Learning

There are a number of workshops available for 2019 including: STEM Spaces, STEM leadership, Early Career teachers in STEM and ASMS Educator Open Days. For more information and to register visit the website.

Science Animation Videos & Education Pages

Ray Hirst is a graphic designer with a flair for making scientific information accessible to younger audiences, particularly those from mid- to late-primary school. His science animation videos and education pages are available online and he is keen to work with science teachers to produce material tailored to the curriculum. Find examples of his animations here and examples of education pages produced in conjunction with The Advertiser here. Contact raymedia@adam.com.au for more details.