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May 2023
Welcome back for Term 2! Sorry we're a bit late with this month's edition, we've been super busy in the office getting your pre-ordered Study Guides shipped out and working on CONASTA 70.
If you haven't already registered for CONASTA 70, get onto it and join the almost 200 already registered science professionals from around the country! Check out the website for all the details and to register online.
SASTA News
SASTA AGM
The 2023 SASTA AGM was held on Wednesday 10 May via Zoom. Four board positions were declared vacant at the 2023 AGM. Dina Matheson and Katie Bell were elected for their second 3 year term of office and Denise Rule was newly elected for a 3 year term.
Helen Castle Memorial Scholarship
Nominations are still open for the Helen Castle Memorial Scholarship!
The Scholarship is designed to assist country science teachers attend the SASTA Annual Conference and gain professional development to assist themselves and other country teachers to maintain a high standard of science teaching in country areas. Two (2) scholarships of $500 plus a complimentary 2024 Annual Conference registration will be awarded to enable country based science teachers to attend the SASTA Annual Conference in 2024. Nominations close Friday 2 June.
Professional Learning
Implementing the Australian Curriculum: Science V9.0
22 May 2023
AC 9.0 has been released and with that the need to make changes to our sequences/rubrics and curriculum documentation to fit with the new descriptors. This session will take a practical approach and show implementation (which we have done this year) and also cover (more briefly): task design, assessment types and rubrics.
7-10 Australian Curriculum Science: How can we design and assess differentiated tasks?
9 June 2023
This session will only focus on Australian Curriculum 7-10 Science courses – these are so critical for making sure we are retaining students in Science in the senior years. It is essential that we equipment students in these year levels with confidence and the skills needed to explain, analyse and be critical.
Early Career Teachers Conference
Call for workshops now open!
SASTA is committed to providing opportunities for Early Career Teachers to network and learn with and from each other. In addition, we seek to provide you with access to expert education practitioners and leaders to ensure you have every opportunity to understand and succeed in this important profession.
This one-day conference provides graduates and teachers in the first few years of their career with an opportunity to share and reflect on their professional identity, professional practice, wellbeing, and to develop connections with other early career educators.
Oliphant Science Awards
Project Registrations close 19 May 2023
We're still looking for judges to be involved. Register here.
Project Registrations close on Friday!
We’re excited to have some great opportunities for students to submit their entries into National Competitions.
- The South Australian Museum is sponsoring the Photography category and winning entries of natural fauna, flora or natural land formations may be eligible to enter the South Australian Museum Nature Photographer of the Year competition.
- Prize winners and highly commended entries from Crystal Investigation will be automatically entered into the National Crystal Growing Competition. Find out more here.
- Entry to the ASTA i3 Awards is open to school students from Preschool to Year 12 who have demonstrated exceptional results in their state or territory STEM awards program. This is via nomination only through the Oliphant Science Awards committee. Find out more here.
Science Alive!
Will you be taking your school to visit STEM Day Out or Women in STEM this August?
Resources
For all resources available from SASTA visit the website.
Study Guides available now. All pre-orders have been shipped
Chapter 1 of Physics, Chemistry & Biology now available
$15 each per chapter
Stage 2 Topic Videos | NEW
SASTA is excited to present a new product available for teachers and students in 2023! Keeping pace with the way students learn, SASTA is developing a suite of high quality videos covering all topics in SACE Stage 2 Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Each video is between five and ten minutes and covers one or more concepts in the Science Understanding section of the Subject Outline.
For more information and to order visit the website.
Contributions from the science community
Questacon Science Circus pop-up science centres and in-school science shows
- Whyalla: Saturday 20 May
- Port Augusta: Sunday 28 May
- Port Pirie: Wednesday 31 May
Visit the pop-up science centre
These are family friendly events that have over 30 hands-on exhibits, as well as spectacular shows to enjoy together (and it’s free!). Tickets can be booked through Ticketek: https://bit.ly/QSC-SA23
Cura’s project-based resources and real-world units help schools bring their Science classrooms to life.
They’re engaging and hands-on. They’re a perfect supplement – and antidote – to a textbook. They ignite students’ passion and curiosity, as well as their theoretical knowledge.
And right now, you can get a free, one-term trial to explore Cura’s 100+ units and trial them in your classrooms. To sign up for your trial, click here.
Creative Minds, Creative Worlds - Young people engaging, experiencing, and creating in our world
Thursday 25 May 4.30-6pm - Adelaide Festival Centre or register to receive a recording of the event.
Local, national, and international panelists will discuss how they engage young people in creative practice, including practical examples applicable to the classroom.
It concludes with a Q&A. Drinks, nibbles and PL certificate provided.
All educators are welcome, you don’t have to be an Arts educator to attend. Anyone who is interested in creativity, engagement, and agency would enjoy this session.
It’s free! To register click here for in person attendance or access to the recording.
2024 National Youth Science Forum
Do you know a Year 11 student passionate about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)? Would they like to meet like-minded young people from across Australia? Do they want to learn more about their study and career options? Get them to apply for the 2024 National Youth Science Forum Year 12 Program!
Applications are open now - click here.
Recreating Lost Worlds
CREATING THE ART OF PREHISTORIC SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Sunday 4 June 2023 | State Library of South Australia
Do you know someone aged 5 to 12, who wants to know how to paint a plesiosaur swimming through what is now the South Australian outback? Maybe they want to draw a sketch of a giant, prehistoric wombat or use charcoal to create an underwater scene from more than half a billion years ago.
In a workshop featuring singing palaeontologist Professor Flint, internationally renowned palaeo-artist Katrina Kenny, and palaeontologists from the Flinders University Palaeontology Society and the University of Adelaide Palaeontologists, you’ll learn to do just that.
The Dinosaur University Mary Anning Art Prize is an art prize for young people, aged 5 to 12, to create a work of art that explores South Australia’s amazing prehistoric story. If you know a young person who’s thinking of entering, this workshop is just for them.
Find out more here.
VR Science Incursion
VR is fast becoming a recognised educational learning technology offering teachers and students new and powerful ways to create, view and interact with curriculum content in highly engaging ways.
We are offering Science Teachers two kinds of VR learning technologies especially tailored for Year 7, 8 and 9 students. Our one day incursion events allow multiple classes and their teachers to actively engage with 2VR technologies in safe, structured and supervised ways - on site in your school.
Find out more here.
Regenerative Futures Lab
Bring a ‘deep time’ perspective to your student’s learning. Imagine if students could ground their learning in Earth’s 4.5 billion year history, as they look to the future?
What if students were able to bring consideration of ecological and cultural impact of their futures thinking, research, design and entrepreneurship?
This 2 hour interactive workshop for students in Years 7 - 12 explores world views, natures design principles, and place. Find out more here.
Contact SASTA
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
