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November 2021
Planning is underway for 2022 and SASTA Membership for next year is now open! There is still a lot going on in November including the STEM Conference, Leading in Science Workshop and two FREE Member Excursions Building more than ships from BAE Systems Maritime Australia & Thin Ice VR from the South Australian Museum. Find out more below!
Good luck to all the teachers who have students sitting Stage 2 exams over the next couple of weeks. Links to register for the Exam Post Mortems can be found below.
Science Alive!
Friday 19 November
Science Alive! are looking for some energetic and engaging Pre-service teachers to volunteer in their STEM challenge areas at the upcoming Science Alive! and STEM Day Out events from 19 - 21 November at the Adelaide Showground. Find out more here.
Have you registered your students or yourself for these upcoming Science Alive Workshops?
SASTA news
2022 SASTA Membership Renewal
SASTA membership is now open for renewal and there is new pricing for 2022! Personal Membership prices have all been reduced - Personal Members are now $95 and there is great pricing for 1st & 2nd year teachers and student members. Find out more here.
You can renew your membership subscription on the SASTA website. The 2022 Professional Learning calendar is now available to help you plan for next year!
Don’t forget, your membership will expire on 31 December 2021, so if you want to register for any 2022 professional learning after this date, your 2022 membership will need to be paid before you register to be eligible for the member price.
SASTA Honour Awards
Check out all the award winners and photos from the Educators SA celebration here.
Congratulations to Katrina Elliott and Glen Arthur, who were presented with SASTA Honour Awards at the Educators SA World Teachers Day celebration on Friday 29 October! Keep an eye out on the blog for more information on their contributions to SASTA.
School Projects
We're excited to have a NEW school projects page on the SASTA website to make it easier to access the projects your school could be involved with. Check it out here. We also have a few exciting new projects to come!
Professional Learning
Register now!
Less than a month now until the STEM Conference! Have you seen the program? Registration is open online.
Keynote speaker, Dr Melanie Farrier will be sharing her journey through STEM, the influences that led her to her career path and how she thinks you can make an impact on your students in her keynote presentation 'Creating impact in STEM'.
South Australian Museum: Thin Ice VR
Wednesday 10 November (Exclusive Preview)
In 1914, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton led the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Regarded as the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, it was to be the first to cross Antarctica coast-to-coast. Shackleton failed in his attempt, but the events that transpired form one of History’s greatest stories of leadership and survival.
Equal parts catastrophic and transcendent, Thin Ice VR presents a uniquely affecting account of how humanity asserts its will over the extremes of nature — often in unforeseen ways. Find out more and book here.
Building more than ships: Friday 19 November
South Australia’s naval shipbuilding industry offers students a range of exciting career pathways and opportunities, in our own backyard.
BAE Systems Maritime Australia is developing a school engagement plan and has established a pilot program designed to grow collaboration between industry, schools and teachers. The ultimate aim of the plan is to boost students’ career awareness and understanding of opportunities afforded by STEM skills and knowledge.
You are invited to the Osborne Naval Shipyard to witness first-hand the opportunities on offer for their students and discuss how they can be involved in the pilot. Find out more and book here.
For Stage 2 Teachers
Exam Post Mortems
These FREE sessions will be held via Zoom. Register online to receive the login details closer to the date.
- Biology - Monday 8 November
- Chemistry - Tuesday 9 November
- Physics - Thursday 11 November
Calling all science leaders and budding leaders!
This session is intended for people who are current science department leaders or aspire to be one! Come along and network with other like-minded individuals whilst learning some new skills which might help you either in your current role, in the future or to further enhance the learning and teaching at your school. Visit the website to view the full program.
Keynote Speaker: Dr Jacqueline Condon, Forensic Psychiatrist & Mental Health Emergency Specialist, will discuss "Forensic Psychology: from the real world into the classroom"
Registration is now open! And you can view a list of concurrent workshop sessions available online. The full program and more details on the workshop sessions will be available soon!
For your classroom
Project Live UniSA
Project LIVE is a cross-disciplinary initiative at the University of South Australia focused on creating virtual and augmented reality experiences. They use immersive visualisation technologies to tell stories, share experiences and change thinking. Follow the links on the PROJECTS page to discover the range of topics brought to life by the Project LIVE team. Our favourite project is ‘Beyond the Ice’ which takes you on a journey revealing Hallett Cove's deep geological secrets by completing a series of tasks around its remarkable geosites. You will discover fantastic folds and the spectacular Sugarloaf, uncover the mystery of the missing gaps in time, fossick for fossils and much more!
Each month we will be adding to our Science Excursions blog post, you can check it out here.
Project Live UniSA: Excursion
The UniSA Mawson Lakes Campus features two dedicated student lab spaces for displaying and interacting with immersive visualisations: the Panorama Room that houses a 180-degree multi-projector panoramic display, and our VR Studio that houses a bank of virtual reality workstations and headsets. Both spaces are available for workshops and tours. Project LIVE is directly adjacent to the Adelaide Planetarium – an eight-metre dome that can brilliantly recreate the night sky and display full-dome images and movies.
Resources
For all resources available from SASTA, see www.sasta.asn.au/resources
Stage 1 Workbooks - Third Edition | NEW
Physics now available
Physics sample pages available here.
Biology & Chemistry available for pre-order
The Third Edition of the popular SASTA Stage 1 Workbooks set students on the path to success in their study of science through their clear and engaging narrative, innovative use of art and photos, and superior contextual questions that enhance teaching and learning.
The Third Editions provide an unmatched comprehensive text fully mapped to the Stage 1 Biology, Chemistry and Physics Courses in South Australia. For more information and to order visit the website.
Biology available December 2021
Chemistry available February 2022
Contributions from the science community
VSSEC CanSat Program
The CanSat project will give students practical experience in electronics, computer programming, remote sensing and data analysis.
This project introduces students to the Engineering Design Process, uses Project Based Leaning and allows students to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Design, and Mathematics (STEAM).
Students will design, build, test and launch CanSats. As the CanSat descends they will collect data, then analyse and interpret it. Find out more about this program here.
STEM Teacher in Residence Program – School Connections Pilot Project
Keen to explore options to build a collaborative partnership with speciality STEM areas within the University of Adelaide’s Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences?
The STEM Teacher in Residence Program has been established to facilitate partnerships between secondary and tertiary educators with the aim of identifying innovative ways through which the University of Adelaide’s ground breaking research, academics and facilities can support and enhance STEM connected teaching and learning.
To learn more or register your interest in joining the 2022 School Connections Pilot Project contact Michelle McLeod (michelle.mcleod@adelaide.edu.au or 8313 7294)
National Recycling Week
8 - 14 November
National Recycling Week was established by Planet Ark in 1996 and is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year! The focus for 2021 is: Celebrate National Recycling Week YOUR way!
There are a range of resources available to celebrate National Recycling Week in your classroom from Planet Ark and Cool Australia.
Australian Pollinator Week
13 - 21 November
Australian Pollinator Week acknowledges our important and unique insect pollinators during our southern spring (November). It is a designated week when communities, businesses and organisations can come together to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators and support their needs.
Cool Australia have a series of resources called Love Food? Love Bees which are a great way to increase awareness about the vital role bees play in our environment. There are also a range of information sheets on the Australian Pollinator Week website.
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
