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March 2023
Have you seen our FREE member events coming up in March/April? We have our Early Career Teacher Professional Learning Day on 10 March and a Member excursion to the Lumination Learning Lab on 18 April.
If you haven't had a chance to renew your SASTA membership for 2023 yet, visit the website here. Personal Membership prices have been reduced! Find out more here.
SASTA News
SASTA AGM & Call for Board Nominations
The 2023 Annual General Meeting of members of the South Australia Science Teachers Association Inc. will be held on Wednesday 10 May.
All members of SASTA are hereby notified of a call for nominations for 4 positions on the SASTA Board. If you are interested or would like more information please visit the 'Board Elections' section in the Members Area of the website. Nominations close 12 April.
2023 SASTA Awards
There are many great teachers out there that often fly under the radar and SASTA would like to acknowledge, and celebrate their outstanding achievements and contributions to the science community.
This is your opportunity to nominate a colleague who has inspired you or is a role model in the community or share your own accomplishments!
It is free to nominate and there are a number of Awards available for SASTA members:
- Credit Union SA / SASTA Outstanding Contribution to the Teaching of Science Award
- Helen Castle Memorial Scholarship
Find out more about the awards and previous winners or nominate yourself or a colleague here.
9-12 July 2023
Gold Sponsor
CONASTA 70 in Adelaide - Save the Date
We're excited to finally be in the process of putting together the program after receiving a significant number of workshops! Keep an eye out for the program and registration to be released mid-March.
We also have some amazing sponsors on board already! You can check them out here.
anzuk Education was founded in 2004 with the goal of serving the needs of both schools and high-quality Australian and New Zealand educators. Since then, anzuk has since expanded assisting 100’s of schools Australia wide with their casual relief teaching needs.
In 2016, the anzuk contract and permanent opportunities team was formed to help service the needs of independent and Catholic schools, assisting these schools find the very best educators for their respective schools on a longer-term basis.
anzuk has since formed the anzuk Executive team to assist schools with their executive-level appointments. We’re thrilled to be involved with CONASTA 70 and are very proud to continue assist Science Teachers who are looking for contract and permanent opportunities across Australia
Professional Learning
This event is FREE for SASTA Members! Find out more here.
This Professional Learning Day has been specifically designed for teachers in their early years as a science teacher. The workshops cover a range of interactive and engaging presentations from experienced practitioners to provide the tools and skills needed to survive and thrive in the early years of being a science educator.
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.
For your classroom - Space
Story Time from Space
Story Time from Space is a project of the Global Space Education Foundation, a not-for-profit education foundation, where children’s books are sent to the International Space Station to be read by the astronauts and videoed for students and young people to enjoy.
Mission to Mars
Mission to Mars is a full-day, scenario-based program. Students work in teams and use problem-solving skills to successfully complete a geological survey on the Mars surface.
Please download the Mission to Mars brochure for more information: Mission to Mars Brochure
Oliphant Science Awards
Project Registrations close 19 May 2023
The 2023 Information Booklet is available and can be downloaded here.
Citizen Science | NEW Category for 2023
This category is aimed at involving whole classes or school groups in meaningful citizen science projects. The project can be one that you have designed yourself or an existing citizen science project that you take part in.
Think about not only what type of citizen science project your students would like to try, but also what types of projects are feasible for them to do, based on where the school is located and what you’re able to do in your classroom or your school environment, what equipment you will need and researchers you could collaborate with. Find out all the details here.
Resources
Physics, Chemistry & Biology now available
Stage 2 Workbooks - 3rd Edition | NEW
The Third Edition of the popular SASTA Stage 2 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.
For more information and to order visit the website.
Contributions from the science community
Science in Context: Wine Australia
SASTA Members can view a range of resources created covering soil science, viticulture, genetics and oenology through our collaboration with Wine Australia.
These resources are aimed at teachers who want a fresh and innovative approach to teaching Biological Sciences, Chemistry or Earth and Space Science. Visit the SASTA Members Area here.
Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize
The 2023 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize will be awarded for a short (2-minute) film that communicates a scientific concept in an accessible and engaging way.
This film competition encourages school students to communicate a scientific concept in a way that is accessible and entertaining to the public while painlessly increasing their science knowledge or, as Dr Karl and Adam like to say, "Learn something without even noticing". It is intended to support budding young scientists across the nation, who will be our future leaders in research, discovery and communication.
Nominations close 14 April 2023. Find out all the details here.
Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants are now open!
Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants are a great way to engage children in environmental education. Open to primary schools and early learning centres across Australia, grants of up to $1,000 each are available to support projects that focus on sustainable food production, improving waste management practices and recycling, enhancing native habitats and/or deepening connections to First Nations perspectives. We have created the Top 10 Woolworths Junior Landcare Project Ideas to help educators get their creative juices flowing.
For more information, to view the Information Session or to apply please visit the Junior Landcare website here:
https://juniorlandcare.org.au/grant/2023-woolworths-junior-landcare-grants/
Cura
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.
International Science School 2023 - it's back, live and
in-person
2-15 July 2023
The fully residential International Science School returns to the University of Sydney, July 2023. Join top science students from across Australia and around the world for two weeks of inspiring talks by world-renowned scientists, amazing visits to cutting-edge research facilities, loads of hands-on experiments and activities, and a packed program of social events. Keep an eye on our website for more information: sydney.edu.au/science/iss
Churchill Fellowships
Open 1 March 2023
Churchill Fellowships offer a diverse range of people from all walks of life an opportunity to travel overseas for four to eight weeks to explore a topic or issue that they are passionate about.
No qualifications are required in order to apply for a Churchill Fellowship, and the topic of your proposed project is limitless, provided a benefit to Australia and willingness to share your findings with the Australian community is evident.
Applicants are empowered to design their own projects to explore international best practice and innovation that can be applied in Australia.
Further information and how to apply for a Churchill Fellowship is on the Winston Churchill Trust 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
