Specialist Term 3, 2025
Curriculum Newsletter

STEM News
In Term 3, our STEM program is centred on applying the Design and Technology process to improve habitats for animals in our school grounds.
Our Year 3 and 4 classes have joined the Fighting Extinction Schools Project. This began with a workshop at Melbourne Zoo, where they explored animal enrichment and made observations about animal characteristics, behaviours and enclosures. They will use these insights to design new ways of enriching the lives of both zoo animals and the wildlife in our local environment.
Year 5, 6 and HAP students have taken on the Pollination Challenge set by the Genetic Technology Access Centre (GTAC). Their focus is on creating habitats that better support native pollinators within our school grounds.
The Solar Boat Challenge also runs this term, with Years 3-6 teams meeting on Friday lunchtimes to design and build solar-powered boats. These will be raced at Scienceworks on October 19th.
In the Classroom:
Foundation students are learning about steps and sequencing through Bee-Bots and simple coding games such as Rapid Router. They will also help put into action some of the habitat solutions developed in the Fighting Extinction and Pollination Challenge projects.
Year 3 and 4 students are developing and submitting prototypes of animal enrichments for Melbourne Zoo. The design process involves considering animal characteristics and habitats, choosing suitable materials, and testing prototypes against the zoo’s requirements.
Year 5 and 6 students are using environmental loggers and research to create biodiverse habitats and insect homes for pollinators. They will also experiment with 3D design software to develop solutions to challenges faced by urban pollinators.