1-31 Oct	Health Literacy month www.healthliteracymonth.org/
1-31 Oct	Save Kiwi month www.kiwisforkiwi.org/save-kiwi-week/schools
1-31 Oct	Breast Cancer Awareness month www.nzbcf.org.nz (Pink Ribbon)
15-21 Oct	Niue language week www.mpia.govt.nz
16 Oct	Cafe Scientifique in Tauranga, Green H2, 7 pm, $5. Register here
17 Oct	Talk on Mt Erebus by Colin Monteath 6-7pm, Govt bldg LT1, VuW and online. Info here
19 Oct	Citizen Science Think Tank meeting 12-1pm. Join the zoom here
20 Oct	Curious Minds Conference 10-1, MOTAT Aviation Hall, Ak. Register for free here
21 Oct	International Observe the Moon night https://moon.nasa.gov/observe-the-moon-night/
21 Oct	Peak of Orionids meteor shower http://www.rasnz.org.nz/in-the-sky/meteor-showers
22 Oct	Miranda welcomes migrating shorebirds home – speaker at 10am, high tide 1:15 pm.
22-28Oct	Tokelau language week www.mpia.govt.nz
23 Oct	Mole day http://www.moleday.org/
23 Oct	World climate action day https://www.climate-action.info/day/
24 Oct	World polio day http://wpd.typepad.com/worldpolioday/
26 Oct	SLH webinar, antimicrobial resistance w Siouxsie Wiles 4-4:45pm. Info & register here.
27 Oct	9:30 am NZ ShakeOut, EQ drill & tsunami evacuation/ hīkoi. Plans & resources here.
27-29 Oct	Waitaki Geopark Festival. Program here.
28 Oct	Partial lunar eclipse (not visible from NZ)
30 Oct	NZ teachers’ day
Moon	1Q Oct 22      FM Oct 29      3Q Nov 5      NM Nov 13

1. Tūhura Tuarangi – Aotearoa in Space is a showcase designed to excite students in yrs 5 to 9 about space, STEM and space-related careers. 2Sep – 31Oct at Palmerston North’s Te Manawa Museum
2. CoreEd is holding a webinar on how leaders can shape a more equitable future withTumu Whakarae and Hana O’Regan. Tues 17 Oct, 9-10 am. Online. Register here to get the zoom link.
3. VuW Faculty of Engineering final year projects symposium Th 19 Oct 9am-6pm. Please register. https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/wellington-faculty-of-engineering-final-year-projects-symposium-tickets-619437392917
4. Talk on melting ice sheets by Prof Robert McKay, 31 Oct, 5:30-6:30pm, Hunter Council Chamber, L2, Hunter Building, Gate 2, Kelburn Pde, Kelburn Campus, VuW. Book here.

Info

1. Mātauranga Māori
   • E-Tangata article on Ngātokimatawhaorua: The biography of a waka
2. Professional reading/watching/listening:
   • 21 Aug Education Gazette has an articles on STEAM: a national challenge & an electronic kit.
   • The Infinite Monkey Cage podcast with physicist Brian Cox & comedian Robin Ince.
3. A MOTAT afterschool club you might like to tell your students about: Game Design Mondays $50 https://www.motat.nz/events/game-design-afterschool-club
4. MOTAT’s aviation hall has had a revamp. They now offer a new immersive digital experience live, Te Kōtiu, exploring kuaka migration, manu aute, key aviators and stories of the history and future of flight and aerospace. https://www.motat.nz/experiences/te-k-tiu-an-immersive-digital-experience/

Resources

1. Biology:
   • Genetics and fingerprints activity https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0Jbr4JBXBG6aU1KV2tfdG9KcTA/edit?pli=1&resourcekey=0-UAKDpP8lTu0Z_Y5Nv5w7pw
   • Video introduction and interactive games on cells
   • The Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to Katalin Kariko & Drew Weissman for discoveries that led to the development of effective mRNA vaccines against Covid-19. Read & listen here.
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • Article about mātauranga Māori and soil https://environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotearoa-2022/tupuanuku-our-soils-and-food-grown-in-the-earth/
   • Rabobank and Sow the Seed have collaborated to create George the Farmer resources, a fun & interactive way to teach children about different Primary Industry sectors in NZ – Apples, Dairy, Crayfishing, Wool, Wheat, Peas and Forestry. Free from HATA (under Resources, Primary).
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Find out when starlink or ISS will be visible from your location
   • Courses & activities on ozone https://serc.carleton.edu/serc/site_guides/ozone.html
   • An activity on seafloor spreading https://www.earthlearningidea.com/PDF/198_Atlantic_opening.pdf
4. Chemistry:
   • Teaching transition metals & complex ions https://edu.rsc.org/cpd/how-to-teach-post-16-transition-metals-and-complex-ions/4017978.article (join for free)
   • A chemistry focused crossword https://edu.rsc.org/puzzles/quick-science-themed-crossword/4017870.article
5. Physics:
   • Activities on passive solar heating https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_energy2_lesson09_activity1
   • Article on the Nobel prize in Physics https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/2023-nobel-prize-physics/
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • Activity designing and testing spacecraft to protect from heat (L3-5) https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_solar_lesson03_activity1
   • Science Learning Hub resources on the soil – dig a hole to observe and discover.
7.  Science:
   • Order Nobel posters, to be sent in Dec https://www.kva.se/en/prizes/nobel-prizes/nobel-posters/nobel-posters-2023/
8. Education for Sustainability (EfS)
   • Carbon The Unauthorised Biography is documentary with a different take on climate change. https://www.maoritelevision.com/docos/carbon-unauthorised-biography
9.  STEM/STEAM:
   • STEAM activities on water and weather https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GFW3uRfpj-EogPqeihuaDVsQykjRmwEatnzLUKo5FGw/edit
   • STEM Challenges to download https://www.jamesdysonfoundation.com/resources/other-engineering-resources/challenge-cards.html
10. New standards
    • A matrix of all the L1 science standards [Theresa Cowan]: NCEA L1 Sciences Matrix 2024_Apr 23
    • Activities on claims and evidence https://serpmedia.org/scigen/t3.2.html

MoE/NZQA

1. All the new L1 NCEA standards are now available and ready for use in 2024. Go to https://ncea.education.govt.nz  then NZC, then Science, then AgH, CB, PES or Sci, then recent changes
2. Explanation of EN 2 for mātauranga Māori seen in some standards
3. Pilot exemplars and sample assessments are now also available here. But beware, these were designed for the 2023 standards not the 2024 standards.

Professional Learning and Development

1. PLD from the Science NCEA Implementation facilitators
   • for those who have done little planning so far, online, 3:30-4:30, for Auckland and northland on 1 Nov, central regions 24 Oct, Wellington and south 25 Oct
   • Face to face from 1-4pm (save the date, links soon)
     • Albany Senior High School Mon 6 Nov
     • Massey High School Wed 15 Nov
2. With a recent bereavement at Unitec there will be no Biology in Context PLD this year, although they are hoping to resume next year.
3. NZASE PLD for secondary in term 4 (primary was term 3) https://nzase.org.nz/nzase-network-expertise/

Technician

1. Instructions for the rat paper dissection: Pinky Black and White A4; Pinky A4 COLOUR; Pinky Instructions images

Cheers, Mike

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