7 Apr	World Health day Info for 2025 focus here
10 Apr	Deadline to submit proposal for Beamline for schools
12 Apr	International Day of Human Space Flight www.un.org/en/events/humanspaceflightday/
13-17 Apr	HATA conference is in Canterbury. Info here & register here.
14 Apr	6:30pm at Tauranga Yacht Club, Geoff Brunsden speaks on bumble bees. RSVP
16-17 Apr	International Toronto Biology Comp. Online, 75 mins. https://biocomp.utoronto.ca/
17 Apr	World Haemophilia day http://www.wfh.org/en/page.aspx?pid=492
17 Apr	International Bat Appreciation Day. Link here.
21-28 Apr	International Dark Sky Week https://darksky.org/what-we-do/events/dark-sky-week/
Moon	FM Apr 13        3Q Apr 21        NM 28 Apr        1Q May 5

1. STANZ AGM is still 2pm April 9 but venue now St Patrick’s College, Kilbirnie, Wgtn
2. SCICON is being held in Dunedin from Wed 2 July to Sat 5 July. Early bird registration for SCICON ends on April 11 (last day of term 1).

Info

1. Professional reading/watching/listening:
   • This open-source paper describes the barriers and some solutions that helped students re-engage with learning at one school: Ram et al 2024
2. Teacher Opportunities:
   • Yachting NZ is putting on an Introduction zoom on Rūnā to explain their course offered to students. In the hols, Mon 14 Apr 9am. Register here.
   • A reminder: The Science Teaching Leadership Programme facilitates real-world science placements & provides expert-led PLD in science and leadership for primary & secondary teachers. Apply by 8 May for term 1 and 2 2026.
3. HoD:
   • A video with tips for giving difficult and fair feedback to staff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibptxAl8A-g&t=49s

Resources

1. Biology:
   • Fish Paper Dissection
   • In this Glucose regulation game students try to balance blood sugar levels with food & exercise by releasing insulin and glucagon when non-diabetic, pre diabetic and Type II diabetic. Teaching support, Link to the game. [Ranita Spencer]
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • The RHS in UK has resources and free online PLD on getting student gardening started.
   • Kiwikai is a game about growing food sustainably – problem-solving real world scenarios, while learning about biodiversity, te ao Māori concepts & production in Aotearoa NZ. https://kiwikai.nz/
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • How to see the ISS https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/how-see-international-space-station-iss-night-sky
   • A quiz about ice ages https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/last-ice-age-quiz-how-much-do-you-know-about-earths-frosty-past
   • An ELI activity about using satellites to detect evidence for plate tectonics https://www.earthlearningidea.com/PDF/456_Laser_quest2.pdf
4.  Chemistry:
   • Secret written messages can be decoded by adding a substance. Test what substances work as a decoding agent and why! https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/invisible-ink
   • Tauhou (tauhou.nz) is a microsite that randomly generates practice scenarios for C2.7 Redox; it separates the answers out into small components so students can work on specific skills as they piece everything together. [Lian Soh]
5. Physics:
   • Science Learning Hub resources on cycling aerodynamics provide a context to explore forces and speed. https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1359-cycling-aerodynamics-introduction
   • This site features three real-world crimes that can be solved with high school physics as well as and an intriguing web-quest. A neat real-world application of physics to forensics.
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • Remember Farmer Time for schools – video, info https://www.farmertime.co.nz/
   • ABC has short videos on science for different years on day/night, shadows, living/nonliving, melting, heat transfer, solar system, slime, dichotomous keys, density, heat expansion.
7.  Science:
   • An infographic showing the water distribution on earth https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1075053284664515&set=a.369322198570964
   • Forensic Files was a UK TV program, some episodes of which are available online. A list of the topics covered: Forensic Files Episode Topic List
8. A science book you or your students might like to read
   • Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty is a bestselling picture book about pursuing one’s passion with persistence and learning to celebrate each failure.

Can you Help?

1. I am planning an article on teaching forensic science & would be interested to hear from any primary or secondary teachers to have a chat in the holidays about what you do.

MoE/NZQA

1. MoE is asking for teacher input on L1-3 standards as part of their RAMP review of the sciences. What are your thoughts/concerns on how well the standards are working? The subject associations will compile feedback & send it to MoE. Physics teachers here. Bio teachers here. Science teachers here. (The rest were last week)

Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities

1. Science Learning Hub recording of the PLD on drawing for thinking – techniques to help generate ideas, plan, take memorable notes, discover connections between concepts and communicate ideas
2. Learning Network NZ, Cnr Universal/Soljan Drives, Henderson, Auckland
   • Making Time for Student Assessment – Dylan Wiliam, 11 Sep. Book here.
   • Artificial Intelligence – Dylan Wiliam, 12 Sep. Book
3. NZASE’s free science PLD for teachers of years 1-8 is being run by Science Alive next term, 3:30 – 5pm in Rotorua, Hamilton, Auckland, Whangārei, Napier, Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Wgtn. South Island dates tbc. Details here Primary Science PLD.   Register here.

Technicians

1. The Central Auckland Technicians cluster will next meet Th 10 Apr from 4pm at the Zookeeper’s Son in Royal Oak for a casual catch up. Please RSVP to Arwen aheyworth@ohs.school.nz

Cheers, Mike

Mike’s News is brought to you with the generous support of Warp Computers and NZASE