1-30 Apr	Auckland’s MOTAT is offering free entry for teachers during April. Info here.
19 Apr	Deadline to feedback on draft L1 stds at https://ncea.education.govt.nz/ Subj tab
22 Apr	Earth day www.earthday.net
24 Apr	Save the frogs day www.savethefrogs.com/day/ www.nzfrogs.org/
25 Apr	World malaria Day http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/malaria/en/index.html
26 Apr 1986	Chernobyl Link here.
28 Apr	Café Scientifique Ak on Virtual Reality, Horse & Trap, 3 Enfield St, Mt Eden, 6-8pm
3 May	Deadline to feed back on histories draft curriculum
Moon	1Q 20 Apr FM 27 Apr 3Q 4 May NM 12 May

1. UNESCO webinar on Interaction between climate change and the ocean in Asia Pacific SIDS 22 Apr 11am in Jakarta (4pm NZ) to celebrate Earth day.
2. The summit Our Planet, Our Future Apr 26-28 includes talks from Nobel laureates & conversations among experts from the science, policy, arts, & youth activist communities with a focus on climate change, reducing inequality & transformational technologies.
3. Teacher activities for bullying-free week 17-21 May.
4. Space Place in Wellington has a schools’ program on extremophiles. https://www.museumswellington.org.nz/education-space-place/

Info

1. Mātauranga Māori
   • Lovely snippets are popping up on the Kaitiakitanga Curriculum FaceBook group.
   • Busting myths about the discovery of NZ https://www.thevoyage.co.nz/en/landing#Voyage%20Stories
2. Student opportunities:
   • On Wed 21 Apr, Women in Engineering Network at Ak Uni is launching a Buddy Programme for female students in Years 11 – 13. Students will be paired with current engineering students and invited to a series of fun events throughout the year. FREE. Video here & more info & sign-up here. Other outreach activities to help students.
3. Science Careers:
   • The relevance of chemistry to different careers https://d2fc7ojl9ttfsq.cloudfront.net/Uploads/u/k/e/afutureinchemistryatschooloptions_pdf_371003.pdf
4. Digital support:
   • Tools to use for engaging contexts eg forensics
     • Jigsaw Planet creates a jigsaw puzzle overlaid on an uploaded image.
     • iPhoneFakeText creates a fake text conversation (complete with emojis!)
     • Reverse text by putting it in a textbox and rotating it 180^o, e.g. in PowerPoint. Students can use a mirror (or the front-facing camera on their phones to read it.
     • The Rebus Generator decodes a typed message into emojis and letters
     • Create a fake newspaper

Resources

1. Biology:
   • An activity where students learn the genetics of blood types to determine if babies were switched. https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/waldron/bloodtests
   • Can loud music damage your hearing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R307w05iJc
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • A soil assessment: determine your soil’s basic health grade and then learn about the importance of beneficial soil biology! https://bit.ly/3krWYlK
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Reading and video clip on seasons https://read.activelylearn.com/#teacher/reader/authoring/preview/535880/notes
   • How glaciers turn lakes turquoise https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145055/how-glaciers-turn-lakes-turquoise
   • In this activity students analyse & interpret some data on ocean temperature & El Nino https://read.activelylearn.com/#teacher/reader/authoring/preview/869085/notes
4. Chemistry:
   • Build an Atom simulation: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atom
   • The chemistry of a glow-stick https://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-glow-sticks-1
5. Physics:
   • Students investigate circuits and their components by building a basic thermostat. https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_housing_lesson02_activity1
   • ABC resource explaining the origins of the colours at sunrise & sunset.
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • PSTT overview of all their resources. Looks useful.
7. Nature of Science:
   • Types of bias that can affect scientific studies https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/10-types-study-bias.htm
8.  Science
   • Practical investigating the effects of decreased bone mass (osteoporosis) https://www.issnationallab.org/stem/
   • In this activity students interpret some data on water quality https://read.activelylearn.com/#teacher/reader/authoring/preview/861281/notes
9. STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths)
   • Do a STEM expt and compare results with those from the international space station https://www.dreamup.org/student-activities/

Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities

1. MoE funded PLD on STEM – culturally responsive field-based learning https://fieldbasedsteminyourregion.as.me/MOEfundedPLD
2. Webinars from Share My Lesson’s conference https://sharemylesson.com/vc2021
3. NZIP provides a mentor for any physics teacher. Go to https://nzip.org.nz/education/ and use the link in the Professional Development Support section to apply. Then NZIP will arrange a mentor to meet up with you via zoom.
4. The Education Hub is providing a webinar on Classroom Management – creating a positive and productive learning environment at 9am Tues 20 Apr.

Vacancies

1. Otago Museum is looking for a science engagement manager. Apply by 3 May. https://www.otagomuseum.nz/about/work/

Can you help?

1. Please contact Gillian Taylor at St Dominic’s College gtaylor@stdoms.ac.nz if you have had a new build recently and are happy to talk about it. Her school is hoping to get a new block with some labs & has been asked to look at recent builds & think outside the square.
2. I have set up a spreadsheet in Google Drive to help teachers with this sort of request. If your school has had new labs built and you are happy to talk about them please fill in a row. Go here to request access https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eYXmcPuB-9Sn4dz6-OEKq6UQ2wwYbD8c2st4vqNlikg/edit#gid=0

Cheers, Mike

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