1-31 Mar	Melanoma March www.melanoma.org.nz/news-events/recent-news
1-31 Mar	Hearing Awareness Month https://www.nfd.org.nz/hearing-awareness-month2020
1-31 Mar	Whio Awareness month https://www.doc.govt.nz/whioforever
13-19 Mar	Brain Awareness Week www.neurological.org.nz
14 Mar	Pi Day https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/nasapidaychallenge (+ Einstein born, Hawking died)
14 Mar	Early bird prices for SciCon close
15 Mar	Talk on the effect of climate change on our agriculture. 4-5:30pm, Lincoln uni.
15 Mar	Applications close, Innovative Young Minds online program. https://iym.org.nz/
16 Mar	Hivemind PLD with Science in a Van and Science Learning Hub, 4-4:45pm
16 Mar	Alison Campbell’s next Schol Bio tutorial 7pm. https://waikato.zoom.us/j/86148876542
16Mar-18Apr	Auckland’s EcoFest – events, activities, workshops … https://www.ecofest.org.nz/
21 Mar	Autumnal Equinox NZ https://www.rasnz.org.nz/in-the-sky/sun-rise-and-set-1
21 Mar	World Forestry Day www.fitec.org.nz
21 Mar	World Down Syndrome Day http://www.un.org/en/events/downsyndromeday/
22 Mar	World Water Day www.emap.rsnz.org http://www.worldwaterday.org/
22Mar-20Apr	Ramadan http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/tp/ramadan-hub.htm
23 Mar	World Meteorological Day www.metservice.co.nz
23 Mar	World Maths Day https://www.3plearning.com/world-maths-day/
24 Mar	World Tuberculosis day www.stoptb.org
25 Mar	Earth hour 8:30 – 9:30 pm www.wwf.org.nz www.earthhour.org.nz
Moon	3Q Mar 15      NM Mar 22      1Q 29 Mar      FM Apr 6

1. Auckland Science Teachers Association is hosting an HoD cluster at the end of the month ahead of the Accord days next term. https://www.mikesnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ak-HoD-cluster.pdf
2. Don’t panic if you find the NCEA pages that house standards and assessments are empty of information on the NZQA website. Just clear your cache and cookies every 2-3 days

Info

1. Mātauranga Māori
   • Rebecca Watson on teaching indigenous knowledge in the NZ science classroom. Part 1 Colonisation (video & transcript) and Part 2 myth vs science (transcript)
   • An opinion piece in Stuff on Dawkin’s misreading of mātauranga Māori
2. Pedagogy:
   • TES article on alternatives to exit cards (1 free article/month to those who sign up for free)
3. Professional reading/watching:
   • Ki te Hoe! Education for Aotearoa by Pania te Maro and Robin Averill. In this book “Te Tiriti o Waitangi is used as a pivotal guide for the transformational change required in our teaching and learning spaces to ensure mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori.” Grab your paddle https://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/ki-te-hoe-education-aotearoa
4. Student opportunities
   • The Science Roadshow has a strong focus on Nature of Science & the Science Capabilities. The programme includes 2 live shows plus hands-on interactive exhibits that broaden students’ knowledge of the STEM subjects. Book now roadshow.org
   • Register now for the Wonder Project Rocket Challenge happening in Term 2!You’ll receive free prepared learning materials aligned to L3 of the NZC, that deliver a fun hands-on STEM experience. https://wonderproject.nz/programmes/rocket-challenge/
5. Karioi Eco-lodge is available for school enviro-tech camps and group retreats. In Raglan. Access to bush, beach, sea, river and caves. Check it out https://inawe.nz/
6. Aotearoa Species Classifier is an Apple app that uses AI to identify Aotearoa wildlife.

Resources

1. Biology:
   • Some activities and resources to explore antibiotic resistance https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2021/microbiology-discovering-antibacterial-agents/
   • Webinar from vertebrate paleontologist about how evidence for the dietary behaviour of mammals that have become extinct can help us better understand climate change.
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • Using solar cells to support agriculture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wo2gAePRqU
   • More on millets in their international year https://pristineorganics.com/millet-ancient-grains-for-a-healthier-future/
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Article on lunar geology https://eos.org/features/apollos-legacy-50-years-of-lunar-geology
   • NIWA on El Nino and La Nina https://niwa.co.nz/climate/information-and-resources/elnino
   • DEVORA has added 3 new factsheets about the Ak Volcanic Field – Impacts on air quality, Relationship between Māori & Auckland’s maunga, and Lava.
4.  Chemistry:
   • Infographics on the chemistry of litmus, vinegars, secretions that protect us from infection
   • Be aware of assessments chemistry students can buy https://www.thinkswap.com/nz/ncea/chemistry
   • SCENZ Spectroscopy resource, a teaching & assessment package for C3.2, is now available for any chem teacher to download. https://nzic.org.nz/unsecure_files/scenz/Spectroscopy.zip.
5. Physics:
   • Build your own virtual accelerator https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2021/build-your-own-virtual-accelerator/
   • Using radiation safely https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/assets/Radiation-factsheet-digital.pdf
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • Science investigations with a piece of paper https://drjosciencesolutions.co.uk/2021/05/25/science-investigations-with-only-a-piece-of-paper/
   • Explore how gears, levers and pulleys make moving bridges work (you’ll need to join Explorify for free) https://explorify.uk/en/activities/odd-one-out/moving-bridges
7.  STEM:
   • STEM activities from School Gen https://www.schoolgen.co.nz/fun-home-activities/

Can you help?

1. The Education Hub is asking if teachers can complete a survey about curriculum design in their school, so TEH can better meet PLD needs. An article about the survey. Please participate here.
2. For the Love of Bees has unexpectedly lost a central source of funding and needs help to support their urban farm and education staff. You can donate here https://for-the-love-of-bees.raisely.com/

Professional Development

1. The Sir Paul Callaghan Science Academy offers an intensive 4-day programme for primary teachers with a focus on NoS and science capabilities. Auckland 4-7 July and Tauranga 26-29 Sep. Limit of 24. Deadline early June.
2. SciCon has published their draft programme https://www.scicon.org.nz/programme

Cheers, Mike

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

MN