14-20 Aug	Conservation week www.doc.govt.nz
18-24 Aug	Tongan Language week, Lea Faka-Tonga www.mpia.govt.nz
22 Aug	ASTA dinner, Western Springs Gardens, 6:30pm. $40. BYO. RSVP by 19 Aug
25 Aug	Deadline to apply for MacDiarmid summer science camps. Info here.
28 Aug	4-5pm ASTA online cluster on CB1.3. Zoom link
29 Aug	International Day Against Nuclear tests www.un.org/en/events/againstnucleartestsday/
30 Aug	Daffodil Day www.daffodilday.org.nz/
30 Aug 1871	Ernest Rutherford was born http://www.rutherford.org.nz/
31 Aug	Deadline to apply for STEM mentors for APEC Activity. View guidelines.
1 Sep	NZ Random Acts of Kindness Day https://rak.co.nz/
1-30 Sep	Save our Sight Month www.nzao.co.nz
Moon	FM Aug 20        3Q Aug 26        NM Sep 3        1Q Sep 11

1. Word Christchurch festival 27 Aug includes geologist & science communicator Ben Kennedy. Free for schools but you need to register. Info here

Info

1. Culturally Responsive & Relational Pedagogy:
   • NZCER has developed Te Urungi, an online assessment for beginner to intermediate ākonga from Yr 4 + to demonstrate their knowledge of te reo Māori. Info here.
   • An NCER report on How whānau and teachers support tamariki Māori to be successful in learning and education https://www.nzcer.org.nz/research/publications/poipoia-nga-tamariki
2. Mātauranga Māori:
   • Science Learning Hub has some new mātauranga Māori resources on the kowhai, which will begin flowering soon
   • An article about Te Ao Māori perspectives on environmental monitoring
3.  Pedagogy:
   • How to help students critique their peer’s work https://twitter.com/XpatEducator/status/1819525634022109643/photo/1
   • Some ideas on dealing with behaviour issues (joining STEM community is free). https://community.stem.org.uk/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread
4. Student opportunities:
   • Otago uni’s Science Academy is for yr 13 students from small, rural or low decile schools. They provide two 5-day residential camps in 2025 & online support. $225. Apply by 15 Sep.
5. Teacher Opportunities:
   • Otago Uni’s Science Academy also offers workshops for 24 teachers at target schools. 19-22 Jan 2025. $450. Info here https://www.otago.ac.nz/ouassa/teacher-workshops
6. HoD:
   • Leadership Lab webinar series on systems change https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Iq-jW17sC-Mp6ReLSyDFxrjn1IfldJR
7. Digital tools:
   • How to create a science experiment video https://www.animateyour.science/post/how-to-create-a-science-experiment-video
   • Pocket Lab is an American company that provides digital tools for Science. They have a local reseller for Australia and New Zealand here: https://cdsoft.com.au/collections/pocketlab

Resources

1. Biology:
   • A video about rainforest & desert ecosystems & their dependency on water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBpJhVOA0VQ
   • Article about humans impacting animal migrations
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • A video on regenerative agriculture from US, with a history of agriculture included. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUj-cAgwfpo&t=2s
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Moon phase animation from a southern hemisphere perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc0QJ-qi8Tk&t=1s
   • ELI activity clarifying what is meant by the term mineral in geology https://www.earthlearningidea.com/PDF/314_Mineral_or_not.pdf
4. Chemistry:
   • A Connected article about students investigating how to get scents into a candle. A class project learning about distillation, states of matter, and what it takes to become scientists.
   • Interactive Lab on the polarity of water (join up for free to access) https://www.biointeractive.org/educator-resources/properties-water-lab?check_logged_in=1
5. Physics:
   • The video Rockets 101 from National Geographic explores how rockets work, what happens during a launch and the centuries of innovation that made space exploration possible.
   • A teacher explaining how to sequence the waves topic, some useful demos and experiments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eah65P5PQQQ
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • A set of videos that show how different instruments make sounds https://www.abc.net.au/education/digibooks/sound-makers/102444256
   • Jiwi’s machines is a fun primary science series about an inventor who builds comical chain-reaction machines.
7. Middle School:
   • Resources on body systems – a great follow-up to the Olympics https://www.abc.net.au/education/digibooks/body-systems/103819400
8.  Science:
   • Marine Science resources:
     • http://marinepests.nz/schools free resources
     • Webinar from Enviroschools https://www.nzaee.org.nz/…/marine-biosecurity-education…
     • House of Science kits – Invasion Busters kit
     • Card game – English and te reo Māori versions https://marineinvaders.com/ $28.75
9. Education for Sustainability (EfS)
   • NCSE has new resources on climate change https://ncse.ngo/climate-change-story-shorts
   • The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outline how global issues such as climate change can be addressed for a more sustainable world. Aligning learning to the SDGs connects students to real-world problems and potential solutions.
10.  STEM/STEAM:
    • ScienceXplosion videos from ABC https://iview.abc.net.au/show/sciencexplosion
11. New standards
    • Matching list activity for types of investigations for S1.2 [Kath Haines]: Types of inv Matching Cards KHwegc
    • PES1.3: Sims from Scootle, Academo & Earth Sci Lab plus this video show day/night concepts. Worksheet 4 sims. Practice Exam Q and Mark Sch. [Keri Garlick, Edgewater College]

MoE/NZQA

1. With teachers focussing on maths and pāngarau for a 1926 introduction in years 0-8, MoE has decided to push out the timeline for the new science curriculum.
2. Some may want to look at and give feedback on the Maths Curriculum. Go here.

Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities

1. Science Learning Hub: Th 19 Sep 4:00–4:45 pm, Prof Georgina Tuari Stewart & Dr Sally Birdsall lead free online PLD on Animals of Aotearoa. They’ll show us new resources based on research into Māori knowledge of animals & designed for years 7–10.
2. Science Alive for Educators has launched a new and free learning portal. Getting Started webinars this week, 4pm Tu 20 & Wed 21 Aug. Register here.
3. NZASE has PLD for primary teachers too. NZASE Primary Teachers Term 3 2024 Workshop poster.

Technician

1. A naked eggs expt is a more visual and hands-on activity to engage students with ideas about osmosis than dialysis tubing, capillary tubing & golden syrup.

Vacancies

1. Tereora College in The Cook Islands is seeking a science teacher with Physics specialty. https://education.gov.ck/current-vacancies/2025-raro-pa-enua-teaching-vacancies/
2. HoD at Sacred Heart Napier is looking for a Biology teacher to cover her refreshment leave in 2025. Contact Theresa at tcowen@shcn.school.nz.    Official ad here.

Cheers, Mike

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