8-14 Aug	Maths Week www.mathsweek.org.nz/
13 Aug	NZASE online Q&A session for L1 standards: Zoom link
13 Aug	4-5:30pm ASTA face-to-face cluster Edgewater College on CB1.1 and S1.2. Zoom
14 Aug	4-5:30 pm ASTA face-to-face cluster MAGS on PES 1.2 & PES 1.4. Zoom
15 Aug	2-5pm ASTA face-to-face cluster Rosmini on S1.3 and S1.4. Zooms on 13 & 21 Aug
14-20 Aug	Conservation week www.doc.govt.nz
18-24 Aug	Tongan Language week, theme Lea Faka-Tonga www.mpia.govt.nz
21 Aug	NZASE online Q&A session for L1 standards. Zoom link
22 Aug	ASTA dinner, Western Springs Garden Community Hall 1, 6:30pm. $40. BYO. RSVP
25 Aug	Deadline to apply for MacDiarmid summer science camps. Info here.
Moon	1Q Aug 13      FM Aug 20      3Q Aug 26      NM Sep 3

1. Talks that may be relevant for us
   • Genevieve Coffey talks about what seismic paleo thermometers can tell us about earthquake behaviour. 20 Aug Dunedin. Info here.
2. A resource for Tongan language week: Classroom phrases Tongan
3. Tim Thomson, talks on human effects on mangrove forests at Café Scientifique Aug 19 at the Tauranga Yacht Club. $10 door fee (for venue, nibbles). Doors open 6:30, 7pm start. RSVP

Info

1. Digital tools:
   • How to create bar codes in Excel https://twitter.com/cooltechtipz/status/1817356152004387072
2. Ako Panuku is a MoE initiative to support primary and secondary school/wharekura teachers who are Māori employed in teaching positions in state schools, or non-Māori teaching te reo Māori in secondary schools/wharekura. Join here https://www.akopanuku.tki.org.nz
3. Student Opportunities
   • NZ Chemistry Olympiad – students may now register on-line for the 23 Sep exam that will be used to select the 2025 training group. Deadline 16 Sep.

Resources

1. Biology:
   • Video of the history of DNA’s discovery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W00QRYRt2Ds&t=43s
   • A lesson on pedigrees & the inheritance of lactose intolerance
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • Article about developing a new plant-based protein https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/3335-developing-a-new-plant-based-protein
   • Video of oxalis seed pod ejecting its seeds (scroll down to link to paper that explains the mechanism) https://twitter.com/Xyris901/status/1543925643653808128?s=20
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Activities from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific https://astrosociety.org/education-outreach/education-activities/
   • These Australian videos use an analogy to explain how ocean currents influence climate, likening global ocean currents to herding dogs, and heat/atmospheric moisture to sheep.
   • National Geographic’s free Mapmaker 2024 and how to use it as well as map examples
4. Chemistry:
   • 6 stories of colour through time https://cen.acs.org/materials/Periodic-Graphics-6-chemical-stories/102/i6
   • An interactive lab using polarity to explain the properties of water (you’ll need to sign in but it’s free).
5. Physics:
   • The physics of a splash-less dive https://www.sciencenews.org/article/physicists-explain-execute-splashless-dive
   • PhET has a new simulation under Faraday’s Electromagnetic Lab, for students to explore applications of Faraday’s Law with electromagnets, transformers, and generators.
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • Introduce students to constellations using marshmallows and toothpicks and stories. Here.
   • Explorify resources on the science of sport https://explorify.uk/collections/get-sporty-with-science
7. Middle School:
   • ESSENZ has been developing unit plans, worksheets and resources for yrs 7-10.Tātai Arorangi is a Yr9 unit on astronomy and Lucky Planet is a Yr10 unit on earth systems. Yr7 & 8 resources are in the pipeline – keep an eye on the ESSENZ website.
8.  Science:
   • Physics and the Olympics https://chandra.si.edu/astrolympics/summer/index.html
9. New standards
   • A space science unit with a focus on features of science (S1.3), testing claims (S1.4) and using storying telling to engage students. Some great ideas here. [Edgewater College] https://sites.google.com/view/msgarlick/resources/junior-science/to-infinity-and-beyond

MoE/NZQA

1. For questions or requests for specific support for the new L1 SC/CB/PES/AH standards, please contact NIFs Rachel rachel.chisnall@education.govt.nz or Paula paula.calver@education.govt.nz
2. Some subjects are having more PLD webinars on the new standards – not the Sciences or Technology
3. On 1 July, the StudyIt website closed due to low student engagement.
4. School leaders can request free, fixed, permanent internal environmental monitoring devices. These devices monitor CO₂ levels to track ventilation performance, and other environmental quality factors such as temperature, relative humidity, sound, and lighting levels. Request here.

Vacancy

1. NZASE is looking for a Chair for their Animal Ethics Committee, which meets 6X/yr, mostly online. This position comes with an honoraria of $3000/yr. Send CV & covering letter to NZASE@xtra.co.nz

Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities

1. Capital City Science Educators are putting on an evening for primary teachers of Science Th 15 Aug after school at St Pats city: CCSE Primary Science event
2. Linda Haycock, with her Cognition hat on, is offering a 2 hour workshop to facilitate teachers in unpacking the Carbon Footprint infographic and deciding how to integrate it into course planning.
3. Field-Based STEM is holding conferences around NZ after the Nov exams start. Sign up here for Kapiti or Wairarapa
4. Maurice Wilkins Centre will run Biology PLD in 4 centres 4-7 November. Apply for a PPTA travel fund if needed: MWC Teacher PD day Nov
5. Final NZASE PLD flyer with all venues: NZASE Term 3 2024 Workshop (F2F) poster

Cheers, Mike

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