The Year 3/4 students at Timboon P-12 School are surrounded by dairy, sheep and beef enterprises but do they know much about mushrooms and fungi? As part of their Paddock to Plate investigations the creative teachers decided to take up the challenge issued by the Australian Mushroom Growers' Association (AMGA) and introduced their students to the Mushrooms in Schools program. The mushroom kits were assembled once the mycelium had developed in the compost and when the compost had turned white, not brown. The students are tendering to their kits by spraying them with water and are working through the lesson plans and resources as their mushrooms grow ready to be harvested in a few weeks. An introductory survey was conducted to gauge students’ knowledge prior to their investigations and harvesting. Some students were not aware that mushrooms are not a fruit, or a vegetable – mushrooms are fungi and belong to a separate food kingdom to fruits and veggies? What else will they learn and will they enjoy eating mushrooms? As part of the TAP, today our VCE Food Tech class explored Technology in Agriculture to learn about the latest technology in food production and the threats to ag posed by biosecurity breaches! Students learnt that there will be 10 billion people in the world by 2050 and that man was no longer the limiting factor in food production. Autonomous robot pickers, bug spreading drones, robotic milkers, weed killing lazers, Internet of Things IoT, vertical farming, alternative sources of protein, genetic manipulation, cultured meats, swarm bots, completely autonomous farms, automated thermal imaging, precision ag, bees with backpacks and GMOs were introduced to students as technology that can be employed in the farms of the future. Students were made aware of the impact of Varroa mite on the Australian bee population and the potential implications for our billion dollar almond industry. They were also introduced to the ramifications of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) on our livestock industries with infected animals potentially being culled and a loss of over $80M over 10 years with trade restrictions. Our annual Year 8 Camembert Cheese making sessions are a real highlight in the Year 8 science syllabus. The students are studying the science of cheesemaking including chemistry, food science and scientific processes as they culture their own Camembert cheese. Students learnt about the various types of cultures required to make cheese, the time and precision it takes, the types of milk used, the importance of hygiene and the unit gave students the opportunity to be involved in a real-life, hands-on science project. Schulz Organic Dairy’s Organic Full Cream Milk was being used for two big cheese making days and students produced cheeses that were hooped, brined and turned. To quote Master Cheesemaker, Mr Mottram, “39 cheeses Friday and 42 today. Excellent quality with excess curd. Year 8’s have once again excelled themselves in taking on a full day of cheese making”. Can't wait to taste this cheese! As part of their Paddock to Plate studies and to gain a better understanding of the different types of dairy products available, the teachers introduced our Year 3/4 students to a taste test challenge. Students had to identify and describe how the various samples appeared, their look, texture, smell and finally taste full cream milk, low fat and no fat milk. An examination of the fat content concluded the challenge with some surprising results. Dairy delicious! Leaving their classrooms, Year 3/4 TAP into Farm Science students travelled to see where a Paddock to Plate journey could begin. Students learnt that as well as them staying safe on farm, they had to help keep the farm and it’s animals safe by following biosecurity measures including stepping in a footbath to help prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease to Australian livestock. Our students visited the beef and prime lamb property of Richard and Marilyn Gristede where they learnt about sheep and wool (Steve McKenzie and Roger Mifsud), farm maps (Marilyn Gristede), animal nutrition (Ben Boyd - Ridley Agriproducts) and beef farming and traceability (Tim Nowell and Rachael Waterson – Nutrien Ag Solutions). Over the lunchbreak, Steve and Roger demonstrated the techniques used when shearing a sheep and skirting a fleece. At Ash and Michelle Gristede's dairy farm students investigated the technology used on farm (Mitchell Gristede and Maddie Hollis), the dairy plant (Ash Gristede), animal health (Tom Walsh - The Vet Group), and effluent recycling (Shelby and Michelle Gristede and Jack Jackson). Students were then challenged with questions posed by the guest presenters at the conclusion of their workshop sessions and rewarded with caps and beanies from Ridley and The Vet Group. Afternoon tea consisted of Creamy Classics courtesy of Paula from Bulla and students watched Michelle milk some cows on their rotary dairy.Thank you to everyone involved, what a wonderful hands-on way to learn about the science around us! “Earlier in the term we went to two farms. We saw little white lambs, they were so fluffy and cute. If you put your finger through the cage they would suck your finger. We made a map, we saw sheep get shorn and we had lunch. We also enjoyed running through the gate to get our ear tags! We got to feel different cow foods. The mandarin skin that was mushed up felt very weird, they even have crunchy food that the cows enjoy”. - William & Eliza One way to both interest and horrify students is to bring an eyeball into the classroom! That’s exactly what happened during our Year 10 Careers class when the guest speaker, Isaac Sauer, brought in a cow’s eye he had removed last month! Isaac works as a Vet for The Vet Group. Students heard about the different veterinarian courses offered in different universities throughout Australia and the wide variety of specialist jobs which can flow from studying veterinary science. The talk by Isaac also demonstrated that there were associated jobs such as veterinary nursing and that their role was a major contribution in all aspects of animal care, particularly surgery. We learned that spaying a dog is one of the most time-consuming operations! Isaac showed us that anyone who has a pet or works with animals on farms will benefit by knowing more about animal behaviour and potential medical conditions. It was fascinating to see the x-rays of turtles, a pregnant dog and a dog’s leg bone, which had been created through 3-D printing! Isaac said that his passion for this area was ignited in Year 5. He studied in Science at University and worked hard so that he could finance his move to Townsville to study at James Cook University. He also worked part-time behind a bar, which meant non-stop hours of study and work. The Vet Group employed Isaac as he is most interested in large animal care and loves the area. He also enjoys working within a practice with many different branches and having the opportunity to visit farms. The students had the opportunity to ask questions. They discovered that highlights of the job include helping and healing animals, and that the hardest part is euthanising animals, even when it is understood to be the only possible way to end suffering. We were also very grateful to hear his advice regarding how students should consider interview techniques. Thanks Isaac, we are very grateful; for your time and generosity. - Fiona Mackenzie Now we have taken delivery of our Picasso Cow, the task at hand is to collect and correlate all the designs of the Year 3/4 students to best reflect our theme of Paddock to Plate – Technology! Students have learnt about the technology used on dairies including cow collars, drones, tractors, wireless networks, quad bikes, ipads, IoT, milking machines, computer systems, phone apps, irrigation monitoring systems, pivots, robotic milking machines and much more. It was a big task to include a design element from each of our 64 students but Mrs Hickman combined them all in this great design plan. Can’t wait to see the final painted cow! Whilst not physically there in attendance, but there in people’s thoughts, Timboon P-12 students were represented at the GSC Sustainable Energy Forum held at Deakin University yesterday. Self portraits from students in Years 3/4C and 5/6A were included in the table centre pieces to bring smiles to the attendees’ faces and to be "a visual reminder that the more we do today, the more these kids can focus on pursuing their dreams tomorrow – whatever they may be”. The Forum addressed regional energy fairness, showcased the region’s role as a renewable energy leader, and discussed the role of renewables, community engagement and it’s importance in the Great South Coast. |
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March 2024
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