The Year 8 Science class are currently studying simple machines & we invited Tom Westmore from The Vet Group to describe the various gears, levers & pulleys he uses in his job as a large animal vet. He demonstrated equipment such as an equine stomach pump & calving chains & pulleys & explained how they are used proactively to save an animal's life. Congratulations to everyone concerned- Chook & Michelle Fowler, Sam Dalziel (MG), Alison Dennis (WorkSafe), Emma Bruce (TVG), Nullawarre CERT, Julie Broomhall & the Year 5 students of Timboon P-12 School. TAP into Farm Safety is an innovative program for Year 5 students to build awareness of health & safety in agriculture, & to underpin their learning with real-world experiences. The aim of the program is not only to educate the students, but to empower them to take their knowledge home to their own farms & community. Katie O'Toole, an Agribusiness executive from CBA, was a guest presenter in the Year 9 class today as part of the Financial Maths unit. Katie outlined the costs involved in buying a farm & provided exercises for students to study interest, loan repayments, balance sheets, assets, liabilities, & calculate equity.
As part of their TAP investigations into ‘Growing well’, Prep students are exploring what things need to stay alive & grow such as food, air, water & a safe, clean environment. The Prep B class would like to introduce you to their axolotl, “Fluffy” while the Prep A class have welcomed “Spiderman” into their classroom.
As part of our partnership with the TAP & the National Trust, the Year 6 students have been engaged by the National Trust to create the Greatest Chook Shed this side of Colac! The project brief was for our students to design a chicken shed, select heritage chickens & run a breeding program to stock the new shed at Nehill Brothers Farm at South Purrumbette. We received notification yesterday that our project was featured on the National Trust website & the designs were displayed on the resources page. Have a look, it's pretty cool! http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/vic/theGreatChookShed Year 1 students have managed to combine their year long studies of "Waste not, want not" with their new science investigation, "School yard safari". They have introduced new worms into their recycled fridge worm farm which has been updated with worm decals produced by Year 12 student, Darcy McGlade. Recently students visited worm master extraordinaire Terry O'Connor who proudly displayed his wonderful worms.
Following the year 10 students' field trip to Garry & Lee Hibberd's farm where Peter Younis harvested fertile eggs from 2 donor cows in an embryo transfer technique, we were fortunate enough to have been once again included in the "Get into Genes" program. This touring hands-on biotechnology workshop showcased aspects of gene technology as used in agriculture with various experiments into genetics & genomics. Thank you to Robyn Vale for once again including us in this collaboration between Dairy Futures CRC and the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG), supported in Victoria by La Trobe University. It is a fantastic opportunity for regional students to see how this technology is used & recognise that it is an integral part of Australian agriculture. Over 2 days, Kerry Staight & a film crew from ABC's Landline program visited Timboon P-12 School to document aspects of the TAP & the way our community is an integral component of this innovative curriculum model. The film crew recorded the Year 7 BAA+RAM+You Maths students working with Peter & Jamie Finch to weigh ewes & lambs to calculate drench rates. Our Year 9/10 Small Business students were recorded tending the lavender farm & sifting dried flowers to produce lavender bags. The Prep students reenacted their Science studies of "On The Move" with Mick Harrison from the Corangamite Shire with his Caterpillar grader & Stewart Rundle with his Claas tractor. The Year 10 students' genetics studies were documented in the classroom & the film crew then accompanied the class to Garry & Lee Hibberd's dairy farm where they witnessed Peter Younis & Rebecca Tyndall from The Vet Group harvest donor eggs in embryo transfer procedures. Several students, staff & community members were also interviewed for their thoughts & experiences as part of the TAP. It was an interesting & educational experience for staff & students to observe the degree of preparation that goes into producing a documentary program on the ABC. Thank you to the Landline crew for the opportunity to present the TAP story Australia wide! Grade 1A getting the worm farm in the recycled fridge up and running. Happy worms currently feeding on coffee grounds!!! Shredding newspaper, wetting it down and then adding the worms made for a fun afternoon. |
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February 2024
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