Science Faculty

What a momentous year it has been. I am incredibly proud of my Science Department colleagues and our wonderful students, who stepped up to the many challenges of online learning, adapting and developing new skills on an almost daily basis. Our concerted efforts getting both our curricular and administrative materials into the TEAMS online platform over the past three years paid dividends when we had to transition very quickly to online learning. The experiences we shared and the feedback we got from our learners will inform our teaching for years to come. Despite the lockdown’s devastating effect on the calendar of events for the year, our students still managed to experience education outside the classroom. The entire Year 9 cohort visited the National Aquarium, learning about our “Unique New Zealand”. The classes studied the flora and fauna that make our country an exceptional habitat, while enjoying the wonderful variety of sea life on show. Dr Hin Lim and his team from the University of Waikato’s Mechatronics Department, in collaboration with PTC Trust, ran a robotics workshop at the school. The students built fully working robots that could pick up litter or write using input from the operator. The day was a tremendous success and we very much hope to welcome Dr Lim and his team back in 2021. Some of our Maori students attended a full day workshop run by the Pūhoro STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Academy. Along with several other schools, the students carried out a series of technological and engineering challenges such as building a trebuchet, constructing a water purification system, or assembling a ping pong ball cannon. I am pleased to report that our students took home some silverware, winning second place overall. Karamu is one of a handful of schools in the Hawke’s Bay region who are participating in the Pūhoro STEM initiative. Launched in 2016, Pūhoro was developed in response to national low engagement of Māori in STEM-related career pathways that subsequently leads to lower numbers of Māori representation in science and technology industries in Aotearoa. Watch this space to see how our learners embrace the challenges the initiative offers.

2021 will see the introduction of the new Level 1 NCEA standards in Science. As part of this process, the department will also be developing our junior programme to fully integrate the necessary changes needed to meet the new standards. Exciting times are ahead and our dedicated Science teachers are relishing the challenges the new curriculum will bring.