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Since receiving funding for the Rolls Royce Science Prize we have been extremely busy!
In June we introduced the competition to design an experiment for astronaut Richard Garriott to complete in space. We booked some visiting scientists to introduce investigations and space to the students and staff. Jerry Stone (Chair of Space Council) gave presentations about our solar system and the International Space Station to the whole school. He worked with junior classes to encourage children to be imaginative when planning an investigation to be completed in space. We also had the pleasure of working with Professor Peter McOwan (Uni. Queen Mary) who gave presentations to junior students about scientists, making hypotheses and the science behind magic. Junior children then completed their competition entries. Some of the ideas the students came up with were:
How will paper aeroplanes fly on the International Space Station?
Do stars look any different in space?
How far is a magnetic field on the Space Station?
Do radio waves work in the same way in space?
Children in the infant classes wrote letters to Richard Garriott asking about his experiences.
In July we hosted a Space Theme Day. The aim was to improve children's knowledge and understanding of space and the solar system. Classes across the whole school completed activities linked to space and focused on one planet in the solar system. The day was cross curricular and children particpated in a range of activities including art work and tasting space food. Chiara Bello, a space food designer, ran a workshop about space food for the infant children and Dr Jason Maroothynaden presented junior children with a space mission. He came dressed in a space suit and the children were able to try on some items of clothing worn in space. Our assistant head teacher, Mrs Cooper, also managed to meet Richard Garriott to share some of the work we had been doing and he was able to answer some of the children's questions.
In September, Jerry Stone returned to Grove Primary School to present a moon watch evening where the wider community could be involved in the project. He gave a presentation about space, the solar system and the night sky to families, there was also the opportunity for the audience to look at the moon through a telescope. The evening was incredibly successful with over 200 people attending.
At Grove Primary, we have set up a teaching and learning team to oversee science acorss the entire school. The team consists of teachers across a range of phases and the work will be filtered out to the rest of the staff accodingly. We aim to focus on children's investigative skills as our project will be looking more closely at investigations as the months progress.
We have recently received confirmation that some students from Grove Primary School and St Michael's school are finalists in the Richard Garriott competition and their experiemnts will take place on the International Space Station in October.