Young Scientific and Engineering minds from Cornerstone Christian College recently participated in the Science and Engineering Challenge.

Students from a number of schools as far away as Margaret River and Katanning participated in the annual event that is presented by the University of Newcastle and organised by WA Engineers Australia.  The Challenge is designed to inspire young people, through fun and practical hands on activities, about the opportunities available in the science and engineering fields.   The event is often labelled as Engineering Sports for students.

Students were able to build a hovercraft, make and test a bridge, design an eco-house or build an efficient sailboat.  A total of 8 activities were on offer, which saw each school’s team of students competing for engineering glory. 

Points were awarded for each activity, with Cornerstone Students performing particularly well in the ‘Hover frenzy’ event.  Bec, Bruce, Hannah and WJ came out with a first placing which was a great result.

According to Mr Will Meyer, one of the school’s organising teachers, the event has had a positive effect on his students.

‘The students really entered into the event with great enthusiasm.  The win for the hovercraft team was terrific, and our sailing boat challenge team only missed out on a win by 2 seconds’, Mr Meyer said.

According to the creators of the Challenge at the University of Newcastle, it has been shown that participation in the event has significant positive and lasting effects on the students’ approach to science and technology when they return to school.

Today saw the students at the College brushing up on all things Mathematical, at the annual Marvellous Maths Day.

Primary students from Years 1-6 were involved in a number of activities, and parents and grandparents were invited to be a part of the fun.

From Smarty Maths and Six Shooter, to Shopping and Snakes & Ladders - it was surprising to see how many games were on offer that involved numeracy in some form or another.  Each class divided into teams and rotated through the activities with their guests in tow.  Prizes were on offer and parents were seen to be quite competitive!

A large number of visitors came along for the fun, which was especially appreciated by the students.

The day was a tremendous success and thanks goes to Mrs Strutt and the Primary teaching team, who organised and co-ordinated  the event.

A recent purchase by the history department at Cornerstone Christian College has resulted in the College housing one of the finest historical library collections in the region.

History teacher, Mr Steve Tully,  has made considerable effort to ensure that College students can access some true classics and the finest available material to aid in their studies.  Year 11 & 12 students will be making the most of the new purchases, which will be housed in the library upgrade in 2010.

Mr Tully is passionate about history, and firmly believes that having a great resource library is essential for the educational success of his students.  Whilst he acknowledged that there are a lot of great history websites available, there are also a lot of inaccuracies that occur when research is done in this manner.  

”I love books, and a resource like this allows for a proper form of historical research to be completed by the students”, Mr Tully said.

His excitement at being able to provide Cornerstone students with the very best available resources was barely contained and his enthusiasm was clearly matched by students who had the opportunity to look over the first of two deliveries.

His selection includes material appropriate for Year 11 studies on the history of the Nazi organisation and on the United States between the wars.  In Year 12, College students will find everything they need to successfully cover the historical subjects of the Russian Revolution and Australian History in the first half of the 20th century.

As for Mr Tully, it is fairly certain that he will derive a great deal of personal pleasure at having so many classic books at his disposal.

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Year 9 & Year 10 students from across the Southwest were invited to participate in the Bunbury based Regional Parliament event.  Students have been able to view a sitting of Parliament, as well as a select few being asked to participate in the Student Parliament that occurred during this same period.

Cornerstone had four Year 10 students selected to take part in this second event.  Ashley, Daniel, Jesse and Jack were given the opportunity to represent a particular electorate and in some cases, had the sitting members contact them and offer them support and encouragement.

Mr Steve Tully, the co-ordinating teacher, believes that the opportunity has been tremendous for these Cornerstone students.  ”Each student assumed the role of a sitting member and had to participate in two activities such as tabling a motion or debating a law change.  Cornerstone was lucky enough to have had one of our students chosen to be the Speaker , who was probably the most important figure on the day.”

Mr Tully was impressed with how the Cornerstone students performed.  He was impressed with their ability to contribute in a logical and consistent manner.   Jack’s expertise in the role of speaker particularly caught Mr Tully’s eye.

The students debated current issues relevant to their real-life member’s electorate.  Additionally, debate was encouraged on the matter of voting age, as well as a current bill in relation to tattoos and piercings.  Significant preparation was required by the students to ensure they could contribute appropriately.

As for our four participants, it appears that they have quickly settled back into the realities of College life from the heights of political fame.  As for future political ambition – well they aren’t sure.  That is something we shall just have to wait and see.

Forensic Science was on the agenda for Year 7 students at Cornerstone Christian College this week.

College teacher, Mr Geoff Howes enlisted the services of local police to aid students in solving a ‘Crime’ committed on the campus.

According to College insiders, a piece of cheese was stolen from a College fridge, but evidence had been left at the scene which enabled students to put their investigative skills into action.  Senior Constable Trevor Dolan aided students in the correct use of fingerprint technology, examining and identifying footprints, timelines, and even dental records to help solve the crime.

Many of the Year 7 students were certain that Mr Howes was guilty, but SC Dolan advised the students of the need to gather all necessary evidence before making any accusations or arrests.

A glass was left at the scene, and during the course of the day, a fingerprint kit was utilised to lift prints from this vital piece of evidence.  Footprints will be also compared to those at the crime scene.

College teachers have been asked to participate in the process of elimination, with dental impressions being made.  These will then be compared to the teeth marks left in the remaining cheese within the fridge.

According to Mr Howes, it may be another week before an arrest is made.  However, he assured the waiting media that as soon as information comes to light, the College community will be advised of who really stole the cheese!

Kaleb may only be in Year 9, but he has been selected to continue research that was commenced by a PhD student in the BioGENEius Science Challenge.

The 14 year-old Cornerstone Christian College student has been chosen to work with a professor from Curtin University in an international program that is being sponsored by a major pharmaceutical company.  His mentor, Dr Ricardo Mancera, is the Senior Research Fellow at the Western Australian Biomedicial Research Institute at Curtin University.  He will assist Kaleb in considering the role water molecules play on the structure of proteins. 
 
Dr Mancera’s style of research is bioinformatics, which essentially means conducting and analysing biological research through the use of computers.   Much of Kaleb’s work will be based on computer technologies at which he has previously excelled, yet this venture into the science world will bring him a vast array of new skills.  Dr Mancera has asked Kaleb to continue work on a project that was started by a PhD student in 2008, and is hoping that Kaleb will be able to study one particular family of proteins. 

Kaleb is the first regional student within Western Australia to be selected to participate in this work, and he has four months to pull the research together and present his findings to a panel.  The panel will then select the best material and Kaleb may find himself in the United States to present his findings there.

College Science teacher, Mr Will Meyer, was pleased at Kaleb’s selection.  ‘Kaleb was accepted to be part of this amazing opportunity because he is conscientious, diligent and inquisitive,’ he said.  ‘Working with a scientist and doing experiments in world class laboratories, on actual scientific research is the most prestigious event for any year 9 student.  We are very proud of Kaleb.’

Kaleb’s parents, Glen and Cathy are thrilled with what their son is accomplishing and are very enthusiastic about the program.  ‘It’s important in my mind to acknowledge Cornerstone’s Will Meyer for nominating Kaleb in the first place.  That speaks volumes to me as a mother about how Kaleb’s teacher regards his potential and his character!  It makes me so proud of my boy,’ Cathy stated.

Kaleb met with Dr Mancera during the recent school holidays, and is currently working his way through an introductory tutorial.  He is keen to get started on making discoveries of potential international importance.

The National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests are conducted in May each year for all students across Australia in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. All students in the same year level are assessed on the same test items in the areas of Reading, Writing, Language (Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation) and Numeracy.

Each year, over one million students nationally sit the NAPLAN tests, providing students, parents, teachers, schools and school systems with important information about the literacy and numeracy achievements of students.

It is with the greatest of pleasure that the College can announce the outstanding results of our students.  Nationally, we performed extremely well and credit is due to our hardworking team of teachers and our students who are dedicated to their education.

Testing was completed in a total of 20 areas, and in 17 of these, Cornerstone is at or above the National Averages. 

In some cases, half of the students within a year group have fallen in the top 20% of students in the Nation.  For instance, our Year 5 class in the areas of  Reading, Grammar and Punctuation, has  48% of the class being in the top 20% of the country.

In most year groups, 50% of students have results in the top 20% of Australia in at least one subject area.  This is an outstanding achievement.

Principal, Graeme Cross recently stated in the College Newsletter about the College’s value on achievement. ‘’We are absolutely committed to seeing students achieving academic excellence, which includes the development of sound literacy and numeracy skills.  These skills are foundational to learning in so many other areas of education.’’ 

Mr Cross has recently reported to having concerns about the public reporting of national testing because of the ability for the data to be misused.  ‘It is important that any data made public is both reliable and valid’.   He has stated:  ‘If the aim of public reporting is to identify the best and worst performing schools, using the NAPLAN achievement of specific year groups is is not a valid measure.  We all know that the results of our year 3 students will vary from year to year, not because of changes in the quality of our teaching and learning, but simply because of the variation in the number of students who are either extremely capable or experience difficulties.  That is, the variation is the result of enrolment trends, over which schools have no control.  To measure the quality of teaching and learning, is is better to calculate and compare the improvement in achievement of students across a 2-3 year span.  For example, from Pre-Primary to Year 3 or Year 3 to Year 5.  This is a much better way of measuring the quality of schools and holding them accountable’.

Clearly, the results of Cornerstone students show that the College is not trying to hide data from the public arena, but our concerns are about  valid measures and the protection of individuals involved in the process.

As for Cornerstone’s recent results, students who have achieved a result in the top 20% of Australia have been acknowledged by the  school with a certificate.  These students are;

Year 3:  Robert Englert-Reekie, Taesha Lane, Dominic Dijkstra, Caitlin Lucas, Jaslyn Tumilty, Toby Wallace, Lachlan Ismail. Daniel Rainey, Anna Cross, Kristian Hoyle-Johnson & Joanna Sheedy. 

Year 5:  Kirsten Dijkstra, Jack Ellery, Bronnen Lucas, Fraeya Evans, Sian Carroll, Chloe Hurij, Shaelyn Lane, Lauren Alcorn, Megan Anderson, Elizabeth Stinton, Gabrielle Stinton, Ashra Carroll, Joshua Riches, Mitchell Gibbons, Shaun Simpson & Michael Shepherd.

Year 7:  Gemma Begley, Eilidh Lucas, Indigo Atwood, Kate Craig, Rebecca Mott, Kaylee Glew, Jamin Saw, Samuel Hunt & Xavier Rice.

Year 9:  Shenae Mazure, Bruce Dykstra, Kaleb Saw, Natasha Cross, Joshua Jones, Samantha Ivey, Johanna Mathewson, Kristin Cramer, Kerry-Anne Brough, Jamie Bosveld, Sheree Shepherd, Shanae Dykstra, Rebecca Lickel and Hendrik Enslin.

On the College’s results, Mr Cross stated; ‘Achieving academic excellence is only possible when schools have dedicated and capable teachers who are prepared to work in close partnership with parents.  The results achieved in this year’s NAPLAN testing program are just another indicator of the strength of the partnerships that have been established here at Cornerstone’’.

Some of the Year 9 students who performed well in NAPLAN testing

Some of the Year 5's who are leading the Nation

   

Some would say that science class could give you indigestion, but not with Mr Martens’ classes.  They cure it!

The Stage 2 Chemistry Class has been putting their investigative skills to work to determine which indigestion tablets are the most effective in neutralizing stomach acid and which ones are the best value for money.

Stephanie, Lauren, Barbara and Mr Martens completed titration reactions to reach their conclusions, but no word yet on their recommendations.  One thing is clear though – not one student is suffering indigestion in this class!

Each year, the Australian Mathematics Trust hosts a National Competition which aims to give students an opportunity to discover talent in mathematics.  Schools nominate students they wish to have participate and their skills are then tested against others from across Australia.
 
The students at Cornerstone Christian College have performed exceptionally well according to recently released results, and 10 students all gained Distinctions or higher in this test of mathematic skill.    The College is incredibly proud of the recognition these exceptional students are gaining at a National level.
 
Year 5 student, Jack, has received a percentile rank of 99 out of the students who have participated.  He has been part of the College’s Overdrive Program for the past two years, which has allowed him the opportunity to work beyond his traditional year level.  Overdrive has been successful in aiding Jack and other students like him to reach their potential.
 
Joining Jack with exceptional results in this recent competition are students from all year groups within the College.  Students from Year 5 to Year 12 have participated and in each year group a participant has been honoured with well above average results.
 
The vision of the Australian Mathematics Trust is to challenge and encourage Australian students in their understanding of mathematics and to realise their intellectual potential.  Those from Cornerstone who participated have undoubtedly been positively influenced by their participation and will soon be in receipt of their certificates of recognition.

The Year 7 students have been given a chance to explore the practical applications of Mathematics.

Under the direction of class teacher, Mr Geoff Howes and student teacher, Mr Graham Dixon, students were asked to use Maths concepts to plan a successful tree-planting program.  Participants were required to calculate area, determine the required spacing between trees and then use these figures to establish how many trees were required for a particular sized piece of land.  The Year 7’s made an initial visit to the site to peg out the area they would use.

On the first day of Spring, students left the classroom and made their way to the designated area.  Mr Dixon, whose background before teaching was in forestry, gave the students all the information required to successfully complete their task.   A variety of tree seedlings were planted and soon a forest of Australian natives should be standing in what is currently an empty field.

Maths in the real world.