Welcome to the latest STEM newsletter  for Secondary Schools and FE Colleges Schools from your local STEM Ambassador Hub. There are several new STEM engagement opportunities available for the forthcoming half term. Please contact us directly to discuss your individual needs.

STEM Ambassadors are still keen to offer as many enrichment opportunities as possible to learners. 

Please encourage colleagues to register with STEM Learning in order to receive the See Science newsletter in the future using the link: www.stem.org.uk/user/register

See Science  have a facebook page where we will also be sharing lots of new ideas regularly - please like or follow the page.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can support the teaching of STEM subjects.

 

With best wishes 
The See Science Team

 

The newsletter that's an essential source of information and inspiration for teachers and anyone with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) engagement in Wales.

CONTENTS
 

News 
 


 

Local and National Events
 

FREE Workshops and ongoing support
 

Competitions, Resources and CPD from STEM Learning
 
 


Are your colleagues registered with STEM Learning and receiveing the Hub newsletter. Please share this link to enable registration. 
A STEM Ambassador's involvement can engage and enthuse both students and teachers. If you are interested in asking a STEM Ambassador to assist you can make your request here. We’ve created brief guides to encourage both STEM Ambassadors and educators to use the self-service. 

 


If an Ambassador has engaged with you, or if you have met an Ambassador at an enrichment activity, we would be very grateful if you could fill in our teacher feedback form. Please encourage colleagues to respond.


 

LATEST STEM NEWS

M-Sparc welcomes Ysgol Bodedern Girls into STEM

International Women and Girls in Science Day was celebrated in style by Ysgol Bodedern on February 11th.

Hosted by M-Sparc in Anglesey, the team at Sbarduno organised a special experience of practical sessions for Yr 9 girls.

The morning was managed as a rotational variety of workshops including a team competition. Each covered different aspects of STEM, with creative activities presented by a female STEM Ambassador
These exciting sessions were enjoyed by all pupils:
 

  • Creating Shower Jellies with Awen Ashworth (Sbarduno leader)

  • Dwr Cymru clean water with Jo

  • Animated Technologies

  • Bangor University Computer Science with Megan

  • Bangor University Ocean Science with Aine and Emily



At each station pupils had opportunities to question Ambassadors on career paths and employment routes.
The morning finished with networking and a successful report from all involved
More information

First Lego League  Wales

Pupils from over 20 primary and secondary schools across South Wales enjoyed participating in the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge online at the end of January. The overall winners of the South East heat were  the “Crazy Cadoxton Creators” from Cadoxton Primary School. All teams enjoyed the event – even though there was no opportunity to meet each other face to face and we are very grateful to all the judges who volunteered to participate - all teams received medals and prizes in individual heats.

“I just wanted to say a huge thank you on behalf of the Crazy Cadoxton Creators today! They thoroughly enjoyed the competition and it was made as real as possible which was fab! A big shout to you and the rest of your team for making it happen for our teams!” Hannnah Cogbill .Good luck to all the team in Harrogate in the final over the weekend.

Overall winners of the South West heat were Holy Name Catholic Primary School – “A huge thank you to you and all of the other judges for giving their time to organise this morning's event. It was so well organised and easy to navigate, even for a first timer like myself! My class were buzzing with excitement just to be in the competition and absolutely overjoyed to be the champions so please pass on our thanks to everyone for making it such an enjoyable and memorable experience for all those involved.” Diolch! Nicky Thomas
Unfortunately storm Eunice delayed the last heat on Friday 18th February as all schools were closed  but we hope to run the competition as soon as possible during the next half term

We wish all the teams well in the National Final which will be hybrid event in Harrogate on February 28th.

First Lego League is a global STEM programme for teams of young people, to encourage an interest in real world themes and develop key skills that are crucial for their future careers. Young people work together to explore a given topic and to design, build and program an autonomous LEGO® robot to solve a series of missions.
If you would like more information about the competition and details of how to register for the 2023 events please contact enquiries@see-science.co.uk
Pictures: Lewis Girls School Pengam 
Llanfihangel Crucorney Primary School
More information

Get involved in British Science Week, 11-20 March #BSW

British Science Week is a 10-day programme of thousands of events running throughout the whole of the UK with the aim of celebrating science, technology, engineering and maths.

Schools play a big part in bringing #BSW alive for pupils and the wider community. Schools are free to do whatever suits them to celebrate the STEM subjects. Some schools devote a whole week to a variety of STEM activities, others may run a whole school science-themed day while some may devote just their usual science lessons to a special #BSW-themed activity. If this is your first year of involvement, it’s fine to start small then build on your success and expand your involvement next year.

Although there is no set theme for #BSW and schools are free to do any activities they like, there are themed Activity Packs full of ideas and resources to help schools and community groups get involved. This year’s theme is Growth. There are 4 separate packs for Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Community. Each Activity Pack has general tips for running #BSW activities and a collection of age-appropriate activities with an emphasis on cross-curricular learning and breaking down stereotypes surrounding STEM. Also, on the same theme there is a Poster Competition, the closing date for which is 15 April. The Activity Packs are available on the BSW website at all times, along with the packs from previous years – a very useful set of STEM resources!

STEM Ambassadors are a valuable resource all year round but are particularly busy during #BSW brining real life STEM experiences into classrooms in all sorts of engaging ways from talks and Q&A sessions to demonstrations and workshops.

#BSW is an ideal time to incorporate CREST Awards into your curriculum – every pupil from FP to KS3 could earn an Award (FREE in Wales) during the week! Celebrating STEM isn’t just for #BSW so why not extend your pupils’ activities and get involved with the Great Science Share for Schools? Contact llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk for more information on either of these.

However you to choose to celebrate it, enjoy British Science Week 2022!


 
FREE Workshops for pupils

Energy Quest
 

It was a pleasure to deliver the Energy Quest workshops to KS3 pupils last term. The content was well received as young people explored different energy sources and investigated energy transfer as they designed a solution to power a mobile phone.

Energy Quest is funded by Shell and delivered by Engineering UK. All state schools can apply for at least 2 workshops. Get in touch to find out how many we could offer your KS3 classes.

This event can be delivered in the classroom or online and is a great way to revisit core curriculum content and to bring relatable role-models into the classroom.

We will be delivering the workshop FREE of charge throughout this academic year. Dates are already filling up so if you have a preferred date in mind, contact llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk to book or to find out more.

Local events
IOP Wales - Stars by the Sea - Our place in the universe. 25 - 26 March. Aberystwyth 

Join IOP Wales for this event on Friday evening and/or Saturday at The Bandstand, Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth SY23 2BY

Time:  Friday 5.30pm – 7.30pm  Suitable for adults, families and community groups

An opportunity to find out about the our place in the Universe, the stars and the planets. Wrap up warm to explore the wonders of the night sky with telescopes. Take a star walk led by staff from the IOP who will bring science, arts and creativity together. Listen to starry stories, create some astronomy-themed crafts or create an illuminated model of the constellations. Details and booking here.

Time : Saturday 10am – 2.30pm 

Suitable for teachers, PGCE students and those interested in pursuing a career in teaching. A varied programme of talks (lunch included): 

  • astronomy and particle physics, 
  • the electromagnetic spectrum and it’s relevance to astronomy and the Curriculum in Wales
  • exoplanets 
  • the application of waves to cosmology

Culminating in a trip on the Cliff Railway – a relaxing trip to enjoy this majestic panoramic view of the Cambrian Coast on the longest funicular electric cliff railway in Britain. Ice Cream provided! Details and booking here. 

Read more

 ESERO-UK Mars Week 2022.

Aberystwyth University will be hosting a one-day only public exhibition about Mars on Saturday 19th March in The Great Hall at Aberystwyth Arts Centre from 9am to 4pm.

We will be showcasing a number of exhibits displaying our contribution to Mars exploration.

Come and talk to those involved, see a 3D Martian landscape, view our full-size replica rover, and discover what colours look like on Mars.  Free admission


More information here

Read more
World Book Day. STEM in Storytelling. Thursday 3 March 11am - 1pm. Online

World Book Day 2022 will take place across the country on Thursday, 3 March.

STEM into Storytelling a chance to promote and encourage storytelling in your classroom . 8 different scientists and engineers will be reading a book of their choice and you and your pupils are welcome to join the session to listen.

Details and registration here.

Read more

IOP Physics Forum

Please join us at our IOP Wales Physics Forum on 10th March and 24th March  at  7pm. All are welcome e.g. Teachers (physics specialists and non-specialists).  Booking is essential and a link will be sent prior to the event. To book go to here. 

Read more
RSC: Conflict Materials

Wednesday 30 March, 4–5pm.
This an online event for secondary teachers organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry as part of our Curriculum for Wales support.


Join us for a live and interactive session on conflict materials. This session will be delivered by Delwen McCallum who is an RSC education coordinator. It is best suited for secondary chemistry teachers, non-chemistry specialists, early career, NQT or technicians.

More information and registration here.

Read more
Rewilding the landfill environment. Monday 7 March 4 - 4.15pm OR Tuesday 8 March 12.45 - 1pm. Online

STEM Curriculum Project opportunity with Anglesey and Gwynedd Schools. 

STEM Ambassador Jim Langley will introduce you to project Wild Landfill. Rewilding the post industrial landscape.

Exclusive to primary and secondary schools in Ynys Mon and Gwynedd this is a multi agency funded project to restore landfill sites back to nature.

A key component of the project is the Educational outcome by connecting with schools in these Local Authorities. 

Jim will explain the options for curricular linked activities including:

  • School workshops and talks 
  • Site visits to the projects
  • Provision of resources and materials to aid curricular linked learning

Book here for Monday.  Book here for Tuesday.
Resources and opportunities

Llanelli Wetlands Centre for schools - FREE nature connection programme for schools

WWT have recently launched their Generation Wild programme which will connect 45,000 children and their families with nature. It includes FREE school visits (including FREE transport), FREE visits for families and a specially designed website to encourage continued nature-connection activity at school, at home and in local greenspaces.
At Llanelli Wetland Centre, the project is open to any school with over 30% of pupils eligible for Free School Meals with places offered on a first-come-first-served basis. See www.generationwild.org.uk
 School visits to Llanelli Wetland Centre
 
Have your classes visited Llanelli Wetland Centre? If not, you’re missing a treat! We can help you bring your science and geography curriculum to life with our hands-on learning sessions for all ages and abilities. But don’t just take our word for it…  100% of visiting teachers in the last four years would recommend a visit to Llanelli Wetland Centre!
 
Find out more at: https://learningzone.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/llanelli
 
If this looks of interest, we are offering free visits for all teachers, allowing you to visit the centre with your family free of charge. Simply get in touch at education.llanelli@wwt.org.uk, letting us you know your name and school address
 
Read More
Wales Outdoor Learning Week 2022. March 28 - April 3

An important date for your diary! Wales Outdoor Learning Week will be running from the 28th of March to the 3rd April this year.

Organised by Natural Resources Wales and the Wales Council for Outdoor Learning, join the celebration as an educator, parent or learner and get outdoors.  You are never too old to learn and just when you think you’re clued up on trees there’s always wildflowers, bird calls and 700 different species of seaweed in UK waters to brush up on.  

A full calendar of events will be announced soon providing opportunities for you to tune into and ideas for you to try. How will you and your learners get involved? 

Details here.
Read More
World Engineering Day. Friday 4 March

The World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development was proclaimed by UNESCO at its 40th General Conference in 2019. It is celebrated worldwide on 4th March of each year since 2020 as a UNESCO international day of celebration of engineers and engineering.

The day offers an opportunity to highlight engineers and engineering’s achievements in our modern world and improve public understanding of how engineering and technology are central to modern life and for sustainable development.

STEM Learning has a collection of resources that bring together videos and activities, for primary and secondary aged pupils, to explain the importance of engineering in society and practical tasks so pupils can understand the skills engineers need. 

Find the resources here.

Competitions 
Moon Camp Challenge

Moon Camp is an education project run in collaboration between ESA and the Airbus Foundation, in partnership with Autodesk. It uses innovative learning technologies to challenge students to design their own Moon settlement with a 3D modelling tool (Tinkercad or Fusion 360). It features preparatory classroom activities that focus on learning by-design and science experimentation.

Teams first have to develop a number of interdisciplinary experiments to explore the extreme environment of space and understand how astronauts could live on the Moon. Then they have to design their Moon Camp, which should be adapted to the Moon environment, consider the use of local resources and provide protection and living and working facilities for the astronauts.

Moon Camp is divided in three separate categories featuring different levels of complexity: Moon Camp Discovery, Moon Camp Explorers and Moon Camp Pioneers.

Be creative and start designing your own Moon Camp now!

Closing date for registrations 21 April.

Details here.

Read More 
British Science Week Poster Competition

The theme for British Science Week 2022 poster competition is ‘Growth’.

Your poster could explore a tadpole’s journey into a fully grown adult frog, or look at the ways population growth is affecting the planet. For inspiration on poster ideas, check out the 2021 on the competition website!

We wish that everyone could be a winner, but we only have a limited number of prizes. So, here’s the lowdown on what the judges will be looking for:

  • Creativity in approach – Innovative angle on the content or creative interpretation of the theme
  • Content – Clear, accurate and informative about a STEM topic
  • Effective communication – presented and communicated in an engaging way

There are 4 age categories from 3 to 14 years old. 

The deadline for entering the competition is 5pm on the 15 April 2022.

All details here. 

Awards and funding opportunities 
#TECHOGNITION. Friday 4 March

#TECHOGNITION is a national celebration of technical support staff, recognising the importance of their essential roles in school and college education.

Over the last decade there have been several national surveys which have had one significant outcome - that school leaders, the government and the wider public do not fully understand the role of technical staff in schools and do not fully recognise their important contribution to education.

This one-day event celebrates the work of school and FE college technicians with the aim of publicly showcasing their vast range of skills and the variety of tasks that these jobs entail.

During the event technical staff in UK schools and colleges are encouraged to upload photos of themselves or their colleagues performing any one of the vast and varied jobs they do to the website and to social media alongside the hashtag #TECHOGNITION. All details here.

Read more

Online courses for teachers

A range of free-to-access online courses for teachers at every stage of their career. You will have the opportunity to learn from leading experts and share ideas with thousands of other educators across the world. Download the calendar to see what courses are on offer and when they are available to join.

Latest CPD from your Science Learning Partnership

Enrichment activities for the topic of space – KS3 teachers in Wales


Organised by Techniquest and Cardiff University, this secondary STEM half day online workshop will cover many aspects of KS3 science, with resources based on topics including material science (spacesuits), astronomy and space science (ESERO-UK, JWST) and studies of the solar system (astrobiology; using robotic telescopes; classroom and online simulations). It will include an overview of the huge archive of classroom resources, training programmes and the Space Education Quality Mark scheme from the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO), and an introduction to the James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched on Christmas day 2021.
The event is free to teachers at schools in Wales, and teachers at state-funded schools will receive a bursary from the STEM Learning Centre.
Register here

To find out more about the latest CPD from your Science Learning  Partnership click here

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