Congratulations to three students from Our Lady Queen of Peace School, Albert Park who were announced yesterday as the national winners of the Kids in Space program.
Year 6 students Zahlia, Amelia, and Charlotte competed against 10 other team finalists, presenting their space related design projects that were created using the 3D design app and 3D printing program at their school. The winning design was in response to finding a solution to the growing issue of ‘space junk’.
Celebrating their win with an interview on ABC Adelaide radio last night they described their design as a ‘chomper’ which chops up space junk and stores it. The chomper takes the space junk to a storing system which is then brought down to Earth to be melted and reused.
The students were crowned the winners of the national award by an expert panel of judges at the Australian Space Discovery Centre, Lot Fourteen, North Terrace. This follows a successful win for this team at the Catholic Education South Australia Makers Empire “Kids in Space” Showcase held earlier this year in Adelaide.
Kids in Space is a national space education program run in schools throughout Australia and is a partnership between The Andy Thomas Space Foundation, Makers Empire and The Australian Space Agency.
In 2024 the Kids in Space program involved 14,000 students with 115 schools across Australia participating. Catholic Education South Australia was proud to support the program along with other new partners iLAuNCH Trailblazer, the Victorian Department of Education, Northern Territory’s Department of Education, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools and the Milner Road Foundation.
The team were lucky enough to meet astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg making this a truly ‘out of this world’ experience!
Well done to all of the teams who participated in this competition.
Ten years ago, a unique cross-sector initiative between Catholic, public and independent schools in South Australia was established to certify teachers as Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALT).
Fast forward to November 2024 and Catholic Education SA (CESA) is delighted to announce its 100th certified HALT teacher; Penny Bateman, from Xavier College, Gawler Belt campus. Penny, who holds the position of English Curriculum Leader, began her teaching career in 2021 and started her HALT certification this year. Receiving HALT certification means that Penny will now be able to mentor colleagues in the process and provide expert guidance on evidence-based teaching practices while fostering professional growth within her department.
