STEM Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Penwortham Girls' High School

Agri-Tech

Posted on March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 by Michelle Murray

During the STEM Festival, we are looking at the amazing world of agri-tech in Food Preparation and Nutrition.

We have looked at where farming is already using robots, satellites and all sorts of other technologies.

The students are now tasked to design a machine of the future to help farmers tackle some of their biggest challenges.

The best designs will be sent to the Small Robot Company who have asked students for their valuable ideas.

https://www.smallrobotcompany.com/

Mrs Scott, Food Preparation and Nutrition

STEM Event – Engineering Fairy Tales

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Michelle Murray

Year 7 Engineering fairy-tales CPD

10 Year 7 students were joined by students from All Hallows’ Catholic High School, Ashton Community Science College and Shuttleworth college, as part of our ENTHUSE school partnership, to take part in a STEM event with STEMfirst. Students learned all about Engineering and how to deliver exciting engineering tasks to primary age children, through the use of Fairy tales. It was a great day, students were fully involved and came up with some fantastic ideas. They cannot wait to represent PGHS and visit our local primary schools in the summer term to deliver some exciting STEM activities.

Mrs Freer, Design Technology

Blue Planet Aquarium Year 7 Visit 2022

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Michelle Murray

On the 28^th February 2022, to celebrate our exciting new STEM fortnight, we invited all of Year 7 to join us at the Blue Planet Aquarium. This educational experience included classroom workshops, diver talks and the opportunity to view a range of marine forms in preparation for our Art & Design Unit 2 Sculpture Project.

Throughout the day, students were fully engaged with a wide range of activities, looking at textures and learning about the biodiversity in our precious coral reefs. Environmental issues were also discussed and we explored ways of protecting our marine habitats.

It is aimed that over the following months, Year 7 will use this visit as a useful reference source for observational drawing and textural clay sculptures. We look forward to sharing examples of our student’s work later this academic year.

Miss Morris, Lead Teacher for Art, Design & Photography

PGHS STEM Festival

Posted on February 8, 2022February 8, 2022 by Michelle Murray

At Penwortham Girls’ High School, we know that schools have a far bigger role than simply teaching your daughter the knowledge needed to pass their GCSEs.

As set out in our mission statement, we want our students to become articulate, independent, questioning, and tolerant young people; ready to face the challenges and seize the opportunities of life.

As such, we have an ambitious and carefully planned wider opportunities programme of clubs, societies, visits, residential trips and in-school experiences. This programme is closely aligned with our termly festivals.

During the Autumn term, we hosted our Festival of Literature and Languages, a fortnight crammed with acting, debating, writing and reading related events. In the final weeks of the Summer term, our school production of ‘The Sound of Music’, along with Sports Day and our annual Passport Walks, will be the highlight of P&A22 (Festival of Performance and the Arts).

This term, we are hosting our first STEM festival, from Monday 28^th February to Friday 11^th March. A celebration and exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. As well as an extensive in-school programme of activities, we are also offering every student in Years 7 to 10, the opportunity to experience a school trip; which sadly due to Covid has not been possible for the past two years. Visits range from trips to Blackpool’s Sealife Centre and Zoo, to opportunities to learn at The Holocaust Exhibition and Lancaster University.

As we only received the Covid ‘green light’ for these visits in the past week, we need to confirm bookings with all of the venues and coach companies as soon as possible, ideally before the half term. To ensure all these trips go ahead as planned, we are asking parents to return reply slips and make payments as quickly as possible.

Mr Ward, Senior Assistant Headteacher, Personal Development Lead.

STEM Club update

Posted on December 13, 2021December 13, 2021 by Michelle Murray

It’s an exciting time at STEM club. We have been learning how to programme our LEGO robots! These robots are able to do many things, such as move items from place to place, follow lines of colour and they can stop when they sense an obstruction.

We entered a national competition that gives us the chance to win money for the school and also attend the Big Bang Science Fair in Birmingham in March. The students have been great so far and have managed to programme the robot to follow a set route. They now have to work with an environmental theme and make the robot do 8 tasks within 5 minutes.

If any other students would like to attend STEM club, we meet every Monday after school in Room 34. Come down and join us!

Mr Dean, Science Department

STEM Festival

Posted on December 13, 2021December 13, 2021 by Michelle Murray

Our next festival is called ‘STEM Festival’ where we will be celebrating all topics on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

We are looking to hold a careers ‘speed dating’ event on Monday 7th March for our current Year 10 and 11 students. The aim of the day is to showcase careers and inspire the younger generation. The day will run from 10am until 3pm with lunch provided. You will be asked to talk about your career and about your job the routes you took to get into your current position and what skills you need. The girls will come up with some insightful questions for you to answer too. So, if you have a job anything to do with Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths and can get involved on this day please let me know by emailing: r.honeyman@penworthamgirls.lancs.sch.uk

If you know of any family members or other adults who would like to help, please ask them to email me.

Thank you to those who have already contacted me.

Mrs Honeyman
Curriculum Leader for Science

V & A Innovate National Competition

Posted on July 16, 2021September 13, 2021 by admin

During the last lockdown, all the Year 8 students were entered into a competition called ‘Innovate’ by the V&A museum. There was a theme of ‘Home’ and the students were tasked with how the making of our homes can be improved in the future, for instance, how to be more inclusive or environmentally friendly. This was a national competition and out of all the schools that entered, two of our students, Amelia Watson and Sophie Johnson, were chosen to take part in the final. (Only ten finalists were picked, so this was already a massive achievement.) The girls had to take part in an online Zoom ‘pitching day’ in order to present their final designs to the judges, one of which was the BBC presenter and Paralympian Ade Adepitan. The girls were commended for their innovative designs and although they did not win the final, they still came away with finalists’ trophies (which are made from recycled marine plastic).

Mrs Gornall was also awarded the V&A Innovative ‘Teacher of the Year’ which was a huge surprise to her! Well done again to the girls for their designs but also to the rest of the year 8 students. The judges were very impressed by how many original designs were entered by Penwortham Girls’ students.

C.A.T. Faculty

STEM

Posted on December 16, 2020September 13, 2021 by admin

A small group of Year 8 students have been selected by their STEM teachers to receive some exciting training in order for them to become mini-STEM ambassadors on behalf of PGHS.

The session will be hosted by a STEM ambassador and is based around a series of stories from a book called ‘Engineering Fairy Tales’. It uses traditional fairy tales to teach students all about engineering.

Once students have completed their training, we hope to allow our new ‘mini’ STEM ambassadors to represent PGHS with our local primary schools to deliver some exciting STEM activities.

Mrs Freer
Technology Department

Baking and STEM Challenge

Posted on November 11, 2020September 13, 2021 by admin

Over half-term, students in Key Stage 3 were given two challenges to complete – a Halloween-themed baking task and a STEM challenge. This required students to use their knowledge, skills and understanding of all the STEM subjects, along with their creative thinking to design a prototype product for a specific client.

Food Preparation & Nutrition

For the Halloween inspired baking challenge, students in years 7 and 8 were asked to design and create a range of Halloween biscuits. Students created some fantastic products, which demonstrated how creative they are with both ingredients and decorations.

Year 9

In Year 9, students were asked to develop a Halloween inspired bread product. Through Classcharts, we received some fantastic pictures of the products that the students created. Well done!

STEM

In Year 7, students were asked to design and create a haunted house marble run. Students used their creative thinking to design and create a range of different spooky marble runs.

Year 8

In Year 8, students were asked to design and make a Halloween inspired pop-up card, reflecting on motions and mechanisms covered last year. We had some amazing designs submitted to Classcharts. Well done, girls!

Year 9

For the STEM challenge in Year 9, students had the option to either use 2D design CAD software to design and prototype an ergonomic hands-free door opener, or to model their idea through card. Students submitted a range of responses which all met the needs of the brief. Well done, everyone!

Mrs Freer
Teacher of Technology

STEM News

Posted on September 21, 2020 by admin

Unfortunately, due to Covid 19, all clubs have currently been put on hold at school, including our very popular STEM Club. However, we have lots of ideas of how we can include STEM in your lessons and we have some exciting competitions lined up, including the ‘The Bang Competition’, the ‘Tomorrow Engineers Robotics’ and more!