CONGRATULATIONS to our HB PROJECT WNNERS for 2016 ..... And to all students who prepared a project for our class and school competitions ... You are all awesome!

CONGRATULATIONS to HNI students for  gaining ....... 2nd place in the HB Science Quiz

AND 2nd and 3rd placings in the HB Technology Challenge.

Thank-you to the Hawkes Bay Science and technology Committee, and all the sponsors, for their generosity in donating time, expertise and resources. This does such a lot to foster student learning and excitement in many aspects of science.

Hypothesising and Testing ... Students learning from one another.

Reflected Light and Holograms

SCIENCE FAIRS are over the next MONTH .... Projects due 12th August

There are still display boards available, for $8, from the science room.   Red, Blue, Green and White.

HAPPY investigating and presenting everyone.   We look forward to reading your projects.   

The tech challenge teams and the quiz teams will be selected soon.   Keep an eye on the school notices.

Understanding the Magic of Light

Electromagnetic Radiation ... Investigating UV and looking afterourselves in the SUN.

Time to plan your science fair project , if you are not already onto it. Science and class teachers have all the information to support you. Make sure you have a chat if you are not sure and collect some helpful ideas.

WOW. Static Energy is Everywhere!

Attract OR Repel ? Check it out ! How do we use static energy In oureveryday lives?

Dissection Fish ... Good team work guys

A few photos from 2 of the science camp workshops this week.

A few of our pumpkin growers having some fun setting up the display

Dr Siouxsie Wiles' visit .... Captivating ... The science : real lifeconnection.

47 of our lucky students got to spend an exciting afternoon with Siouxsie learning about the world of a passionate scientist researching for new antibiotics which are not resistant to superbugs.  The experiments Siouxsie performed were in a darkroom and  tested a range of substances on glowing bacteria .

Siouxsie Wiles did a public 

presentation in Napier last year, which you can watch here if you are interested..

http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/events/ten-by-ten/ten-by-ten-luminaries/illuminating-the-search-for-new-medicines/

GIANT PUMPKINS INVITED IN ...

The GIANT pumpkins can come in anytime next week ... Miss Hawtin is setting up a display in the library over Easter and you can add yours to it.  There will be name labels for you to attach to the stem.  They will be weighed, if they are not too heavy for the scales, and their circumferences measured in cms.   This is going to be sooo much fun.

If it is not practical for you to bring your monster in to school, a photo or video emailed to Miss Hawtin ....  hawtinj@hni.school.nz   ....would be great.

We are looking forward to Siouxsie Wiles' visit tomorrow ... EXCITING !!!

Siouxsie is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland, and head of the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab, where she combines her twin passions for glowing creatures and nasty microbes, aiming to produce new antibiotics for the future. 

Siouxsie is passionate about demystifying science for the general public, and raising awareness of the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. She is a blogger and podcaster, as well as being a regular science commentator for Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon programme. Siouxsie has also teamed up with Australian graphic artist Luke Harris, to make short animations describing nature’s amazing glowing creatures and the many uses of bioluminescence in science:

We love our space-time simulator ... Taking turns .... Working together ... So many possibilities to try out

Feel the FORCE ?

March the 8th .... Jupiter is close to the Earth .... It's moons andmaybe it's red spot will be visible, especially with a telescope.

Everyone loves marbles !

What might Spacetime and Gravity be like?

Playing with Newton's Cradle ... Never ceases to fascinate. Watch out Santa ... There may be a few letters coming your way from VERY GOOD children ... I can vouch for that !

May the FORCE be with You !

PUMPKINS ! ! ! How is yours growing? .... REMEMBER that size really doesn't matter ... There will be prizes for all sorts of imaginative categories ! KEEP UP the GREAT GROWING effort. :-)

UPDATE ... HERE's  a PHOTO !!!!    WHEW .. Mine is starting to grow at last (BUT it is still the wee one in the photo)!!!!

5 WEEKS of incredible growth TO GO (Judging is at the END of MARCH) .... Your PUMPKIN will grow very rapidly from now on.

WATER WATER WATER and FEED  .... GIVE it whatever you can ... COMPOST ... HORSE / CHICKEN. MANURE ... SEAWEED ... Whatever Mum or Dad might suggest .... 

Remember to remove the growing tips so that all the plants energy now goes into the BIG PUMPKIN ... Have FUN :-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE ... Aurora Australis light-show heralds in 2016

Dr Ian Griffin, a professional astronomer, captured the aurora in a series of photographs taken from Hoopers Inlet on the Otago Peninsula.

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, is caused when the Earth's magnetic field interacts with a flow of highly charged particles from the sun.

The different colours come from the various elements in the earth's atmosphere - the green is from oxygen and the red from nitrogen. The display lasted until dawn.