Science

Biology

Senior courses are designed to examine the natural environment in which we live and the various factors affecting the living things within our eco-systems. In Years 12 and 13 (Levels 2 & 3), the focus is on Ecology and Genetics, which are currently areas of human interest. Students will investigate the interaction of living things with other living/non-living things within their environment and carry out their independent investigation. The Genetics component of Level 3 Biology addresses the role of DNA in today’s world, using this to examine the various biotechnological techniques currently being used in modern society.

Both courses are assessed in various ways: practical investigations, research projects, field studies and external NZQA written examinations.

The Senior Biology courses teach a range of skills and topics essential for entry into a biological degree course.

Chemistry

Chemistry is the study of the structure of substances and the changes those substances undergo when they react. It seeks to explain how 106 elements can be combined to make everything that has mass and also how we can manipulate those elements to our advantage. We investigate Chemistry through the context of physical, organic and inorganic Chemistry.

Career Opportunities in Chemistry

Chemistry trains you to handle information and to deal with complex concepts. These are qualities sought after by many different employers. There are many employment opportunities in industries involving chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, food, textiles, and timber, working in areas such as research and development, quality control, marketing, sales, or management.

Chemists also play a leading role in:

- Agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and water quality control.
- Chemical, biochemical, and medical research units.
- The public sector covering areas such as pollution monitoring, water purification and forensic work solving criminal cases.
- And areas as diverse as finance, law, politics and retailing.

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We assess our courses using NZQA registered achievement standards.

Electro-Science

The Electro-Science programme for Years 12 and 13 uses courseware designed and produced by the Electrotechnology Industry Training Organisation, which provides credits towards university recognised qualifications. This approach is experimental and theoretical, with the students completing a series of stimulating projects.

The courses cover electronic circuit theory, circuit design, component theory, logic gates and radio theory. It is also the logical pathway for students involved in our Robotics programme to enter.

In this course, students will learn how to manipulate machinery and use electronic sensors to interact with our environment, to make mechanisms which make our lives easier.

Course Content:

- Students will look at how components can change the output of an electronic circuit.
- Students will build and programme a printed circuit to control the temperature and light levels in a greenhouse.
- Students will also construct and program a VEX robot to independently achieve our chosen mission.

Physics

Physics attempts to explain the effects of energy on different aspects of our lives, using data gained from experimental and simulated exercises. Each topic covered reminds us of how the types of energy change depending on what we are doing—the supply of energy limits the amount of work we can do to achieve the desired outcome. Through a series of experiments, sometimes using robots, we demonstrate how the concepts of Physics explain some of the rules of the reality in which we live.

We cover the following topics:

- Experimental skills
- Mechanics: Energy, Vectors, Motion, Forces, Levers, Rotational Motion, Torque and Periodic motion.
- Waves and Light.
- Radioactivity.
- Electricity: Voltage, Current, Resistance, Meters, Motors and Electromagnetism, Electrostatics, Multiloop Circuits, Capacitors, Inductors, Tuned circuits and Alternating Current.
- Modern Physics: We look at a model used to explain the energy transformations inside an atom and the Aurora Borealis.