Robotics Teams Successes Continue
14 March 2011
The National Competition for the Vex Robotics game, Round Up, was held last weekend and the Lynfield teams again demonstrated their prowess. One of our teams reached the quarter finals, and the other went as far as the finals.
Although the A team lost in the final, it was to a current world champion team, and despite this our team received two awards. Not only was there an award for having a unique and well-implemented design for their robot, there was a special surprise for our school - Lynfield College received the "Educate" award as the school that has most successfully integrated robotics into the school curriculum.
Congratulations to the team and their teacher Mrs Sarah Allfrey!
Success at World Robotics Champs
18 April 2011
What an amazing time the Lynfield College Robotics Teams have had in the USA. Sarah Allfrey, teacher and mentor of the squad, reports that 12 hour days and little chance to sleep have not stood in the way of our students and they have been incredibly successful.
One team progressed all the way to the final of their division (unfortunately not winning but impressive just to get that far), and won the Create Award for their innovative robot design. A second team reached the quarter-final of their division.
Congratulations to all students from the Lynfield College wider community!
Now the students are off to the Kennedy Space Centre for three days - hopefully more relaxing than the frenetic pace of competition, and hugely exciting for these very talented students.
More information can be accessed on the group's own website www.lynfieldrobotics.org
Biology Students Sample the Forest
28 March 2011
Biology is a very popular subject at Year 12 as the learning and career pathways leading from it capture the students' imaginations. This year there are 78 students in 12 Biology and another 52 students undertaking the Advanced 12 Biology course. The students taking the Advanced course are those who have already proven their abilities by achieving Merit or Excellence results last year.
A recent field trip to the Arataki Reserve in the Waitakere Ranges had a primary focus of gathering information on a community pattern for an internal assessment. This involved taking measurements of a sample of plants to show stratification (layers in the community). Abiotic factors such as temperature, light intensity, humidity and wind speed were also measured in the top and bottom layers. Pasco data loggers were used to gather accurate and sophisticated data which the students are now using back in class to complete the assessment.
As a bonus the students also walked along the Arataki nature trail learning about the plants found in the Waitakeres, their adaptations and how and why the species' composition changes.