Coolum Beach Christian College News

Secondary SchoolA new year has begun with students being greeted with not only a deluge ofincessant rain that threatened to block off roads, but an abundance of bird life andnew births in our local kangaroo population. The rain has been good, however,to both the wildlife as well as the surface of our resurfaced oval!Students in Grades 9 and 10 have begun engaging in their new subject electives,as well as teachers connecting with parents at the recent meet the teacher eveninglast TuesdayWith the recent heat, we encourage you to ensure that your child has the correct sunsafe uniform on,including their respective formal or sport hat. Please be advised the students are allowed to have a waterbottle in the classroom with them.Blessings, and all the best for a great 2012.Warm regards,Senior Camp 2012 Hastings PointSteve IrvineHead of Secondary SchoolOur Senior College recently went on a very differentand unusual camp to Hastings Point on the northernNSW coast. Two main aspects made the camp a verydifferent experience for students …Firstly, the camp engaged the students in an environmentalstudy of the marine ecosystem at the rockyshores. They had to locate and identify extra organismsthat lived in this environment and what characteristicsthey possessed to survive the extreme conditions, suchas tidal surges, desiccation (drying out) and humanimpact. This involved them exploring Biology, EnvironmentalScience, Geography, IT and Mathematics.This week, we will continue to analyze the results usingExcel spreadsheets and mathematic equations to modelthe data.We then travelled to Griffith University to join withlecturers and research students there who had just returnedfrom their own field studies. It was great to hearhow students at universities were essentially doing thesame types of studies of abiotic and biotic factors thatwe were.As part of the study, we performed a transect analysis(a line from the water’s edge to the beach over whichthe population of an organism could be measured) usingquadrat sampling (measuring populations within asquare metre) to gain valuable information about thepopulation density of specific organisms in the area (includingthe blue-gray periwinkle (Melaraph) and chitons.It really was a great camp with an incredible group ofstudents and staff. We can’t wait to have the chance togo away again together.Dr Chris HurleySecondly, they had to run their own camp. It was thestudents who had to plan their meals, cook and cleanup. They had to think about how to best collect informationabout the rocky shores habitat and the organismsthat lived there; this included going to Bunningsto design and put together equipment for sampling theorganisms at the beach.Ph: 07 5446 4780 Fax: 07 5446 4893 Email: admin@cbcc.qld.edu.au