“Hands-on inquiry-based STEM education lays the foundation for social and emotional intelligence, raises children’s confidence, fosters their abilities to plan and reflect.”
Starting Blocks, 2022

Our young learners in the ELC have been engaged in hands-on learning and discovery in STEM.

Recent visits to the Junior School STEM Lab have seen the Banksia and Wattle Room children engaging in science experiments with STEM Teacher, Miss Tori Shaw, to grow crystals. The children have learnt about the properties of crystals and how they grow. They are patiently and excitedly awaiting the transformation of their crystals. 

The children in the Waratah and Blue Gum Rooms recently engaged in a woodworking workshop where they learnt about engineering and mathematics. The children explored the wood’s properties and designed and built their own wood structures. This task required problem solving to work out how to join and balance the pieces of their constructions. 

It is essential that children begin to learn skills in STEM from an early age to help develop learning dispositions for later in life. Through engaging in hands-on STEM based learning, the children are developing skills in problem solving, creativity, teamwork, independent thinking, and digital literacy. 

ELC Staff Retirement 

One of our well-respected, long-term ELC educator, Ms Carol Curtis, will be retiring at the end of the 2022 school year. 

Carol has been an integral member of the ELC and St Catherine’s community for the past 21 years. During this time, she has contributed enormously to the ELC Programs, educating, and caring for hundreds of young learners.  

Although she will be dearly missed here at St Catherine’s, we are delighted that Carol will now have the opportunity to enjoy her retirement years. 

We will look forward to acknowledging and celebrating the enormous contribution Carol has made to our ELC. We welcome past ELC students and parents to call into the ELC on Tuesday 6 December between 3.00pm and 4.00pm to say farewell.