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TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2013 HERALDSUN.COM.AU
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EDITOR: Jane Howard I 9292 1616 I hslearn@heraldsun.com.au
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Our Prime
Ministers
PART 1
Taste of science
Food fun touches on
more serious issue
for girls, writes Jane
Howard
T
HERE will be no such
thing as too many
cooks spoiling the
broth at Mentone
Girls’ Grammar next
week.
The school will take part in
Cook for a Cure, a national
event from August 10-18,
which educates students
about the importance of
health and medical research.
Schools across the country
are asked to hold a cooking
event this month. It may be a
soup or cake stall, a
students-versus-teachers
cook-off, or any fun, foodrelated activity.
Research Australia runs
Cook for a Cure, inviting
school communities to learn
about leading Australian research projects while cooking and sharing healthy food Flour power: Maya, year 12, and Sam, year 10, practise their cooking skills for Mentone
with peers.
Girls’ Grammar participation in Cook for a Cure.
Picture: ANDY DREWITT
Mentone Girls’ Grammar
principal Fran Reddan says
‘‘It’s showing the girls ciple. Sharing the Planet exMrs Reddan says she
Cook for a Cure has great there is a whole network of plores the responsibility of thinks the next generation
vision and is timely, coincid- women who are interested in individuals, community and of female scientists will be
ing with National Science science and scientific re- government for the conser- outstanding.
Week. ‘‘It’s about inspiring search,’’ Mrs Reddan says.
vation of species.
‘‘Girls have really good
kids to get involved in sci‘‘It taps into their curiosity
The EnviroKids program verbal skills. You can be a
ence,’’ she says.
and shows them how to expands the study at year 4, terrific scientist but you
T h e n u m b e r o f g i r l s make a difference.
while at years 5 and 6 STEM need strong verbal skills as
participating in the areas of
‘‘It gets them on a scien- classes are taught in science you need to pitch ideas and
Science, Technology, Engin- tific pathway and reveals laboratories by expert teach- y o u n e e d f u n d s f o r r e eering and Mathematics that there are very real ben- ing staff from Senior School search,’’ she says.
(STEM) continues to fall efits; the girls love it.’’
and students explore key
To help schools create a
worldwide, Mrs Reddan says.
M r s R e d d a n s a y s t h e scientific concepts.
cooking event, Research
She says the school is school’s program begins in
These specialist classes Australia has a ‘‘How-to kit’’
working to create a culture of the Early Learning Centre, are complemented by class- with teacher resources at
engagement and excellence where girls start with basic room units on the world of cookforacure.com.au/home/
in STEM studies for girls.
numeracy skills and scien- inventions, technology and schools
For the past three years, tific concepts through a play- s i m p l e m a c h i n e s , p l u s
Mentone Girls’ Grammar based curriculum.
numeracy programs such as
has had a science breakfast
At year 3 students under- financial literacy.
where female scientists and take their own research
In Senior School, there are
researchers give a presen- problem and experiments to several STEM offerings from
tation on careers in science. demonstrate scientific prin- year 7 through to VCE.
SUPER SCIENCE MONTH
Scienceworks celebrates National Science
Week (August 10-18) with Super Science
Month featuring a full program of fun activities,
workshops, classes, live shows and exhibitions.
On August 17-18 catch Inspiring Scientists
and chat to scientists in a careers expo with
a twist or check BASF Kids’ Lab Experience,
a hands-on chemistry-fest. Full details at
museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks
Enduring grace
in magical play
not be literally true, but his
words speak another kind of
truth about the importance of
English
art, music and love. In contrast,
Susan Bye
for Lewis’s girlfriend, Lucy, and
friend, Nick, language is used as
Cosi,
a form of disguise and a way of
Louis Nowra
keeping people at a distance.
Nick’s words, in particular,
OSI is set in Melbourne narrow life’s possibilities.
in 1971, at a time of
Lewis learns from all of the
mounting protests
actors, but Roy is the one who
against Australia’s
activates this process of
involvement in the Vietnam war. learning.
During this time of political
Through the power of his
upheaval and social change, the
performance, he encourages
protagonist Lewis, a young
Lewis and his fellow inmates to
university graduate, takes the
share his dream and become
job of directing a production at a transformed by it.
psychiatric hospital.
The magic of Cosi is that this
As the rehearsals
damaged group of
progress, Lewis finds
people can work
himself increasingly
together to create
drawn into the lived
something that can
reality of the patients
only exist if everyone
and away from a view
is given the
of the world imposed
confidence to
on him by others.
contribute.
Lewis initially
A significant aspect
Louis Nowra
appears to be a
of the transformative
character with no real identity.
magic of performance is that it
All we know is that he is so
breaks down differences and
desperate for work, he has been
distinctions between the
forced to take the job at the
individuals involved.
hospital.
If in the end there is a lesson
As a consequence, he has no
for Lewis to learn from the opera
real vision of what he might be
Cosi Fan Tutte and for us to
able to achieve. Roy, dreaming
learn from Louis Nowra’s Cosi, it
of a full-scale production of
is that: ‘‘Happy is the man who
Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, makes
calmly takes life as he finds it.’’
it clear Lewis is an immense
In this way the exhilaration and
disappointment.
renewal of the moment of
Consequently, while Lewis
performance becomes an end in
may be the official director, Roy
itself, rather than a bridge to a
takes over. He not only drives
new life or a search for change.
the choice of production and
cast, but also directs Lewis who
씰Dr Susan Bye is the VCE
is playing the role of director so
education programmer at the
badly.
Australian Centre for the
Much of what Roy says may
Moving Image
VCE text review
C