Our Year 7 Science students have been busy taking part in monitoring the health of our local Olinda Creek during field work focusing on the structure and health of this local ecosystems. They have been examining a range of physical, chemical and biological parameters and recording their data for Melbourne Water as part of the River Detectives waterway monitoring program.
Our MLMC scientists have been involved in this fieldwork for a number of years with our students' contributions adding valuable input to the database mapping the health of waterways around the state.
Here is a reflection by Holly O'Toole (Year 7 Red) on the excursion:
My class walked down to Olinda Creek in Lilydale so that we could conduct some water testing for our Year 7 Science class. We were put into five groups and we were required to investigate and observe the different surrounding areas of Olinda Creek to answer a variety of questions from examining living and non-living things to testing water levels. We had to observe plants, animals, temperature and even keep in mind all the things that were put there by humans and all the things that grew naturally. It involved testing the water pH, observing the things that were around us and recording what we observed within the environment. Following our hands-on practical experience, we put together all the information that we discovered and then used it to complete our common assessment task questions. It was a great opportunity to learn about a local landmark.
