There has been a lot going on in the Technology Faculty this term.

Year 9 cash converters project

This term some of the Year 9 students are in the workshops turning their designs into a money box.

Once a design has been created, we take two pieces of MDF and laminate them together. Then the design is put onto the MDF and cut out using the bandsaw. It is then time to make a double-ended bolt out of a steel bar. The next part of this project requires teamwork, as once the acrylic has been heated, it has to be swiftly put into place and then held down with several clamps. It’s quite exciting to see how much the acrylic can be stretched to form beautiful pieces of art.

Another Year 9 Technology project is making glass coasters. Students create several designs which will be used on coasters. The glass is prepared by carefully sanding edges corners and sides. Students choose which part of the image they want sandblasted to create their finished design.

Year 10 Food Technology

Currently, students are working on a snack foods project, where they design and prepare a food product, for Year 13s to purchase. Following the design process, students will survey their stakeholders and then come up with a prototype, which will be tested during practical lessons. To complete this project the students also need to create packaging for their final product.

Hospitality Levels 1, 2 & 3

Something slightly different this term was learning about the sustainability of using beeswax wraps for our lunch boxes. Students got to choose from a wide range of fabric designs to create their own lunchbox wrap. Thanks to Lesley Ottey from Eco Educate for this a very enjoyable project and with a powerful message around reducing landfill, and for keeping us current with the trends on what can be recycled and what to do with our waste.

Hospitality students have also been involved in hosting several cafés this term and recently did the catering for some of the tournament teams that went away.

Graphics Levels 1 & 2

Graphics students at Level 1 are currently working on completing their house alteration designs.

Level 2 students are completing their brief 'designing a small holiday home'.

Building

It has been a busy terms 2 & 3 for Building. This started with the building and completion of 12 picnic tables for St Albans Primary School and the National Trades Academy. Profit from the sales has gone into soft landscape planting around two separate seating projects that the Building course is currently working on.

Over the last two terms, Building students have been working on hard landscaping the Cultural Learning Centre, Te Kohiko, built by previous students, and new seating by the auditorium. This has also involved placing of large landscaping rocks, paving and raised garden beds.

Tools4work

Students have almost finished their second major project for the year. The wind vanes are taking shape and ready to be driven by the wind. Great use of newly learned skills is being demonstrated by students using a variety of tools, marking out equipment and machines.

Digital Technology

Year 9:  Currently, we have been exploring the Scratch drag and drop programming language. Using algorithmic thinking and adapting solutions to problems.

Year 10:  We have been looking into Python programming, a text-based programming language. Developing our own encryption and decryption methods and looking into cryptology.

Senior Digital Technology:  Across Levels 1, 2 and 3 we have been finished up our year-long projects, with some amazing results. Now we have been using our time preparing for the external CATs (Common Assessment Task), which are happening in the last week of this term.