Science at Paraparaumu College

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Science at Paraparaumu College

For current and past Science students at Paraparaumu College.

27/08/2026

Year 12 Biology: Gas Exchange in Action!

This week our Year 12 Biology students are investigating how gas exchange systems differ between species. As part of their learning, students are carrying out dissections of a sheep pluck, locust, and fish to compare the structures that allow mammals, insects, and fish to obtain the oxygen they need.

A great opportunity to see how structure relates to function across very different organisms!

25/08/2026

Year 9 Science in action!

This week students have been investigating motion by measuring distance travelled and time, calculating velocity, and using their results to create time–displacement graphs. A great way to see physics move from the classroom into the real world!

19/08/2026

Year 10 students have been really busy with chemistry in science class these past few weeks! This week some classes looked at reactions of metals with oxygen, acids and water! Lots of experiments involved 💥🔥

17/08/2026

The Year 11 Health Science Academy have been busy in their Microbes unit!
They’ve been learning about fungi by growing mould on bread and observing its structure under the microscope.
They also explored the role of yeast in bread-making and investigated how different factors, such as moisture, sugar and warmth, affect yeast activity — and therefore the bread we make! 🦠🔬🍞

11/08/2026

Our Year 10 Science students have been investigating acids and bases by testing a range of household chemicals. Instead of using standard laboratory indicators, they explored how natural indicators such as red cabbage, beetroot and turmeric change colour depending on pH.

A colourful way to see chemistry happening right in front of you!

09/08/2026

Year 12 Chemistry students have been getting into titrations! 🧪
First, they practised using the equipment with water before moving on to the real thing. They're becoming real professionals! It takes a careful eye and a steady hand to stop the titration at just the right point.

06/08/2026

In Science this week, Year 9 students investigated how environmental factors can affect the phenotype of plants. By placing white flowers in coloured dye, they observed how the flowers absorbed the dye, causing the petals to change colour. This demonstrated how environmental factors can alter an organism's observable characteristics without changing its genes 🌸

04/08/2026

There are study guides now for sale at the office at a discounted price to help you prepare for the Level 2 and Level 3 Science Externals. Many students love using study guides as they provide structure to study time with easily accessible notes, questions and answers to help you. We highly recommend them! Order and pay at the main office by the end of Week 5 📚

30/07/2026

Our Year 11 Health Science Academy students stepped into the role of microbiologists this week! 🔬🦠

They prepared and heat-fixed yoghurt smears before staining them with methylene blue and observing probiotic bacteria under the microscope, where they identified rod-shaped bacteria throughout the sample.

Students also swabbed laboratory desks and cultured the samples on agar plates, which were grown in the fridge, at room temperature, and in an incubator to investigate how temperature affects bacterial growth. As expected, the incubated plates showed the greatest bacterial growth, while the refrigerated plates showed the least, demonstrating the important role temperature plays in bacterial reproduction. A fantastic hands-on investigation into the unseen world of microbes!

23/07/2026

Science was glowing today as students explored the colours of chemistry with flame tests!

Different elements produced different colours, helping us identify the metal ions present. Hands-on science, colourful discoveries, and plenty of curiosity in action!

Address

Paraparaumu College
Paraparaumu

Website

https://www.instagram.com/paraparaumucollegescience/

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