KickStart Onsite
What's on 2027:
Kickstart is a two-day STEM program designed to give students the opportunity to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through a series of focused, hands-on workshops before putting their STEM thinking into action through practical group challenges.​ (Students MUST be in Year 3, 4, 5 or 6 in 2027 to participate.)
The KickStart Difference:
Breadth
Rather than spending the day within one focus area, students encounter multiple STEM disciplines across the two days.
Shorter Workshops
Workshops are 90 minutes long, so students will have the opportunity to cover a range of STEM focuses.
Application Challenges
Each day finishes with a larger practical challenge that brings students together and gives them an opportunity to apply STEM thinking.
New Content
Presenter workshops are being developed specifically for Kickstart.
Two Levels of Challenge
Years 3/4 and Years 5/6 explore the same topics, but the workshops are adapted so that the older students experience greater depth and complexity.
2027 Program​
Day 1
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Science Workshop
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Engineering Workshop
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Pneumatics Quest​
Day 2
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Maths Workshop
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Technology Workshop
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Trebuchet Quest
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Through new learning and intellectual challenges, students will have the opportunities to:
✔ explore new ideas and solve problems
✔ think beyond the ordinary curriculum
✔ design, experiment and test
✔ apply their knowledge and thinking
2027 Workshops:
​Workshop 1: How to Build Your Dragon (Science)
with Jeremy
Before you can train your dragon, you must build one! Discover the secrets of genetics as you use Punnett squares to predict which extraordinary traits your dragon might inherit. From powerful wings to unexpected mutations, explore how characteristics are passed from one generation to the next. Will you create the ultimate dragon or a genetic disaster?
​Workshop 2: Lego Robotics (Engineering)
with Ryan
...coming soon!
​Workshop 3 — Kickstart Quest: Pneumatics
with the team
How can something as simple as air be used to power a machine? Pneumatic systems use compressed air to create force and movement, and they play an important role in machinery, tools, transport and robotics. But what makes one pneumatic system work better than another? In this workshop, students will explore the science behind air pressure before applying their learning to a hands-on engineering challenge. Their task is to build a pneumatic machine that can perform a set job — and then put it to the test against other designs. Which machine will be the most powerful, precise or effective? It will take clever thinking, sound engineering and a little competitive spirit to come out on top.
​Workshop 4: The Geometry of Celtic Knots
with Tony
What mathematical secrets are hidden within the intricate twists and turns of ancient Celtic knots? Discover how geometry, symmetry and number patterns combine to create these remarkable designs. Armed with compasses, rulers and grids, challenge yourself to unravel their mathematical mysteries and construct your own intricate Celtic knot.
​Workshop 5: Technology
with Allen
...coming soon!
​Workshop 6 — KickStart Quest: Trebuchet
with the team
Trebuchets and catapults have been used for centuries to launch objects over great distances and, historically, to break down defensive fortifications. But how do these powerful machines actually work? What makes one design more effective than another, and how can small changes make a big difference? In this Kickstart Challenge, students will draw on their learning from across Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as they take on a trebuchet-themed challenge. With a castle wall standing in the way, the question is simple: can they develop a solution that hits the mark? Strategy, design and STEM thinking will all come into play as students compete to see whose approach proves most successful.
2027 Workshop Presenters
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About Tony ...
Tony is a motivational and dynamic presenter who has been involved in primary education for close on 40 years. As a classroom teacher, ICT Coordinator, Gifted and Talented teacher, Deputy and Head of School, Tony has a great interest in how children learn and he has a real passion for teaching STEM and in particular Mathematics and Coding. Always paramount in his planning and delivery is the relevance and connection of the tasks to today’s primary students. Over the past two decades he has published student and teacher texts on the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics for the middle and senior primary years. Tony has also taught coding and programming in other G.A.T.E.WAYS programs.
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About Allen ...
Allen Dickson is an educator & speaker with a passion for ensuring learning is innovative, practical and enjoyable. For over 20 years he has combined classroom teaching with appointments in various extra-curricular organisations where he uses a diverse range of skills to instil confidence, extend abilities and initiate change in classrooms. A regular with G.A.T.E.WAYS since 2012, Allen also runs his own educational consultancy – RethinkPD – where he speaks on a range of specialist issues (literacy, numeracy, thinking curricula, extension and enrichment, etc) both in schools and at conferences around the country.
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About Jeremy ...
After completing a degree in forest science with honours at the University of Melbourne, Jeremy Newton-John worked as a taxi driver, musician, landscaper, environmental campaigner, and freelance writer. His work has been published in The Age and Australian newspapers and numerous magazines. An unexpected encounter led him into education and he taught high school science and mathematics for more than two decades. Along the way, he earned a doctorate in science education and was invited to be a guest lecturer for Griffith University’s teacher training program. He lives in Melbourne, likes mountains but not heights, and still hopes to find a billion-year-old meteorite.
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About Ryan...
Ryan is an experienced teacher who is a dedicated LEGO® enthusiast (LEGO® Masters Finalist 2021 and Grand Masters contestant 2023) who has spent many years working in the Digital Technology and STEM field building up a program that students just can’t wait to take part in. Ryan is passionate about getting our children actively engaged in working creatively with technology as they’ll be the ones tasked with the job of developing the solutions of the future.
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