Upgrading of 800 science laboratories (NSW public schools on

[CC]

That was my plan too Kimmy

[fibreweb]

Started attacking the Chemical Store Cupboards in earnest today clearing old stuff out to make way for storage whilst we are having our classrooms done.

I have found numerous and interesting stuff. Notably 75 Retort stand bases, no rods, just bases!!!!!!!! Obviously over the last 30 odd years at least 75 rods have been attacked by would be "Supermen" showing their prowess at bending metal!!

Also a carton of cakes of soap, about 100 of them!

Anyone know if there is a marked for scrap cast iron, I figured we had about 180 kg of it in the Chem Store.

I am having trouble when I show the teachers something that hasn't been used in the 10 years I've been here wanting permission the throw it out and am told "keep it, we might use it sometime". Sometimes I think I should just toss it out without asking If no-one has thought about it in the last 10 years, will they want it in the next!

Wendy

[Jen1]

There is no doubt in the world that the way to make something valuable and needed is to throw it out the day before.
Jen

[noona]

Hi All
My school has just had 6 labs & 1 Prep room done if you would like a look let me know I am at Greystanes High in Sydney they are great.
Noona

[Slartibartfast]

How about some piccies Noona for those a little too far away?! Go on, show them off!

I showed off 3 of my labs a while back but they were the hairy 4 legged type.

[kimmy]

Hi Noona
I would love some pics if possible as you are just a little bit to far away. How is the prep room, did you get the compactors and how do you find them. My email is
kim.e.lawlor@education.nsw.gov.au

if that is easier for you to do some photos. I am so looking forward to getting our labs done it would be great even to get a start date. How long did it take them to get your labs done.
I am very very jealous of you.

KIMMY

[noona]

Hi All
We are a test school along with two others each school had Labs & Prep room done. Each lab is a little different to the other so HT'S can come and have a look and pick witch labs they like.
We had 3 labs done in G Block and now they are doing E & A Blocks it took about 16 weeks because they had some problems with the floor in G Block and the DEPT took 3 weeks to give it the go ahead MONEY is the problem and they did not want to pay more.
Our school is done different to the other two schools as the DEPT did them and we had a Tender ( so a company did ours and they are great nothing is to much trouble as my PHYS Store was in the constuction site and I had a hard hat or the Project Manager would get stuff out for me.
Anyway I have a new Prep room and it is light and airy with lots of space
and a big bench in the middle a new fume cupboard .
I will try to take some pic for you all in the next few days I am still trying to get things back to normal.
Noona
P>S> Invtation is ther for all to see and if you are going to the Conference at the end of the year I will have lots of PIC on a board for you all to see.

[fibreweb]

Hi Noona,

I would love to have some pictures of your new labs and prep rooms. Especially as, from what I understand, Oxley High is built to the same design as Greystanes (we opened in 1968, we are square blocks around an open courtyard.)

One thing our teachers are concerned about is that whilst one of each of our sets of labs seems big enough (13 metres long)to be "split in half" to make the wet and dry areas, the other is only 11 metres long and they are sceptical about fitting a class of 30 into each of the wet and dry areas. Are your labs similar in size to this and how are they for the class sizes now thay are split into 2 sections?

Hopefully problems with this particular school design have been iron out with your renovations and we shall have smooth sailing.

Thanks,

Wendy

[noona]

Hi Wendy
If as you say your labs are the same as ours they is plenty of room in both dry & wet as the labs are quite big.
As I sad before we rearranged the seating and in the wet we moved the tables into the middle of the room.
I will take some pic and down load the in the next two days so you cn look at them and the prep room aswell But the prep room I have changed allready as I did not want the rackung they put in and we took it out and moved my desk to give me more room .
The shower has no drain in the floor and it runs for 15 minutes non stop
so the prep room and labs will flood so Ithey are now going to put a U shape hole in the wall at floor level so the water will at least run out side.
The shower had a glass panel that has now been removed ast it was right next to the door into the Prep room and every one bumped into it so it went yesterday.
Noona

[Ocker]

Slightly off the subject BUT
All my lab sinks are ceramic which is good but in fireing the highest point in bottom of sink is the plug hole,frustation of my life,
I think I would prefer SS but someone bagged that on another forum
What is the latest ideas in sinkware?

[sunray18]

we have stainless steel here, and they work well... except for the newer lab where the quality of the sinks is...... I cant say what I think!!!

[Jen1]

We have plastic sinks in the classrooms which are now damaged by students dropping hot tripods in them. Plastic DOES melt!!! My stainless steel sink in the prep room is much better except that it is designed for someone very short. I find I am leaning over to reach the bottom of it. I'm only 164cm, not very tall at all. I hate to think how someone who is 6 foot would cope!

[CC]

Wendy you will not believe this, but I've got all the retort posts.
I nearly fell off my chair when I read your message because I've been scratching my head trying to figure out how we could have so many posts and no bases.
Obviously somesone in the past thought this would be a good joke.

[noona]

Hi
In the new labs we have SS sinks and they have to be replaces as they are the wrong gauge and the 3 new labs and I hope the 3 they are doing now will be done soon as we have some rust already and they are only 3 weeks old.
Noona
p.s.they are so nice and clean and the kids get upset if anyone puts a mark on the desks.
I don't know how long it will last some time I hope.

[Loopy]

We have ceramic sinks in the labs and generally I can't complain about cleaning them. Two things to note with them is:
1. when they perform any tasks with metals such as iron filings or even just nails, if they get thrown in the sink then a bit of elbow grease is often required to remove the rust stains they create if you don't catch them in time (good old ajax does the job) and
2. objects such as 1kg masses will smash them if dropped into them (had that happen once - oops!)
Lou.

[fibreweb]

Ceramic sinks also disintergrate if you put a coke bottle full of dry ice (with it's lid on) into it!!!!

That was the Deputy Principal several years ago! He also used to make metho rockets!

But thats not what I sat down to write

EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS!

We have just had the media (Newspaper and TV) up here talking with the Member for Tamworth, the Regional Director of Education for the area and the principal.
It seems that tenders were called today for the work to be done so they were doing the publicity thing (funny it coincides with the bad publicity of the strike day!) The talk is things are on track for here for early next year but I will believe it when I see it.

Nethertheless I'm starting to clear stuff out to make space whilst the building is going on. Today I tossed several dozen old broken test tube racks that has been kept "to be fixed sometime".

The pictures of the new labs at Greystanes look wonderful.

Wendy

[noona]

Hi Wendy
Well done I know what you meen I tossed lots of things that I kept thinking I will fix that one day.
Now they are in the round filling bin for ever Hahahahahaha
IF IN Dought Chuck It Out thats my MOTO

Have Fun and try not to get to Stressed Remember the Dept take there time .
Our other 3 labs will be finished in about 7 weeks for hand over we hope.
By now the dept will know all the problems and will pay for any delays.
Noona

[kitty kat]

HI
we had the 50 thousand upgrade wich only replaced the desk and sinks and gaveus water and gass. this happened in april aqnd my sinks have rusted and the white ceramice tops are easy to crack beware they are not teenage proof.

[lizzieb]

Cindy,

I've also got scores of retort bases, but no rods.

Maybe you and Wendy & I could do a trade?!!

If you are going to the St Mary's Conference this year we could maybe organise a 'swap meet'!

We are also doing a huge clean-out of our faculty, and I have a few other things I'd love to use to barter for things we don't have eg. LPG/Natural gas Bunsens.

I have an overabundance of reagent bottles, and too many older style flasks - round & flat bottomed. Bell jars, dessicating jars......

[fibreweb]

I can't help but wonder whether these upgrades will be victims of the shake up in the NSW Government over the weekend.

Our paper is full of speculations as whether the planned Hospital and water supply upgrades that had been promised for Tamworth will go ahead and I wondered if the school labs could possibly be in doubt now.

It wouldn't surprise me!

Wendy