Australia's Science Forum

On the subject of dynamos, the rubber belts have busted over the holidays. I guess the heat affects where they are joined. Does anyone know where you can get decent belts from. The last one came from Serrata but has not lasted and didn't work very well anyway.

We don't have a school car anymore. So our head teacher will do a shop about once a term, which is not really useful for stuff for pracs. So I tell the teachers that if they want what I haven't got, they have to get it themselves. Home science won't get our stuff anymore as they pay a mileage rate o...

Yep...dehydrator from home science works best. I will never allow meat to be dried in the incubator oven again. Took years to get the smell out. Also with the dehydrator and fan the moisture from the food evaporates better than in the oven.

I got a new chem storage room a couple of years ago and I'm happy with it. But I don't have the acids in a cupboard. There are on shelves in a purpose built acid bay, with a hose and water close by. I do run the extractor fan 24/7 - was supposed to be 8.30 to 4.30 ea day, but I overrode that. I gues...

I seem to remember that we were supposed to check the safety shower every month. Doubt that it was a written instruction though. I mean, what is not going to happen - the water won't come out? I think a check once a year will suffice.

SAOs cars have never been covered to use for shopping trips. That is why I jacked up ages ago, and why SAO in TAS did too. But the Principal at the time bullied her about it and among other things she left. So the new lady (temp) does use her car. I have told her repeatedly that she shouldn't but sh...

Well, the union won't get back to me till Wednesday. So he wasn't useful, but sympathetic. Today we had a breakthrough in that the Principal agreed to meet with the permanent SAOs. I can understand that an EOI should be filled out for people (temps) wanting work. As he is a new principal, he didn't ...

This is mainly directed at NSW govt schools labbies. I am permanent F/T SAO and worked in science for 21 years. I have also done a lot of admin jobs as well over the years. Our new principal now wants all permanents and temps to fill in an EOI to do our own jobs. I have been in touch with the union,...

We have Agriculture here at a govt school and we have an Ag Assistant 3 days a week. It is a different category to a School Admin Assistant, with different conditions and pay. I am not required to do anything for Ag even though Ag is attached to the Science faculty, other than perhaps some photocopy...

I have a feeling that you soak motor parts in petrol to clean them. Not that I have ever done it, but I seem to recall my husband doing that. But he is no mechanic, believe me.

Goodbye Robyn and half your luck! How sensible to ease down the way you have. I will keep that in mind as I am at that stage of life too. Happy retirement!!

honeycomb

Quite some years ago, a casual teacher just boxed them up and put them in the skip bin. I didn't challenge her as I was glad to see them go. You know..ask no questions and all that. :thumbup: You wouldn't want to open them to see what they were preserved with, so if you're willing to pay for a chem ...

Yep, the online CSIS is a DET thing.

I checked the online version of CSIS Ian and it was still there. I assume the online version is up to date.

I can only go by what CSIS says (whether it is right or wrong) and not heresay. It is still on there for years 11 and 12.

Wires for Youngs Modulus appparatus? Never used it, but I had those too. Chucked them out before the refurb.

Yep..vinegar and salt makes a mild hydrochloric acid I'm told. Cleans copperware too.

Makes you wonder if you can believe anything you read about any chemical.

In our govt school, our fire extinguishers are tested every 12 months (not withstanding the info above) and have been done so, for the last 20 years I have been here. Every six months seems a bit of an overkill. Our GA, who has been here for about 15 years, is the local fire captain as well. So if t...