There’s a good excuse for staying up late for students at All Saints Primary School Albany Creek and St Joseph’s School Bardon.
The Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) schools offer students the opportunity to ignore their bedtimes one night of the school year for an experience of learning under the stars during ‘Night School.’
All Saints Principal Roycelyn Wilden says during Under Eights Week 2023 (15 to 21 May) they are planning their next The Stars Evening – which boasts a 2000-strong gathering of students, parents, and community members to their campus for an evening of play and enquiry-based learning.
“Children are born investigators, and we’re nurturing that natural curiosity and playfulness by bringing them together for a special night of STEM education where students and parents can engage and play together within a community context,” she says.
“They will experience science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning set out across a variety of stations which engage them in learning about night-time.
“Star and planet formations, star gazing, robotics, engineering challenges, and telescope and drone activities are all on the agenda.”
All Saints Primary School Albany Creek students at The Stars Evening.
This year the focus of The Stars evening aligns with current Australian Curriculum topic of ‘forces’ - with plans for students to learn by using ping pong balls to discover gravity, contact forces, and air resistance, explains the Principal.
“The whole event helps develop critical thinking skills and teaches students how to collaborate with their peers and other community contributors,” says Roycelyn.
“We will also have our budding inventors show off their entries to the Term 3 BCE competition STEM MAD (Make a Difference) Showcase and talking to our broader community about how their prototypes help solve real-world problems.
“The night has become so big over the years, and we expect this year’s Night School to be even bigger.” 
St Joseph’s School Bardon students welcomed to Night School.
St Joseph’s School Bardon Principal Fran Burke says her school has also embraced the ‘night school’ concept and recently held an evening for Prep students to learn about some of the amazing things that happen at night.
“We know that when students are encouraged to ask questions and be curious that is when the real learning happens,” she says.
“Learning through play our students explored the concept of night-time in a real and tangible way.
“As part of the evening they learnt about sequencing of events, what happens at morning, midday, and night, how the weather changes and affects us at different times.
“They also had the opportunity to do some star gazing and learn about constellations and how and why telescopes are used.
“We have also noticed since night school our Prep students have a greater understanding of STEM as they develop deeper understandings of scientific concepts such as gravity, light, and space.
“We were blessed that parents and caregivers were all able to come along to see the amazing learning that has occurred throughout Term 1.”
Fran says they have also noticed the quieter campus of a night time leads to less distractions for students and a more peaceful and conducive environment to learn and play.
St Joseph’s School Bardon students play with rockets as they learn about Space at Sight School.
For more information about All Saints Primary School Albany Creek click here, or to find out more about The Stars Evening on 16 June 2023 see below.
For more information about St Joseph’s School Bardon and to enrol click here.
St Joseph’s School Bardon Principal Fran Burke with Prep student.
About Under Eights Week:
Under Eights Week was initiated by Early Childhood Australia Queensland, creating a day dedicated to children under eight years old, highlighting the importance of the early years of a child’s life.
This years Under Eights Week theme ‘Play-You, Me and Our Communities’ aims to honour, advocate, and celebrate a child’s right to play, and how they do so in the context of being part of a community.