Fire

[Parker-Price]

Hi Andy
So sorry to hear your news.  I hope the Ministry, the school board, the 
community, the school staff and the students pull together to put things 
right. If it's any help, I have been busy devising experiments for students 
that require minimal specialist physics kit.  Please contact me at the Te 
Kura address if you would like me to share some suggestions.
cheers
Kerry
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <andydyson at actrix.co.nz>
To: <Phys-teach-talk at nzip.org.nz>
Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2010 9:13 PM
Subject: Fire


> Hi all,
>
> The burned out lab that you saw on the news was the one I have taught in
> at Kerikeri High School since the start of 2002. We also lost our main
> prep room and chemical store. A second lab and a couple of classrooms and
> a long computer room are also badly damaged.
> The fire brigade asked at 6.30 this morning what was in the chemical
> store. I reassured them that our radioactive sources were the tiny ones
> available for school use and comparable to smoke alarms. But we had
> mercury, a flammable liquids cupboard (which I later found out had
> exploded!), oxidising agents, acids and bases, flammable solids and
> poisons. The usual stuff that you would expect in a school chemical store.
> Our technician was a star. She arrived with a full list of what was there,
> with quantities, that she had on a flash drive at home. The school records
> were in the prep room and destroyed. (Hint: take a copy home!) Why did the
> TV3 news fixate on radioactive materials? I do think there's some sort of
> phobia!
>
> I had brought all this year's NCEA internal assessment stuff home on
> friday to go through it, along with my laptop and records. But last year's
> US that I am not using this year (but am/was still due to be moderated on
> 4 of!) have gone.
>
> ALL OF MY EQUIPMENT AND BOOKS HAVE GONE UP IN SMOKE!!!
>
> Insurance exists but I don't know yet whether the idea is to replace that
> lost gear (how much can I remember?) or to equip a new lab for senior
> Physics from scratch. I hope it's the second option. I'm sure that I have
> seen lists somewhere of all the gear that it would be sensible to have to
> teach senior Physics. Can anyone help with such a list as a situation such
> as this will require answers to be provided for my Principal asap.
>
> Anyone been here before and can offer advice?
>
> Please reply both to me and the list so everyone can see what is 
> happening.
>
> Andy Dyson,
>
> HoD Physics, Kerikeri High School.
>
>
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