Month of November 2019

Grade level enrichment groups are up and running.  Students will generally meet twice during each 8-Day cycle.  This month students completed some “Getting to Know You” activities and discussed and developed “Group Norms” for working together as a team.

Currently, teams are working on a STEM activity – Building a Bridge.  The challenge is to think like a theme park designer and build a bridge for inside a theme park.  The students are working with a partner to construct a bridge using various household and craft items.  The bridge design options are a weight-bearing bridge (that can hold the most weight) or a high capacity bridge (that has the most usable space on top of the bridge where people would walk). 

The 2020 K’Nex Challenge has been announced!  It is to create a model using K’Nex pieces which incorporates a way of conserving energy in the future. For example, transforming energy from one object to power another or creating a new type of energy to power a city.  Our K’Nex Competition Team is currently brainstorming ideas for a design and will be competing against other local schools on March 17, 2020 for a chance to compete at the state tournament in Harrisburg in May.

Students in grades 4 through 6 will be eligible to participate in the North Schuylkill Elementary Math 24 Challenge Tournament scheduled for January.  Anyone interested in the opportunity to qualify as a member of the Challenge Team should be practicing now whenever possible.  Homeroom teachers have decks of cards students can use to practice, and there are also apps available at little to no cost that allow students to practice on their own on a smart phone or tablet.  The top ten finishers from NSE will travel to the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit in Pottsville on May 19^th to compete against students from other local school districts.

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns at nnestor@northschuylkill.net or at 570-874-3661 Ext. 3332.