It was really nice to return to the classroom after winter break! This can be a tough transition, but the squad seemed really joyful and ready to get back to our school routine.
In class, we sprang into full stride with respect to our upcoming SCIENCE FAIR. This event will be on campus next month (Thurs - 2/16), and the students should be completing their experimentation phase over the next week, so that we can press into the analysis phase asap. We have some really interesting experiments in the works. Middle schoolers always love to experiment on each other, so there is always a push to inject some actual SCIENCE into the projects which involve "human participants".
Please ask your child how it's going, and encourage them to stay on top of these projects. It all comes together so much easier for them when they feel they are ahead of the deadlines.
Concurrently, we have segued from the collision physics we were studying before the break into the physics of rolling. This week, we explored the great Galileo's inclined plane experiments of the early 1600's and discussed the relationship of potential and kinetic energy to gravitation, friction, momentum, and inertia. This pretty much amounted to making skateboard half-pipes for marbles out of card stock, and it was really fun.
Next week, we will press ahead with the Squeal Wheel project. This will occur in the background even as we prepare for our Science Fair, and it involves developing a wheel and axle assembly to roll down a 1-foot ramp and across the room for maximum distance.
Don't forget that on Thursday 1/12 we will have our curriculum night at 6:20 pm (on Zoom), and our conferences will take place the following week on 1/16 and 1/17. We look forward to discussing your awesome kids with you!
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