2018 Fall Noetic Class Winners Announced

Two times a year dozens of students in grades 2nd-6th take the Noetic Math Challenge Test.  This test has a 45 minute time limit for students to complete 20 mathematics problems. The problems are chosen for their difficulty level and allows students to attempt problems above their grade level for that extra challenge.  This is a fun challenge and a great piece of data for students and teachers to use from year to year.

Congratulations to all kids that participated and stretched their thinking in the field of math.  

6th Graders: Engineering/Construction of Simple Machines

Simple Machines are around us on a daily basis.  Some we don't even realize and most go unnoticed throughout our lifetime.  The sixth grade group is focusing in on incline planes and the use of gears during a construction unit.  Students must focus in on how the simple machine is used in everyday life and how it makes things easier for us.  The building/engineering part hasn't been easy for them, as each piece has to be carefully put in the exact location for the machines to work.  Some frustration has been had, but in the end learning has taken place.

Wind Powered Cars Taking Off

Some 5th grade students have had the opportunity to test, modify and re-test their projects while studying wind power.  The wind (box fan) was the only constant in this experiment and students had ample supplies to use.  They used different types of paper, lego pieces and tape to test their hypothesis to make a car travel twenty feet by only using wind power.  All students achieved the goal, yet each car looked VERY different.  Data was collect, studied and helped the students make decisions on future designs.  

The "Look" of Success!

Problem of the Week

Online Books for Everyone

www.mackinvia.com  is library at your fingertips.  Log-in to view thousands of books anywhere you have Internet access.

#1- Choose your School

#2- Username: 3105patrjrsr

#3- Password: craea267

Use your personal information to log-in:

~~~Username: last name, first initial

~~~Password: P(lunch number)0   example: P54320

Welcome Back

The 2018-19 School Year is off to a great start, perhaps it has something to do with this nice "fall" weather we had for a few days.  The kids have all started groups within the ELP program and they should be coming home with a note describing their programming for the next few months. It is always great to start a new year!

Summer Activities and Camps

Families, below you will find numerous camps and activities available this summer.  Each has its own unique schedule and opportunities to fit the interests that your child may have.  I hope this helps to keep your kids active and learning throughout the summer months.  

~ Todd Reed- ELP Instructor

CAMPS

Kirkwood STEM Camps (Cedar Rapids) https://www.kirkwood.edu/kick

STEAM Camps (Iowa City) http://www.thesteamroom.org/#!summer-camps/c1qv

Art Camps (Ceramics Center Cedar Rapids) http://www.theceramicscenter.org/summercamps/

Acting Camps (Cedar Rapids) http://www.theatrecr.org/education/

Acting Opportunities (Vinton) http://www.act1.org/

Reading/Math/Engineering Camps (Iowa City) http://www.willowwind.org/summer-program/

History Day Camps (Des Moines) http://www.lhf.org/en/programs__events/day_camps/summer_day_camp_2016/

Zoo Day Camps (Des Moines)  http://www.blankparkzoo.com/en/education/safari_camps/

Camp Invention (Waterloo) http://campinvention.org/about-us/

Chess Camp (Prairie Point Middle School, Cedar Rapids) www.chessiniowa.org/http://www.chessiniowa.org/chesscamp.

Belin Blank Programs and Classes for Students http://www2.education.uiowa.edu/belinblank/students/

Summer Camp for academically talented students http://crdiscoversummercamp.weebly.com/

Day Camps: Learn from Professionals and Artists http://www.summitschools.org/

Iowa State University Summer Programs http://www.opptag.iastate.edu/summer/index.php

Des Moines listings - https://desmoinesparent.com/des-moines-summer-camp-2018/

Pearson Lakes Art Center has arts classes: http://lakesart.org/

Dickinson County Nature Center also great Science camps: http://dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com/nature-center/

Okoboji Sailing Center has sailing lesson and STEM based camps: http://www.okobojisailingcenter.org/

TechKnow (Spencer, IA) has coding/3D printing/CAD classes: https://www.techknow.io/

https://www.212steamlabs.com/summer-camps/ A list of camps

Shenandoah hosts the Wabash Arts Camp July 30-August 3.  contact: careyk@shenandoah.k12.ia.us

6th Grade STATE Math Bee

Six students from the 6th grade qualified for the State Math Bee which was held today at the Central Rivers AEA in Cedar Falls, IA.  Kaiden Glaspie and JD Huffman qualified individually and the following team placed 4th overall in the Eastern Regional to get their invitation: Blake Gates, Ryan Goldenstein, Corbin Naylor and Carson Bantz.  All students will be competing individually and also as a team.  The students did a great job of representing West Elementary as students and as responsible young adults.  
The team of Carson, Blake, Corbin and Ryan finished in 5th place out of the entire state, quite an accomplishment!  Congratulations to all the kids and their hard work they displayed with this challenging competition.

GEOCACHING

www.mapsoftheworld.com

 With the nice weather students have been exploring the world of geocaching.  To sum Geocaching up, it is an outdoor activity that requires you to use a GPS to locate items around the world.  There are 1000's of these little treasures around the state alone.  It was a great opportunity for kids to use technology and learn how a GPS system works throughout the entire planet.  This activity originally required a special purchase of a GPS unit, but all of today's smart phones have a GPS receiver already in them, making this an activity that virtually costs nothing to do.  Science, technology, teamwork, and exercise all come together for an outdoor adventure seeking out those hidden treasures.  Much more information can be found online at www.geocaching.com.

Each Geolocation includes a
special item to look for

Almost...but not quite!

Spring Noetic Math Challenge

April marks the annual Noetic Spring Math Challenge for elementary students.  This test is taken by over 30,000 kids across the country that excel in math.  The problems on the test focus on problem solving, real-life situations, and a variety of math concepts.  The test items are at or mostly above grade level to challenge the thoughts and minds of the students who take the test.  The test is so challenging for students, that if you get 10 out of 20 problems correct it often places you in the top 50% of everyone in the country.  It truly stretches the thinking of all students.  

The over all grade winners included: Taylor, Caleb, Cael, Talan, and Blake.  All the grade level winners had a score of 17 or above.  A special congratulations to Talan for a perfect score!

More information on the program HERE.

1st Graders Program Robots

First graders were recently challenged to challenge to program a mouse to find its way through a maze to some cheese.  The students used their knowledge of direction, programing, and sequencing during this activity, as well as working together as a team.  They started out with an easy program and then challenged each other with harder routes to the cheer   

It wasn't an easy task, as they were given very little direction as to how the mouse worked.  All teams did well and in the end the mouse did find the cheese!

6th Grade Math Bee

Yesterday 12 students participated in the 6th Grade Math Bee at the Central Rivers AEA.  This is an individual and a 4-person team event.  West Elementary had 6 students that qualified for the State Math Bee on May 17th.  The top 25% of students and teams get an invitation to state.  Kaiden Glaspie and JD Huffman qualified individually and the following team placed 4th overall to get their invitation: Blake Gates, Ryan Goldenstein, Corbin Naylor and Carson Bantz.  

It was a great showing by the students and they represented our school well.  

5th Graders Participate in the State Battle of the Books Competition

Many 5th grade students have been reading from the Battle of the Books list of award winning authors this winter.  The school winners were able to participate in the state competition last week.  They represented Independence and West Elementary well, they finished in the top half of the group of 50+ teams from all over the state.  The group also received the "Teamwork Award", which was given to the team for their outstanding work as a small group during the test.  Great job kids, and keep reading!

STEM- Science at its best

First grade students had the opportunity to view chemical reactions up close and personal at East Elementary.  Baking soda and Vinegar provided the turbo boost the rockets needed to get off the ground.  The chemical reaction occurred to produce CO2 and filled the rocket to capacity and finally enough gas built up to explode into the air.  Science is an amazing thing, especially when you can see it in action!

West Elementary Express

The final projects from students in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades:

3D Design Projects

Students in 4th-6th grades have been busy designing items which started on paper and then moved to a CAD program.  Students are using the friendly online program called Tinkercad to create their designs.

Shown here is Ryan with his tank.  The first attempt was good, but had some flaws.  The second attempt turned out great, showing many details of the tank.
 Then, Ryan was challenged to make the tank more realistic.  He worked on the turret so it turned completely around like a real tank.  Well done!

Fall Noetic Math Challenges

Twice a a year many students from grades 2nd-6th take the Noetic Math Challenge Test.  This test has 20 problems and needs to be completed in 45 minutes.  The problems are chosen for their difficulty level and allows students to attempt problems above their grade level for that extra challenge.  This is a fun challenge and a great piece of data for students and teachers to use from year to year.

This years Team/Grade Winners:

Top- 2nd Grade: Bryson, 3rd Grade: Zach, 4th Grade: Connor
Bottom- 5th Grade: Talan, 6th Grade: Corbin & Carson

Noetic Math also compares the scores of students with those around the country, Zach, Connor, and Talan all received National Honor Roll Medals for placing in the Top 10% of all scores.  

Congrats to all students who accepted the challenge and stretched their thinking!