Roller Coasters in the Media Center!

How do you keep 6th graders engaged, collaborative, and problem solving?  Try a Kinex Roller Coaster kit!  What started out as hundreds of pieces and little sense of direction, has turned into a 3 foot tall working roller coaster built by a group of 6th graders during WOW.  Sue Kraus brought the Kinex in and the group of students got to work.  What do you do if you are missing a piece?  Problem solve and discuss where you can exchange another to make it work.  What happens when the car doesn't make it all the way around?  Look at the design as engineers and together come up with a plan to make it work!  Great extension activity in the Media Center at Oak Ridge!

 

Are we in NYC?

Upon entering Oak Ridge Middle School, you may think that you have entered a subway station in New York City instead of a middle school building.  Mrs. Hale-Keuseman and Mr. Hynek have been working with a group of Oak Ridge students druing FLEX to create the foyer into art based on NYC street artist Keith Haring.  What a way to enter the building with so much color and creativity!

 
 

Oakridge Library

I had the opportunity to go meet Sue Kraus and visit the Oak Ridge library.  I loved to see that they are doing many of the same things we do here at Excelsior!  Thanks Sue for letting me come visit!

The FBI Comes to Oak Ridge!

On Tuesday, October 18th the students in Mrs. Gapstur's computer classes had the opportunity to meet and hear from two special agents from the FBI.
 
The students completed a unit about internet safety using the FBI's Safe Online Surfing website. At the end of the unit, the students completed a quiz and competed with other students from around the country for the top score for September. Mrs. Gapstur's classes ended up with the fifth highest score for our school size!

Mrs. Gapstur and Mrs. Redington were so impressed with the students' hard work and dedication that they worked with our volunteer coordinator for the district to arrange a visit from the FBI.

The agents spoke to the students about the importance of staying safe online and they answered questions about what it is like to be an FBI agent.

From 3D to Barely Moving....A Lot Happening in Industrial Tech.

It is hard not to notice the 3 large machines in the back of Mr. Ortiz's and Mr. Stamp's rooms, but what are they?  Turns out, they are brand new 3D printers!  What was once a concept designed by 7th grade students, is now reality as they design and print their objects.  The 3D printers are allowing students to see how their design on the computer translates into real life application.

It is easy to get lost watching the printers create, but that isn't all that is happening.  Eighth Grade students are creating motorized vehicles to accomplish different challenges.  Fastest, Slowest, Best Climber, are just some of the obstacles that each build team will face.  Now with the 3D printers, you can add vehicle parts design to the other many things students are accomplishing in Industrial Tech.

Mimio Bars in Math!

6th Grade students from Excelsior and 8th Grade students from Oak Ridge are getting out of their seats and interacting with their newest tech tool, the Mimio Bar.  The mimio bar is an interactive tool which uses the already existing whiteboard and projector to create a new experience for the students and teachers.  Lessons and work can be saved and shared with students in other classes or sent home for those students that need some reminders or were absent.  We have only scratched the surface using the Mimio Bars, I cannot wait to see more!!

6th Grade Student at Excelsior

Dennis Koenen's 6th Grade

8th Grade Math at Oak Ridge