The Class of 2011 6th graders showed and celebrated their Eportfolio movies at the first annual sTem Fair assembly at the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School, on June 9, 2011. Local technology corporate partners CBE Technologies, Pro AV Systems, Apple Inc, and Copley GS generously donated prizes to our Eportfolio Award winners in honor of their hard work.
5th grade students in Mr. Roche’s class and 3rd grade students in Ms. Freeman’s after school program traveled to Needham on June 15 to tour an engineering company, PTC, The Product Development Company (http://www.ptc.com/). At PTC, students enjoyed hands-on activities while learning about the engineering process and product development.
The 4th, 5th and 6th grade TechSperts attended International Scratch Day at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge on May 21, 2011. They had fun exploring new ways to use Scratch software to program Lego robots and make their own joysticks using a Pico Board. Many of our TechSperts stepped up onto the stage to share their Scratch games and skills to the audience of Boston students, parents, and MIT Media Lab researchers. It was a super fun day!
The BRCPS Instructional Technology Department is excited to announce the school’s first ever sTem Fair!
BRCPS sTem Fair 2011 will be held on June 9, from 9:00am – 1:00pm. The sTem Fair is a school-wide event, and is an opportunity for BRCPS staff and students to celebrate and share the ways in which we teach and learn with technology to meet our accountability goals, and how we are preparing our students for future STEM careers and college pathways.
Invited guests will enjoy:
Attending the 6th grade Eportfolio iMovie Showcase and Award Ceremony from 9:00-11:00am!
Celebrating the TechSperts “Academy Awards” to staff and students for demonstrating Acceptable Use and Internet Safety!
Touring our K-6 classrooms from 11:00-12:00 to hear from our students how they learn with technology and to see our beautiful new Hyde Park building!
Meeting our technology partners, Tech Lead Teachers, and TechSperts students at a lunch reception in the Media Center from 12:00-1:00pm!
Visiting the Elementary School Science Fair from 1:00-3:00pm in the cafetorium! (optional)
We have so many amazing projects going on in our classrooms to share with you!
A sTem Fair project:
has a subject and a technology focus including:
S: science, social studies, specialties, or special education
T: technology is integrated
E: ela or engineering
M: math
addresses the academic AIM
is created and demonstrated by either an individual student or a group of students
On your Guided Tour, you may see:
Pre-schoolers programming Bee-Bots to learn their letters and numbers
Kindergarteners building and programming cars from Legos to learn about circumference and diameter
1st graders narrating a World Tour using Powerpoint and media literacy skills
2nd graders making their own Math Center assignments on iPod Touches
3rd graders sharing their African Animal research in Voicethread
a 4th grade production of a “Weather News Cast” using our home-made Green Screen technology in iMovie
5th graders programming in the language of Scratch to illustrate a scene from a book
6th grade CSIs using Verizon cell phones and geospatial software to improve the school’s recycling program
Google Maps of Hyde Park, speech and language therapies, and collaborative digital stories on our iPads in Special Education
Touch technology on digital signs and magic pens in our Chinese Language Lab
Stop motion animation and music production in our Art and Music studios
…and more!
This event is by invitation only. Contact Ms. Radden to get your FREE guest pass. View the Event page > >
This event is made possible by our many Technology partners.
Thank you for your support!
Interested in sponsoring a TechSpert Academy Award or an Eportfolio prize in your company’s name? Please contact Ms. Radden at lradden@bostonrenaissance.org
Renaissance 6th grade students in Ms. Sabin’s class put science and engineering lessons into practice as they raced the clock and each other to catapult pennies onto a specially designed platform. The Penny Catapult Contest was the culmination of a semester long workshop series with Olin College of Engineering students Rebecca Schutzengel and Andrew Pethan. Students studied potential energy and then used an engineering incremental design and build process to test their knowledge. In teams of two, students first designed and built a catapult. The device was tested to learn how far and high their pennies would fly. Then, with that understanding, each team built an optimal landing platform designed to catch as many pennies as possible. The finale was a competition unlike many seen at the Renaissance School. While protective eye wear was advised, many pennies did hit their mark. And of course, everyone was a winner in this competition.
This new partnership between the Renaissance School and Olin College of Engineering began this winter. Engineering students worked with 6th grade teacher Ms. Sabins to integrate engineering concepts into her science curriculum. Each week, workshops were designed to give students hands-on learning experiences. Units of study included Body System Design, 3D Optics and the Brain, Ecosystems: Population Dynamics, Competition, Cooperation and Catapults and Potential Energy. Renaissance and Olin College look forward to continuing this exciting STEM partnership in the next school year.
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The Boston Renaissance Charter Public School ■ 1415 Hyde Park Avenue ■ Hyde Park, Massachusetts 02136 ■ tel 617.357.0900 ■ fax 617.357.0949