Weekly Newsletter

Investigations in Science 7
September 27, 2019

Announcements...
​ What We Did This Week…
We will begin constructing our hydroponics systems ​ Students competed in our annual Olympic games,
next week. Your child will want to start bringing in called Organellympics. Teams worked together on
materials to help build their system. ​You don’t need different events that represented an organelle. Points
to go out and buy anything for this project​. They were awarded for winning the game and for being able to
can use repurposed materials such as Tupperware, identify the correct organelle the game represents. One
water bottles, small fish tanks, etc. If there is a small
event was unscrambling the word protein to represent the
item they want to purchase that is fine, but there is organelle ribosome (makes protein). Another event was
no pressure to buy anything. (Although I know the passing the word energy around the team (mitochondria).
Amazon prime button is so tempting ;). For event number three students sorted the different
proteins and put them in the correct envelope (Golgi body
Click on the link below for additional resources: and endoplasmic reticulum). Fill ‘er up involved passing
around trash (paper) and putting it in a bag (lysosome and
Additional Science Opportunities vacuole). It was a lot of fun! The last event was the green
pass in which one person from each team handed out a
STEM Opportunities: small sheet of green paper. The organelle represented
was chloroplast. The teams also had a chance at bonus
● Maryland State STEM Festival Oct.11-Nov.10 questions. You can ask your child how their team did! ☺
● University of Maryland Department of Students took their cell quiz and then work on
Physics: Flight on Oct. 12 - Flyer Attached to organelle posters. Students were challenged with coming
email up with an analogy for a cell. Some ideas I mentioned: a
● STEM Curiosity Academy at Saturday School school, airport, hotel, phone, etc. They are tasked with
● Introduction to Coding Class - Flyer Attached creating an analogy for 5 organelles that fits with their cell
to email analogy. Example: A cell is like a city. Mitochondria are
like power plants because they create energy to power
buildings.
Then, students were researching hydroponics
systems. Before beginning to design a hydroponic
​ Ask Your Child… system, the first step is to determine the different parts,
systems, mediums, and solutions available. The research
● What was the analogy you came up with on focused on an active and passive systems, types of
your cell analogy poster? systems available, why there needs to be a nutrient
● What did you like best about our field trip to solution, and many more. The students worked hard
the Olney theater? conducting research.
 Upcoming...
​

Topics:
● Research on Hydroponics
● pH
● Photosynthesis
● Cellular Respiration

Dates:
● September 27 - Cells Assessment Pd. 4
● September 30 - No School
● October 4 - Joe Corbi Fundraiser Ends
● October 4 - Early Release
● October 8 - PTA Meeting at 7:00
● October 9 - No School
● October 14 - Open House
● October 23 - Community Circle in Science
Classes
● October 24 - Ireland Student/Parent Meeting
6:00
● October 25 - SGA Dance 7:00
● October 28 - School Picture Make Ups
● October 29 - Humanities Field Trip
● October 31 - No After School Activities
● November 8 - Early Release/End of Quarter 1
● November 11 - Early Release
● November 12 - Early Release
● November 15 - Medieval Times
● November 27 - Early Release
● November 28-29 - No School
● December 5 - International Night
● December 23 - January 1 - No School
● January 20 - No School
● January 24 - Early Release/ End of Quarter 2
● January 27 - Professional Day/Possible
Instructional Day
● February 17 - No School
● February 28 - Early Release
● March 23-25 - Bay Trip - I will be out of the
building
● March 27 - Early Release/End of Quarter 3
● April 6 - 13 - Spring Break
● April 23 - Take Your Child to Work Day
● April 28 - No School
● May 25 - No School
● June 15 - Early Release/Last Day of School