Current STEM news:

     For the third year in a row Lincoln has been involved in the Hour of Code. This is the first step to introduce children to computer science. It is designed to let students (and teachers) learn that computer science is fun, easy, and accessible at all ages. Want more information? Check out http://code.org  

     Students are learning about STEM after school hours at Lincoln, too. This group of RAP students were asked to design a zoo cage with limited resources to withstand the weight of an ‘out of control elephant’. It’s great to see what the imagination can bring to learning.

STEM information for the week:

Things are rolling right along at Lincoln this week.

Grade 4 has started the Project Lead the Way Collisions Unit. Students will be designing a car to safely transport an egg down a ramp.

Hopefully, all that they learn along the way will keep that egg mess-free!

Grade 6 has been designing Mousetrap cars in their STEM class.

We all enjoy watching these creative cars travel from the power of just one mousetrap down the middle of the hallway.

Not only are they looking for which car design travels the furthest but they will be calculating speed with the data they collect.

NOVEMBER PPT MEETING - tomorrow night, Monday, November 16, 7-8pm- Lincoln STEM classroom (near Media Center)

Just a reminder about the PPT meeting tomorrow night!

Please join the PPT this month to learn more about Project Lead the Way and InSciEdout.  James Kulzer and Kyle Casper will be presenting.  They are hoping to do a two part series, starting with Part 1 on November 16 and continuing with Part 2 in January (Monday, Jan. 11).

James Kulzer is a master level teacher for Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and the building lead teacher on Launch the elementary PLTW program and teaches the middle school PLTW program.  Kyle Casper is a gold master teacher for InSciEdout.

For November they will give an overview of each program:

    1. Address the PLTW modules that are being taught at Lincoln K-8.

    2. The use of iPads in these programs.

    3. Length of modules and extensions.

    4. Overview of InSciEdout modules K-8.

    5. Why the emphasis on Science?

We will also hear an update on the Lincoln Family Auction, the Special Projects process to disperse the auction proceeds, and other fun activities planned for the Lincoln community this year.  The Lincoln PPT is the parent, guardian and staff planning team at Lincoln, and all are automatically PPT members.  We will have a Spanish interpreter and a Somali interpreter available for this meeting.  

If you have any questions, please contact your PPT Co-Presidents, Cinnamon Marxen (cinnamonmarxen@yahoo.com or 250-4527) or Giuseppe Accardo (giuseppePPT@gmail.com or 250-0968).  Hope to see you on the 16th!

STEM Super Heroes In School!

More proof that Lincoln is the Greatest School in the Universe:

• Model cars designed and programmed by 13/14 year old students.
• Creations designed and printed on our new 3D printers by 11/12 year old students.
• Water filters designed and created to clean water taken from Silver Lake enough for zebrafish embryos to survive by 9/10 year old students.
• Imagination gone wild using Green Screen technology by 8/9 year old students.
• Computer coding by 7/8 year old students.

It is amazing what can happen when you give students the ability to learn.

Learning is their super powers! What is yours?

Senator Klobuchar To Visit Lincoln K-8 Choice School

U.S. Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, will visit Rochester’s Lincoln K-8 Choice School on Friday, February 3.  Senator Klobuchar is proposing an Innovation Bill to congress in 2012 that contains several provisions focused on fostering STEM education. The bill allocates $50 million per year to the Department of Education with the goal of doubling the number of STEM high schools in America from 100 to 200 and provides grants to colleges and universities that succeed in dramatically increasing the number of students that stay in STEM majors through graduation.

Senator Klobuchar is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion and understands how important it is to develop a strong science and engineering education and workforce. She will be at Lincoln to observe the Zebrafish Project at 10:45 a.m., Friday, February 3.

Camp Invention 2012 - Early Registration

Camp Invention is a week long Summer Enrichment program for children entering grade one through six. It is taught by former and present Lincoln teachers. The camps are held at Rochester Community and Technical College for two weeks.

Camp One is called Envision and runs June 18 through June 22, 2012. The link below is for our new online registration and detailed description of each module.
http://inventnow-web.ungerboeck.com/programsearch/moreinfo.aspx?event=5652

Camp Two is called Encounter and runs June 25 through June 29, 2012. The link below is for our new online registration and detailed description of each module.
http://inventnow-web.ungerboeck.com/programsearch/moreinfo.aspx?event=5660

If you are interested in either camp, you can now register before they are announced to the public in two weeks. Camp Invention is a nationwide children’s summer camp that focuses on Science, Technology, Math and Engineering (STEM) to inspire innovation and invention.