Science Fair Update

Dear House C Families,

On Thursday, February 12, from 5:00 to 7:00PM, we will celebrate the hard work of our young scientists at the second annual Milton Middle School Science Fair. It is our hope that each and every student in the middle school will attend and present his or her project to the community. We are working to gather a team of judges from scientific, engineering, and medical fields. Next week, I will assign your child a 30 minute window, during which he or she will exhibit his or her project for judges and guests of the fair.

By now, your child has selected a topic, identified a scientific question or engineering design problem, and designed an experiment. To be on track to complete a successful project, your child is expected to complete his or her experiment by the start of class on Monday 2/2. We have much work to do after the experiments are complete. You can help ensure that your child is on track by asking about his or her progress on this project.

If you have any questions about the Science Fair, don’t hesitate to contact me. I look forward to seeing you at the fair on 2/12.

Sincerely,
Nathan Caswell
House C, Room 215
893-5507
ncaswell@mtsd-vt.org

How To Help Your Student With Reading

Did you know that all students are asked to read for at least 20 min a day on House C? We also encourage students to read, read, read outside of school.

If you are looking for ways to support your student with reading please view this document. It includes many great websites, apps, and social media sites for you and your child to use. There is also an excellent article by author James Patterson on how parents can support reading at the end of the document.

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If you're eligible for the National School Lunch Program, you might qualify for high-speed internet for $9.95/month (no activation fees, no "trial period" increases). Check out the Internet Essentials program offered by Comcast.

Science Fair Launch This Week

On Thursday, February 12, Milton Middle School will host our second annual Science Fair. Hands-on scientific investigation and engineering are the foci of our particular fair. Over a five week period, your child will design, test, analyze, and present a project that uses scientific methods to solve a problem. The sky’s the limit!

All students in grades 6-8 will participate in the Science Fair. This event will be on the same evening as a Milton Community Dinner so you can enjoy a great meal before experiencing the impressive work our students will be showcasing.

This week, students begin the process of developing a plan for their project. The first steps involve brainstorming topics of interest, and then narrowing the focus to a specific testable question or problem statement. Students will ultimately use the scientific method, or the engineering design cycle, to answer their question or solve the problem.

Although we will be doing much of the work in class, students will periodically have homework for this project. I will post homework assignments on the House C calendar on the House C blog.

If you have any questions about the Science Fair, don't hesitate to contact me.

N. Caswell

ncaswell@mtsd-vt.org