(L-R)--Morgan Likes, Sarah Wagner, Liambrady Duke, Josie Dees, Lauren Hartwig and Avril Gatton . These students auditioned and were accepted into the District 5 ILMEA Jazz Festival! They travelled to EIU and performed in a concert that evening with their peers from across the region.
From Mrs. Klingler's 2nd grade:
We have been learning about Election Day last week and today so today we went to the polls in 2nd grade! Each student chose who they wanted to vote for by coloring their ballot with the matching color of their candidate. Then they placed their secret ballot into our polling booth at the back of the room. At the end of the day we counted our votes to see who was the winning candidate.
Miss McCallister’s third grade class did their election today! They voted on Pepsi vs Coke! What a great way for students to practice exercising their right to vote!
Miss McCallister’s third grade class has been working hard on sequencing! We finished up the week by following the steps to make pumpkin pie in a bag! 😋
Miss Sharrow’s class has been learning all about matter in Science. This week they focused on gases and learned how hot air balloons work! They got to work with a partner and design a model of a hot air balloon.
Tornado Joe's will be at The Autumn Vendor Festival tomorrow Saturday, November 2nd.
We will located inside North School and will be taking orders starting at 9 am.
PLEASE stop by and see us!
I have students, parents, and siblings who have volunteered to help as well as my wonderful paras who are always willing to help our students.
We would love to see as many familiar faces as possible so spread the word and PLEASE stop by!
Mrs. Fassero's classes used knowledge of science to make their getaway from a Halloween escape room. Pictured are the students who made it out in the nick of time.
In Ms. Anderson's STEM class, students are diving into the exciting world of Computer-Aided Design (CAD). CAD is a powerful tool that helps designers create detailed drawings and models of objects. This week, students are using CAD to design their very own name plates!
A name plate is a small sign that displays a person's name or title. It can be used for desks, doors, or any place where you want to show who you are! The name plates must meet specific dimensions, which will help students understand how to work with measurements in design. This project is a stepping stone for future design projects where students will create parts for bigger projects. This name plate project is not just about making something cool; it helps students develop important skills for their future. Understanding how to use CAD and work with dimensions is crucial for anyone interested in engineering, architecture, or design. By the end of this project, students will have a better grasp of CAD and be more prepared for their future design projects. Plus, they’ll have a personalized name plate to showcase their hard work!
Last week, Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade science classes took on an exciting challenge: designing and building their own roller coasters! This project helped them learn about two important concepts in physics: **kinetic energy** and **potential energy**. Students began by brainstorming ideas for their roller coasters. They had to think about:
- The shape of the track
- The height of the hills (which affects potential energy)
- The speed of the cars (which relates to kinetic energy)
Next, each group created a budget for their roller coaster. They had to consider:
- Materials needed (like cardboard, tape, and marbles)
- Costs associated with each material
- Staying within a set budget to ensure their project was realistic
After building their roller coasters, it was time to test them! Students released marbles down their tracks to see how well their designs worked. They observed how height and speed affected the marble's movement.
This week, the fun continued in the STEM lab with several engaging activities:
Students used the Z-Space machine to experience virtual reality (VR). They learned about the engineering and design process in a hands-on way. Using Oculus machines, students took a thrilling VR ride on a roller coaster. Students also worked with Sphero robots. They coded the Sphero to travel along a roller coaster track they created. Each Sphero made different sounds depending on which part of the roller coaster it was on, adding an auditory element to their project. Finally, each student created an animated slide show of their roller coaster using their Chromebooks. They had to download their presentations as videos, showcasing their designs and what they learned about kinetic and potential energy. Through this roller coaster project, Mrs. Anderson's students not only learned about energy but also developed skills in design, budgeting, coding, and presentation. It was a fantastic way to combine science and creativity!
In our recent science classes, Mrs. Reindl introduced an exciting project where we got to work with spheros! These are small, robotic balls that we can control using code. Our challenge was to program the spheros to navigate through a food web. We learned how to use block coding, which is a way to write programs using blocks that represent different commands. This makes it easier to understand how coding works! We used the block coding to give commands to the spheros. This included moving forward, turning, and even changing colors! To make our spheros more exciting, we learned how to add lights and sounds to our programs. This made our spheros not only move through the food web but also light up and make noise! Our goal was to navigate the spheros through a model of a food web. We had to think carefully about the path we wanted them to take, representing how energy flows from one organism to another. This coding project with spheros was not only fun but also helped us learn important concepts in science and technology. We got to combine our knowledge of ecosystems with our new coding skills, making learning interactive and exciting!
Today, Mrs. Salmon's and Mrs. Fassero's 7th-grade science classrooms teamed up for an exciting event in the Hot Spot! We had a special guest from "Ag in the Classroom" who helped us with a fun hands-on project: designing and building Pumpkin Catapults! After each launch, we measured how far the pumpkins traveled. This project was not only fun but also a great way to learn about engineering and physics. We discovered how different designs affected the distance our pumpkins traveled. Working together in teams helped us develop our collaboration skills and think creatively.
This week, Ms. Anderson kicked off the exciting new class, Computer Science for Innovators and Makers (IM). This class is part of a program made possible by a grant received last year, and it's designed to help students explore the fascinating world of computer science.
In the first week, they looked at the different components they will be using throughout the course. These parts include sensors and actuators that allow us to create systems that can interact with the physical world around us. (micro-bits).
One of the key ideas discussed is that programming is not just about writing code on a computer. Instead, it extends into the real world! Learning how to design algorithms and use computational thinking to solve problems. Students will have the chance to code and upload programs to microcontrollers. These small devices can perform various tasks, making projects come to life. This class will help students understand important computer science concepts through hands-on applications. Students are excited to see what innovative projects everyone will create as they learn and grow in this class!
Pictured is a student holding a micro bit.
Ms. McChristy's 5th grade completed a haunted pumpkin patch escape room! They had to complete a variety of activities to escape and enjoyed completing the escape room!!
Mrs. Cope's class earned a pajama party for their classroom jar reward party! They also did the mystery science activity “Why do our skeletons have so many bones?” They all had so much fun!
Miss Sharrow’s fifth grade class has been exploring history hands-on! Our students have been hard at work creating models of Native American homes. This project consisted of a nature walk to gather materials, researching the home they chose to build, and working as a team to build their structure. Great work!
Mrs. Klingler's class during Ag in the Classroom: Learning about pumpkins!
Miss Rebecca read about the pumpkin life cycle and then the students created and labeled a pumpkin diagram.
"TJHS 7th grade Art students working with plaster to create Day of the Dead masks."
Taylorville Public Schools Foundation Mini Grant recipients from Memorial Elementary: Kristi Luttrell, Ashley McCallister, Emily Repscher, Sheryl Carmichael, Anne Dorn.
Mrs. Klingler's 2nd grade learning about Red Ribbon Week
THS United Tornadoes visited Memorial School's Rise program!
