The Dodgen & Walton Science Olympiad Teams cordially invite you to participate in the Dodgen-Walton Science Olympiad Invitational Tournament for Middle School teams on Saturday, November 10, 2018. The Tournament will be held at Walton High School, 1590 Bill Murdock Road, Marietta GA 30062.  

Schools may send one team and all 23 events will be run.  Experienced schools will be asked to sign up for and run at least one event per team.  This will include making the test and providing for all necessary supplies, tools, people, paper tests & key copies for teams, etc. needed to run the event.  Medals and team trophies will only be awarded for the written test events.  For the building events, we are encouraging the students to bring their prototype devices to run in a tournament to gain experience in preparation for their regional tournaments.  The courses will be set up per the rules and judges/experienced coaches will be available for the students to talk with regarding their devices and the events.  

Please complete the registration form at the following link before September 14:  https://sites.google.com/site/dodgensciolyinvitationalreg/home . The invitational committee will send you an email by September 24th letting you know if your team is included in the invitational or on a waiting list.  Last year spaces filled quickly. The cost of the tournament is $75 per team and payment is due by October 1st, with no refunds given after that date.  Please do not send payment until you receive a confirmation email.   Your confirmation e-mail will include payment details as well as a link to the invitational website with the schedule and other tournament information.

Congratulations to the Dodgen Middle School Science Olympiad Team, who placed 24th out of 60 teams  at the National Science Olympiad Tournament on May 19.
 
​The team took top places in the following events:

• Meteorology – 1st
• Road Scholar – 5th
• Dynamic Planet – 6th

Adding Muscle to Your Science
Register now to learn from  Marlee Tierce on July 10th and 11th at this Cobb K-12 Science PL Workshop. Let's spend some time figuring out the how, why, and what of 3 dimensional instructing and learning in science.  We'll jump into what is available, run through some samples, add weight to our expectations as we climb to new heights of understanding how the brain learns.  We will build on what we know about anchoring phenomenon to develop storylines that fit the GSE in science with no sweat.  You will work together to discover a plan that will give you a boost in the next school year.
 
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0C4BABA722A3F85-adding

June 5th-6th STEM Institute Overview: 
Please join us in Warner Robbins for the 2018 GYSTC Summer STEM institute.  We know that summer is the only real time for you to relax, reflect, and consider how to build your repertoire of effective learning experiences.  The institute will be hands-on and exploratory from the start.  We want you to take the time to try out lessons that we’ve found to be fun and super engaging with kids.
Each exploration will emphasize the new Georgia Standards of Excellence while also showing how to incorporate both engineering practices and crosscutting concepts into our instruction (the 3-D approach).   At the institute, you will receive multiple grade-specific lesson plans, STEM Challenges, resources, and even some hands-on materials to go back and try with your students.  We will also introduce and delve into the Supplemental Curriculum Guides produced by GYSTC.
 The Summer STEM Institute will include a focus on: 
Innovative STEM Solution Projects
These projects will feature 3-D, 5E approach and they will include a ground-breaking lesson that will actively engage students in key science phenomena. From topics such as Analyzing the Energy of Sound Waves to Riveting Robotics and Computer Coding, these projects will model how teachers can energetically involve students in STEM related endeavors.
 Super STEM Challenges  
STEM challenges take students from identifying a problem—or a design challenge—to creating and developing a solution. Each challenge is centered around the engineering design process as they immerse students in hands-on inquiry and open-ended exploration. Teachers will try out multiple challenges many of which will be specific to their grade level and standards.
 Grade Level Breakouts and Supplemental Resource Guides    
During grade level breakout sessions, we will explore GYSTC supplemental resource guides that enhance instruction of the new Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science. The guides are designed to complement, and not supplant, other resources available at your school. Most lessons incorporate a 3-D approach to science instruction integrating core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices.
 Register here: https://gystc.org/2018-summer-stem-institute/ 

CCSD has adopted new content resources for science and social studies. All K-5 teachers are required to attend a half-day training during post-planning or over the summer and will be paid a $50 stipend (for summer sessions). During the session, half the time will be spent covering science resources and half the time will be spent covering social studies resources. Teachers can choose to attend either a morning session (7:30 AM – 11:30 AM) OR an afternoon session (12:30 PM – 4:30 PM) on one of the following dates:
 
May 24 or 25 (Post Planning) @ KSU Center (*no stipend)
June 11 @ McClure MS
June 12 @ McClure MS
June 13 @ McClure MS
June 14 @ McClure MS
July 9 @ McClure MS
July 10 @ McClure MS
July 11 @ McClure MS
July 12 @ McClure MS

Register here:
(Note: If you teach multiple grade levels, just choose one session to attend)

• Kindergarten 

http://bit.ly/krollout2018  

• 1st Grade 

http://bit.ly/1rollout2018  

• 2nd Grade 

http://bit.ly/2rollout2018

• 3rd Grade 

http://bit.ly/3rollout2018 

• 4th Grade 

http://bit.ly/4rollout2018  

• 5th Grade 

http://bit.ly/5rollout2018 

Summer just got scintillating! Several sessions of an advanced / facilitator workshop on “3-D Science in the Schoolyard” will be offered in locations across Georgia. These three-day workshops and one-day fall and spring follow-up sessions are designed for science content specialists, curriculum developers, STEM coordinators, RESA staff, and outstanding science teachers with prior training and experience in “3-Dimensional Science” who are interested in re-delivering this professional learning to teachers in their areas.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have tools, resources, strategies and supplies to conduct professional learning workshops that increase teacher capacity to use nature as a context for phenomenon-based learning, including observation, asking questions, conducting investigations that integrate crosscutting concepts with science and engineering practices to make sense of core ideas, constructing evidence-based explanations, and implementing projects to solve related, real-world environmental problems.
​
Applicants who are selected to attend will receive a scholarship for workshop registration, lunches, lodging and evening meals (if more than 40 miles from home), as well as access to lesson frameworks and ecoSTEM kits, mini-grants for implementation of student-led projects, a distance learning course to use with individual teachers or professional learning communities, tools for facilitating project-based learning, and assessment instruments. The application process opens May 8, 2018. Space is limited. Register here: https://www.captainplanetfoundation.org/pl-workshop-3-d-science-in-the-schoolyard/

Congratulations to the following Cobb students who won awards at the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair (GSEF) March 23rd-24th.

Senior Division

Manav Shah (Wheeler High School)
Place: 3rd Honors
Project: The Effect of Neem on Nosocomial Infection Causing Microorganisms
Special Award: Tellus' Future Science Stars Award- Alternate

Daniel Chu (Kennesaw Mountain High School)
Project: Pattern Recognition of Electronic Noses in Detecting Funguses
Special Award: Tellus' Future Science Stars Award- Alternate

Carrington Parks (Kennesaw Mountain HS)
Project: Can You Tweet Me Now? Using Household Materials to Block Wi-Fi
Special Award: The SJS Management "Busy Bee" Award- Senior Division

Junior Division
Stephen Litt (Lovinggood Middle School)
Project: Can EGCG Identify and Eliminate Cancerous Tumors in Planarians?
Place: 2nd Honors
Special Awards: Georgia Microscopical Society Lucy B. McCrone Student Science Award, Georgia Science & Engineering Fair Student Choice- Best Overall Junior Project

Laetika Kokil and Alice Belden (McClure Middle School)
Project: The Effect of Music and Gum on Memory Games
Place: 2nd Honors
Special Awards: American Psychological Association Award, NABT Biology and Life Science Project Award- Junior Division

Hannah Huff (Lovinggood Middle School)
Project: Do Fluids with Higher Viscosity Reduce Noise More Efficiently?
Place: 3rd Honors

MacKenzie Bryant (Mabry Middle School)
Project: Rotten Teeth
Place: 4th Honors
​
Olivia Reed (Mabry Middle School)
Project: Color Effect on Memory
​Place: 4th Honors

The State Middle School Science Olympiad Tournament has changed locations from South Cobb High School to Hillgrove High School. The address for Hillgrove is ​4165 Luther Ward Rd, Powder Springs, GA 30127