Lancaster Technology Camps are for students entering grades 4-9 and prices range from $175-$220. Please click on the Lancaster Technology Camps link above for more information and to register. Early bird registration began 1/9/23 for the following camps:
Makers Camp (For students entering grades 4-9)
Movie Making (For students entering grades 4-8)
Digital Photography (For students entering grades 5-8)
Robotics (For students entering grades 5-8)
Micro-Controller Coding (For students entering grades 4-8)
Video Game Design (For students entering grades 4-9)
Website Design (For students entering grades 4-8)
Lancaster Science Factory The Lancaster Science Factory is offering 28 week-long camps (so far) for students in grades K – 8. You can choose a morning camp, or an afternoon camp, or sign up for both to bring a lunch and stay the whole day. For full camp descriptions and grade requirements click on the here to download a PDF of the camp catalog.
On Wednesday February 8th from 8:00-10:00 the high school gifted support teachers will be meeting with Marticville’s gifted 8th graders to discuss course selection for next school year. Each student will meet one on one with a high school gifted support teacher to ask questions specific to their schedules. Students were given passes last week with their meeting times listed. Please bring your signed pass and pink course selection sheets to the meeting. Reach out to Mrs. Orihuel with any questions.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Millersville University will sponsor the 35th Annual Glenna Hazeltine Women in Mathematics, Science and Technology Conference. The conference is designed to encourage young women in grades 7 through 12 to pursue education and a career in mathematics and the sciences. A variety of professional women in science, technology, and mathematical fields will be on campus to describe their professional duties, their educational backgrounds, and the benefits they enjoy as STEM professionals.
The keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Dr. Rebecca Lamason, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at MIT. Dr. Lamason earned her PhD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2011 and her BS in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from Millersville University in 2002.
I am looking for 4-Marticville Middle School girls interested in pursuing careers in STEM. Gifted girls in grades 7&8 were sent a Google Form to complete if they are interested in attending. Please mention it to your daughters if you think they might be interested and have them complete the google form.
Before we break for winter vacation I want to update you on what students have been thinking and learning about each week during class. It’s been a jam packed couple of months and students have been working hard to learn and grow. I’m sure they are ready for vacation (I know the teachers are!). I hope you have a chance to spend some quiet time together with family and friends remembering what matters most this time of year and always. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2023!
Problem of the Day (all grades).
The beginning of each class is dedicated to a Problem of the Day designed to spark student interest, creativity, problem solving, and set the tone for class. In the spirit of the holidays, students were asked to create an invention to help decorate or prepare for the holidays. Inventions included a Christmas Deco-rocket (an ornament launcher), Todd the robot (programmed via a smartphone to do whatever you need), The Light Shooter and Light Launcher (both attach sticky lights to any surface), Tree Lifter 1.0, Jingle Hangle (a nail gun that plays Christmas songs to keep you motivated to hang all of your lights), Ladder but Better (with a mechanical hand to hang your lights), and Spray-On Cookie Icing (one spray will decorate your cookie). I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a few of these inventions this time of year!
Kiana’s Spray on Cookie Icing Invention
Students also shopped online for Vladimir Volume who requested the largest gift possible for the cheapest price. Students had to calculate the volume in cubic inches for the shipping dimensions of their item of choice and determine the price per cubic inch. Gift ideas included a bean bag (.08 cents per cubic inch), teddy bear (2.41 cents per cubic inch), bunk bed (.97vcents per cubic inch), packing peanuts (1.56 cents per cubic inch), plastic box (.0049 cents per cubic inch), ladder slide and swing set (1.23 cents per cubic inch), sectional couch (.39 cents per cubic inch), and cat tower (1.06 cents per cubic inch).
Elementary School
These young travelers completed researching the countries they want to visit and compared three of their destinations to the United States. They did a deep dive to identify one reason why each of the countries is not like the others. Along the way they discovered some unique traditions, laws, and facts that differ from our country. Currently students are discovering how to use Formulas using Google Sheets to create their travel budgets. If your children are not money conscious now, they will be after this unit! They are doing their best to find the best travel, lodging, food, and entertainment deals to get the most bang for their travel budget of $2000 per traveler. If you’re wondering if you are going along on their planned vacation, ask. They already selected where they will be traveling, and who they will be be traveling with.
Middle School
Grade 7. Seventh graders brainstormed common stereotypes they were familiar with and did a deep dive into the stereotype of a “gifted student”. In a nutshell, the picture below summarizes their main points of discussion. To challenge this stereotype, students made a list of 15 people (fiction or non-fiction) they consider to be “smart”. They selected two of the people, identified 3 specific compliments about each one and are creating a scenario for the two people to work together to overcome using their unique strengths and talents. Here are some of the dynamic duos students are writing about; Hermione Granger & Michelle Obama (Anna), Vladimir Putin & Joe Biden (Kyan), Elon Musk & Tony Stark (Sawyer), Phineas Flynn & Rube Goldberg (Wyatt), and Sophie Elizabeth Foster & Kate Weatherall (Ashlyn). I can not wait to see how these characters overcome their challenges using their super strengths!
Grade 8. Eighth graders recently used a Visual Analysis Wheel to discuss Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, Starry Night. It was amazing to hear student perceptions of the painting as well as the different feelings it evoked. They also read an essay titled, The McDonaldization of Society and identified four principles considered to epitomize fast food culture. The principles are efficiency, calculability, predictability, and technology. Students were asked to define each term and identify examples of each in our world (beyond that found in fast food). Lastly, they worked in groups to identify what each of the following items symbolized; rose, snowflake, handwritten letter, and fresh fruit, and then paired one of the four principles that countered each symbol. Students commented that individuality, quality, unique beauty, care and time are missing from our day to day lives as a result of our fast paced culture. Hopefully this vacation will highlight unique beauty, care and time.
If you are on the hunt for engaging gifts for you friends and family, check out this Gift Guide 2022 for over 450 smart, STEAM + mostly screen-free gift ideas for all ages, curated by The Kid Should See This™.
