Holabird STEM
2015-2016 Quarter 3 Newsletter
Congratulations Ms. Knight, Ms. Chandler, and Mr. Cargo!
School Counseling Office
Camp Me Too
Camp Me Too is an annual grief camp presented by the Counseling Center at Stella Maris. It is a three- day, two- night camp designed to help grieving children learn ways to explore their grief through innovative techniques. Ages 8- 16 . The dates are April 29- May 1 2016. This is an excellent camp! The camp is FREE but there are limited spaces. Contact the Holabird school counseling office for more information.
Holabird STEM Night
The Holabird community was invited to participate in the annual STEM Night. The event took place on Thursday, April 14, from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM. The night included STEM demonstrations, Tech Ed activities, elementary and middle school STEM Fair projects, and many other STEM activities for all ages. There was a great turnout and the event was a huge success!
Elementary News
Grade 4
In language arts, students have been analyzing the theme of "Inside Out and Back Again", a collection of poems about a young girl moving to the United States from Vietnam.
All 4th grade students have been learning about the scientific method and have been working on their STEM fair projects. Projects will be judged beginning April 11th and the winner will be announced at the STEM fair on April 14th.
Students are working to complete posters for the FRESH Program through John's Hopkins about Healthy Choices, Healthy Hearts as a culminating activity from this year's program about healthy living.
Grade 5-Ballroom Dancing
The Ballroom Dancing program for 5th graders was held the week of April 11th. Parents were invited Friday to come and watch their student ballroom dancing. In the picture below, students are learning the Merengue.
Grades 4&5 Spring STEM-ing Block Party
Middle School News
Grade 8
The 8th grade class has just completed the third quarter. This became a very busy quarter with all the weather Mother Nature threw at us and spring break. The class did get to participate in two great incentives though. In March, Eighth grade went to see the movie “Race” about Jesse Owens and the impact his life had on the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The student participation, interest, and understanding of the movie was tremendous and very successful. The students also had a SOAR incentive before spring break in which they had choices between playing Xbox, football outside, and using technology. There will be more SOAR incentives such as a “Guitar Hero” competition this quarter. The grade level will also be participating in the end of the year bowling trip, Rita’s and graduation preparation to prepare for high school. These dates will be determined and posted very soon.
As third quarter comes to a close we have concluded our Wildlife unit and are “digging” in to our new unit…Soil! We will be investigating all of the aspects of soil and how important it is in our ecosystem. We will be concluding the school year with units on Forestry and Air.
Our GT students have also been hard at work on their STEM Fair projects. We are incredibly proud of all of their efforts and loved seeing the end results at STEM Night!
We would like to remind our students to be prepared every day with pens/pencils and looseleaf paper. Homework is still being assigned on a regular basis. Our final exams will occur in early June and will account for approximately 15% of the final course grade. Any questions about the calculation of the final course grade should be forwarded your student’s teacher.
Special Areas
Middle School Library-Mrs. Adams
New books have arrived!
We have 52 new eBooks and 170 new print books. Get to the library soon to check out a book to read once you have completed your PARCC testing!
Makerspace
Our Makerspace makeover is complete and ready to receive students. Visit the library during homeroom or lunch to show off your creative abilities. Listen for scheduled Makerspace events to resume soon.
Recent Class Visit
Mr. Messaris' 7th grade students visited to investigate their STEM project question: How can healthy choices improve urban living?
Want to know more? View the full Winter Library Report!
Library Website: holabirdmslibrary.pbworks.com
Follow us on Twitter @hsplibrary
Contact Mrs. Adams: cadams4@bcps.org, 410-887-7082
Art Department
Holabird celebrated Youth Art Month in March. Teachers designed lessons that allowed students to showcase their creative genius. Congratulations to Mr. Levine for being the only person to match all five Master Artists to their artwork in the Master Artist Scavenger Hunt! Teachers attended a Snack and Sculpt hosted by the art department.
Looking forward, May 17th is the Annual Dundalk Cluster Art Show at the high school. We started this annual event to celebrate the amazing creative work of the students in the Dundalk High feeder system and several other feeder systems have now followed our lead. At least 100 of our students will have artwork in this special event so come check it out! 4:30-7, Dundalk High, May 17th!
Music Department
Spring Musical
Thursday 5/12 5:00 PM-8:30 PM
Friday 5/13 5:00 PM-8:30 PM
Saturday 5/14 11:00 AM-3:00 PM
Health Suite-Allergy Alert
Beating Spring Allergies Blues
Maryland spring time allergy season is here. Grass, mold, and flower pollen have filled the air! Are you sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose? Are your eyes itching or tearing? Is your throat itchy or sore? If so, you may be the victim of spring allergies.
People with allergies do best when they work with their health care provider to anticipate the bad times and take simple steps to minimize exposure to allergens. If you or your child is uncomfortable due to allergy symptoms, see your health care provider.
Tips to help beat the allergy blues:
- Keep windows to your house and car closed. Use air conditioning and set car ventilation to recirculate.
- Check internet for daily pollen counts and limit outdoor activity when pollen count is high, as well as on windy days.
- Wash hands and face and remove pollen covered clothes when coming in from outside and shower before bedtime to remove pollens.
- Begin taking allergy medications early in the season, two to three weeks before you anticipate having symptoms.
- Use the dryer to dry clothing and linens instead of hanging them outside to dry.
- Pet fur can carry pollen into the house. Wipe your pet’s fur down before it comes inside.
- Keep your lawn short to prevent pollination.
Holabird STEM
Website: http://holabirdms.bcps.org/
Location: 1701 Delvale Avenue, Dundalk, MD, United States
Phone: 410-887-7049
Twitter: @HolabirdSTEM