SCIENCE CURRICULUM TALKS
Ready to Collaborate with YOU!
K-12 Science Specialist
Email: heaster@rvaschools.net
Location: 301 North 9th Street, Richmond, VA, United States
Phone: 804-780-7770
Twitter: @helena260
WELCOME BACK!!!
Dear Educators,
I hope that you had a restful and rejuvenating summer. I am thrilled to welcome you to the 2016-2017 school year. Your work this year will be inspiring thought provoking, and student focused, and fun! We work in an amazing profession that allows for a fresh start every 12 months. Not many jobs can boast that perk. The opportunities are there for us to make it, to paraphrase that sage of modern times, Sponge Bob Square Pants, “the Best Year EVER!”
Remember, when it gets tough, don't blame the students. Our responsibility is to figure out which strategy will work with each student, because everyone comes with a different, compelling story. We are trying to change history, and although it won't be easy, it will be rewarding. When it gets really tough, try to envision the students they are becoming, not the students they are at that moment.
Remember, don't blame yourself. Until you develop a personal connection with a student and even then, "You are every teacher they have ever had." Look for help and support from your colleague(s); we have a collective responsibility to serve each other as well as the students. You are not alone.
Also, we work to make a difference in the lives of every student we meet; however, not every student will succeed in the short time we have with them. This doesn't mean we can give up on kids; it reminds us not to blame ourselves when we can't reach a student. Often, the life lessons we teach are not realized until the students are ready to learn them years after they have left your school. Just remember to laugh often, have fun, be inspired, make a positive difference, have a great year, and enjoy the ride. We are family!! We are RPS!! Resilience, Pride and Success.
All the best,
Mrs. H. Easter
Scientist in the Classroom
The National Center for Science Education’s teacher network is launching an exciting new program to get scientists into classrooms across the country. Scientists in the Classroom is a great opportunity to connect students with real-life early career scientists, as well as for teachers to have an expert on board when teaching evolution and climate change. With this program, teachers and scientists collaborate as colleagues, peers, and partners in the scientific enterprise to further science education. For more information on Scientists in the Classroom visit NCSE's website or email Minda Barbeco at Berbeco@ncse.com.
Flower Garden Banks
Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico is a resource that provides lesson ideas, posters, and much more that would be useful in the study of marine organisms, coral reefs, invasive species, and environmental issues. Since a portion of Virginia is in this watershed, the information can be tied in directly to many classrooms. Take a look there are some great resources on coral reefs and the wildlife in the Gulf! http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/education/education.html
PyMOL
Educational-use-only PyMOL is a free on-line site designed to allow students or teachers manipulate high quality 3-D molecular structures and to animate molecules dynamically. The resource can be used on the computer or on an I-Pad and be a great visual asset for classroom instruction. Download protein sequences from the RCSB PDB (Protein Data Bank) and allow students to view the complex molecules that proteins can form. http://pymol.org/edu/?q=educational
Grant Opportunities
Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee – Restoration and
Education Grants
Applications due October 1, 2016
Applications will be accepted from private not-for-profit conservation organizations, schools and universities, and governmental agencies whose projects will affect water bodies that are located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. There is no limit on the amount that an applicant may request. More information on the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, including the application, W-9 and EDI forms (both new), grant guidelines, and a catalogue of past projects can be found at http://dls.virginia.gov/commissions/cbr/files/PR2017.pdf.
Virginia Environmental Endowment Applications due – December 1 and
June 15
Grant-making priorities in the Virginia Program are focused on water quality, Chesapeake Bay, land conservation and use, environmental education and awareness, and other emerging issues. See the Virginia Program page for details, and the Proposal Submission page for application instructions.
NOAA – Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Grant Program
Applications due – See grant process website at NOAA
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET Chesapeake) grant program supports hands-on watershed education to students and teachers to foster stewardship of the Bay. Environmentally literate citizens with the skills and knowledge to make well-informed environmental choices are key to sustaining the nation’s ocean and coastal environments.
Dominion – Environmental Stewardship Grants Program Applications due
March 2
The Dominion Foundation will award up to $1.2 million in environmental stewardship grants to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in communities served by Dominion companies. The Dominion Foundation will consider grant requests up to $50,000 that focus on specific, short-term projects that promise measurable results to improve the environment.
For additional grant opportunities, visit Virginia Naturally.
CHANGES TO PACING CHARTS
MIDDLE SCHOOL
LIFE SCIENCE-Honors Students will have sixth grade objectives and half of the seventh grade objectives.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE- Students will get the remaining sixth grade objectives that are related to the eighth grade objectives and the remaining seventh grade objectives.
HIGH SCHOOL -EARTH SCIENCE
EARTH SCIENCE WEEK
Earth Science Week will be held from October 9-15, 2016 and will celebrate the theme "Our Shared Geoheritage." Geoheritage is the collection of natural wonders, landforms, and resources that have formed over eons and come to this generation to manage, use, and conserve effectively. Geoheritage locations are valued for many reasons, including scientific, economic, ecological, educational, cultural, aesthetic, artistic, and recreational purposes.
Monday, Oct 10, 2016, 08:00 AM
Richmond Public Schools, Richmond, VA, United States
RICHMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS K-12 STEM FAIR- March 27, 2017
METRO RICHMOND STEM FAIR
Junior Division Papers are due January 20, 2017
Senior Division Papers are due January 27, 2017
MRSF STEM Fair workshop for new teachers and those who want a refresher on September 22nd from 4:30 – 6:30 at the Math Science Innovation Center in room D9. Dinner will be provided; please RSVP by September 14th at the following website:
https://docs.google.com/a/mymsic.org/forms/d/1hzQmOohH7gBeamcqTN8u7qE-EK5nxSaxH-EB4splRNA/edit
RAIN BARREL COMPETITION
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Sixth Grade Only!
Rain barrels will be delivered to schools during the month of November! They will be picked up on April 3, 2017. Please don’t wait until the last minute to work on your school’s rain barrel. The Department of Public Utility (DPU) will judge the designs together, deeming the top designs within the district. based on artistic ability, creativity and successful communication of the theme. Have fun and be creative! Please make sure your design includes this years’ “Protect our Watershed” theme.
Courses that have curriculum
Courses that have curriculum that you must use:
Biology I Part I
Biology I Part II
Earth Science Part I
Earth Science Part II
Astronomy
Ecology
Oceanography
Human Anatomy & Physiology