Elementary Science Newsletter
December 2023
Science Updates
DPS New Science Standards Information
NC New Science Standards- Feedback due Dec 19th!
New science standards were approved to be adopted in the 2024-25 school year. Click the flyers below to find out more information about the upcoming changes!
Benchmark 1 Standard Analysis & Support
Durham Regional NC Science Olympiad
Durham Public Schools is excited to be hosting two Science Olympiad events again in spring 2024, and we need volunteers! Please sign up to volunteer for the February 24 Middle/High School Tournament at Riverside High School or the March 9 Elementary School Tournament at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability, or BOTH!! If you'd like to see what each event entails, see NCSO Event Descriptions for Volunteers. Typically, being an "event leader" does not require previous knowledge of the event, just a willingness to set things up.
DPS Science Curriculum Updates
We are currently updating our DPS K-5 Science resources, please fill out the form below provide feedback on the current resources and make sure your voice is heard!
Opportunities and Resources
Museum of Life and Science DPS Staff Forum
The Museum of Life and Science would like to invite you to our DPS Staff Forum where we want to hear from you. During the two hour forum, we will look at how effective communication has been, feedback on the DPS/MLS contract, resources that the Museum may be able to provide, and maybe more. Dinner will be provided for the evening, and we will give all participants two free passes to the Museum to use in the future.
Wednesday, Nov 29, 2023, 05:30 PM
Museum of Life and Science, West Murray Avenue, Durham, NC, USA
Project Explore with Erin Carroll
Project Explore - Project Explore is a yearlong citizen science project that takes place in your schoolyard! Teachers will need to apply for the mini-grant in order to participate in Project Explore. Apply and find more information at the included link above.
DPS Hub Farm
Hub Farm Events Calendar - Registration links and Fall schedulenow live!
Field Trip Requests are now open! You can request a variety of field trips at the DPS Hub Farm. Interested in learning more? See some of our new resources below!
Free Fieldtrips and Transportation with Eno River Association!
The Eno River Association can pay for bus transportation and has free programming at the Eno River!
Duke Gardens- Free Fieldtrips!
- 11 topics for students in PreK-12th grade (covering math, ELA, science, history, and art strands)
- Field trips can be self-guided or guided
- Guided field trip programs for any Durham Public School is FREE
- Capacity for each field trip (guided or self-guided) is 90 students
- Registration is required for both guided and self-guided field trips using our Program Request Form.
- Field trip instruction occurs outdoors in the gardens, year-round
- Fall is a beautiful time to visit. Spring is very popular and already filling up- so schedule early!
- If you have a special topic you’d like us to create a program for, let us know and we will work with you.
- Programs are designed to welcome EC classrooms and students with IEPs
More information is on our website (https://gardens.duke.edu/learn/school-group-programs ) .
I hope you will consider using Duke Gardens as an extension of your classroom this year. Please reach out to Liani Yirka with any questions you may have.
Liani Yirka:
919-668-5309 (Office)
984-278-0746 (Cell)
Pets in the Classroom Grant
Pets in the Classroom is an educational grant program that provides financial support to teachers to purchase and maintain small animals in the classroom. The program was established by the Pet Care Trust to provide children with an opportunity to interact with pets—an experience that can help to shape their lives for years to come. The Pet Care Trust also established the Dogs in the Classroom program, which provides teachers with the opportunity to bring animal-assisted therapy to their classroom – an experience that also can help shape the lives of children for years to come.
The Pets in the Classroom grant program is now taking applications for the 2023-24 school year. Begin Application Process Here.
Educator Trek: Where Swans Fly, Bears Walk and Wolves Howl
Experience one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in North Carolina – thousands of tundra swans, snow geese, and other waterfowl over-wintering in an area rich in wildlife such as black bears, bobcats, and red wolves. Learn winter bird identification, tips on preserving tracks and signs, and ideas for incorporating wild creatures into your teaching. We hope to have the opportunity to meet with red wolf biologist to learn about the restoration and monitoring work being done with this endangered species.
With support from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Project RESTORE (Rescuing Endangered Species Through Outreach, Restoration, and Education) will feature a suite of educational opportunities for teachers and students to participate in restoration and monitoring of imperiled and endangered species in eastern North Carolina.
Science Resources
DPS Investigations
DPS Investigations are hands on science lessons are designed for K-5 with all consumable materials for the lessons delivered at the beginning of the school year. **1 Non-consumable kit per grade level is were delivered at the beginning of the 2023 school year!**
Questions or training on DPS investigations can be directed to Amanda Bowers.
Science A-Z
Science A-Z is available for DPS as a resource. Science A-Z includes texts available grades K-6, in addition to hands on lessons, project based learning, quizzes, games, vocabulary cards and more!
Log in through the Learning A-Z icon in NCEDcloud.
Mystery Science
Mystery Science contains hands on lessons, videos, experiments and digital resources for DPS grades K-5. Lessons can even be assigned to students to complete independently or as a class. Mystery Science can be accessed through ncedcloud.
Questions: contact Amanda Bowers at amanda_bowers@dpsnc,net.
CIBL (5th Grade)
Individually-packed STEM student materials for a safe, equitable, hands-on learning environment! DPS 5th Grade packs include Weather, Force and Motion and Ecosystems! https://ciblearning.org/lesson-materials/student-activity-packs/
DPS Resource Feedback
We are revamping our DPS K-5 science curriculum to align to the newly approved science standards. Please provide feedback on our resources (curriculum maps, DPS Investigations, pacing etc.) using the form below.
If you would like to receive this newsletter directly each month, please fill out the form below. Please forward to anyone you think would be interested in the information!