Sixth grade gifted students organized a Hat Day for TMS to raise money for our new TASD Police Dog, Hiller. For a $1 donation, students were permitted to wear a hat at school today. We raised $117 for Hiller through this fundraiser! This money will be donated towards Hiller's ongoing training costs and veterinary needs.
Middle school gifted students traveled to Soldiers & Sailors Hall in Pittsburgh today for the annual Faraday Lecture. Our own Nathan Sander was selected as a volunteer and was levitated using magnets! Colin & Greg Gould teamed up to present “Science You Can See (and Hear).” Their presentation included a series of engaging, intriguing, and educational demonstrations using unusually large equipment designed to make science principles visible to the audience.
Thanks to the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh & the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh for an afternoon of educational demonstrations! The Fairchild Challenge consisted of five challenges throughout the school year. Our TMS Gifted Team worked very well together and earned 2nd place in the competition and won $500 for TMS! They were recognized at a ceremony at Phipps Conservatory. With the money they won, they decided to purchase greenhouses and gardening accessories for the students in the 7th Grade Science & Environmental Literacy courses. Mrs. Gandy, Ms. Spadaro, and Ms. Banky are very excited to begin using the greenhouses with their students! The Fairchild Challenge is a free, multidisciplinary, standards-based environmental education outreach program designed to give middle school students an opportunity to creatively shine. By appealing to their innate sense of curiosity about the world around them, the Challenge invites students to investigate the thorniest environmental issues, devise imaginative and effective responses to these issues, and take action to address them.
Developed by the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Fl., and adopted by Phipps as a satellite partner in 2008, The Fairchild Challenge offers a menu of interdisciplinary challenges for grades 6 – 8, attracting students of diverse interests, abilities, talents and backgrounds. The Challenge empowers young people to engage in civic life and encourages them to become energetic and knowledgeable members of their communities. The challenges are outlined below: Challenge #1 – Eco Edibles – 2nd Place Students created a recipe out of produce that would typically be wasted. These recipes were compiled into a cookbook. From Apple Peel Jelly to Fridge Clean Out Gazpacho, the TMS students created tasty ways to eliminate food waste! These recipes were organized by category and compiled into a book with a creative cover. Challenge #2 – Petals and Pollinators – Special Merit Students created a 3-D diorama of an interdependent relationship between a plant and a pollinator. A paper was crafted to explain how these species have adapted to suit the needs of both. Challenge #3 – Eco Lots – 3rd Place Students selected a vacant lot in the greater Pittsburgh area and redesigned this area to make an environmentally friendly community space. Our TMS group adopted a lot along the river and added two freight farms and a gazebo to repurpose the space. Students created a tri-fold poster board to document their efforts. Challenge #4 – An Ode to Nature – 1st Place Students adapted the book, If You’re Not From the Prairie, by David Bouchard to "If You’re Not From PA." The students created poems related to Pennsylvania including covered bridges, stars, and trails before compiling them into a book with a creative cover. Challenge #5 – Environmental Action – Special Merit Students were tasked with taking action to improve their home, school, or community area. Our TMS group traveled to Mingo Creek Park and participated in the Great PA Clean-up. Students created a tri-fold poster board to document their efforts which were documented in our local newspaper! Fifth and sixth grade gifted students traveled to Duquesne University on November 7th to compete in the annual CalcuSolve math completion. Seventh and eighth graders competed on November 8th. Over 400 students competed at each competition! Each team has 2 group problems and 7 individual problems to complete in just five short minutes. Can you answer these 5th & 6th grade questions? They sure are challenging! Check out these challenging 7th & 8th grade CalcuSolve problems!
Middle school gifted students traveled to Fort Cherry for the annual Quiz Bowl event. Students worked in teams to answer trivia questions in a game show style. Students from Avella, Canon-Mac, Fort Cherry, McGuffey, Chartiers-Houston, Washington, and Burgettstown all competed. We had five teams from Trinity that attended. Four of our teams advanced to the semifinals! Trinity Team #3, consisting of Lexie, Rebekah, Avery, Katerina, Riley, and Emma, came in first place! Trinity Team #4, consisting of Jaysea, Milena, Allison, Nathan, Jack H., and Brett, came in second place! |
MRS. GOJMERAC Archives
February 2024
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