CalcuSolve is a challenging math problem solving competition that requires students to solve complex mathematical challenges both individually and in a group. The 6th grade competition was held on November 21st and the 7th & 8th grade competition was held on November 22nd. Check out some of the challenging 6th grade and 7th/8th grade problems! Malachi, Morgan, Genny, and Andy came in 1st place at the Powering Pittsburgh competition in October which qualified them to compete in the championship round at Heinz Field! Their idea, Pittsburgh Pedals, was to create special bicycle pods around the city of Pittsburgh. When citizens use these bikes, a battery is charged from the pedaling movement. After they arrive at a Pedal Pod, the bikes are plugged in and contribute the stored energy back into the power grid. Our group of students did not place in the top two winning spots at the competition, but they put a tremendous amount of effort into bringing their project to life and showcasing their idea. KDKA even did a story about the competition on the local news! Middle school gifted students were invited to Carnegie Mellon's Educational Technology Center (ETC) to play-test apps and projects that graduate students have created. Upon arrival, we had a guided tour of the ETC building which featured lots of advanced technology that students were able to try out. Our tour guide talked about STEM career pathways and really connected long-term collegiate goals with middle school examples. After the tour, students broke up into different groups and started testing the projects and providing feedback to the graduate students. One of the apps is scheduled to be available on both the iOS and Android platforms in January! Groups are selected to visit the ETC based on a lottery system and our students felt very fortunate to be able to participate in such a unique, enriching experience. An update about our American Flag Fundraiser: The students raised $306 through the sale of American Flags in honor and memory of our veterans! Seeing the flags in front of TMS was quite humbling for students and staff alike. All proceeds were donated to the TASD's Officer Hiller K-9 Fund! Awesome job students! See the post here to learn about our American Flag Fundraiser. Our middle school gifted students read Sharon Creech's novel, Walk Two Moons, this year. It just so happened that this play was being performed in Pittsburgh so we jumped at the chance to see the performance. The students compared and contrasted the novel to the play and even got to ask the actors and actresses questions at the end! It was a great performing arts connection and the students were so excited to see the novel brought to life! Our 4th and 5th grade gifted kiddos were excited to compete at the annual Quiz Bowl that was held at Fort Cherry this year. The competition featured a double elimination bracket focused on academic trivia style questions. One of our Trinity Teams came in 4th place out of 16 teams! Congratulations to Ryan, Evan, Maddox, and Vittoria for their hard work and effective team work!
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MRS. GOJMERAC Archives
February 2024
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