Engineering for Children?

Did you know that St. Paul’s is instituting an engineering program for elementary children in our science lab?  We are using curriculum pieces developed by the Museum of Science in Boston to introduce engineering concepts.  One example is in our IB unit on architecture in the 3rd grade.  We will use civil engineering concepts to teach about bridge construction and simple machines.  Why teach engineering to children? 

There are many reasons to introduce children to engineering in elementary school:

Children are fascinated with building and with taking things apart to see how they work, they engineer informally all the time. By encouraging these explorations in elementary school, we can keep these interests alive. Describing their activities as "engineering" when they are engaged in the natural design process can help children develop positive associations with engineering, and increase their desire to pursue such activities in the future.

Engineering projects integrate other disciplines. Engaging students in hands-on, real-world engineering experiences can enliven math and science and other content areas. Engineering projects can motivate students to learn math and science concepts by illustrating relevant applications.

Engineering fosters problem-solving skills, including problem formulation, iteration, testing of alternative solutions, and evaluation of data to guide decisions.

Engineering embraces project-based learning, encompasses hands-on construction, and sharpens children's abilities to function in three dimensions - all skills that are important for prospering in the modern world.

Learning about engineering will increase students' awareness of and access to scientific and technical careers. The number of American citizens pursuing engineering is decreasing. Early introduction to engineering can encourage many capable students, especially girls and minorities, to consider it as a career and enroll in the necessary science and math courses in high school.

Engineering and technological literacy are necessary for the 21st century. As our society increasingly depends on engineering and technology, our citizens need to understand these fields.

For more information visit www.mos.org/eie
Rich Webb
Head of School

Grandparents Info Needed

We have gone through all of the grandparent information that we have on file and only have information for about half of the students. Please let us know some contact information about your child's grandparent, so that we can keep them up-to-date on school events. E-mail Lori Becker (lbecker@grandecom.net) with names, address, phone, and e-mail. Also, if your child's grandparents would like to receive the Monday Morning Memo each week, please send their e-mail addresses to Leah Delafield (ldelafield@stpaulsschoolwaco.com).

Grandparents' & Special Friends' Day

Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day is an exciting day for St. Paul's School. This year, we will hold this event on Friday, October 2, from 10:00-11:30. You will soon be receiving invitations to give to your child's grandparents to invite them to come to school that day. We will have a special town meeting followed by classroom tours and pictures with grandparents. This year, school will let out early, so your child's grandparents will be able to leave with your child as soon as they have finished the day's activities.

Box Tops for Education

It's time to start cutting out and sending in those Box Tops. Remember every box top that you send in earns money for our school.

This Week at St. Paul's

September 18 ~ 4:45 ~ Football vs Waco Baptist
September 19 ~ 12:00 ~ Board Finance & Exec Meeting
September 20 ~ 6:00 ~ Volleyball vs Waco Montessori @ Waco Montessori
September 21 ~ Teacher Appreciation Luncheon hosted by the 6th grade class

IB in Action

Have you ever wanted to know something and you continued to wonder about it until you got the answers you needed? Then you are an inquirer. Inquiry is the basis of the International Baccalaureate program. Inquiry is a process by which learners seek to understand a concept at a deeper level through questioning and dialogue, in time, this understanding will lead to action. There are many important pieces of this statement. The first is that there is a process to inquiry. A good inquirer is able to assess what he/she already knows, decide what specifically they would like to know more about, find the resources necessary to answer his/her own questions, and reflect on the new found knowledge. The second important word is learners. IB encourages the use of this word over student because all people are learners, and we want to encourage our students to be life-long learners. Understanding a concept is a key component as well. More than memorization of facts or processes, inquiry-based learning allows to students to explore the underlying concept in a meaningful way. The first thought most people have in connection to inquiry is questioning. It is important for learners to ask the questions that will best help them find an enduring understanding. Asking a yes/no question won't get you very far. Just think...20 questions to discover the identify of an object? With three strong questions, I could know immensely more about that object than just its identity. Finally, dialogue allows students to share their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs with one another. The hope in an inquiry-based classroom is that students will discuss ideas with each other rather than simply reporting facts to a teacher. Action is the result of this in-depth learning. When we begin to understand a concept, we take action grandly by doing something to help a cause or simply by continuing to learn more about the issue or topic. As your children move through the IB program, it is sometimes helpful to ask them what they discussed in school rather than what they did. Listen for their questions because they are not always stated in question form, and encourage them to seek answers to their questions instead of immediately giving them the answer they seek. When your child has learned something new, encourage him/her to take action, no matter how big or small. Above all, model for your child this process. When you don't know the answer to a question, talk with your child about how you can find the answer together.

Parking Problems

We'd like to make you aware of some traffic issues on the cow side of the school. Please remember that if you are planning to park and walk your child into the school building in the morning, you must park in a parking space on the church side. Parking in the drive-through by the cow causes a back-up and keeps the church employees from being able to get to their parking spaces. Please be respectful of others needing to drop off or park by following this important drop-off procedure. Also, if it is raining at drop-off or pick-up time, please do not park under the overhang. Finally, please remember at any time of the day not to park any part of your car in the crosswalk. The crosswalk is used all day long to get children to and from p.e. and recess and is also used during fire drills. It must remain clear at all times. Thanks for your help in keeping our children safe.

Auction Update

Thanks for all of your hard work so far. We have received some excellent donations so far! Keep it up.                                                                                                                                                     ~ Susan, Melinda, & Ellen

Hot Lunch Menu & Servers

Monday ~ Steakfingers ~ Susan Harriman
Tuesday ~ Fetuccine Alfredo ~ Roxann Samples
Wednesday ~ Pizza Hut Pizza ~ Roxann Samples
Thursday ~ Hamburger ~ Shelly Negrete
Friday ~ Chicken Sandwich ~ Ellen Hack