STEM Blog

Thanksgiving STEM!
Posted January 1, 2024
Today's school-wide Thanksgiving STEM event was a remarkable journey filled with creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and, most importantly, gratitude! From giving thanks in mass to unleashing our creativity in various STEM challenges, we celebrated the spirit of Thanksgiving in style!
Our day was jam-packed with engaging activities like making fall slime, building boats for the Pilgrims, flying turkeys, creating floats for the Macy's Parade, foil boats, turkey balloon races, exploring turkey feathers, diving into Egyptian geometry, crafting paper rollercoasters, facing the Wind Power Challenge, and getting hands-on with Turkey Gak! The school transformed into a hub of innovation and fun, and the energy was truly infectious!
As we head into Thanksgiving break, let's carry the spirit of gratitude, creativity, and collaboration with us. Wishing everyone a joyful and restful holiday season!
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Macy's Day Parade
Posted January 1, 2024
Today our first graders designed and built their own version of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as part of a cross-curricular STEM lesson.
In ELA, students read the book "Balloons over Broadway" by Melissa Sweet, which is a biography of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer behind Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. They learned all about helium balloons, the route for the parade, float building, balloon designs, and the lineup for the year. They also recreated the parade route in New York City to display the buildings, streets, and Central Park.
In Computer Class, the students learned how to program Ozobot robots using color codes to power their floats during the parade. The Ozobot, a mouse-sized self-propelled robot, is capable of reading colored line combinations and performing corresponding actions.
Our kindergarten spectators cheered on the parade as the first grade engineers carefully steered their floats through New York City! A huge thank you to Mrs. Vicendese, Mrs. Sugatan, Ms. Dresner, Ms. Hall, and Mrs. Phelps, for their guidance and support on this lesson. Well done First Grade!

 
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Fall Clubs!
Posted January 1, 2024
This week we are celebrating the successful conclusion of our Fall Clubs at SLS!
Design and Build, Chess Club, Cyber STEM—these clubs provided an incredible opportunity for our students to expand their experiences and knowledge. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated moderators for their time and effort in making this fall season so enriching. Looking forward to more exciting adventures in the future!

 
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OLGC STEM Competition
Posted January 1, 2024
Congratulations to the 8th-grade students from St. Louis School who showcased their STEM prowess and clinched FIRST PLACE at the Our Lady of Good Counsel STEM competition!
Tasked with building a self-powered vehicle using only materials from a box, these talented students employed their knowledge of the engineering design process in a race against time—45 minutes, to be exact.
Facing off in three intense rounds, the SLS team emerged victorious, covering an impressive 41 feet.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Our Lady of Good Counsel team, faculty, and student mentors for hosting this fantastic event and offering invaluable guidance and support.
Let's give a round of applause to the stellar SLS team—Lourdes, Maame, and James—for their outstanding collaboration and communication skills.
Way to go, Knights!
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Pumpkin Soup
Posted January 1, 2024

Last week, the Mrs. Vicendese and Ms. Dresner’s First Graders participated in a fun STEM project that combined reading and technology. They began by reading "Pumpkin Soup" by Helen Cooper in ELA class then used their sequencing skills to put the story's events in order. After that, they arranged pictures from the story to create a map for their Ozobots. The students also used codes to control the Ozobots' speed which they learned in Mrs. Phelps’ computer class. These future engineers did a fantastic job working in groups, collaborating and supporting each other. #STEMatSLS



Stackable Cookie Challenge!
Posted December 19, 2023
Yesterday brought a burst of creativity to Third grade as our young innovators tackled a STEM challenge! Given specific materials and a ticking time limit, students crafted stackable cookie trays capable of holding a scrumptious load of 16 "cookies".
The true excitement unfolded when the time came to transport their cookie creations to the front of the room! Laughter, collaboration, and a few strategic moves turned this challenge into a lesson in both design and teamwork. From problem-solving ingenuity to the joy of seeing their designs in action, our Third graders truly shone in the realm of STEM.

 
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Stackable Cookie Trays
Posted December 19, 2023
Yesterday brought a burst of creativity to Third grade as our young innovators tackled a STEM challenge! Given specific materials and a ticking time limit, students crafted stackable cookie trays capable of holding a scrumptious load of 16 "cookies".
The true excitement unfolded when the time came to transport their cookie creations to the front of the room! Laughter, collaboration, and a few strategic moves turned this challenge into a lesson in both design and teamwork. From problem-solving ingenuity to the joy of seeing their designs in action, our Third graders truly shone in the realm of STEM.

 
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ELA STEM!
Posted December 17, 2023
First graders were excited about the ELA STEM activity earlier this week. The students read the book, "The Gingerbread Man" by Gail Yerrill and, together, they decided how they can save the gingerbread man and make a new and happy ending for the story.
The students were then challenged to build a bridge to help the Gingerbread Man cross the river safely. They worked with a partner to plan, collaborate, and create a bridge that will hold a toy figure from home. Great job, first grade!

 
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Gingerbread Fun!
Posted November 30, 2023
Mrs. Amrhein's and Mrs. Farace's Kindergarteners have been on a gingerbread adventure all week! Exploring the deeper meaning, they've learned how the gingerbread man symbolizes the relationship between God (the Creator) and man. Alongside discovering the art of making gingerbread, these little learners have been honing their writing skills by adding delightful details to gingerbread people and houses, using materials that mimic icing and candy.
Adding a sweet touch to their Christmas Senses Book, the kindergarteners even painted gingerbread cookies using real gingerbread dough, declaring, "Christmas smells like gingerbread." The creativity didn't stop there – the students showcased fantastic communication and collaboration skills throughout these festive activities. Way to go, Kindergarteners!
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Plate Tectonic Fun!
Posted November 28, 2023

Ms. Rossi's Fifth Grade Science Class took learning to a whole new level. Last week they dove into the fascinating world of plate tectonics using a delicious twist – cool whip and graham crackers! Demonstrating convergent and divergent plate movements, we crafted mountains and volcanoes that erupted with excitement. The classroom trembled with enthusiasm as we showcased how earthquakes occur when plates transform or slide past each other. The magic happened with graham crackers playing the role of "plates" and cool whip taking on the guise of "magma." Learning has never been this deliciously fun!
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Pixel Art Fun!
Posted November 9, 2023
In a fantastic cross-curricular collaboration, Ms. d’Epagnier’s Art Class and Mrs. Phelps’ Computer Class teamed up for an exciting lesson. Students combined their artistic flair with computer skills, using their knowledge of coordinates to design and create pixel art. The creative process began with students prototyping their designs on grid paper, translating their ideas into digital masterpieces using the drawing tools in Google Slides.
 
But it didn't stop there! The young artists added more pixels to enhance their creations, resulting in a stunning display of pixel art masterpieces. Take a sneak peek at some of the incredible creations our second graders crafted in this collaborative and innovative lesson!
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Pumpkin Catapults
Posted November 5, 2023
Mrs. Riggin's and Ms. Rossi's Fifth Graders have engaged in a captivating STEM project involving pumpkin catapults! In a perfect blend of learning and creativity, these young engineers designed and built their own catapults. Their journey began with reading about the background and history of catapults in ELA and delving into measurement and averaging in math.
The mission: Create a catapult capable of launching candy pumpkins as far as possible to keep children safe during parades, ensuring they stay away from the road!
The first test involved four trials, but the real magic happened as students made modifications and improvements, testing their catapults again.
This hands-on experience not only sparks innovation but also showcases the incredible potential of integrated STEM learning. Kudos to these future engineers! #STEMatSLS
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