STEM Blog

Fifth Grade Plate Tectonics!
Posted March 11, 2023

Ms. Rossi's fifth-grade students played with food in science class! They used graham crackers and an orange cool whip to show what happens when plates on earth move. The graham crackers were the plates that make up the earth's crust and the cool whip was the mantle (magma) that the plates float on. They explored how mountains form, volcanoes erupt, and earthquakes happen. Students learned about transform, convergent, and divergent boundaries according to plate tectonics. #STEMatSLS
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Amusement Park STEM Fun!
Posted March 11, 2023
How do you make sure you visit all the rides at an amusement park? The best way to do so is to plan a route to reach your destination.
Kindergarten students participate in a Social Studies and Technology collaborative lesson where they were challenged to plan a route for their Ozobot to travel. The Ozobot , a mouse-sized self-propelled robot, is capable of reading colored line combinations and performing corresponding actions. For instance, a blue-green-blue sequence indicates moving faster while a blue-red-blue sequence means turning 180 degrees.
The students were challenged to draw and plan and program their route on paper so the Ozobot travelled to all the locations. A huge thank you to Mrs. Phelps, Mrs. Farace, Mrs. Amrhein, and Ms. Lawrence for providing such an engaging, hands-on lesson for the students to practice their map skills. #STEMatSLS

 
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Pre K Science and STEM Fun!
Posted February 10, 2023

Last week PreK students had an in-house STEM field trip! They had a guest speaker from The Science Guys in Baltimore perform several hands-on science experiments, including dry ice bubbling potions, chemical reaction experiments, explosions and blasting a potato into space! PreK loved to see all science come to life!



Knights of the LEGO Table Headed to State Championship
Posted February 4, 2023
Here we go again - 3,2,1…LEGO!
Congratulations to the SLS robotics team Knights of the LEGO Table on winning two awards at the First LEGO League (FLL) competition held today at Applied Physics Lab (APL).
The team won second place on the Champion’s Award for the Qualifier as well as first place on Robot Performance, achieving the highest robot score in the competition. The wins qualify the team for a spot at the Maryland State Championship, to be held on February 25 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in Catonsville.
A huge thank you to our passionate and dedicated coaches Michelle Donnegan, Bill Maciejewski, Raj Kukadia, and Anna Priya Kukadia for their gift of leadership, inspiration, and time.
Way to Go, Knights, the SLS community is very proud of you! Best of luck at UMBC on the 25th!

 
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11th STEM Family Night
Posted February 2, 2023
As a part of our Catholic Schools Week celebration, SLS hosted our 11th Annual Family STEM Night last evening and it was a blast! Eric Energy energized the crowd and the students loved learning about science in a fun and dynamic way. Our subsequent classroom activities focused on critical thinking and creativity while completing hands-on projects involving electrical conductivity with LED critters, engineering with a balloon car, forces and motion with catapults, straw paper planes, and much more. Guests also had the opportunity to view the Eight Grade National History Day projects and the Middle School’s Sensory Tools 3D printing STEM challenge results.
A great big shout-out to our FIRST Lego League Teams, the Nuclear Knights and the Knights of the LEGO table, for presenting their hard-earned skills to the crowd. By the way, best of luck to the Knights of the LEGO Table, who will be competing in their qualifier this Saturday Afternoon at the Applied Physics Lab facility in Laurel.
We were honored with a visit from AoB Superintendent Dr. Hargens and Assistant Superintendent Murphy, both of whom were very complimentary of our STEM program.
Lastly, a great big SLS "Thank You" to all the teachers and staff who stayed all evening to help out – we couldn’t have done it without you!

 
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STEM Career Day
Posted February 1, 2023
The choices we make in life are affected by what we see and do and experience as children. Our choices of which careers we pursue and jobs we work are also based on that experience.
St. Louis School strives to provide positive experiences for students that inform them about different career possibilities and help them to develop interests and passions that will aid them in building a meaningful and satisfying life. This afternoon as part of Catholic Schools Week, St. Louis School students in Grades K through 8th participated in a STEM Career Day where they listened to presentations from 15 STEM professionals in industries rating from immunology to theater lighting. The students were engaged, asked insightful questions, and will be reflecting in writing about their experiences.
We would like to thank all the professionals who took time out of their busy schedules to share their wisdom with our students.

 
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3D Printing Sensory Tool Challenge
Posted January 29, 2023
3D printing technology is changing the way manufacturing works. It empowers individuals to bring an idea to life as a tangible, physical item. It has proven to be an inexpensive way to produce prototypes and custom products that are useful in the real world. St. Louis School students learn how to design and produce 3D objects using one of the school’s 3D printers.
Join us this Thursday at STEM Night to learn more about the 3D printed Sensory Tool project our Middle School students have been developing with Mrs. Oh and Mrs. Whiteford during Computer Class. #STEMatSLS
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Measuring with Ozobots
Posted January 23, 2023
SLS Second Grade engineers put their measurement skills to use while creating programming cards for Kindergarten students to use as an introduction to Ozobot. The Ozobot, a mouse-sized self-propelled robot, is capable of reading colored line combinations and performing corresponding actions. For instance, a blue-green-blue sequence indicates move faster while a blue-red-blue sequence means turn 180 degrees.
In Computer Class, Second Graders were challenged to create the cards according to a set of distance, direction and color parameters. These parameters established instructions for an Ozobot to follow. Kindergarteners then used the cards and observed the resulting robot motion. This collaboration provided an opportunity for the Second Grade students to test their measurement and programming skills white creating tools for the Kindergarten to explore and learn. Well done!
A huge thank you to Mrs. Phelps, Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Kenney for guiding the students on this fun and engaging lesson.

 
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Nuclear Knights Win!
Posted January 23, 2023
4,3,2,1…LEGO!
Congratulations to the SLS robotics team Nuclear Knights on winning two first place awards at the First LEGO League (FLL) competition held today in Westminster.
The team won first place on the Project Award as well as first place on Robot Performance, achieving the highest robot score in the competition. The wins qualify the team for a spot at the Maryland State Championship, to be held on February 25 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in Catonsville.
A huge thank you to our passionate and dedicated coaches Lou Faustini and Brian Pate for their gift of leadership, inspiration and time. A special thanks to all the parents for their support and especially to SLS Class of 2020 alumnus Elijah for his guidance and mentorship.
Way to Go Knights, the SLS community is very proud of you! Best of luck at UMBC on the 25th! #STEMatSLS FIRST in Maryland Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic Schools

 
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FLL 2023 Season!
Posted January 23, 2023
Each year the FIRST LEGO League establishes a challenge for teams across the country to address. SUPER POWERED℠ presented by Qualcomm, FIRST teams across our programs will reimagine the future of sustainable energy and power their ideas forward.
“To empower young people to be leaders and innovators, this year’s energy theme addresses global challenges related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #7 -- focused on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.”
St. Louis School is proud to sponsor two FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams this year as they compete in the Super Powered season. This is St. Louis’ ninth year of FLL participation and we could not be more proud of our teams. The Power Knights, and the Knights of the Round Table have been working hard and are getting ready to compete in their upcoming qualifiers. Please join us in wishing them well. A special thanks to our coaches, Mr. Faustini, Mr. Pate, Elijah P., Mrs. Donnegan, Mr. Kukadia, and all the team parents for providing the students with this rewarding opportunity. Go Knights!
St. Louis School is proud to sponsor two FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams this year as they compete in the Super Powered season. This is St. Louis’ ninth year of FLL participation and we could not be more proud of our teams. The Power Knights and the Knights of the LEGO Table have been working hard and are getting ready to compete in their upcoming qualifiers. Please join us in wishing them well. A special thanks to our coaches, Mr. Faustini, Mr. Pate, Elijah P., Mrs. Donnegan, Mr. Kukadia, and all the team parents for providing the students with this rewarding opportunity. Go, Knights!
Join us for STEM Night if you are interested in learning more about coaching and joining a team next year. #STEMatSLS #BEaKnight Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic Schools

 
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New Epson Interactive Projectors!
Posted January 6, 2023
We are happy to report that over Christmas break we finalized the installation of the new Epson Brightlink 1485 Fi projectors for every classroom in the school.
Thank you to our entire community for your kindness and your support. Last year, we raised $86,170+ to purchase and install these projectors, which will enhance the classroom experience for every student in our school.
Mrs. Spera is taking advantage of the dynamic assistance for mathematical instruction, and Mrs. Johnson uses the projector interactively with the 2nd grade students to enhance their vocabulary and math curriculum.

 
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Christmas Chemistry
Posted December 21, 2022
For those who have the time, a bath can be an opportunity to disconnect from the world. For SLS Middle School students (Grades 5 through 8), a bath is an opportunity to put their knowledge of chemistry to practical use.
During the last week of school prior to Christmas Break, Middle School students applied lessons learned in Science Class to step into the roles of chemists and creative directors as they developed, tested and wrapped functional bath-time gifts for our teachers and staff.
Students combined citric acid, baking soda, peppermint oils, food coloring, baking soda, Epson salt and water to create fizzy bath bombs of various colors. Students also created thank-you cards containing cheerful messages for each recipient.
The student-led PBIS group distributed the bath bombs, along with good wishes and Christmas cheer. A huge thank you to Mrs. Oh for coordinating this activity and Ms. Rossi, Ms. Duff and Mr. Hurst for their assistance and support. Merry Christmas! #STEMatSLS

 
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