STEM Blog

Putting our Math Skills to the Test!
Posted November 20, 2021

The Third grade math class used their Math skills to calculate and plan a Thanksgiving feast for 5 people. The class used grocery store circular ads to find the cost of 1 main entrée, 3 beverages, 3 sides, 2 desserts, and calculate the total for the meal. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Ozobot Thanksgiving Parade!
Posted November 19, 2021

First graders created their very own "Macy's Thanksgiving Day" parade. The students used Ozobots robots and programed code to create a parade for the "hot air balloons." The students then created a New York City scene with Central Park, 5th Avenue, a Macy's and more! It was a great way to get excited for Thanksgiving next week!
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Paper Rollercoasters!
Posted November 13, 2021

This past week, the 8th grader class built paper roller coasters in science class to commence their lessons on energy.
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Butterfly Life Cycle
Posted October 28, 2021

IIn order to make their science lessons on life cycles come to life, the third grade students observed caterpillars turning into butterflies. Last week, the students released the butterflies back to nature.
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Meet Spike!
Posted October 22, 2021
Seventh Grade students in Mrs. Whiteford’s Computer Class helped unpack and test the LEGO Spike robots purchased last year through a grant under the AFCEA Central Maryland (CMD) Chapter STEM Kickstarter program. AFCEA International, established in 1946, is a “non-profit membership association serving the military, government, industry, and academia as a forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, information technology, intelligence, and security.”
The AFCEA Central Maryland Kickstarter program awards for initiatives in STEM-related disciplines. SLS received a grant for $5,000 to purchase the LEGO Spike kits to be used in the classroom with Grades 6 through 8. We would like to thank AFCEA Central Maryland (CMD) for their generous donation and look forward to seeing the results of the student’s designing, building, and programming work! #stematsls
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“You sunk my battleship!”
Posted October 22, 2021

“You sunk my battleship!” Second Grade students used their knowledge of coordinates used in the classic game Battleship to design and create pixel art in a collaborative project between Ms. d’Epagnier’s Art Class and Mrs. Phelps’ Computer Class. Students started by prototyping a Halloween design on grid paper and subsequently created the equivalent digital design using the drawing tools in Google Slides. Afterward, the students were taught the connection between the Battleship coordinates and lines of latitude and longitude used on geographic maps. Take a look at some of the pixel art digital creations!
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School-wide STEM Morning
Posted October 21, 2021
Although STEM is part of our daily life at St. Louis School, we dedicated the first period last Tuesday for hands-on experimentation and collaboration in each homeroom. Activities varied according to grade level and included Ghost towers, flying bats, pumpkin tower challenges, birdfeeder designs, animal crosswalk/bridge, pumpkin catapults, bone bridges, pitch/sound experiments, digital breakouts, and “One Body Many Parts” collaboration project.
SLS remains committed to STEM education and will continue to host STEM activities and lessons that incorporate critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Visit the school’s STEM page for more information stem.stlouisparish.org.

 
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Plickers!
Posted October 21, 2021

Last week, 5th graders used Plicker cards in Ms. Rossi's math class (similar to a QR code). Students were asked a multiple choice question online. After answering the question, the students held their Plicker card up that was linked to their online answer. The teacher then scanned the cards to get instant feedback. The students had a great time reviewing their math lessons!



After School Clubs Are Back!
Posted October 21, 2021
Extracurricular clubs are back! These organized afterschool activities are intended to enrich your child’s school experience outside of the traditional classroom.
Wednesday clubs at St. Louis include Design and Build Club, where participants were given challenges to construct various shapes and figures using LEGO bricks and their imaginations; Art Club, where members painted and decorated pumpkins; and CyberSTEM, where student engineers built stands out of drinking straws to support a small pumpkin.
A huge thank you to our club moderators for bringing these opportunities to our students. We look forward to seeing what next week brings!

 
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Ozobots
Posted October 21, 2021
St Louis School Third Graders put their measurement skills to the test as they designed and created test tracks for Ozobot robots. 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 code indicates move faster while a blue-red-blue code means turn 180 degrees.
Students were given a list of actions for the robot to perform and
instructed to create a test track which implemented those actions. #STEMatSLS
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Spotlight on STEM!
Posted October 21, 2021
In October 2019, St. Louis School was awarded certification as a STEM School by Cognia, formerly known as AdvancED. This award recognizes St. Louis' continuing commitment to STEM education in all curriculum areas. Cognia accredits primary and secondary schools throughout the United States and internationally and is the accrediting body for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) seeks to incorporate practical, hands-on engineering and technology experiences into traditional academic subjects. STEM promotes discovery, exploration, higher-level thinking, logical reasoning, collaboration, and problem-solving, both inside and outside the classroom.
St. Louis School is committed to helping students build their own connections between school, community, careers, and the world by preparing them to succeed in a very competitive global economy. #STEMatSLS

 
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Augmented Reality! (AR)
Posted September 17, 2021

In his book The Element, author Sir Ken Robinson states, “We are all born with extraordinary powers of imagination, intelligence, feeling, intuition, spirituality, and of physical and sensory awareness.” Students in Mrs. Whiteford’s Computer Class explored the power of imagination by learning about augmented reality and participating in the global DOT Day initiative to celebrate creativity, inspired by Peter Reynold’s book The Dot. After learning about augmented reality, the students used the Quiver App to experience some augmented reality of their own by watching their dots come to life. #STEMatSLS

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