ST 1.10 - Community, post-secondary, and business/industry partners and/or families actively support and are engaged with teachers and students in the STEM program.
Red Cedar Elementary is fortunate to have a number of active community partners, family members and businesses that provide support for our teachers and students in their STEM learning. Their expertise and participation in our daily projects only strengthens the real-world connection for our students and builds a connection to their outside world. We strive to build an environment that welcomes the families of our students and other community members by hosting events such as ESOL STEM/Literacy Night, Shark Tank, and the Art Festival and including them in our task to build 21st Century learners. Even more importantly, as a part of our PBL/STEM learning, we need and benefit so much from having community members come into the school both in person and virtually to guide student learning.
ESOL STEM/Literacy Night
Through our ESOL Nights, we work to bring families into the school for the opportunity to help them understand our goals and include them in the process and learning with their child. At our ESOL/STEM Night, teachers read the book, Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty in both English and Spanish. After discussion and explanation of what STEM is and how we incorporate it throughout the day, families worked collaboratively to be architects and construct stable structures using noodles and marshmallows. They worked to see the value in their language and discussion to complete their task.
Red Cedar Arts Festival
The Arts Festival at Red Cedar Elementary School is a day when different professionals from the community who work in Arts related fields come in and present to the students on what they do, the skills they need to complete their job each day and how they got to where they are now. Each grade level has the opportunity to interact with these community professionals, learn about their area of expertise and how students could pursue a career in that particular area of the Arts.
First Grade Leaders Panel
Our first grade students were challenged to determine what qualities make someone a good leader. As part of their research they interviewed a leadership panel consisting of leaders in our community. They used their knowledge from the interview, research about historical leaders, as well as class discussions to design a museum that would highlight leadership qualities of different memorable American heroes.
Red Cedar Stew
All grades, students, staff, teachers and outside stakeholders take a part of this project. Our principal, Dr. Corley, explains more here!
Everyone hard at work chopping!
Fox Shoppe
To raise money for their 5th grade camp, students started a "Fox Shoppe," which was a mobile cart of items featuring the school mascot, Foxy. Students raised almost $6,000, which was enough to reduce the price of their camp by about $60 per student. The students conducted research surveys to determine which items to sell, developed their own pricing to ensure that they would make a profit, conducted regular inventory, and made new supply orders as needed. Students invited local community members to a presentation on the project, including our mayor, Lisa Sulka. Students asked these community leaders to contribute to the project by donating $75 to help start and grow the shoppe.
Career Fair
It’s never too early to start consider life goals and career paths. To help our students begin to reflect on their career path and have experiences with industries they may not have access to outside of school, Red Cedar Guidance Department hosts an annual Career Fair. Community and business partners engage with fourth and fifth grade students at Red Cedar during our Career Fair. They helped to reinforce the concept of how scientific analysis and technical skills are important in many career fields.
ST. 1.11 - Students are supported in their STEM learning through adult-world connections and extended day opportunities.
Red Cedar students are supported in their STEM learning through real world connections, a key component of STEM learning. Our school provides opportunities for our students to have real world connections through their experiences and participation in Maker’s Faire, our STEM-centered clubs, The HIlton Head Symphony Orchestra and many more. Field trips, or “field study” as we often call them, are an integral part of our problem-based PBL units. They serve to help engage in hands-on research about the subject matters as students work towards an end product.
Clubs
The Fox Clubs offer a positive environment before and after school in which students can grow and thrive in their interests. We offer a variety of clubs like drum and dance, dance ensemble, drawing, and art club where students learn new techniques and spark students’ imagination. The robotics club boost students' problem-solving skills, teamwork, creativity, and technical knowledge in an engaging, collaborative way. The RAKtivists and Planeeters clubs allow students to contribute in our community and our school though outreach projects with retirement homes and planting trees throughout Bluffton. The Sports club teaches club members the fundamentals of a variety of sports. Foxes Jam is an amazing opportunity for members to learn winds and violin at a very young age. Throughout the year the Foxes Jam perform for the school and they have even had the opportunity to perform the Cranford Hollow. All our clubs are an important step in preparing them for life outside of academics.
Maker Faire
During our Annual Maker Faire in March, Red Cedar showcases both things that have been made by the students as well as “making in action” where items are made in real time. Teachers and students alike are on-hand to answer questions about their learning experiences related to the products that have been made. Parents and community members enjoy being a part of the learning, and at the Maker Faire they get the opportunity to jump in and learn alongside their children through many interactive stations.
Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra
We benefit greatly from our partnership with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. They help us by providing instrumental lessons through our Foxes Jam club, visit our school to provide learning experiences, and invite large groups of students to attend concerts away from school. Our experiences with the professional musicians support our mindset of thinking in different ways and working as a problem solvers. For example, during one session the maestro worked with students to problem solve through how the tones of instruments change based on the shape and size using homemade instruments. This hands-on experience allowed students to manipulate the hose and temper the sound to hear the effect. Students learned about timbre and tone color through this real-world experience.
Foxes Trot
The Foxes Trot 5K is an annual event that strives to promote healthy lifestyle choices and offers our students and their families a real 5K race day experience at a low cost. For the past two years it has been a PBL project completed by a committee of 4th and 5th graders with teacher help. The students had a variety of responsibilities for the planning and preparation of the race.
The student committee members:
Wrote and delivered persuasive letters to local community businesses to sponsor the cost of putting on our event.
Wrote Thank You notes to Community Sponsors.
Planned and Created Commercials and Posters to advertise and promote our event school/district wide.
Designed Awards/Medals and Race Shirts for
participants and winners.
Worked with local law enforcement and town officials to map/plan the race course and make sure the course is safe.
Served as Race Day Volunteers or ran the race itself.
Surveyed race participants afterwards to see how we could improve our race for the next year.
The students also selected two charities to donate any proceeds we made from race entries. They selected to donate to our local Back Pack Buddies organization and also purchased special water fountains for our schools to encourage healthy choices for students.
Camp Bob Cooper
Each year, our fifth graders plan, raise funds and attend overnight camp at Camp Bob Cooper. This is an incredible experience for our students to experience a variety of critical thinking, hands-on opportunities to support their learning. Some of their experiences included
Students study forest composition by identifying and classifying things found along a hike trail. They study roots, stump sprouts, seed dispersal, forest productivity. They work to calculate how many trees are needed to build a 2,000 square foot house.
Students learn how soils form. They use augers to explore the layers of soil. They test the pH levels of soil. They learn how different properties affect plant growth, animal use, water quality.
Students learn what types of pollution affect water quality. Students test water chemically and biologically. While wading in a stream or pond, students collect and identify aquatic invertebrates. Students determine the water quality by the presence or absence of certain species.
Students capture aquatic animals. They identify fish and invertebrates and learn how their characteristics and behaviors play a role in the ecosystem. They study habitats and how changes in a species affects the ecosystem.
Students also participate in a variety of activities which promote problem-solving and team building. These include canoeing, a ropes course, team games, and archery.
