As of today, all of the Science Fair Board components (question, hypothesis, materials, procedure, data tables and graphs, and conclusion) should have been turned in, in their finalized form (i.e. typed!). Students should also have either purchased a 36" x 48" tri-fold board or pre-ordered one from the school.

A number of students have not completed all of the tasks associated thus far with Science Fair. The grading for Science Fair is as follows: there is one grade on timely completeness- for each component the student either turned it in, completed and on time, or didn't. There is a second grade for quality- the descriptions of the expectations were included in the Science Fair packet, and students are being held to the "meets expectations" standard. These two grades will be calculated on the grades that will go out for progress reports in two weeks. They have a large impact on the overall Science grade this quarter; students that have been remiss in turning in their Science Fair components must have all components in by Friday 29 January if they are expecting to receive points on them.

There is a third Science Fair grade calculated once the final board is completed and turned in 17 February; and there is a separate score from the judges of the Science Fair that will also be included in the final Science grade for the third quarter.

Science Fair is an assessment not just of a student's ability to work within the scientific method, but also of their ability to work independently on a long-term project with several components and due dates. It is about responsibility and accountability. Please check in with your student this week and ask after the status of their project.

Wednesday of this week (27 January) is the 100th day-- we need every student in attendance!

8th graders have a Chemistry exam on Thursday.

7th graders have a Minerals exam on Friday, as well as a 1 page report due on the origins and uses of a mineral of their choice. This paper must be typed, and include a map showing where their mineral can be found.

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful break, and that those Science Fair projects are well on their way.

As we begin the second half of the year, we'll be focusing on AIMS review in 8th grade, which means that in addition to the new material on chemical bonding and genetics, we'll be looking back at our physics and periodic table facts. In 7th grade we're starting out with volcanoes, moving on to rocks and minerals, touching on environmental science, and ending with biology; even though there isn't a 7th grade AIMS exam, I still expect students to retain information from past units, and will be assessing them accordingly.

In January and February homework assignments will be minimal to allow students to keep up with their Science Fair projects. Please refer to the handouts students received before break for due dates, instructions and expectations.