Did you know that November 8th is National STEM day? In honor of this day we want to take a moment to highlight all of the amazing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities that we have going on at Washington Middle School. This year we have started off strong with lots of amazing STEM activities.
Students in Ms. Christina Turner’s classes work collaboratively daily. One of the activities students have been participating in is applying the engineering design process to design, construct, test, and modify structures made from spaghetti noodles and marshmallows. Students goals are to design the tallest possible structure that will remain standing with a fan blowing on high speed. Students in engineering design class have been learning all about circuits and how they work, they have learned all about parallel circuits, short circuits and have even created electronics from specific schematics. Students in our robotics classes Students studied the engineering design process, circuits, and basic robotics. Students then applied those concepts to the development and construction of "JunkBots", complete with design ideation pages, robots with working circuits, and reflective evaluations to build on for future robots.
Ms. Braswell's STEM exploration classes have been working very hard to build greenhouses for our school garden. These greenhouses will be used to help protect the plants in our school garden as the temperatures get colder during the fall and winter. They have also been completing challenges to build up their teamwork abilities. One challenge was to stack six cups like a pyramid using only string and a rubber band. Students were not able to touch the cups with their hands. Students enjoyed this so much that after they completed the challenge they challenged themselves to make a tall tower with the same restrictions.
Mr. Rynder’s computer coding classes have been working on creating their own games. These games were coded using block code, and some were coded using python code. They have also been building robots using nanoblocks. They raced the robots in the gym to determine who’s robot was designed and built to be the fastest. The students were very excited to see their creations racing.
Our 6th grade Science teachers Mrs. Bridges, Ms. McAlphin, and Ms. Escamilla have been having lots of fun labs in Science classes as well. Students recently participated in an insulated cup lab. During this lab students had to create an insulated cup that would keep their hot chocolate warm. They were able to test the temperature of their hot cocoa against other students to see which materials created the most insulated cup.
These are just a very few of the amazing STEM activities that we have going on at WMS every day. Each year students at WMS participate in a school wide STEAM event. Last year our theme was Medieval Madness. Students created catapults, castles, and knights armor, and we even had a teacher jousting event with pool noodles. We look forward to our big STEAM event later this school year. Keep an eye out on our social media pages for even more great Stem activities.
#inNOV8STEMtoSTEAM
Unlocking new worlds one page at a time.
Here's a look back at our last week in October.
Mrs.Ashcraft’s studio classes learned about Dia de los Muertos and created decorative sugar skulls.
Here's a look back at our last week of October.
Students in Mrs. Mohandas class practiced modeling fractions outside on this beautiful fall day!
Check out the flyer for more details on how you can get a chance to join in to win this amazing giveaway!
Spooktacular moments at our WMS Halloween costume event! 👻 Students and staff brought their A-game with creative and spooky costumes. Stay tuned for some hair-raising photos! 🧛♂️🧟♀️🕸️
See you tomorrow!
Look at these WMS students & staff rocking the 1950s look for the 50th day of school!
Here's your WMS Red Ribbon Spirit Week & Halloween Line Up:
•Monday, October 23rd: Crazy Sock Day
•Tuesday, October 24th: Tutu & Jersey Day
•Wednesday, October 25th: College Shirt Day
•Thursday, October 26th: House Colors/Pink Out
•Friday, October 27th: 50's Day
•Tuesday, October 31st: Disney & Halloween Costumes
*Costumes MUST meet dress code.
*No mask or scary costumes are allowed
Hello WMS parents/guardians don't miss out on the Fine Arts Fright Night on October 23rd! $5 tickets for Spooky Performance & Art Gallery $1-$5 Concessions, Activities, Games, etc. When: CARNIVAL GAMES @ 4.30PM PERFORMANCE @ 6:00PM Where: EHS Auditorium
A heartfelt thank you to all our amazing family members who made our WMS House Party Family Night a massive success! With a whopping 847 attendees, we saw some incredible house spirit.
🔵 Blue House had 177 strong.
🟢 Green House showed up with 191 members.
⚫️ Black House was well-represented by 223 attendees.
🔴 Red House took the crown with a whopping 256 members, winning the attendance challenge yet again!
To each and every one of you, thank you for making this night unforgettable. Your support and enthusiasm are what makes our school community truly exceptional. #Fourhousesonefamily 💙💚🖤❤️
We would like to thank Walmart for the donation of school supplies & the Boys and Girls Club for backpacks and their donations as well!
We are ONE day away from our Family Night House Party! We can not wait to see you tomorrow from 5:30 pm-7:00 pm supporting your houses with all your household members! Don't forget to bring some money to buy all the treats that will support the competition shake class for their trip this spring.
It's Teacher Tuesday during Spirit Week, and the roles have flipped! Our students are channeling their inner teachers/admin, and our awesome educators are embracing their student spirit. What a fantastic twist on this fun-filled week of spirit and creativity!
The 6th grade Science teachers would like to offer a huge thank you to the El Dorado Fire Department and Assistant Chief Rainwater for their visit to our 6th-grade science classes. 🚒👨🚒 They shared insights on thermal energy and its connection to firefighting. Your time and expertise are greatly appreciated! 👩🔬🔥
We had a Marvelous Monday to kick off this Homecoming Week! Check out some of these superhero we have at WMS. Don't forget tomorrow is Teacher Tuesday: students dress as the teachers, teachers dress as the students.
Look good, feel good. Feel good, shoot good! Your 2023 Arkansas Elementary State Champions were spot on for picture day and practice!
The Amazing Shake Competition Team has been busy this week. The team was happy to have Mark Day and Michael Kasnick from Lanxess come in to share insight on how to properly answer interview questions. The team was given questions to read, and then they were broken into groups to discuss those questions more in depth. Thank you again Lanxess for taking time out of your day to help give our students insight on how to properly answer interview questions.
Ms. Escamilla's Science classes dove into a mesmerizing glow lab today! They conducted a thermal energy experiment to explore the relationship between water temperature and the luminosity of glow sticks.
The science behind it is fascinating: The glow stick in the hot water beaker shines brighter because the molecules in hot water move faster due to increased energy. As the temperature rises, molecules gain more energy, resulting in a more vigorous reaction in the glow stick. On the other hand, the cold water beaker has slower-moving molecules, leading to a more gradual reaction in the glow stick.
Our students had a blast conducting this experiment, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Knighton for her invaluable assistance in every class and for baking cookies for our students. Also, a special shoutout to Mrs. Mann for delivering those sweet treats!
Get ready for an epic HOMECOMING WEEK at WMS! From October 16-20, 2023, we've got some incredible spirit days lined up:
🦸♂️ Monday, 10/16: Marvel Monday - Suit up as your favorite superhero!
👩🏫 Tuesday, 10/17: Teacher Tuesday - Swap roles with your teachers and dress the part!
💪 Wednesday, 10/18: Workout Wednesday - Rock your school-appropriate workout gear!
❤️🖤💙💚 Thursday, 10/19: House Color Day - Show your house pride in style!
🐾 Friday, 10/20: Wildcat gear day - Wear your school spirit from head to toe!
