April Newsletter for Madeira’s Gifted Program
Fifth Grade
Parents,
Thank you for purchasing the tri-fold boards and helping your child make the 9th Annual Research Fair a success! Thank you for visiting, inviting others, transporting all of the items back home, and helping to clean-up the gymnasium after the fair ended. I greatly appreciated everything!
We have three days remaining in the gifted program. It is hard to believe the year is almost over! Here is our schedule for the remainder of the year:
May 5th – Creek Day (details below)
May 12th – Thomas More College Biology Field Station (form attached)
May 19th – Rocket Day
Our creek walk with Ms. Roth, Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District Education Director, has been postponed due to the weather. We have rescheduled it for Tuesday, May 5th. Students should bring rubber boots on Tuesday if they want to collect specimens.
We will be taking a field trip to Thomas More College Biology Field Station located on the Ohio River in California, Kentucky on Tuesday, May 12th. We will leave MMS at 9am and return around 1:30pm. I have attached the field trip form to this e-mail.
If you need summer camp ideas, the Hamilton County Educational Service Center’s Gifted Department created a six-page summer camp list. I have attached it to my website. If your child likes horseback riding, playing in the creek, building robots, computer programming, sewing, marine biology, astronomy,….there is a camp for them! We are so fortunate to have many opportunities in Cincinnati. If you would rather e-mail me for summer camp ideas, feel free.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Dr. Alley
Our exciting second semester projects are as follows (Shakespeare & Research Fair have ended):
1. Mystery River – This is a great science and language arts problem-based learning simulation for middle school students. The simulation is from the same company who produced “Mystery Disease” (our first semester simulation). Students are trying to solve the mystery of the disappearing mussels. They receive receive weekly clues to analyze and synthesize for their final project.
2. Rocketry – We are continuing our study of rocketry by analyzing the timeline. Last week, I showed students a photo that I took of German rocket scientist, Konrad Dannenberg (part of Von Braun team during WWII), when I attended Teacher Space Camp in Alabama at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I would highly recommend this facility as a summer camp for your child. They have a parent/child space camp as well.
More enrichment ideas…
Cincinnati Observatory in Mt. Lookout - View Saturn’s rings!! “Saturnday” will be May 30th from 9pm-11pm. The cost is seven dollars. Their phone number is 321-5186. No reservations needed. Cincinnati has the oldest public telescope in the country.
William Howard Taft National Historic Site (2038 Auburn Ave.) – The former president’s home is a neat piece of Cincinnati history. There is a small museum on the property as well as the home tour. I would recommend it. It is open from 8am until 4pm daily including Saturdays and Sundays. The phone number is 684-3262.
Reds Hall of Fame Museum – I was so impressed with the museum. I would highly recommend it. You can visit on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-5pm, or you can visit on game days. The phone number is 765-7923. The cost for adults is $10 and admission for children is $8. The National Underground Railroad Museum is steps away from the Reds Hall of Fame Museum. The entire museum is not set-up for young children, but they have shows and exhibits appropriate for all age groups. The welcome desk will tell you what areas are appropriate.
Krohn Conservatory “Butterflies of Philippines” is open! The show will end on June 21st. It will be open daily from 10am-5pm. I love this yearly exhibit! The Cincinnati Art Museum is just around the corner. They have exhibits to appeal to the interests of everyone – sports, music, Native Americans, fashion, etc.
Visit Loveland Castle – 12025 Shore Drive in Loveland. Chateau Laroche began in 1929. For more information visit lovelandcastle.com It is an interesting tour!
“Whales” is showing at the Omnimax at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Check their website for show times. They usually play the show every hour.