Noetic Math Winners

Congrats To Our Honor Roll Awardees!

Earlier this year my class competed in The Noetic Learning Math Contest, which is an advanced, biannual, national math competition for elementary students. The goal of the competition is to encourage students to be interested in math, developing problem solving skills and inspire young learners to excel in math! My class did very well and we had nine students finish in the top 10% nationally, earning a spot on the Noetic Honor Roll. Wow! These students were awarded math medals. We also had many students place in the top 50% nationally, and these students received an Honorable Mention.

For the first time, Noetic also awarded Team Achievement Awards for this competition. My class tied for first place with another class in Georgia. Congrats to all students for being a part of this honor!

Finally, we had the top scorer nationally with a perfect score! We will be participating in the Noetic Math Competition again this Spring. 

Honored to be Named a Jacobs Educator

Dr. Thomas Brush (Chair, Instructional Systems Technology Department), Josh Mika, Me and Kate Baker

This past weekend I had to great honor of traveling to Indiana University to accept the Jacobs Educator Award. This is an annual award which recognizes teachers across the United States who are using technology to support innovative inquiry-based teaching and learning activities in their classrooms. 

The weekend was a whirlwind of activities and events including touring the IU Campus, meeting with faculty, staff, students, parents of students and the other two awardees. Saturday morning we were part of a panel during Parent Weekend called "Why Teach?", speaking primarily to EDU students and their parents about our views regarding the opportunities, challenges, and rewards of the profession.

Part of the Jacobs Educator Award includes new technology for the classroom along with communication and ongoing collaboration with Indiana University's prestigious school of education. We will be doing many video conferences and professors and students from IU will be visiting the classroom throughout the year to observe how my students use technology for Inquiry Based Learning. 

Google Glass!

The events this weekend were extremely positive and inspiration and I am so excited to be a part of the team of Jacobs Educators and working with Indiana University. Of course, I am so excited for new, cutting edge technology, too! 

Winners!

We entered many academic competitions and challenges this year and as is usually the case, many results are announced at the end of the year. The class once again did very well in the Noetic Math Competition. We had one perfect score and many other students finished in the top 10% nationally. 

Lots of other students earned an honorable mention, placing in the top 50% nationally. 

The class participated in the Continental Math League throughout the year and our first place winner (who earned perfect scores during all three meets) was rewarded with a trophy.

The analogy based WordMasters Challenge ended in a tie this year, with many other students doing very well! WordMasters Challenge winners each received a special medal.

 Last, but not least, the prizes finally arrived for the Be Kind People Project national writing competition! Not only did our first place winner receive a t-shirt and a gift certificate, the Be Kind People sent us goodies for the entire class! 

Congratulations to ALL students for their hard work and academic success this year! Competition is stiff in these academic competitions, and everyone performed well!

Honored to Be Named a PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator!

Millionaires!

Congratulations to our first two members of Fireside Elementary School's "Millionaire's Club!" These students have read (more than) a million words this school year. They will be honored at a school assembly, invited to a special ice-cream social and will each receive a one-million-dollar-bill. Wow! All students are welcome to participate in this school wide challenge. Keep up the great reading!