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At Fort Lewis Elementary, 4th and 1st grade students traveled back in time for Colonial Day!. Students wore colonial period clothing, danced the Virginia Reel, prepared food from scratch, and played colonial games. Students were fully engaged in this immersive learning experience. With the help of the Frontier Culture Museum, our teachers, volunteers, and our students developed a deeper understanding of colonial life.

At Masons Cove Elementary, first graders learned about fractions—halves, fourths, and wholes—and their real-life uses, like cooking and sharing. We explored splitting our class (e.g., ½ boys, ½ girls; ¼ wear glasses). To conclude, students opened a "pizza shop," ordering pizzas with fractional toppings (e.g., whole cheese, ¼ sausage, ½ pepperoni, ¼ peppers). They used fractions to plan and build their pizzas, applying their knowledge in a fun, hands-on way.

At Burlington Elementary, the Windsock Project offers students a hands-on way to study wind's role in weather. By building colorful windsocks, they explore how wind direction and speed affect daily patterns. Testing with a fan shows wind behavior as the streamers move and orient away from airflow. This engaging activity connects meteorology to real-world applications in aviation, outdoor activities, and beyond.

At Masons Cove Elementary, students were able to play on the playground equipment to show examples of force, motion, gravity, and friction. Students also observed their peers on the equipment and drew pictures that illustrated where forces were applied. Students then looked at the cause and effect scenarios of all parts of the playground noticing that the equipment moved because of their force, gravity pulled students down, and for every action, there was an opposite reaction.

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At Northside Middle, 8th grade English students in Mrs. Waldron's English classes pitched their creative new innovations "Shark Tank" style in front of a panel of judges on September 27th in the NMS auditorium. Inspired by the science fiction readings of Ray Bradbury, students chose to work independently or in groups to create a new technology. Using craft materials, the 3D printer, 3D pens, and other MakerSpace materials, students constructed their own prototype of the product that would solve a modern-day problem. Students studied public speaking and persuasive techniques to prepare for their own stage presentations. Lastly, students also studied the fundamentals of a logo to create their own. We are "all in" after seeing these future entrepreneurs' great ideas and skills!.  

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At Clearbrook Elementary, following the reading of the book "The Shape of Things", the students partnered up and designed a shape creation of their choice meeting certain parameters preset.  They identified how many and what size shapes they would need from the precut selection of squares, triangles, circles and rectangles.  The students collaborated and problem solved with their partner to identify flaws with their design and original selection, they then had to go back to Mrs. Harrison to change out their shapes and justify orally why they needed to swap out pieces.  

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At Glenvar Elementary, In their Library classes, the students were asked to brainstorm some of their favorite story book characters.  They then wrote why they chose the character, and then decorated a pumpkin like their favorite character.

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At Glen Cove Elementary, each child was assigned a letter as the anchor point for their alphabet vest.  Students collaborated with the teacher and their families to design their vest.  All GCE students cheered on our kindergarten students during the alphabet parade

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At Cave Spring Elementary, in Mrs. Mowles’ fourth-grade math class, students were engaged in a collaborative and creative project called, “Design a Restaurant”.  Students worked in small groups, where they utilized previously learned math skills to design their own restaurant. The project involved planning various spaces within the restaurant (such as the kitchen, dining room, storage). Students worked together on several tasks.  They created the name and type of restaurant, developed their own menu, and designed the physical areas along with furniture arrangement of their restaurant.  Students used their restaurant’s specific details to solve multi-step word problems that required them to multiply two-digit numbers, determine the area of certain rooms in the restaurant, and to determine how much their furniture and materials would cost.   Mrs. Mowles’ students were excited, they remained focused on the tasks, listened to each other’s ideas, and managed their time during the process.  The final step involved students creating their own posters to display information about their restaurants.  Once their posters were complete, each group presented their project to the class.

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At Mountain View Elementary, as part of the unit on force and motion (SOL 5.3), students engaged in an interactive project to design ramps for toy cars using available materials. Their goal was to maximize the distance each car could travel. Through experimentation, they tested various ramp angles to observe the effect on speed and experimented with different ramp surfaces to find materials that either minimized or increased friction as needed. As the students grew more comfortable with the experiment, they introduced new variables by switching cars to see how changes impacted the results. One of the more unexpected challenges was managing collisions at the bottom of the ramp, which led to additional learning and creative problem-solving. This hands-on activity not only reinforced key concepts of force and motion but also fostered collaboration, critical thinking, and a genuine enthusiasm for scientific exploration.

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At Hidden Valley High School, Music Theory students explored rhythm by using Linx Music Making Software (LMMS) to create a basic “four on the floor” drum set beat with additional sounds and rhythms chosen by the student.

At Green Valley Elementary, first graders 3D printed Virginia symbols while fifth graders coded DASH robots to pull parade floats, aligned with HHS 1.12 and 5.AP.1 standards. The first graders identified 3D artifacts, added their initials as text features, and created project folders. Meanwhile, the fifth graders designed sturdy yet lightweight floats to support the artifacts as the robots navigated down the first-grade hallway. Students could choose to load their artifacts onto the floats before or during the robot's journey. This collaborative activity sparked excitement about coding among the first graders and fostered teamwork between the grades.

At Fort Lewis Elementary, third grade students engaged in a collaborative project with their kindergarten partners to design and construct a bat, as well as a device to transport the bat from the top of a zip line to the bottom. The students were encouraged to exercise creativity in designing and testing their inventions with the provided materials. Throughout the process, the third graders mentored their kindergarten buddies, reflecting on their designs and making necessary adjustments to ensure that their creations moved smoothly along the zip line and traveled the required distance. Students explored and applied concepts related to force, motion, gravity, and balance while learning how to communicate, collaborate, and think critically.

At Mount Pleasant Elementary, first graders in Mrs. Broughman’s class observed the life cycle of butterflies from egg to butterfly and described the physical properties during each stage. During this deeper learning experience, students communicated with their peers and teachers about their observations, read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts on the topic, and applied problem-solving skills to maximize the number of successful butterfly hatchings when the location of the chrysalis was not ideal.  This was an experience that vertically aligned with kindergarten and 2nd grade standards and has enriched student learning with memories that will last a lifetime.

At Herman L. Horn Elementary students read the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind  (true story) by  William Kamkwamba. Students were given the task of creating a working model of a wind turbine.  The students had to use the energy of the wind (hair dryer) to rotate the blades.  In addition, the turbine had to lift a load of water (we used pennies) as it rotated.   Students had to determine:
-What was the best way to get their turbine to spin and which materials to use?
-What was the best axle to use?
-How they were going to get the load to lift as the blades spun?

Northside High hosted its first school wide club day. Students had 38 options to select from based off personal interest. The clubs and activities presented students an opportunity to cultivate deeper learning, continued focus on building a positive school climate, and fostering student/staff relationships to support our conscious discipline practices. The event encouraged students to find new passions and connect with peers who share similar interests, setting a positive tone for the school year ahead.  We are looking forward to the next club day! 

At Glenvar High, students worked together to design a city. First, students evaluate the different types of businesses and the different forms of business ownership. Students examine urban planning and discuss the wants and needs of a city in terms of businesses. Students were able to see urban planning in real life by researching the current revitalization plans for Downtown Salem. Students collaborate to determine what types of businesses our city needs/wants. Once students have decided on a business, they create vision boards and start designing their store front. After designing their store front, students construct the buildings in the library. Students then work together to determine the best layout for their city. Some students become the “city managers” and oversee the city layout and create final touches for the city.  This is a yearlong project that students will continue to use. Students will use their business throughout the year to develop a SWOT analysis, determine target markets, build a brand, create advertisements, and create a business plan.

At Cave Spring Middle, students worked in groups to design, build, and test a Chain Reaction device using at least 1 smart motor and 3 simple machines. The challenge was to park a vehicle in a garage using at least 4 steps. Students collaborated and used both creativity and critical thinking to complete the challenge. First, students had to create their plans, record their observations, and make necessary changes. They then communicated their results by creating a video showing their solution and presenting their device and video to the class.

At Hidden Valley Middle, Mrs. Tyree facilitated an interactive stations activity in her life science class that focused on reviewing the scientific method. In groups, students rotated through eight stations that were designed to have them dive deeper into hypotheses, observations, inferences, variables, data, and graphs. Throughout the activity, students had to think critically and apply prior knowledge to new scenarios and problems. The activity was an effective review of course content, and it also provided students with the opportunity to demonstrate various Opportunity Ready skills including communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

At Glenvar Middle, in our recent Bubble Lab, students collaborated in small groups to test three different soap solutions to determine which produced the largest bubbles. They communicated their hypotheses, designed experiments, and recorded measurements for each soap. Through critical thinking, they analyzed their data, compared results, and discussed the factors that influenced bubble size. This hands-on experiment fostered teamwork as students worked together to complete their tests, communicated findings, and used problem-solving skills to refine their methods and draw conclusions about the most effective soap for bubble production.

At Penn Forest Elementary, students were given a map of rivers/streams flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. Using Ozobots, students had to get their Ozobot from their house to the Chesapeake Bay (using directional codes).  Along the way, they had to draw pollutants & code the Ozobots to do special moves (ex. spin if they hit oil runoff).  Once their Ozobot reached the Chesapeake Bay, students had to record their watershed address. 

At Bonsack Elementary, students were "Mining for Chocolate" The challenge was extracting chocolate while minimizing debris teaches students about resource management and the potential impacts of mining on ecosystems and communities.   The cookie itself is the resource they’re mining, and they need to be careful not to let any debris fall onto the representations of homes, animals, and businesses around it. This adds an extra layer of strategy to the activity, as they have to consider not just how to extract the chocolate but also how to protect the surrounding environment.

At BCAT - Mara Pufko lent her expertise as a former English teacher to seniors in the Center for Engineering. She helped them understand and communicate specific elements that could help their college application essays stand out from others. This was a collaborative effort between Sara Gerrol, the new Director of the Center for Engineering, and the BCAT Jobs for Virginia Graduates (JVG) coordinator.

At Cave Spring High School - during the Barbie Bungee Experiment, students worked collaboratively to formulate and test a bungee cord length using rubber bands. Students went to the upper annex stairwell to see if their Barbie could survive the bungee jump.  Regardless of the outcome for their Barbie, students showed a joy for learning while working collaboratively in a group setting.

Oak Grove Elementary students wanted to do something to help families who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. They began by brainstorming and researching common items people need the most after a natural disaster. They created flyers using Canva asking for donations from the Oak Grove community which were posted in the school, sent via email, and printed to go home with students. They also helped set up the collection area in the hallway. This was a great way to show off their collaboration, communication, and citizenship skills. So proud of them!

6th Grade Social Studies students at William Byrd Middle School were tasked with creating representations of Native American Tribes.  Students collaborated with their groups to determine three specific representations they would complete.  Following the completion of these projects, students in the classroom put on a "Live History Museum" presentation to staff members, administration, and School Resource Officers.

Fifth grade students at W.E Cundiff Elem. worked in teams to design and build pumpkin catapults during their study of different forms of energy: kinetic vs potential energy. Each group was given a specific list of materials to use to create their catapults and answered a series of questions to help them during the design process. After catapults were built, teams tested their creations out and engaged in a bracket style competition to see which catapult launched the candy pumpkin the farthest. To further promote deeper learning experiences Team Cundiff students reflected on the design process afterwards to discuss possible changes to enhance the performance of their inventions.

At Burlington Elementary, students were given a specific budget to plan an enjoyable picnic for their families.  Students had to take family size and food preferences into consideration when planning.  The project required them to allocate funds for various components of the picnic, which included appetizers, main course, beverage and dessert. To successfully complete this project, students engaged in thorough research to identify the prices of their selected items. This involved checking local grocery stores and online resources for current pricing. They worked in small groups to foster teamwork and encourage the sharing of ideas. Each group was tasked with creating a professional presentation to showcase their picnic plan, which included details on their budgeting process, item selections, and the overall theme of the picnic.  This collaborative effort not only enhanced their planning skills but also emphasized the importance of working together effectively.

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At Back Creek Elementary, students are currently creating a poster that they will present to their peers on our 1st Annual Career Day and to their parents during our Student Led Conferences in February.  Students are researching the career they would like to have in the future.  They are explaining: why they chose the career, what training/education is required, who they would be helping, and what they think they will like about that career.  They are then creating a poster in Canva that includes a choice of Design elements (background, colors, fonts, graphics), Content (Career Title, Job description, skills required, education required, salary), Layout (sections, bullet points, consistent format), Interactive Elements (QR code), and Inclusivity (Diverse Representation). 

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At William Byrd High, Physics students worked together on a lab to verify the formula for trajectory of a ball on a ramp and discuss issues arising from real world experiments and their accuracy.