Coaches Clinic

Here is an excerpt from an announcement from the State Director:

Given the responses to my last email I have decided to set the date of the clinic for Saturday, November 8th 2008. I apologize if this date does not work with your calendar. The clinic will be held in Virginia, location to be determined. Since we are growing and now incorporate schools from far outside the northern virginia region I am looking to shift the clinic further south below Fairfax County with respect to the individuals who may need to travel 2 hours + from southeastern and southwestern virginia.

Plan that the clinic will be a full day with presenter sessions. There will also be an important 30 minute session with information regarding special information for the regional and state tournament set up and tournament rules for this year. You will want to be present.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS- If you are willing to prepare and present a 45-50 minute session on a particular event please let me know. I am looking for volunteers

The clinic is open to all teachers, coaches, parents, volunteers so please let them know. There will be a registration for the clinic set up on the website with an online submission form beginning Oct 1. This will help me to get an idea for how many individuals will be present.

Fee- unlike the other state coaches clinics which generally charge a fee to attend of at least $75, I am not charging this fee for our clinic, however I am asking for coaches, parents or volunteers to make a donation to VASO if you are inclined and can do so. We are planning to bring the biggest and best set of tournaments we have seen but need to funds to do so. We can accept donations via check or using credit card on our new paypal system. No donations are too small and each dollar goes to assist us in our efforts to expand and pay tournament expenses. As a note coaches who have supervised events at the state tournament in the past often needed to purchase their own consumables materials or paid for xeroxing, it is our plan to reimburse those expenses.

If you are planning to attend another states clinic please e-mail me to let me know. I will be presenting sessions at the North Carolina clinic and the Coast to Coast clinic in Sacramento, California.

Dine with the director- after our clinic I invite anyone to join me for dinner. The idea is that I will have the opportunity to get to know you and hear your thoughts about SO and find out what your needs are as a coach, parent leader, team etc. When you register please indicate if you plan to attend dinner afterwards. Dinner will be at a restaurant/cafe local to the clinic with standard american fare (Panera, Chilis, etc.) We will provide dessert but cannot cover the cost of the meal.

Status of Team

We will have information about the team, assignment of events, etc. by next week.

Registration Update!!!

Science Olympiad

We had the mandatory meeting tonight, Tuesday, 9/23, at Hughes and I brought home 11 registrations. We have space for only 15 team members and 5 alternates. If you want to join, please get the application in ASAP. Don't wait until Friday, 10/3, the last date when I will accept registrations. We will be out of space sooner than that.

Registration Form - Due Friday, October 3, 2008

All registration papers must be completed in FULL and turned into Mrs. Z (science teacher) by October 3, 2008. Placement on team will be on a first come first serve basis based on complete forms - including parent/guardian volunteer sign-up. If you need a form, you may pick one up from Mrs. Z (science teacher).

Important Links

http://virginiaso.com/coachesresources.html
http://soinc.org/
http://fso.creol.ucf.edu/NCCRegistrationMain.htm
http://www.newyorkscioly.org/SOPages/Coaches08.html
http://www.centervillescienceolympiad.org/
http://www.sciencenc.com/Coaches_institute/index.htm
http://www.illinoisolympiad.org/
http://fso.creol.ucf.edu/NCCRegistrationMain.htm

Competition Dates

All team members who are competing MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR THE REGIONALS AND STATE AS WE ARE GOING TO BOTH (more than one team from each school is permitted to compete in Regionals and only one team may be sent to State)

Regionals: February 21, 2008 and February 28, 2008

State: March 21, 2008

National: May 15-16, 2009, Augusta, Georgia,

Detailed Events Descriptions

knowledge may be tested at stations where actual specimens may be observed or in some circumstances pictures may be examined.

Anatomy (B) - Teams will be tested on their knowledge of anatomy and health concepts as they are related to the structure and function of the skeletal system and the effects of aging and diseases on them. This event may be presented in the form of a paper/pencil style academic test, but may also consist of a series of timed lab stations each with specimens for analysis.

Bio-Process Lab (B) - Teams will demonstrate biology laboratory skills related to selected topics at a series of stations. Students will be required to use tools and instruments commonly used in biological research to make observations, collect data, perform calculations, and draw conclusions.

Compute This (B) - Teams will be presented with a problem which requires quantitative data capture from the Internet and the presentation of data in a graphical format with the use of a computer on site. Students will then be required to answer a series of questions relating to the data set which they have collected and analyzed. This year students will collect data from the United States Geological Survey web domain (www.USGS.gov)

Crave the Wave (B) - Students will demonstrate their understanding of waves and wave motion. This event will incorporate a mixture problem solving questions requiring students to demonstrate their understanding of introductory wave concepts and hands on tasks. Some questions may ask students to use mathematics to problem solve.

Disease Detective (B/C) - This event requires students to apply principles of epidemiology to a published report of a real-life health situation or problem related to how population growth impacts public health. The Centers for Disease Control is the official national sponsor for this event. More information can be found at www.cdc.gov/excite

Dynamic Planet (B/C) - Teams will work at stations that display a variety of earth science materials and related earth science questions with special emphasis placed on earthquakes and volcanoes.

Ecology (B/C) - Students will answer questions involving content knowledge and process skills in the area of ecology and adaptation by examining different ecosystems. This year special emphasis will be placed on grassland and desert ecology.

Elevated Bridge (B/C) - Teams will design, build & test the bridge with the greatest efficiency. The efficiency of the bridge is equal to the mass of the load it successfully held divided by the mass of the bridge. Bridges are constructed from wood such as balsa or bass as explained fully in the official rules. The design and build phase will take place at home or in the classroom while the testing phase is conducted onsite at the competition.

Environmental Chemistry (B/C) - Teams will be asked questions pertaining to environmental chemistry, which may include chemical reactions, characterization, and quantification. This year students will be required to analyze the chemical makeup of soils and predict the maximum yield of certain plants if grown in those soils. This event is a lab based event.

Experimental Design (B/C) - Given a set of unknown objects, teams will design, conduct, analyze and write-up a valid experiment which contains a set of variables, constants, and control.

Fossils (B/C) - Students will identify, describe, and classify various fossil specimens at a series of stations. A list of all possible fossils that will be used in this event may be found on the national event resources page for fossils at http://soinc.org/fossils_c

Meteorology (B) - This event involves the use of process skills as applied to the field of meteorology. Students will demonstrate their understanding of earth and planetary systems that impact climate. Emphasis will be placed on how changing conditions on earth have contributed to climate change in the past and ongoing changes to Earth’s climate today.

Pentathlon (B) - Teams will compete in an academic pentathlon to demonstrate their overall understanding of five major science content areas (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science and the Nature of Science).

Physical Science Lab (B) – Teams will demonstrate physics laboratory skills related to alternative energy sources. Students will build a wind driven propeller capable of generating voltage when exposed to wind currents.

Reach for the Stars (B) - Teams will identify stars, constellations, and deep sky objects and be knowledgeable about their evolutionary stages. This event may include a series of stations requiring students to demonstrate process skills in this area observation of stellar phenomena from inside a planetarium.

Road Scholar (B) - Requires the accurate interpretation and understanding of various map features using a variety of road and topographic maps. Students must also generate their own map using a map scale, the public land survey system and USGS official map symbols.

Robo-Cross (B) - Students will design and build a robot capable of performing certain tasks. This year’s task involves moving prescribed items into various scoring areas on an outlined playing field. Competitors earn points for each item moved into a scoring zone.

Science Crime Busters (B) – Teams will identify the perpetrators of a crime or crimes by using paper chromatography and analysis of unknown solids, liquids, and plastics found at the scene of a crime. This is a lab based event that may include a series of stations. The use of forensic equipment including a microscope is required during evidence analysis.

Scrambler (B) - Teams will design and build a mechanical device which uses the energy from a falling mass to transport a Grade A uncooked chicken egg along a straight track. A wall has been placed directly at the end of the track. Teams earn the most points if their scrambler comes closest to the wall without breaking the egg. The scrambler is designed and built and pretested prior to competition. Official scoring takes place on competition day.

Trajectory (B/C) - Teams will design, construct, calibrate and operate a device capable of launching a projectile into a target using energy provided by nonmetallic elastic solids. The design and construction occurs prior to competition but final testing occurs in competition phase.
Wright Stuff (B) - Teams will design and build a rubber band propelled aerodynamic device. Teams earn points based on their device’s time aloft.

Write It/Do It (B/C) - A technical writing exercise where students write a description of a contraption and other students will attempt to recreate it using only the written description from a duplicate set of pieces.

General Information

Science Olympiad is a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.

This is achieved through a team based competition which is separated into divisions. Middle school division is B (6th through 9th).

A team is composed of 15 students and study/work on 23 events. Two students will work on each event. Hughes will have one team this year.

Events are as follows:

Academic Knowledge Events
Anatomy, Disease Detectives, Ecology (Deserts, Grasslands), Dynamic Planet (Earthquakes, Volcanos), Fossils, Meterology (climate), Reach for the Stars, Pentathlon, Amphibians and Reptiles.

Lab Based/Inquiry Events
Bio-Process Lab, Road Scholar, Physical Science Lab, Environmental Chemistry, Science Crime Busters, Compute This, Experimental Design, Write It/Do It

Building/Tech Events
Elevated Bridge
Trajectory
Robo-Cross
Wright Stuff
Scrambler Car