Student Council Events for 2007 - 2008
On January 4th 2007 the Student Council Hosted a School Wide
Assembly for the NEADS Guide Dog Program. They provided a demonstration
of a service walker dog, Laddie, by her owner Kristin Law and a puppy
in training was also brought to Dawson School. This was a kickoff for a
school wide community fundraiser. Dawson raised enough funds to be able
to name a puppy entering the Puppy Nursery and Early Learning Center at
NEADS, to contribute to the Adopt-A-Dog Program for the early 2008
graduating class and to purchase some puppy toys. Our puppy was named
“Dawson”. NEADS periodically shares photos and information about Dawson
which are on display in the school hall.
Student Council Creates Kingdom of Math-a-Magic For Dawson Families
On April 5th, 2008 Dawson Elementary School held its annual
pancake breakfast, only this year it had a unique twist. After dining,
parents and students had an opportunity to visit the Student Councils
Kingdom of Math-a-Magic. Upon entering the decorated portals, they were
greeted by characters such as the Houdini Brothers and the Abracadabra
Algebra Wizards. They promised that in only five minutes they could
teach anyone to solve simple linear equations and they did! Their
youngest student was a 2nd grader and their oldest was a grandmother
who claimed that after using the manipulative, Hands-on-Equations, she
understood more algebra than she ever had before! Click here for photos
The Princes of Problem-Solving had a booth, as well as the Queens of
Calculation, the Countess of Estimation and various assorted citizens
hosted mathmagic activities in this special place. Adults and children
had numerous opportunities to determine if they were number whizzes.
There were toothpick puzzles, tangrams, and pentominoes to arrange for
those who love the visual side of math. There was a card trick where
the wizard could identify any card a participant pulled from a deck
and, unseen, determine the number as well as its suit after completing
some mysterious math calculations! There were calendar capers that
revealed the magic and interesting patterns of numbers on any month’s
page. For those who love geometry, they could try their hand at
creating a variety of origami creatures. There were libraries of books
about numbers that parents could read to younger children who haven’t
yet mastered the abstract concept of number.
All in all, parents and children were astounded by the amount of math
magic they experienced in the kingdom. Most adults left the various
activities simply shaking their heads and several were even overheard
murmuring: “I think these kids today are smarter than the adults!”
Well, these wizard WERE fifth graders and maybe the television show,
Are YOU Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? is on to something. While there
was lots of math magic, it is no mystery that it took lots of hard
work, missed recesses, and dedication for the wizards to perfect their
math-a-magic tricks!
Student Council
The Student Council is a group of six 5th graders, two from each class,
who plan activities for the school that help make the school a bit more
fun, that contribute to the community and also provide a positive
atmosphere for learning.
Each Council member had to run a campaign complete with designing a
poster and giving a speech to his/her class. School elections were held
on November 4th. Dawson fifth graders voted for representation the same
day their parents voted for community representation.
What is it like to run for Student Council?
Council member say it was an awesome experience to create a
powerful campaign and even more awesome that it worked and they got
elected! Some members had siblings on the Council so they have wanted
to be involved since first grade. Members say they felt confident after
overcoming the fear of giving a speech and enjoyed coming up with a
campaign slogan and using their computer skills for the poster design.
Their advice to other students who may want to run for Council in the
future – have a positive attitude and practice your speech, spell out
your ideas, don’t be tense, look at the audience, don’t speak too fast
and most of all have fun.
After elections a suggestion box was placed in each fifth grade and
then the Council members selected activities based on those
suggestions.
Grade 5 Science Exposition
Science can sometimes seem like magic and mystery but leads to
discovery and invention! Dr. Dale Schimmel, District Supervisor for
Math and Science spoke with the fifth grade to help students who choose
to participate in the Science Expo prepare their ideas for a project.
She pointed out scientific inventions that changed the world such as
gunpowder, paper making, matches, the rudder of a boat and the wheel
barrow. She also reminded them that science surrounds us all when we
think of the principles that make some toys work, how bubbles pop or
why salad dressing separates. The Science Expo can be a chance to
explore the why behind such phenomena, to share a collection or conduct
an experiment. Please visit the Guidelines Link to help you to prepare
for the Expo.
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