Focus on STEAM

Each month we have a Focus on STEAM link on our homepage.  Focus on STEAM is meant to bring attention to an event or subject that may not be included in one of our STEAM headings. STEAM is an interdisciplinary way of learning.  This page will include our Focus on STEAM events, subjects and projects.  Please check back each month to see our past content.

Focus on STEAM

January 2021 - 

February 2021 - 

March 2021 - 

April 2021 - 

May 2021 -

October 2021 - 

Pumpkin Read-Alouds - Spookly the Square Pumpkin and Room on the Broom

February 2022 - 

2022 Winter Olympics

In STEM we have been learning the Science and Engineering of the Winter Games. Students are creating and competing in Curling, Snowboarding, and Ice Hockey! 

VEX Robotics - 2022 State Competition!

Congratulations to our VEX Robotics team!  Two of our teams are on their way to the state competition! 

Technology Fair 2022 -

Students in grades 3rd - 12th have the opportunity to participate in the Forsyth County 2022 Technology Fair.  For more information and to register by the January 14th deadline visit their website. - 2022 Technology Fair

March 2022

STEM Challenge - STEM DAY March 4th

March 4th is Stem Day! Are you up for a challenge? To celebrate STEM Day, we would like to have a school wide STEM challenge. Starting February 28th we will kick off our Balloon Tower Challenge. Each classroom will be given a pack of balloons and a roll of masking tape. The goal is to build the tallest tower using only balloons and tape. Students will take measurements and record them online.  We will collect all of the measurements on FRIDAY, then select a winner from each grade level.

March 19th, Riverwatch Middle School

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the 2022 Science Olympiad Regional Tournament!

Pi Day - March 14th, 2022

See all things Pi 3.14! 

Greenhouse and Plant Drive

Spring is in the air at Sawnee Elementary!  We are kicking off spring with our new greenhouse and plant drive.

March 7th - 10th drop off plants to building 1 STEM lab or the front office.


We are excited to announce that we now have a new greenhouse at Sawnee! Our school is so excited to get our hands in the dirt and start planting! Our greenhouse will give our students an opportunity to have hands-on experience when learning Life Science standards. In the future we hope to create a greenhouse club for students who love planting, and create a Sawnee’s Farmer’s Market to share our produce. Our greenhouse will also help support our Forsyth County Green School program.


A big thank you to Central High School STEM Academy, Kennemore Wholesale Nursery, Landscaping One Inc, GYSTC, Southwind Farm and Feed, and Home Depot for your support and donations!


Sawnee will be holding a plant drive March 7th-10th.


A big thank you to our local companies that donated materials for our new greenhouse!  We are so thankful for the support of our community!


Sawnee Elementary Garden - 

What's Growing?

Sawnee Elementary is very busy this spring!  Last month, we had a plant drive for our new greenhouse.  Our Science Olympiad team has been busy tending the garden and greenhouse. Last week, they got to harvest and taste some of the plants including romaine lettuce, oregano, basil, rosemary and they're looking forward to trying the strawberries when they  ripen.  Students have been learning how to plant and care for a garden as well as assisting in the design of a new garden!

Earth Day -

Friday, April 22nd is EARTH DAY!

Theme - Invest in our Planet! 

Thursday, April 22, 2022 is EARTH DAY

Becky Chatham's Earth Day Teacher Pay Teacher List! - Check out Becky's suggestions for free Earth Day Teacher Pay Teacher Resources!

Celebrate the planet you live on by giving back.  Invest in our Planet

Question:  What can your classroom do to cut down on non-renewable resources?

 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Question:  How do humans impact the earth?

Natural Resources, Our Carbon Footprint, Landfills and Recycling 

Looking for ART Ideas to celebrate EARTH DAY?

 Check-out these ideas!

50 Ways to Earth Day: To celebrate visit Discovery Education's website that includes live events, videos, challenges, Virtual Field Trips, and fun family activities from Discovery Education’s. Explore these resources! 

Every April 22, we celebrate Earth Day! earthday.org.


Arbor Day - National Arbor Day is April 29, 2022

To learn more visit - Earth Science

May the 4th be with you! - May 4th, 2022 - 

See What's up at Nasa for May!


September 2022

September is a great time to get outside and get your gardens ready for the fall.  We're cleaning out our greenhouse and getting the beds and chicken coop ready for the fall and winter.  We are very thankful for our Sawnee community for their contributions, labor, time, care, and continued support to make our school an inviting learning environment.

Chicken Tenders - 2022-23 Sign Up!

Volunteer to become a chicken tender!  We need help caring for our chickens.  Please signup on our Signup Genius! chicken tenders will help feed, water, coop maintenance, etc. throughout the school year including breaks!

Microgreens

Our 5th grade gifted students are learning all about microgreens and utilizing our indoor grow stations and hydroponic garden.

AG Bus

We are excited that we were selected to have the Georgia Ag Experience visit our school! We are the first school in Forsyth County to be selected. The Ag Experience is a state-wide agriculture bus “classroom/museum” that travels to different schools in the state. 

October 2022

October 1st is Astronomy Day - 

October 5th SpaceX Crew Dragon lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida

October 11th Ada Lovelace Day and Math Festival at Sawnee - 

SAW Math Festival.pdf 


December 2022

Forsyth County Technology Competition 2023

2023 Technology Competition

This year's Lanier Regional Technology Competition will be held at Whitlow Elementary School on January 21, 2023. The vision of the Georgia Technology Competition, through a statewide technology competition, is to challenge and empower students to become leaders in the digital age. The Forsyth County regional Tech Competition participation is open to all students in grades 3-12 who reside within Forsyth County, Dawson County, Lumpkin County and Union County.  

 

TIMELINE INFORMATION

December 1 - January 13 - Student Registration

January 21 - Lanier Regional Technology Competition

Hour of Code Week! December 5th - 9th

Students can log into ItsLearning to access fun activities to learn about coding.  Sawnee Elementary utilizes Code.org to teach block code programming.  

Computer Science Education Week

"CSEdWeek is an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity in computer science education, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners to the field. "

March 2023

Sawnee VEX Robotics Teams Going to Texas!

Read more about it in Forsyth County News Article!

Welcome Spring!!

We are getting ready for Spring at Sawnee Elementary!  Mrs. Downs enjoyed a new friend in the STEM lab last week!

We are getting our greenhouse ready for spring! Landscaping One was kind enough to install a new irrigation system in our greenhouse.  We are so thankful for our community members and all of their help!  

Chicken Tenders - 2022-23 Sign Up!

Volunteer to become a chicken tender!  We need help caring for our chickens.  Please signup on our Signup Genius! Chicken tenders will help with feeding, watering, coop maintenance, etc. throughout the school year including breaks!

Sawnee Science Fair Winners 2022-23


We had a great showing at the school Science Fair today with over 90 entries!!! Congrats to our winners: Ivie (1st place), Tharunika (2nd), and Aarav (3rd)!


A big thank you to our Science Fair Judges this year!

Mrs. Slaton and Mrs. Mace (Forsyth County instructional coaches), Mrs. Carmichael (from Georgia Farm Bureau), Mrs. Warbington (from Warbington Farms), and Mrs. Henkel (from GYSTC). We appreciate your time and dedication in helping make our Science Fair a success!


Our Science Fair was a big success! We were blown away with every single project that participated. Congratulations to Ivie, Tharunika, Aarav, Wyatt and Lynley, Myra, and Arshia!


March STEAM related events!


Georgia STEM Day - March 3rd 


The Atlanta Science Festival - March 10th - 25th


Pi Day - March 14th 3.14 


Georgia Agriculture Awareness Week - March 20th - 24th


Congratulations Rohan! 3rd Place in Programming - State Science Fair 2023


April 2023

Introduce a Girl to Engineering -Hosted by ACEC Georgia

Event is April 15th - Register at acecga.org.

Earth Day

April 22, 2023 - Celebrate the planet you live on by giving back! Earth Day Ideas!

National Arbor Day

April 28, 2023 - National Arbor Day


Parents of rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders- if you would like to learn more about the academic teams offered at Sawnee, there was an informational meeting on Thursday, 4/13 @ 4pm.  If you couldn't attend the virtual MS Teams meeting, no problem!  The meeting was recorded.


Please click this link to watch the Academic Teams meeting Sawnee Elementary Robotics, Math Team, and Science Olympiad Meeting-20230413_160140-Meeting Recording.mp4

CHICKEN HATCHING TIME!

We have chickens hatching in the STEM lab! Check out the live-stream below! Official Hatch Day is 5/3/23, but we may see one a day early!

Sawnee VEX Robotics Teams Going to Texas!

Watch our VEX Robotics teams at World's!


Dear Friends, 

Here are the teams and times to watch our robotics teams compete.

When you open the website, there are many screens to watch.  Look for the screens with Science, Technology, and Design.  These are the categories where our teams are competing. Here are the teams' schedules

 

Texas is central time.

Wednesday competitions

51451S      51451A      51451R

Science     Technology  Design

10:26       10:32       9:54

11:48       11:30       11:10

2:18        1:13        1:33  

 

Thursday's schedule

8:55       8:42        8:22

10:08      9:39        9:06        

11:53      10:43       10:19

           11:18       11:53

To Watch the competitions click here - WATCH VEX WORLDS: IQ ES

Website for World Championship: World Championship for VEX Robotics!

May 2nd to May 4th, 2023

Read more about it in Forsyth County News Article!

Let's cheer our Sawnee Elementary VEX Robotics teams as they compete at the World Championship for VEX Robotics! Sawnee has three teams competing at Worlds.  Congratulations to Rogue Robots, Team Gorgeous Group and Team Roboshot for qualifying for the World Championship!

Welcome Spring!!

We are getting ready for Spring at Sawnee Elementary!

We are getting our greenhouse ready for spring! Landscaping One was kind enough to install a new irrigation system in our greenhouse.  We are so thankful for our community members and all of their help!  

Bunnies!

A family of bunnies have taken up residence in one of the boxes in our greenhouse!

Chicken Tenders - Summer 2023 Sign Up!

Volunteer to become a chicken tender!  We need help caring for our chickens over the summer.  Please signup on our Signup Genius! Chicken tenders will help with feeding, watering, coop maintenance, etc. throughout the summer!

CHICKEN HATCHING TIME!

We have chickens hatching in the STEM lab! Check out the live-stream below! Official Hatch Day is 5/3/23, but we may see one a day early!


May STEAM related events!


May the 4th be with you! 5/4/23


Explore Nasa JPL website for May the 4th Be With You ideas!



Sawnee VEX Robotics Teams Go to Texas!

Recently, three teams from Sawnee Elementary went to Texas for the VEX Robotics World Championship.  They competed against teams from all over the world.  Students showed tremendous respect and determination at the event!  Congratulations to all of the students and parents that attended!   Read more about their qualifying for Worlds in this Forsyth County News Article!

Welcome Spring!!

We are getting ready for Spring at Sawnee Elementary!

We are getting our greenhouse ready for spring! Landscaping One was kind enough to install a new irrigation system in our greenhouse.  We are so thankful for our community members and all of their help!  

Chicken Tenders - Summer 2023 Sign Up!

Volunteer to become a chicken tender!  We need help caring for our chickens over the summer.  Chicken tenders will help with feeding, watering, coop maintenance, etc. throughout the summer!

Click here to see instructions for how to care for the chickens!


May STEAM related events!


May the 4th be with you! 5/4/23


Explore Nasa JPL website for May the 4th Be With You ideas!


Bunnies


A mama bunny decided to make one of our planter boxes their own personal burrow! She gave birth to 5 baby bunnies! Sadly, the babies have all left except for one!


One baby bunny gave our 5th graders a little scare today as they were working on harvesting our carrots! Our intrepid little bunny decided to make an appearance! It was hiding underneath our shelving!  


October 2023 -

Trunk or Treat at West High School - 5 PM to 7PM - October 26th

Trunk or Treat to  support VEX - 11 AM to 2 PM - October 22nd

Solar Eclipse - October 14th

This Saturday there will be annular solar eclipse (approx.11:45am -2:45pm). Georgia will probably be able to see 50% obstruction.

Remember- you cannot look at the eclipse directly.


November 2023

Microgreens - STEM AG - Students in our STEM AG group are growing microgreens!  Microgreens are made from greens that have been harvested, just 7 to 14 days after germination.

VEX Robotics - has been in full swing and they are working hard and competing against other teams to make their way hopefully to the state competition later in the school year!

Visit the VEX robotics page for more information and photos!


Science Fair Save the DATE

Sawnee Elementary will have a Science Fair in January 2024! Please see the Save the Date below: Registration starts December 1st and registration ends on December 19th, 2023.

January 2024

Science Fair - January 18th

Sawnee Elementary will have a Science Fair in January 2024!

Lanier Regional Tech Competition - REGISTER BY JANUARY 5TH

The 2024 Lanier (formerly Forsyth) Regional Technology Competition will be held on January 20, 2024 at Whitlow Elementary School. Student registration is free for all students and is open now thru January 5th. More information can be found on the Tech Competition web page


. Students can register using the link below:

https://register.gastc.org/#/landing/Forsyth


FEBRUARY FOCUS ON STEAM 2024

COMPUTER SCIENCE - NEW EVO OZOBOTS

Big Thank you to the PTO for our new EVO Ozobots!  Students are loving the new autonomous mini robots.  EVO Ozobots can be programmed with markers or OzoBlockly a block based programming language.

Congratulations Courtnie Downs!!

Our very own Courtnie Downs is the recipient of the 2024 Don Cargill STEM Scholar Award! This prestigious award was given by the Georgia Youth Science & Technology Center (GYSTC).


Focus on STEAM

March and April 2024

Science Olympiad Regional Tournament

Saturday, March 23rd our Science Olympiad teams competed for a chance to go to the state competition in May. Both of our teams did a wonderful job.  Our team B came in 2nd overall and won a trophy.  We're very proud of our students! We want to thank our parents and volunteers that helped and supported the kids throughout the school year! For more pictures and information visit our Science Olympiad page!

VEX Robotics Try-out for 2024-2025 Season

Thank you to all of our current VEX Robotics team members and their families. Our team had many successes!  Check out this Google slideshow!  Or visit the VEX page to see more!

Do you want to be in VEX in 2024-25?

Read this information about VEX Robotics and our expectations for the year. Once you've read that and if you want to submit an application to try-out, fill out this formDO NOT WAIT - ALL APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BEFORE FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024.

Computer Science

Sphero Indi Robotic Cars

Thank you to the PTO for the mini-grant! We were able to purchase 3 sets of Sphero Indi robotic cars and the kids are loving them!

Watch this video of some of our older kids enjoying the Sphero Indi cars.

STEM

Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. This causes an obscured view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially.

INFORMATION: https://sites.google.com/forsythk12.org/2024-total-eclipse-resources/home

WHEN: APRIL 8, 2024

WHERE: For a map of the path of the total solar eclipse visit Nasa's website.

Image courtesy of Nasa website.