Partnerships

Each member of our Advisory Board is mentioned above. Along with a roster, positions and education are listed. It was important for Van Buren Elementary to have a diverse representation on the board. Having multiple perspectives will help Van Buren make the best decisions for our students.

The pictures above showcase our first community call out meeting on February, 20. 2020. We were thrilled by our turnout and these documents serve as evidence of the meeting and those who attended.

The document above contains information about community partners who have committed to supporting STEM education at Van Buren and neighboring Central Elementary. We are thrilled with the outpour of support. It is imperative for Van Buren Elementary to utilize as we continue to establish and maintain those relationships in the community. As we move forward and potentially add more community partners, we will be able to access this resource to guide us to know who to contact. We are currently developing collaborative relationships with an additional seven institutions through our partnership with MADE@Plainfield. These include Hendricks College Network, Department of Homeland Security, Ivy Tech, Vincennes University, Indiana Fire and Safety Academy, WorkOne, Town of Plainfield.

The presentation above was used to meet with potential community partners. It was important for Van Buren Elementary to provide a background to community partners and how they can help support our school and students.

The document above represents our partnership with Snapology. It is an overview of the Snapology organization. Van Buren Elementary has had great experiences with Snapology in the past, and are excited that they are a community partner.

Attached above are notes from four partner meetings. The notes highlight the revision Van Buren made based on feedback.

STEM careers are highlighted on student announcements every week. Student broadcasters create the slide, and communicate about the career on announcements for the entire school to see. The picture above is an example of a STEM career of the day.

Students learned what a community was, and then collaborated to make a 3D map and Lego Town. Students read about community helpers and then interviewed people in our community. A Police Officer visited the classrooms to read a book to the class and talk to them about his job. Students dressed up like community helpers and did life-size drawings of themselves as community helpers.

Students at Van Buren Elementary had the opportunity to visit with representatives from various careers during a career day. Representatives from the police, fire, EMTs, fitness, and utilities were among the the careers students could explore.

Astronaut Day for the kindergartners at Van Buren is a big deal! They learned all about the planets and astronauts with various activities throughout the day. They had to complete an obstacle course to prepare to be an astronaut, they made launch pads and pretended to be flying a rocket ship, learned about an astronaut's daily life in space and enjoyed Tang in a bag and a snack. They made moon rock rubbings. They learned about constellations and had to create their own. They listened to stories about the planets, had to choose the one they liked the most and write about it.

Part of being a third grader at Van Buren Elementary is being able to make a college visit. Third grade students have made the trip to both Indiana State University and Franklin College. The purpose of these trips is to learn about college and careers, as well as tour the campus and even eat in a college cafeteria. The pictures above highlight a visit our third graders made to Indiana State University.

Fifth grade students have the opportunity to step into the roles of newscasters and producers. Each day, the fifth graders write the student announcements, film the announcements, and deliver the announcements to the students in our school. Along with the announcements, student newscasters discuss values of the month, STEM careers, and announce birthdays. The document above is a script that was developed by students.

Van Buren Elementary is fortunate to have an involved police department that enjoys delivering lessons to our kids. In the pictures and video to the right, officers from the Plainfield Police Department deliver a lesson to students about speed, motion, and friction. The kids were able to see an exciting presentation put on by the police department as they watched a policemen go from full speed on a bicycle to a stop.

Hendricks Power presented a high voltage safety demonstration to fourth grade classes. The line crew demonstrated what happens when an individual comes into contact with 7,200 volts of electricity. The fourth grade was able to see firsthand what happens when trees fall through power lines, balloons make contact with overhead equipment and high voltage wires are downed on automobiles. The demonstration helped connect classroom lessons to real life situations.

During our playground remodle, our third grade students worked diligently on creating a playground design. They were fortunate to hear directly from the landscape architects of Context Design that renovated Van Buren's playground. Students worked through the design process, and they received direct feedback about their own designs. The pictures above highlight the presentation, and show the impressive student products.

First Grade students had quite the week learning about honey bees. They researched how bees live and what they need in order to survive. After a wide variety of activities, they were fortunate to learn from an actual bee keeper and see the various tools that go into making honey.

One of our community partners, Snapology, is very active in our schools. Our kindergarten students benefit from their visits, and the pictures above depict the wonderful program they bring to Van Buren. Kindergarten students are able to practice their engineering skills with the help of Snapology leaders.

The Plainfield Fire Department is very involved with Van Buren Elementary. In this particular example, students were tasked with creating a container to protect an egg when dropped. The fire department came out with their truck, and participated in the fun! Students were able to watch their prototypes being dropped by our local firemen as they tested the strength of their containers.

Van Buren Elementary has a robotics club that work together as they prepare for a competition. Pictured above is a group of students competing at a VexIQ Robotics Competition at our high school. At this competition, Robotics Club members competed against other schools to win the top prize.

Van Buren's Math Bowl team competes with other schools around the area during a competition that tests their math aptitude. Students compete four at a time in four different rounds to try and be the team with the most points. They practice all year long to prepare for this competition.

Students in our younger grades have the opportunity to participate in the Lego Club. It is an introduction to Lego Robotics. Students had the task of creating a Lego structure and a presentation board. Pictured above is a group of students with their finished project.

Throughout Van Buren Elementary, there are STEM displays highlighting "STEM in Action". All students who walk the hall are able to view these banners as they highlight STEM opportunities. We believe that it is encouraging to students to see themselves in photos working on STEM activities. Visualization is key to pursuing STEM career paths.

A fun way to show another career to all students was the Harpster Cartoon school visit. During this presentation, Van Buren students were able to hear from a cartoonist, and even participate in some of the fun to make their own cartoons. After this presentation, many students were excited to share their own creations. A description of a school visit is above for reference. Students with artistic interest do not always see career paths in the STEM area. Steve Harpster is an outstanding presenter who talks to students about the many career paths artist can pursue. We received overwhelming positive feedback from students on his presentation.

Showdown at Resource Ranch was performed by two professional actors who led students in grades K-5 through an action-packed Wild West adventure, all while teaching about energy conservation and resources. The show is brought to Van Buren Elementary by Duke Energy. Duke Energy is one of the largest employers in the town of Plainfield, and their involvement at Van Buren Elementary is beneficial for our students in regards to learning about energy sources. Students were able to talk to the women presenters after the show. We encourage the female students to pursue careers in STEM areas and believe that these types of activities will promote this goal.

The #MenINActionREAD took part with nearly every elementary classroom in Hendricks County being visited by a volunteer (male) reader. All students heard the same book and message. In Plainfield, 110 men signed up to read, and the results were pretty powerful. Volunteers took the morning off work, or are retirees who were eager to spend some time in a classroom. Volunteers took the morning off work, or are retirees who were eager to spend some time in a classroom.

One of the ways that our community is involved with our school is access to the Artist in Residence at the Imagination Lab. All students have the opportunity to learn from these artists, as well as complete projects with them. Many of the artists involved with the residence program are alumni of Plainfield Community Schools, and that is a great way for our students to give back to the school upon graduation.