Spotlight On: Scientists in School

Did you know that your child gets to participate in an extra-curricular science program in their class every year?

Every class at Gledhill gets to experience a half-day session with a scientist from the Scientists in School program (http://www.scientistsinschool.ca/) and have hands on interaction with material that is relevant for their specific grade.

For example, some classes might learn about animals and get to touch and feel different animal skins and artifacts and some might learn about volume and weight and use different equipment to test out their predictions and learn about the concepts.

The purpose of the program is to engage students in real-world experiences that spark curiosity and nurture their inquisitive minds to help them discover the fascinating and fun side of science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and the environment.

Each year the session your child participates in will be a little different so they will get many unique scientist experiences while they are at Gledhill.  It is a favourite and memorable event for students.

AND, parents get to join in the fun!

If you are able, teachers usually ask for 4-5 parent volunteers to assist in your child’s class during the scheduled time. Volunteers get to help at one of the hands-on stations and work with students in smaller groups. There are clear instructions at each station as well as help from the scientist leading the session which helps make the learning and instructing easy and fun. You also get a glimpse into the life of your child and what their classroom and classmates are like – it is a nice way to spend half a day.

The teachers at Gledhill are also very supportive and appreciative of the program as it is a great supplement to their teaching and it encourages students to use hands on material that may not otherwise be available.

This is what one of our amazing teachers at Gledhill, M. Leclerc, said about the program:

Scientists In Schools always enriches our science programs at Gledhill. Their programs can be a great way to launch or wrap up the key ideas of a science unit. The scientists (instructors) are able to conduct their workshops many times over months or years, so they know how to maximize their half-day visit so that our students learn a ton. 

This year my class was extremely engaged, using appealing and age appropriate science equipment at each station to explore pulleys and gears and build on their own understanding of concepts as they moved through activities. The kids are also very excited when their own parents can come and volunteer for this workshop. Thanks Parent Council, it’s not always easy to round up the gear for a class to explore a topic in such depth!

The School Council, with the help from all parents at Gledhill, are happy to fund this program each year with money we earn from our fundraising efforts (the total cost is approximately $3,000 each year). 

Thank you to the Gledhill staff and administration for supporting this important and well-liked program and thank you to parents and guardians for making this program possible.