Mrs. Harvell's eighth grade science students spent the week of October 17th learning science vocabulary pertaining to the properties of matter through two hands-on experiments.

In the first experiment, students watched ink molecules of Sharpies become soluble to alcohol and then spread across the materials.  The results of this experiment were turned into curtains now decorating Mrs. Harvell's classroom.

Students compared viscosity of vegetable oil to glycerine in the second experiment.

By the end of the week, students had a more in-depth understanding of the science terms they had been studying. Learning mission accomplished! Submitted by Kristen Rhodes. 

Mrs. Hicks' third grade class at WDE is working on reviewing reading assessments every couple of weeks in the form of socratic seminars. Students in the inside of the circle serve as the pilots (talkers) during this activity, while students sitting directly behind them are copilots (writers). Roles change every week. The goal of this socratic seminar is to get all students actively engaged and to "nicely" argue and persuade one another which answer is correct, while supporting their ideas using evidence from the text. In this activity, students are in charge their own learning. Submitted by Jessica Dawkins.

The WCSD Facilities Department held a district-wide Custodial Training & Expo on October 7^th at the WISE Center for all custodians and plant managers.  Guest speakers, trainers, and janitorial supply vendors all participated to educate employees on topics such as health safety, pest control tips, proper cleaning techniques, and equipment use.  Four educational training sessions were held to deliver this information to employees.  After the training, lunch was provided for everyone and donated door prizes were given away.  Participants enjoyed the experience and hope to make the training / expo an annual event. Submitted by Michelle Doggett.

Seaside Robotics students visited VRB fourth grade classes to show them how they built a robot and share about their program. Submitted by Sherrie Binkowski/FB.