Enrichment Opportunities

GLOBAL ISSUES PROBLEM SOLVING TEAM COMPETITION 

Teams of four students work on practice problem 1, practice problem 2, and the qualifying problem (QP). There are 3 competitive divisions: Junior (4-6), Middle (7-9), and Senior (10-12).  Qualifying teams will be invited to the State Bowl in April. Teams that place first in each division at the State Bowl are eligible for the International Conference in June.

This year's (2022-2023) FPS topics are:

• E-Waste  (practice problem 1 Sept-Oct)
• Digital Realities (practice problem 2 Nov-Dec)
• Robotic Workforce (Qualifying problem Jan-Feb)
• Throwaway Society (State Bowl March-April)

Students work with teams to research the topic and work through a 6 step problem solving process to identify and address issues and challenges related to those topics.  It is a great way to encourage creative thinking and allow students to think outside of the box.

Future Problem Solvers is open to students in 6th-8th grade as well as the High School.

Contact Ms. Powell 437-7453 (Middle School Coach) or Mr. Kealy 437-7276 (High School Coach) with questions.

This is an enrichment opportunity for all 5th-8th grade students.  

Students are able to submit entries in the form of  Art, a Short Story, Editorial, Cartoon, or Poem.  Entries in each category must meet specific criteria (word/line counts, font sizes, spacing etc...).  See your Language Arts teacher for more specific details.  Your teacher will be able to give you a handout with contest rules and submission guidelines.

It is time to get creative and share your wonderful ideas and writing 
talents with us!   

Math 24 is a student competition for grades 4-8.  As students work with the 24 card deck, they are working with basic facts, mental math, problem solving, and patterning skills.

Students can choose to participate in the school level competitions and the top students from each grade level will be able to go on to a regional tournament.  The grade level regional tournaments are held throughout the greater Dane County area. 

The tournaments are based on the Math 24 card games produced by Suntex.  

4th Grade- Double Digits
5th Grade- Variable
6th Grade- Integers
7th Grade- Fractions/Decimals
8th Grade- Algebra/Exponents

**Practices will run January-February**

A Poetry Contest for Fourth Graders:

4th grade students are encouraged to write their own original haiku poems to submit at the end of January.   The winning poems from each school will be printed in an annual Haiku Booklet that is given to winners and participating districts.  The winning authors will be invited to a ceremony in the spring in honor of their accomplishment.  

All entries must include:
Student Name
School, City
District  

What is Haiku?  Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry.  A haiku has 3 lines.  The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables.  Haiku poems do not have to rhyme (they rarely do!).  Many haiku poems are inspired by nature and seasons...although you can write one about anything that inspires you!

Students in grades 5-8 with high ability in math and an interest in math competitions are encouraged to try out to become a part of one of our district Math Teams.  Our Math Teams go on to the regional level Math Meet each spring and compete with top math students form surrounding districts.  The top two teams at regionals move on to the Mega Math Meets and compete against students from all over Wisconsin.

The 5th-6th grade team is made up of 4 top Math students from 5th grade and 4 top math students from 6th grade, and an alternate from each grade.  

The 7th-8th grade team is made up of 4 top Math students from 7th grade and 4 top math students from 8th grade, and an alternate from each grade.

Teams practice  for the Math Meet before school and during RTI/ Viking Hour times.  The Math Meet is made up of several events including individual computation and problem solving,  mental math, and team problem solving. All events are timed.