NW Saturday Academy – Help us build a strong middle school cohort in Ward 4

[calexander]

Anonymous wrote:As a Shepherd parent, so happy to see Shepherd hosting this program--kudos to the developers for what seems like a great idea and investment of time and energy.

On the fundraising page, one of the stated goals of the program is encouraging more girls to consider STEM careers. Is anything concrete being done so that the program will actually enroll a good number of girls?

So far, 62% of our registrants are girls, so we are doing something right . There's been Twitter/online outreach to the various women's technology groups in the area, but I honestly believe that stating that as one of our goals did the most to make parents interested in having their daughters participate and not just assume that computers=boy thing.

I've met some really interesting people along the way, including a lady in my neighborhood who is a retired computer scientist. I never would have known that without some of the conversations we've had in putting this together.

[calexander]

Anonymous wrote:Will it rotate or always be at Shepherd? I guess it is at schools that are not Deal feeders?

Shepherd's principal has been super-duper helpful to us. She really went above and beyond in helping us get everything together.

Our original thought was to host it at a more centrally located facility, but our first attempt did not go so well.

With luck, maybe we can expand in the future, but our goal now is to have a successful first session.

[jsteele]

Christopher,

Congrats on getting this off the ground. It's an amazing accomplishment. Best of luck and hope for continued success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you need Saturday school to prepare your kids for Algebra in middle school, there are some serious problems!

No it is just what is needed, many of theses kids are capable but are able to do the work with some focus and support.

[Anonymous]

calexander wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will it rotate or always be at Shepherd? I guess it is at schools that are not Deal feeders?

Shepherd's principal has been super-duper helpful to us. She really went above and beyond in helping us get everything together.

Our original thought was to host it at a more centrally located facility, but our first attempt did not go so well.

With luck, maybe we can expand in the future, but our goal now is to have a successful first session.

Maybe I missed it, but what ages is it serving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

calexander wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will it rotate or always be at Shepherd? I guess it is at schools that are not Deal feeders?

Shepherd's principal has been super-duper helpful to us. She really went above and beyond in helping us get everything together.

Our original thought was to host it at a more centrally located facility, but our first attempt did not go so well.

With luck, maybe we can expand in the future, but our goal now is to have a successful first session.

Maybe I missed it, but what ages is it serving?

Grades 3, 4 and 5.

[calexander]

jsteele wrote:Christopher,

Congrats on getting this off the ground. It's an amazing accomplishment. Best of luck and hope for continued success.

Thanks Jeff. This was all inspired by "The Roosevelt Thread", so at least something productive has come out of the dozens and dozens of hours I have spent on this site

[Anonymous]

calexander wrote:

jsteele wrote:Christopher,

Congrats on getting this off the ground. It's an amazing accomplishment. Best of luck and hope for continued success.

Thanks Jeff. This was all inspired by "The Roosevelt Thread", so at least something productive has come out of the dozens and dozens of hours I have spent on this site

I'm glad someone has!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

calexander wrote:

jsteele wrote:Christopher,

Congrats on getting this off the ground. It's an amazing accomplishment. Best of luck and hope for continued success.

Thanks Jeff. This was all inspired by "The Roosevelt Thread", so at least something productive has come out of the dozens and dozens of hours I have spent on this site

I'm glad someone has!!!!

If only he had a nickel for every troll comment on here... wait - Jeff, can you do that? Troll fine fundraiser?

[calexander]

Hello neighbors, friends and trolls ,

Since we began our organization drive in the fall, many of you have either donated to or expressed an interest in our program. For those that don't know, the NW Saturday Academy (www.nwsadc.com) is an out-of-school time Math and Computer Science program for DC elementary school students. We are just past the mid-point of our pilot session and I am happy to share our latest update.

After a lengthy and relaxing Spring Break, the NW Saturday Academy is preparing to jump right back into the thick of things, beginning this Saturday morning. We had a great series of weekly class sessions before the break and we expect to complete the final weeks with the same energy and enthusiasm.

In our Algebra Prep class, we will warm up with an exercise in Measures of Variation – Learning about Mean, Median & Mode. The main lesson will be on Variables and Expressions. Our math teacher has gone above and beyond in providing challenges and activities to help the students absorb new content at an aggressive pace.

For Computer Science, our programming pairs are beginning to move beyond writing simple functions within the Minecraft Modding tool and into some of the more interesting lessons like building structures by using drones and creating loops. Our CS teacher keeps everyone moving and I am sure the good work will continue! The Minecraft environment is truly ideal for teaching computer science concepts because the students get to apply the concepts they learn immediately. They have learned that cooler discoveries always await in the next lesson.

Finally, in Lego Robotics, our three teams are still racing to attain the Programming Controlled Movement achievement. All teams have completed construction of their Mars rover and are now learning multiple ways to control it using the programming interface. The first challenge has been issued; which team is going to be the first to command their rover to advance to Mars Base control point?

Check out our blog to see a few photos which highlight our activities from before the break:

https://nwsadc.wordpress.com/

Regards,

Christopher Alexander
Founder, NW Saturday Academy
@NWSaturday | nwsadc.com | ideas "at" nwsadc.com

[calexander]

Greetings All,

I hope that your summer is going well. I am happy to share that the online math program that we use for the NW Saturday Academy (www.nwsadc.com) is now available to all students for FREE this summer (previously $39.95 / student).

The curriculum is geared for rising second graders through Algebra 2 and your child does NOT need to be enrolled in NWSA to join this Summer Math program. Prevent summer learning loss by having your child complete an assignment or two after a fun day at camp, at the beach (it's tablet friendly) or simply relaxing at home. I highly recommend it. Parents can even build their own incentives into the program to encourage their children to complete the lessons.

The link to register is: summer.tenmarks.com.

Have a safe and happy summer!

Christopher Alexander
Founder, NW Saturday Academy
www.nwsadc.com | @NWSaturday

[Anonymous]

calexander wrote:Greetings All,

I hope that your summer is going well. I am happy to share that the online math program that we use for the NW Saturday Academy (www.nwsadc.com) is now available to all students for FREE this summer (previously $39.95 / student).

The curriculum is geared for rising second graders through Algebra 2 and your child does NOT need to be enrolled in NWSA to join this Summer Math program. Prevent summer learning loss by having your child complete an assignment or two after a fun day at camp, at the beach (it's tablet friendly) or simply relaxing at home. I highly recommend it. Parents can even build their own incentives into the program to encourage their children to complete the lessons.

The link to register is: summer.tenmarks.com.

Have a safe and happy summer!

Christopher Alexander
Founder, NW Saturday Academy
www.nwsadc.com | @NWSaturday

It is really great you are doing this!

[calexander]

We're back!

I hope everyone is having a happy summer. We are busy preparing for our third (!) year of this program. If you have a child that might be interested, read on below.

Enjoy your weekend!

####


NW Saturday Academy, a DC-based non-profit organization, has a limited number of spaces available for new, rising third, fourth or fifth students who live in DC and wish to join one of our LEGO Robotics teams.
Come join us in this unique global competition, meet new friends and learn about science and technology in an exciting way.
Team meetings will start on August 27, 2016 and continue through Thanksgiving.

Register Your Child Online Now!

To register:

Go to: http://www.nwsadc.com/enroll-now/

Cost: $210.00 for nine team meetings (Saturdays), pre-tournament workshop time and an end-of-season regional tournament classes

Location: MacFarland Middle School, 4400 Iowa Ave NW

Dates: 8/27, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, tournament date TBD

Times: Saturdays, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Please contact Christopher Alexander if you need additional information. Email: ideas 'at" nwsadc.com

Learn more: NW Saturday Academy

[Anonymous]

calexander wrote:

jsteele wrote:Christopher,

Congrats on getting this off the ground. It's an amazing accomplishment. Best of luck and hope for continued success.

Thanks Jeff. This was all inspired by "The Roosevelt Thread", so at least something productive has come out of the dozens and dozens of hours I have spent on this site

So nice to read something so positive and to know that it was inspired by DCUM postings, wonder if that's a first. Kudos to you and everyone involved in helping get this off the ground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So nice to read something so positive and to know that it was inspired by DCUM postings, wonder if that's a first. Kudos to you and everyone involved in helping get this off the ground.

I would take that bet, at least for this board.