8TH GRADER, MIRA MUTNICK WON 1ST PLACE IN 2015 FULTON COUNTY REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR AND ADVANCED TO STATE LEVEL

Fulton Science Academy Private School 8th grade student, Mira Mutnick, won 1st place in Fulton County Regional Science Fair today in the category of “Behavioral and Social Science” with her project titled “What is the effect of age on the fears a person has?”

Congratulations to Mira, her family, and her teachers for this achievement.

Science Fair Mission Statement 
The Georgia Science and Engineering Fair (GSEF) is dedicated to encouraging all Georgia’s teachers and school districts to incorporate active science and engineering research into their classrooms in order to help students
1) develop a love for science
2) learn to isolate important problems and to attack and solve these problems within the framework of organized, logical thought, careful research, and a detailed analysis of facts, and
3) showcase and celebrate their achievements.

STUDENTS AND PARENTS ENJOYED CYBER SAFETY PRESENTATION

We were happy to have Detective Laurie Nicholson and officer Allen from the Alpharetta Police Department talk with our 4ththrough 8th graders about cyber safety. Your child’s safety, of course, is a major concern of ours. Please take the time to talk with your child about what they learned.

Some things that we should remember:

· Be careful who you are “friends” with online. Unless you personally know the person you are communicating with online, you don’t know for certain who they are.

· Be careful what you put on the internet, you can never get it back. Don’t share any personal information online or inappropriate pictures.

· Always show and tell your parents or an adult if inappropriate words or pictures are sent to you.

We are always looking for ways to improve the safety at FSA, including our technology and internet usage. Each of our middle school students has been issued a school iPad. We plan to begin random checks on the iPads. We will be looking for anything inappropriate on the iPad itself and in the history of internet usage.

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ENJOY SPANISH CLASSES

¡Hola de la clase Español! Second semester Spanish is off to a great start! Students are learning how to use correct gender and plural formation when adding adjectives to nouns and their articles. It's so exciting to see students master this concept and apply these rules with previous vocabulary. Students are now starting to put the pieces together and communicate using simple sentences. Parents, please encourage your child to teach you Spanish at home!

In our cultural studies, we are moving on from the Aztecs and slipping back in time to the highly advanced Mayans. We are learning about their very complex three-part calendar system which was more accurate than any calendar used in the Western world during the 1800's when it was first discovered. The Mayans as well as the Aztec did not possess metal tools nor did they use metal within their artwork other than gold and silver sparingly in their jewelry and other adornments. Just like their temples and pyramids, most of their carvings were made primarily of stone. Wood and jade were also used to carve intricate figures depicting their various mythological Gods.

Obviously, carving into stone or jade is not an option for my classes, so students in all grades are making various embossing relief patterns in thick layers of tin to create beautiful renditions of both Aztec designs and Mayan calendar symbols. Students have really outdone themselves! Look for these stunning works or art to be on display next week! ¡Hasta pronto!

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD STUDENTS ENJOYS EXTENDED STUDIES

Mrs. Ayer's Science Olympiad Team enjoys their extended coaching session on Mondays from 4.30pm till 6.00pm. Students have chance to spend more time on their events and work as a team and they enjoy pizza parties at the end. As a result of students' hard work, our straw tower can hold more than 500grams and our straw bridge is 90cm long (it should be more than 72cm). A big thank you goes to Mrs. Kafalas and Mrs. Patel for bringing in Donuts and Pizza.

TURKISH CLUB PREPARES FOR SOUTHEAST TURKISH OLYMPIAD

In Turkish Olympiad Club, all students are so excited for counting down for Turkish Olympiads. This year Turkish Olympiad will be held in Jacksonville on Saturday, February 28th. We will be participating in singing and poetry categories this year. Speaking contest will be on April 25th in Jacksonville as well.

WE WISH SUCCESS TO VENLA HARKONEN IN STATE COMPETITION

FSAPS student, Venla Harkonen is a year-round competitive swimmer at SwimAtlanta in Roswell. Venla will compete in 2015 Georgia Age Group Short Course Championship State Competition between Feb 13th-15th. We wish her success at the State level.

1ST GRADE STUDENTS ENJOYED TELLUS MUSEUM VISIT

First grade students had a terrific time at the Galactic Weather exhibit of the Tellus Science Museum! Students have been studying weather at FSA, and this was a perfect hands-on review for us! We explored weather instruments, discussed types of clouds, and talked about weather on other planets. Students were also able to explore a few of the museum galleries!

The pictures below show students experimenting with the effects of different mirrors, using weather instruments, and using a cloud viewer.

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD TEAM WINS 2ND PLACE AT DODGEN INVITATIONAL

On Saturday, January 24, the Fulton Science Academy Private School Science Olympiad Team competed in the Dodgen Invitational, one of the premiere Science Olympiad competitions with teams from five states. FSAPS placed a close second to Piedmont IB School from Charlotte, North Carolina, who finished ninth at Science Olympiad Nationals last year. FSAPS Team members medaled in 19 of the 23 events, demonstrating great consistency. Head coaches Pam Walsh and Gloria Stathos were proud of the team’s performance. “This was definitely our hardest competition to date and our students really performed well,” said Mrs. Walsh.


Individual awards were earned by the following students:


Air Trajectory – coached by Ms. Tang
3rd Place – Simon Wang and Akash Bhatt


Anatomy – coached by Ms Doraiswami
4th Place –Araneesh Pratap and Sanjeev Uppaluri


Bio Process Lab – coached by Mrs. Uppaluri
2nd Place – Elaine Wen and Araneesh Pratap


Bottle Rockets – coached by Mr. Seker
4th Place – Andre Hamelberg and Akash Bhatt


Can’t Judge a Powder – coached by Ms. Lang
4th Place – Hasan Unal and Sarah Lucas


Crave the Wave – coached by Mr. Wang
1st Place – Simon Wang and Brian Shoffeitt


Crime Busters – coached by Ms. Lang
1st Place – Sarah Lucas and Hasan Unal


Disease Detectives – coached by Mrs. Bhatt and Ms. Chirumamilla
3rd Place – Brian Shoffeitt and Akash Bhatt


Dynamic Planet – coached by Mrs. Walsh
4th Place – Mira Mutnick and Sanjeev Uppaluri


Elastic Launch Glider – coached by Mrs. Walsh
3rd Place – Karuna Kumar and Andre Hamelberg


Entomology – coached by Mrs. Butler
2nd Place – Isabella Sims and Madeline Dressel


Experimental Design – coached by Mrs. Stathos
2nd Place – Simon Wang, Mira Mutnick, and Ananya Terala


Fossils – coached by Ms. Beres
1st Place – Araneesh Pratap and Faith Lucas


Green Generation – coached by Ms. Larson
2nd Place – Faith Lucas and Elaine Wen


Meteorology – coached by Mrs. Walsh
3rd Place – Sanjeev Uppaluri and Ananya Terala


Road Scholar – coached by Mrs. Stathos
1st Place – Mira Mutnick and Karuna Kumar


Simple Machines – coached by Mrs. Duzyol
3rd Place – Brian Shoffeitt and Araneesh Pratap


Solar System – coached by Mrs. Walsh
3rd Place –Brian Shoffeitt and Araneesh Pratap


Write It, Do It – coached by Mrs. Stathos
2nd Place – Mira Mutnick and Karuna Kumar

GREAT RESULTS IN STATE FUTURE CITY

On Saturday, January 24, the Fulton Science Academy Future City Team competed in Future City Competition at Southern Polytechnic State University. They won four awards including one of the seven special awards “Team of the year”. Even though it was the first experience for our teachers and students of Future City, they are off to a wonderful start!
FSA team took months to plan and build their city. Before the final judging on Saturday, team was required to prepare 5 components for the competition. The competition components are as follows:

1- Research Essay: Students do a wide research on a predetermined concept and write an essay. This year’s theme was to choose two foods (one vegetable and one protein) and design a way to grow enough of each within the future city borders to feed all of the citizens for at least one growing season. Taking into account your city’s size and location, students must consider the critical elements needed to grow food including light, climate, air quality, space, water, soil, and nutrients. Our team developed a futuristic farming method called SEAS (Smart Efficient Aquaponics System). Aquaponics is a system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water.
Below is a paragraph from our research essay describing what the SEAS is and how it works.

‘‘The initial SEAS design consisted of a large steel cylindrical structure containing an aquaponics farm inside. To this, numerous large fish tanks were added as well as trays where watercress is produced. The SEAS is extremely efficient. All required energy is produced by a solar panel on top. Sensors collect data such as temperature, humidity, light levels and carbon dioxide levels which can be monitored remotely. The collected data is evaluated by SEAS software and can be sent to remote devices. Automatic shades control the amount of light entering the structure to regulate temperatures depending on the weather and time of day. Insulation can also be deployed to protect the fish and crops during winter months.’’


2- Virtual City: Students use SimCity software to design a city that progresses into the future.

3 - City Narrative: Students write a narrative (maximum 500 words) describing their future city’s key features and design attributes. The purpose of the City Narrative is to give the judges a quick overview of the future city’s infrastructure and its public services.

4- 3D Model: Students build a physical model of a section of their city using recycled materials that has at least one moving part. The model does not need to be an exact building-by-building duplication of the virtual design. Rather, the purpose of the model is to give a three-dimensional, creative representation of an area that best represents the team’s vision of their future city.

5- Presentation: Students give a 7 minute presentation discussing features of their future city followed by a 5 - 8 minute question and answer period from the judges (overall time will not exceed 15 minutes). Be sure to check with your Regional Coordinator for exact competition times.

All future city students worked cooperatively for months focusing on different components of the competition. They worked at cabin camps, stayed for after school meetings and participated home tutoring sessions. All of their effort paid off! They won “Team of the Year Award” , “Most Innovative Construction Techniques Award”, “Accessible City” and “Excellence in the use of Building Materials Award”.

Congratulations to all team members!!!
Amisha Darji
Luke Westerfield
Kian Najaf
Shourya Jasti
Sparsh Kudrimoti
Akash Bhatt
Rithvik Konda
Ananya Pottabhathini
Mr. Tuzen and Mr. Kurt

6TH GRADE EARTH SCIENCE CLASS ENJOYED WATER TREATMENT INTERACTIVE MODEL

Terry Porter, Environmental Educator for the City of Alpharetta, visited our 6th grade Earth Science class this past Friday, January 23rd. Mrs. Porter brought in the Water Treatment Interactive Model. Mrs. Porter led students through a variety of hands-on experiments to better understand the stages of cleaning water for human use. Students joined to the activity and did the steps all together. It was fun to see the water color changes from brown to clear! Thank you Mrs. Porter

FSAPS SUMMER LEADERSHIP CAMP

Please click here for detailed information and application form for 2015 FSAPS Summer Leadership Camp.

ANIME CLUB LOCK-IN WAS LOTS OF FUN!

On Friday January 16th the FSAPS Anime Club had a Lock-In as an opportunity for students to collaborate with others who are fans of the Anime art form and interested in both traditional and pop Japanese culture. The Lock-In began at 4:30 pm with attendees perusing a menu to order Hibachi dinners and contribute thoughts on our sushi selections. Students then engaged in playing card and board games, created geisha bookmarks using origami paper, learned some simple brushstroke techniques to create their own bamboo paintings, and enjoyed a delicious dinner. We may have watched a little Anime as well J The almost all night long event (students took a break in the wee hours of the morning to grab a quick nap) concluded with a breakfast of eggs, fruit, doughnut holes, and Ramen noodles (yes, Ramen).


A big thank you to Mr. Tuzen and Mrs. Unal for helping this event run so smoothly.

100TH DAY CELEBRATION WAS LOTS OF FUN

Our Kindergarten students had such a great time celebrating our 100th Day of School this past Thursday, January 22nd. We started the day by sharing the 100th Day Poster Creations. We are so impressed with all of our 100th Day Poster Projects. Kindergarten students were SO creative and we can tell that they worked extremely hard. We enjoyed sharing each project and they are now displayed in the hallway for all of FSAPS to see! Our celebration continued with creating our 100th Day punch (with 100 cherries!), and our 100 pieces of paper challenge between two teams. After lunch, students rotated to eight different centers to celebrate the 100th Day. Students were able to create a necklace with 100 beads counting by tens, each student saw and wrote about themselves as old men and old women with the help of technology, they created a picture using the number 1-0-0 and wrote about their creation, they made a commemorative magnet to show they are 100 days smarter, students participated in a 100 cup building challenge, students competed against each other in a 'zero eating' donut contest, each class wrote 100 words together, and everyone enjoyed a snack called "Derdnuh" which included 100 pieces of snack. We ended the day by counting back from 100 and enjoying silly string on the playground! Students left with a 100 balloon and a giant smile on their face! It was such a fun day.

A big thank you to all of our parent volunteers and parents who donated items to help make this a special day! The teachers in Kindergarten appreciate you :-)

FSAPS DESTINATION IMAGINATION & INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN SOCIETY

It's finally official! FSA has proudly chartered International Thespian Society Troupe #879769

Please join the Thespians in the cafeteria this Friday after school for the first annual Thespian induction ceremony recognizing those students who have demonstrated commitment to excellence in the theatre arts.

Several of our Thespians will be attending the Junior Thespian Festival in Nashville, TN March 19th-21st, please wish them luck on their individual performances!

Our Destination Imagination team Golden Armour has been working hard on the D.I. Feary Tale Challenge. Please wish them luck as they present their challenge at the Regional Showcase February 21st and the Affiliate Tournament on March 28th!

The Thespian Society will form two teams to take on the D.I. Improv Challenge, so please wish them luck as well!

We will have a joint Thespian Society and Destination Imagination lock-in Friday, February 6th for all teams to have some extra time to work together on their respective challenges.
The Thespian Society will be attending the Family Improv Comedy by The Basement Theatre on Friday, January 30th at 8pm. If you would like to join us, please email Mrs. Millar by end of day Wednesday - if you would like to carpool, please meet at FSA by 7pm.

FSAPS NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION CEREMONY

The due date for returning the form for membership has been extended to Wednesday, January 28, 2015.

VERY IMPORTANT: Students do not need to attend meetings during club time on Thursdays to be a member.

We will have our first official meeting at 7:30am on Wednesday, January 28.


Our Induction Ceremony will be held in the cafeteria on February 5, 2015 at 6:00pm