AAE/GHAMAS Volume 3, Issue 3 November 2014
International Night
On Nov., 14 th , the National Honor Society (NHS) will host its second annual International
Night from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the school’s main lobby. It is a fantastic event, enriched by great conversations, dance and delicious foods from diverse cultures. We hope that you and your family will attend this event. Please bring a favorite food that represents your culture and wear an outfit that celebrates your culture. Admission is free. However, please bring a non-perishable food item to support the NHS food drive. Donations will be given to a local food pantry. RSVP to the NHS Council by Nov. 10 at aae.ghamas@gmail.com
. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Aramli at laramli@crec.org
or Mrs. Sinesi at esinesi@crec.org
THINK, ACT & LEARN Like a College Student
A special college program being offered to 9 th and 12 th grade students will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Sat., Nov. 15 at CREC’s Academy of Aerospace & Engineering (AAE) and the Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science GHAMAS), 15 Vernon St.,
Hartford. AAE and GHAMAS will host the program in collaboration with UCONN First
Year Programs and Learning Communities. Students will participate in a conferencestyle workshop to gain skills for academic success at the college level. UCONN Peer
Mentors will offer their expertise and “inside information” in an effort to help more students become college ready, focusing on time management, study skills and test prep. Permission slips are due no later than Nov. 1 3 and can be found at the front desk.
Only 75 spaces are available. ALL students who participate will receive a certificate of completion , UCONN T-Shirt and other UCONN “Swag,” and will be entered into a drawing to win Surprise Raffle Prizes . UCONN Peer Mentors will vote and give MVP prizes for each session!!!
Important Telephone Numbers
Main Number:
Attendance Line:
Nurse’s Office:
Guidance: AAE:
860-757-6300
860-757-6262
860-757-6422
860-757-6349
Guidance: GHAMAS: 860-757-6355
Note: To request an early student pick-up, or to deliver a message to a student, please call the main number.
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AAE/GHAMAS Volume 3, Issue 3
November 2014
met for the first time this school year on Oct. 31.
Approximately 40 students completed practice problems selected to orient them to the content and level of the exam. Students from all grades and levels of experience attended, ranging from freshmen to seniors who are taking AP physics. It was a joy to see this diverse group of students energetically engaged in high-level physics concepts. The meeting ended with a challenge-question competition by grade. The freshmen calculated the volume of a microwave oven from the standing waves inside. The sophomores solved an optimization problem related to how fast the U.S. Treasury can print money. The juniors and seniors estimated how quickly the sun is losing mass by converting it to energy. The date of our next R-block meeting is November 13. If you are interested in joining the team, please email Mr. Wollins with your contact information or stop by room 112 to sign up. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the
AAE/GHAMAS Physics
Team Mentors:
Steven Wollins
(
);
Michelle Bellinger
(
);
Joshua Madore
(
)
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AAE/GHAMAS Volume 3, Issue 3 November 2014
Engineering Concepts in Chemistry
Students have been working on skills necessary for scientific measurement. In order to function in the scientific world, they need to be able to use and express measurements. During the past few weeks, scientific notation and accuracy, precision and error have been a focus in the classroom. Students learned to solve conversion problems using dimensional analysis. As they enter the next quarter, students will start experiencing labs and activities related to atomic structure while preparing for lessons on quantum mechanics. ~ Miss Avery; Mrs. Hall; Mrs. Kelly ( aavery@crec.org
; mhall@crec.org; pkelly@crec.org
)
Forensics
Students have been working on analyzing physical evidence at crime scenes. Their recent labs have focused on forensic odontology where students created bite marks and analyzed other bite marks to compare evidence. They have also learned how to analyze glass evidence through immersion techniques and evaluation of density. Students practiced microscopy work to help view Becke lines (halos) present in glass in different liquids of various refractive indices. By viewing the lines in the glass they could determine if they found the same refractive index of the reference glass and the evidence glass.
At the end of October, Detective Patrick Meehan of the State of CT Major Crime Squad shared information on how detectives view many various types of crime scenes and handle evidence. Students who are interested in working in this field were provided with a unique perspective based on Det. Meehan’s many experiences that he shared in the classroom. We thank the State of CT police for their time and appreciate them coming to our school. ~ Mrs. Kelly
( pkelly@crec.org
)
Anatomy and Physiology
Students are currently working on a unit about the nervous system. They started their investigations of the nervous system by doing various lab activities that focused on Special Senses and General Senses. Upon completion, they made connections between the various medical tests they performed and the areas of the brain that were affected. Their clay anatomy models have been used, and they have created the parts of the brain and discussed the functions related to the structures. Students are currently working on Neuropathophysiology projects that they will present in groups during class. Some of these projects focus on multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. ~ Mrs.
Kelly ( pkelly@crec.org
)
Chemistry Club
The Chemistry club provided decorations and goodies for the school’s recent Halloween dance. Members carved pumpkins with various scientific symbols and decorated the theatre building on the night of the dance. Themes included DNA, biohazard symbols, etc. Also, as a group, students baked and prepared 150 brownies with icing to create a periodic table. ~ Mrs. Kelly ( pkelly@crec.org
)
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AAE/GHAMAS Volume 3, Issue 3 November 2014
Saturday school
Saturday school, which is available 8 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., has been very successful with more than 90 students attending recently. Students are provided help in study groups as well as individual assistance with National Honor Society tutors. Please encourage your children to attend if they need assistance with work and/or prefer a learning environment on a Saturday.
On Nov. 20, computer science, AP Biology and research students will visit Microsoft in Boston. The students will tour the Microsoft Offices and enjoy a panel discussion led by Microsoft engineers. They will also tour labs at The Broad Institute, visit MIT and Quincy Market. The daylong event, which will run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m., will be both educational and fun.
PBIS
The AAE/GHAMAS Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) team is happy to report that two student recognition luncheons have taken place since the beginning of the school year. Students from AAE and GHAMAS were recognized for abiding by the pillars of PBIS; Be an Active
Learner, Be Respectful, Be Responsible. The PBIS team is comprised of teachers, students, support staff and parents. We look forward to continuing to recognize our students for their exceptional behavior that contributes to the AAE/GHAMAS community. Any parents interested in joining the PBIS committee may contact Mr. Brintle at pbrintle@crec.org
.
Women in STEM-C
A highly engaging, educational and fun STEM-C program is being organized for Connecticut girls for Sat., Dec. 13, 2014 to mark the end of
Computer Science Education Week ( www.csedweek.org
). Please encourage your girls to attend. Registration details will be out soon.
Hour of Code
AAE/GHAMAS students will participate in the Hour of Code ( www.hourofcode.org
) on Thurs, Dec. 11, 2014 as part of our celebration of Computer
Science Education Week.
Computer Science
Computer Science Education Week ( www.csedweek.org
) will run from Dec. 8-14. AAE/GHAMAS will run an Hour of Code ( www.hourofcode.org
) and host a “Women in STEM-C” event on Dec. 13. All AAE/GHAMAS girls are encouraged to sign up for the STEM-C event which will include a panel discussion led by prominent STEM professionals in our state. See ( http://goo.gl/un4gCc ).
Walk for a Cure
Several Academy of Aerospace &
Engineering (AAE) students joined West
Hartford’s Hall High School to participate as a team in the “Walk for a
Cure” diabetes fundraiser in October at
Six Flags. They raised more than
$20,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation. The AAE and Hall
High team raised the most donations this year, and they got to cut the ribbon and lead the other teams on the walk. A good time was had by all and students danced up a storm while waiting for the speakers! Their support has gone directly into research and development of the artificial pancreas project, smart insulin, and beta cell encapsulation technology. We should be very proud of these students. – Bill
Wright
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AAE/GHAMAS Volume 3, Issue 3 November 2014
Commended Student
Senior Dustin Pratt was named “commended student” in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program for scholastic talent. Nationwide, about
34,000 commended students were recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they are ineligible for the 2015 competition for
National Merit Scholarship awards, they are among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who took the 2013 Preliminary
SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Extracurricular Activities
School Nurse Judy Niedzielski and some AAE students endured drenching rain, heavy backpacks, never-ending uphill hikes, and very heavy backpacks! The students really appreciated the natural colors and beauty of the woods, the company of friends and the warmth of hot chocolate. They saw the transformation of brook water to drinking water, a leaf-covered spot to a campsite, and a rock to a table. The group rode through a covered bridge, heard the roar of the wind all night and acorns dropping on their tents. They have many fond memories of their trek up Bear Mountain.
Students who are interested in participating in indoor track should sign up outside of office 205 or e-mail Coach Peabody at rpeabody@crec.org
by Fri., Nov., 14. Students should also turn in updated/current athletic forms and physicals to the school nurse by
Fri., Nov. 21. Students interested in playing basketball should contact Mr. Parkington ( dparkington@crec.org
) in room 205. Athletes cannot compete without current medical and emergency contact forms on file. Students who participated in fall sports need to return their jerseys and warm ups to Mr. Parkington ASAP to avoid being charged for them.
Cross Country
The 2014 Aerospace Jets’ cross country team closed its season with some great victories. Byron Cutts and Sydney Rochette were undefeated in the CREC league for the entire season! Almost every week, each team member set new personal records for themselves. They truly earned the trophy and medals they brought home from the CRAL Championship.
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AAE/GHAMAS Volume 3, Issue 3 November 2014
Congratulations for an outstanding season: Byron Cutts, Mansoor Akbarzai, Sydney Rochette, Bryan Richiez, Craig Cyr, Dean Fazzino, Javier Diez, Alex Lavoie, Zach
Luckenbach, John Morach, and Jonathan Shaw.
CRAL XC Championship: At their second to last meet on Sat., Oct 18, the Aerospace
Jets competed in the CRAL Cross Country Championship. It was the perfect day for a run at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain and the Jets finished strong, taking home three medals and a second-place trophy! Byron Cutts came in first overall for the varsity boys, beating his own personal record with a time of 19:10.
Sydney Rochette also held on to her first-place title for the varsity girls, beating her personal record with a time of 21:04. Dean Fazzino took home a third medal for AAE with his second-place win in the JV race with a time of 24:10.
State Divisional Championships:
The Aerospace Jets’ cross country team ran in the final meet of the 2014 season on Sat., Oct. 25 at the State Divisional Championship at Wickham Park. The Jets ran in the class “S” division and performed exceptionally well on this challenging and hilly course. Freshman Sydney Rochette went home with a medal, coming in 11 personal best on this particular course. The boys’ varsity team also ran many of its best times. Sophomore Byron Cutts took 53
178 runners with a time of 19:53. Not far behind Byron was junior John Morach (137 th
(138 th , 23:03). Freshman Brian Richiez (143
23:41), and senior Alex Lavoie (151 st rd , 23:24), sophomore Craig Cyr (148 th th out of 140 female runners with a time of 21:37, a
, 23:41), sophomore Zach Luckenbach (149
, 23:50) also ran and worked hard to improve their times and score for the team. rd th ,
out of
, 23:02) and sophomore Mansoor Akbarzai
AAE/GHAMAS: 15 Vernon St., Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 757-6300
For questions about this newsletter, please email Mrs. Regis at fregis@crec.org
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