Edgar Middle School
Science Fair February 25, 2015
sponsored by:
The Metuchen Education Foundation
November 25, 2014
Dear Students and Parents:
We cordially invite you to participate in the Edgar Middle School Science Fair 2015
sponsored by the Metuchen Education Foundation. Any student in grades 5-8 is eligible to
participate. The primary objective of the Science Fair is to promote critical thinking and
scientific problem solving through hands-on experimentation and observation. Middle School
science fairs are inquiry-based and differ greatly from elementary science fairs. The students
will be expected to:
 Ask a question and form a hypothesis
 Design and complete an experiment to test that hypothesis
 Make observations, organize data, analyze results and draw conclusions
 Write about the scientific research conducted
 Create a scientific display board.
Participation in the science fair is voluntary and students may receive extra credit in their
science classes. All work on the project should be completed at home, culminating in the
creation of a scientific display board and a written research report. Students may work alone or
with a partner in the same grade. All students who participate will receive a participation award.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third place winners in each grade. Parents
and community members are invited to attend the fair that will be held on the evening of
Wednesday February 25, 2015.
More detailed information regarding the project guidelines are provided in the Science
Fair Information Packet, which will be available online in early December. It is very important
that you obtain a copy of the packet and review it carefully with your child. If you cannot access
an online copy, your child’s teacher will have some packets available. In order to participate, all
students must submit a permission form signed by their parent or guardian when they
submit their project proposals or sooner. Project proposals and experimental plans should be
reviewed by your child’s teacher before any at home experimentation begins.
We are looking forward to working with you to make this a valuable learning experience
for your child. We appreciate your support on this most important project.
Sincerely yours,
Kathleen Callahan Henn
Science Supervisor
EMS Science Department
Edgar Middle School
Science Fair February 25, 2015
Sponsored by:
The Metuchen Education Foundation
Permission Form
I am interested in participating in the Edgar Middle School Science Fair. I understand that
important information, guidelines and forms are included in the Science Fair Information Packet
that is available on the school website or from my teacher.
Student’s Name _______________________________________________
(please print)
Science Teacher ________________________________ Grade ________
Please check one of the following:
_________
I plan to work alone on my project.
_________
I plan to work with _____________________ as my partner on this project.
Project guidelines state that all work must be done by the students, however, we strongly
encourage parental participation. It is difficult to work alone without the exchange of ideas, so
we invite you to brainstorm with your child on different ideas and possible topics. Please assist
your child by guiding him/her in the direction where he/she can find useful information. Ask
questions about your child’s project to stimulate his/her thinking about the project from different
perspectives. Provide positive reinforcement to motivate your child and an atmosphere where
his/her creativity can be stimulated. Provide the oversight and supervision necessary to keep
your child safe during any experiments. Additional guidance will be available to children during
after school Science Fair Workshops in the months of December and January.
I/We understand and agree to the above guidelines which include submitting the display board on
Tuesday February 24, 2015 between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM.
Parent’s Name _________________________________________
(please print)
Parent’s Signature ______________________________________ Date: ___________
Please return this form to your child’s teacher. We encourage students to submit this form
as soon as possible, but will accept them throughout December. An early start will give
students plenty of time to plan, conduct and analyze their experiments.