The Mahomet-Seymour PTO provided Middletown Early Childhood Center (MECC) kindergarten students with hands-on science education today.
In years past, the M-S PTO hosted a Science Day at all three elementary schools within the Mahomet-Seymour School District. As the PTO focuses on teacher and classroom needs to benefit all students, teacher representatives at Sangamon and Lincoln Trail Elementary communicated the need for supplemental programs which will align with Common Core Curriculum.
The M-S PTO formed a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Committee with parent and teacher representatives to find resources, speakers, workshops and demonstrations to bring into the classroom or grade level at teachers’ requests.
“It’s not that the other school didn’t find value in (Science Day),” M-S PTO President Penny Moisson said. “It’s just that as they are transitioning through all this Common Core stuff, they need time during the day.”
As the M-S PTO continues to brainstorm ways to bring science education into the three schools, they have used the school’s School Reach system to seek parent input and networking possibilities for resources.
The M-S PTO will continue to keep science education in the budget moving forward. With the STEM committee development, science will move from a one-line budget item to include a variety of sub-possibilities requested by Mahomet-Seymour staff.
MECC Principal Carol Shallenberger said it was important for the kindergarten students to have the interactive science environment during Science Day as the district figures out how the Next Generation Science standards fit into the overall curriculum. Kindergarten students also do not go on as many field trips as other elementary grades students, so the staff felt it was important to keep this fun day in place for them.
Students learned about mammals, bugs, magnets and reptiles from representatives from the Champaign County Forest Preserve, Urbana Park District, Orpheum Children’s Science Museum and the Entomology Grad Student Association. Mahomet resident Meg Loven also presented “Science is Not Magic.”
