Field Trip

Last week was a different week in gifted.  Regular classes were cancelled and the grade 3s, 4s and 5s went on a field trip to visit the Engineering Labs at the University of British Columbia campus in Kelowna (UBC-O).

Field Trip

The folks at UBC-O put on a wonderful morning for us.  A big thank you to Renee Leboe who organized the day and to all of the faculty, staff and students who showed us some of the amazing things they do in the Faculty of Engineering!  Thank you also to the parents who volunteered: Jo-Ann, Tammy, April, Simone, Jennifer, Christina, Petra, Geof, Christine, Jason, Julie, Dave, Roberta, Sarah, Angela, and Lisa.  Your help was much appreciated!

It was a whirlwind tour.  There were 5 stations, but due to time constraints some groups were only able to visit 4 of the stations.  I tried to touch base with all of the groups and take photos; please have a look at the slideshow below or go here.



Here is a quick run down of the stations:

• Wonderful World of Light with Dr. Jonathan Holzman and Graduate / Undergraduate Students
• here students saw:
• a table sitting on a cushion of air to prevent building movement from impacting the experiments
• different coloured lasers!
• transmission of data using visible light

• Alkalinity Determination of Tap Water by Titration with Dr. Deborah Roberts and Michelle Tofteland, Laboratory Technician.  
• here students got to get hands on:
• wearing lab coats, goggles, and gloves
• performing a chemistry procedure to determine the pH of tap water
• things turning colours! 
• Demonstration of Wind Tunnel and the Diesel Engine with Dr. Hamayoun Najjaran and Dean MacLellan, Laboratory Technician.
• here students saw:
• how a wind tunnel works
• how diesel engines are tested and tweaked to improve fuel efficiency

• Lasers!! with Ryan Mandau, Laboratory Technician
• Ryan showed the students what the $300,000 laser he uses can do such as
• boring a tiny hole through a penny
• etching tiny writing on a penny
• Campus Tour with Engineering Undergrad students Shelby Ravestein, Sandra Iroegbu, and Muriel Chidzambwa. 

Open House

For students in the Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon classes, we are having an Open House this week on May 7th and 8th.  Parents and Guardians are invited to join us during their child's class time (12:30 - 2:30) to get a glimpse at some of the things we do.  You are welcome to drop in at any time and to stay for as long as you are able.  Hope to see you there!  Note: this is just for students in the afternoon classes on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Last Week of Classes and Interview Times

Next week is the last week of Elementary Gifted Program classes (May 14th, 15th and 16th.)  Once classes are over I will be meeting with parents to discuss how the year went and to plan their child's Individual Education Plan for next year.  A schedule of times will be going home with your child this week.