What is STEM at Macdonough?
Students at the Macdonough STEM Academy are exposed to interdisciplinary units of study that have at their foundation a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
Students are provided the opportunity to become independent learners and thinkers through Project-Based Learning.
All of our projects focus on the Engineering Design Process in order to solve real-world problems.
Application for our STEM Academy Open Until May 21, 2021
For families outside of Macdonough, our application for school-wide STEM instruction is still open. Families can find the application on our MacSTEM webpage link here. A special thank you to members of our Governance Council who have helped us with the advertising of our STEM-based instruction at Macdonough.
Engineer of the Month
Our Engineer of the Month is Weslley from Mrs. Lenihan’s Kindergarten classroom. Weslley used the Engineering Design Process to build a habitat out of magnets for rainforest creatures. During this time, he shared his thinking by explaining that each creature needs their own home to survive. He also used his knowledge from Project-Based learning to match animals to the appropriate habitat explaining, “Some animals can’t live in places that are cold and some can’t live in some that are hot.” Weslley shared that he loves hands-on projects, especially helping his dad with paving. Keep up the great work, Weslley!
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- Weslley checks his matches between habitat and animal.
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- Weslley explains his thinking about the importance of being kind to animals and their homes.
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- Weslley creates individual habitats for creatures found in the rainforest.
Connecting with our Middletown Community
A component of Project-Based Learning is to provide learning experiences where students can make personal connections. At Macdonough, we are providing this opportunity for students by connecting to experts in our Middletown Community. We are looking for volunteers to share their studies or a typical day in their career with our students, which will inspire them to research at a deeper and meaningful level to address a real world problem. If you are interested or know someone who might be, please contact Lauren Mikulak @ mikulakl@mpsct.org.
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- A fourth grade students prepares to ask a question about threatened and endangered species in CT.
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- Lucy Meigs provides live footage of salamanders in CT.
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- Fourth grade students prepare their interview questions.
Is Your Child Interested in Listening to Podcasts?
Check out this resource: Brains On!
