Elementary Science Olympiad Elementary Academic Team Ms. Evans and Mrs. Vickery

What are Academic Teams? Academic Teams compete in extracurricular competitions against other schools. For Elementary they include: Science Olympiad Math Olympiad Robotics Destination Imagination Reading Bowl

What you should know: Many 3-5 grade students will compete on at least one team Elementary school students can participate in a maximum of two teams. Remember, a student cannot be on two teams that meet at the same time Students applying for an Academic Team must complete both the appropriate Academic Team application form and the Academic Team Preference Form

Your behavior matters… Academic Teams Policies & Procedures form is attached to the last page of the ESO application. It must be signed by all team members and parents. All school rules are in effect for all Academic Team activities whether on or off campus. Disrespect of teammates, coaches, and/or property will not be tolerated. Be considerate of your coaches – we are volunteering to help you! You can be removed from the team for poor behavior! Parents and students must sign the Policies and Procedures, so please read these carefully.

What is ESO? Elementary Science Olympiad is a competitive academic team for students in 3-5th grade at Fulton Science Academy Private School. Students will prepare and practice for 2-3 different events. Each year the events rotate to reflect different science topics like… Genetics, Earth Science, Chemistry, Anatomy, Plants, Animals, Engineering, and much more.

ESO In the Past This will be our 4th year participating in ESO 1st Year - Students placed 4th overall in Regional competition, earned individual event awards in 1-4th place, and advanced to the State competition 2nd Year – Students placed 2nd overall in Regional competition, earned individual event awards in 1-4th place, and advanced to the State competition where they earned 26th overall out of 70+ schools. 3rd Year- Students placed 1st in Regional competition, earned individual awards, and advanced to the State competition where four of our teams placed in the top ten of their respective events.

1st place at Regionals 2019

State Placings Bridge Building- 9th place Sam Fernandez & Daniel Quattlebaum Backyard Biologist- 10th place Gitanjali Nair & Katie Dollar The 24 Game- 7th place Ahad Sayani & Varun Gadi Paper Rockets- 5th place Karthik Tipingiri (Not photoes: Ritvik Shah

What is important for ESO? Elementary Science Olympiad requires dedication, preparation, commitment, coaching, and practice throughout the year. You must be/have: Dedicated to BOTH days of ESO studies (Tuesday and Thursday) Respectful to all teammates and coaches A desire to learn and participate! Good academic standing and behavior in academic classes as well… not just club time!

What are the competitions like? Each school-based team is allowed to bring 20 3-5 grade students who cross-train for a variety of events in their skill set. Fulton Science Academy Private School will have 1 ESO team this year with each student preparing for 2-3 events.  Competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of a series of 18 team events in the Elementary Division A.

This year… We will be taking a maximum of 30 3rd-5th Grade students Students are required to participate in both Tuesday and Thursday practices Students will be required to prepare for 2-3 different events.

Examples of Events Disease Detectives: students study to understand connections between their everyday encounters and daily health/infection opportunities Bridge Building: Students are given a set amount of straws and materials to build a bridge that is able to hold a certain amount of pressure Mystery Architecture: Students are given random materials to build the tallest, strongest tower to hold a tennis ball Weather or Not: Students study the different types of weather and weather tools Straw Egg Drop: Students use straws to create a ‘house’ for a real egg and test their design Data Crunchers: Students are given a variety of measuring tools and graphs to analyze and test their knowledge of estimation, calculation and graphing

Events change every year! Some events will return… others will change! We will find out the events at the end of September. At that time: Students are explained the different events Students will give input on their interests Head Coaches will make the final decisions on who will study which event, we ALWAYS do our best to give students what they are interested in, but it is not always possible for students to be placed in all of their chosen events

Parent Volunteers Every year we look for parent volunteers willing to help for a variety of things! Coaching Help design team t-shirt Carpooling to competitions Assisting during competitions Assistance during lock-in/late night study sessions

Parent Coaches We would LOVE for you to be one of our parent coaches, and we NEED YOUR HELP! When the events are announced, we will explain the different events to parents who want to coach. Parents can choose which event(s) they would like to coach Parents can volunteer for ONE day or TWO days, each day they volunteer they will coach ONE event – you will prepare lessons, activities, and study materials for the students in your event(s) It is very important that parents are there to coach their event(s) every week We understand sometimes things come up! If you are not able to make it please prepare something ahead of time for your students and let Ms. Evans or Mrs. Vickery know If you are interested, but are not able to dedicate your time every week – consider co-coaching with another parent!

Competitions will take place in APRIL and MAY Dates to Mark Down Competitions will take place in APRIL and MAY Specific dates TBA

ESO Team Application These must be filled out completely and returned to the front office, Ms. Evans, or Mrs. Vickery no later than Wednesday, August 7st Applications turned in after this time will not be considered. Take your time and THINK while filling in your application… tell us about yourself, tell us about why you want to be a part of this team, and explain to us how you see yourself as someone who would be a great addition to the ESO team!

Academic Team Fee If students are chosen to be a part of the ESO team they must pay a fee of $150.00 This fee includes: ESO Team T-shirt to wear during Spirit Days and during competition Supplies and Study Materials for ESO team Snacks for ESO team study sessions (ex: pizza, drinks, etc. during lock-in or late night study sessions)

Remember to: Complete paper Application Form Compete paper Academic Teams Preference Form, if you are applying for more than one team Complete and Sign the Academic Teams Policies and Procedures form Complete online Club Selection Form and select the team(s) you are applying for. These must be completed no later than Wednesday, August 7st in order for your application to be considered.

Contact Ms. Evans or Mrs. Vickery Questions? Contact Ms. Evans or Mrs. Vickery mevans@fultonscienceacademy.org lvickery@fultonscienceacademy.org Don’t forget to pick up an application and return it Ms. Evans or Mrs. Vickery no later than Wednesday, August 7st