THREE CHEERS FOR THE END OF THE YEAR!

Can you believe we’ve made it to the end of the school year? It feels like just yesterday we were learning about Astronomy, and now we’re wrapping up a fantastic year of science, growth, and many memories. Before we jump into summer mode, I wanted to share an update on what’s been happening in our science classroom, the POD, and a link for family feedback.

Where We Were

We recently wrapped up our Earth’s Resources unit with a project that brought real-world thinking into our classroom. Students were tasked with creating community resilience plans for Lancaster, PA, where we rank among the worst in the nation for air quality. Their mission? To create innovative, realistic solutions that could help improve the air we all breathe. From green spaces to carpool incentives to stricter emissions policies, students dug deep and showed just how thoughtful and invested they can be when it comes to making a difference in their community. This was a perfect opportunity for them to combine thoughts and ideas from this unit and the previous Weather & Climate unit.

Where We Are

We are in the home stretch and the last week of school! While we didn’t take home the trophy for Color Wars (we came in third — red team took first, blue in second), we still had a blast competing, cheering each other on, and showing our 8 Gold pride! We’re keeping the fun going with special schedules, a surprise visit from Mr. Mumma’s 1-year-old son, Boston (check out the photos on my Instagram!), a birthday celebration for Mrs. Stoltzfoos, and our End of the Year Superlatives — which we’ll reveal this Friday! Students are also experiencing the bittersweet side of the end of the year. As tradition goes, I’ll be playing some of my most emotional graduation songs, and let’s just say… tissues may be required!

A quick reminder: iPad collection is tomorrow (June 5). Students must bring their iPad, charging block, and charging cable. 8th graders will keep their student ID this year.

Below: Some photos pre-outside at Color Wars (more on Instagram!).

Where We Are Going

To high school — YOU DID IT! 8 Gold, 8th grade is "officially" (1.5 days! left) in the books. I am beyond proud of every one of you. Your personalities, humor, compassion, and resilience made this an unforgettable year. It’s going to be tough to top such an awesome group, but I know you’re all off to do great things in high school and beyond. To our families: Congratulations to you as well! Your support, encouragement, and care have made a huge difference in helping these young people thrive. Thank you for being part of the journey! You’ve helped guide them through one of the most formative years of their lives.

Families, last year I asked for your feedback, and I’m doing it again! If you have a few minutes, please consider filling out this survey (link to your survey here). It helps me better understand what you’ve enjoyed about these blog posts, what could be improved, and how I can make them even more helpful in the future. Your input truly makes a difference.

Thank you for following along with us throughout the year. I hope these updates helped spark conversations at home and gave you a window into our class. If you ever want to reach out, you can contact me at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org, and feel free to follow along on Instagram at @classwithcatwood — especially if you have younger students who’ll eventually land on 8 Gold!

It’s been a privilege to teach your child(ren) [for those with twins on the team]. I’m going to miss them all! Thank you for all your time and support!

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood

ALMOST FRESHMEN!

Hello everyone,

Wow! In just 2 weeks from now, our 8th grade Color Wars event will be concluded, and your student will be days away from becoming a 9th grade freshman in High School. Let that sink in! It feels so bittersweet with the end of the year so close. Although it is fast approaching, we are still hard at work for science class!

Below is an image of my updated photo wall. Each year, I take a photo of each class/section and put it on the wall. They're the Class of 2029. The last class of the 2020s!!

Where We Were

Within the past two weeks, we have been looking at the phenomenon of drought and flooding. Both of these severe weather events have increased in recent years. We've observed and analyzed data for six cities nationwide, plus Lancaster. Students have been thinking about how these events could be potentially related to human impact on the environment. We've discussed how burning fossil fuels can lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions that can cause an increase in global average annual temperatures (global warming). A strong emphasis on how global warming IS NOT climate change, but something that can LEAD to climate change, is made. This final unit prioritizes looking at how technology and other solutions can reduce human impact on the environment that has led to more recent warming, and looks to see how using Earth's resources, renewable/non-renewable, can be done in a sustainable way.

Where We Are

This week, students had their final standardized tests of the year, either Keystones or ELA/Math CDTs. Tomorrow (5/22), we will critically analyze how to communicate science concepts to the public in an accurate way. Then, we will start looking at what different communities around the country do to minimize excessive resource consumption and environmental impact, and discover their Community Resilience Plans.

Where We Are Going

Next week, we will have our final project of the year. Students will create a Community Resilience Plan for Lancaster, PA. The topic of the project will vary from class to class, but we'll focus on the biggest issues Lancaster has. For example, air quality! We recently ranked in a new report 22nd worst in the country in terms of air quality. One or more classes might want to cover this to create their Community Resilience Plan. This project will have many options for students to create something in their comfort zone. For example, they'll be able to do a newsletter, podcast, TikTok-style video, poster, infographic, and more. I hope to share some of these on my class Instagram and the final blog post of the year!

After we finish the project, the last week of school is going to be filled with a bunch of activities, including Color Wars! For Color Wars, we've had a really hot and sunny day one year and then a partly cloudy and cool day last year. Therefore, to plan ahead, think about having your student wear sunblock to school on June 3rd.

I believe Dr. Metzinger sent this message out to all families who might want them to bring sunblock into school: "If you would like to send in sunscreen with your son or daughter, please complete the two forms listed here- Non-Aerosol Topical Sunscreen Use Forms. Students will not be permitted to use any aerosol-type sunscreens at school. Completed forms and sunscreens can be dropped off at the main office or the nurse's office. Copies of the forms can also be found on the CV website."

I'm looking forward to Color Wars! I'm going to miss this group of students so much! I will have one final blog post update on June 4th. Thank you for your continued support and engagement with our science classroom! If you have any questions or want to connect further, please don’t hesitate to contact me at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our journey on Instagram at @classwithcatwood, where I share updates and snapshots of our exciting classroom activities.

Thank you,

Mr. Catwood

DEBATE & DISCOVERY

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all doing well! We’re heading into the final stretch of the school year, and I’m happy to share that things are going great in science class.

WHERE WE WERE

We recently finished PSSA testing! It went smoothly, and I'm sure students enjoyed having some special schedules throughout testing days. The weather was absolutely great during testing, and we were able to enjoy the fresh air! I’m proud of the students' focus and positivity throughout the testing period. We also just wrapped up our Weather & Climate unit, and I’m excited to report that students did very well on their unit test—the last major test of the year in science.

WHERE WE ARE

We’ve just finished the David Attenborough Netflix documentary A Life on Our Planet. The documentary connects directly to our next focus on human environmental impacts. It also relates to topics we covered in the Weather & Climate unit. Tomorrow (5/8), we will start work on our structured classroom debate. Each class will be split into four groups and tackle two essential questions raised in the film. Students will spend time researching, preparing arguments, and presenting their positions in what promises to be a thoughtful and engaging discussion. The debate is a great starting point for the unit!

WHERE WE ARE GOING

Following the debate, we’ll dive deeper into Earth's Resources and Human Impacts on the environment. The unit is heavily discussion and project-based. Many opportunities to learn more by studying and analyzing data, etc. We'll make connections to Pennsylvania—examining geology, natural resources, population, and more—to better understand how human activity shapes the environment at both local and state levels. This unit helps sum up a lot of key points discussed earlier in the year and takes it to another level.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement with our science classroom! If you have any questions or want to connect further, please don’t hesitate to contact me at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our journey on Instagram at @classwithcatwood, where I share updates and snapshots of our exciting classroom activities.

Thank you,

Mr. Catwood