Dear Parents: The Shoebox Science Program is scheduled to begin September 16th. For those unfamiliar with the program, Shoebox Science is an enrichment program that allows children in Grades 1-5 to perform experiments at home or in the classroom on a repeated basis. Volunteers package, distribute and recycle the materials and instructions necessary for each experiment. Please consider helping at school from 9:30 to 11:00 on Thursday mornings to keep the program going this year. Goals of the program are to:*give children a hands-on approach to learning science*reduce fear and anxiety in children when learning about science*introduce complex concepts in an easily understandable manner*provide an opportunity for families to work together to learn science*stimulate and sustain a child’s interest in science and make science fun*build confidence so that science will never be a problem they “can’t do” The kits were developed using the following criteria: *science curriculum currently being used in grades K-5 *safe ingredients and procedures and inexpensive materials *easily reproducible experiments in a short completion time *challenging enough to build interest and stimulate further experimentation *age appropriate, child tested and approved content *fun with a WOW impact, for retention of subject matter Grade 5 students will have the opportunity to do two experiments thus bringing home two boxes throughout the program. Please note that Shoebox Science is now an opt-in program for 5th grade students. This means that if your child would like to participate, you will need to print and complete the attached form and return it to Kathy Jelinek through backpack mail (or e-mail the form) no later than Tuesday, September 14th. The boxes will be assigned to a student by the Shoebox Science team and distributed by the homeroom teachers beginning Thursday, September 16th –then every Thursday thereafter (with a break over the holidays). You and your child will have one week to have fun and experiment! Please, always return boxes on the THURSDAY after you receive the experiment so that another child will have the opportunity the next week. If a conflict arises and your child was unable to complete the experiment, please still return the box, with a note asking us to reschedule. We ask that you please return all items (unless specified in the instructions) in good condition. To help prevent leakage, please tightly cap vinegar containers and seal them in the bag they came in. Experiment items, including ingredient canisters and containers, are the property of Shoebox Science and must be returned. We may assess a fee for missing items or if a box is lost. If a box is sent home incomplete, we apologize. Shoebox volunteers do a great job, but please understand that with the amount of material to clean, sort and restock occasional oversights can occur. Just inform the teacher and we will be happy to correct the issue. The Shoebox Science Program is a trademark program and cannot be reproduced without written permission from the author. We would appreciate your cooperation in regards to this matter as St. Brendan’s has signed an agreement and would be in breech of our contract with the author otherwise. If parents have any questions or concerns, or would like to volunteer, please e-mail one of us at our address below (do not just hit “reply” to this e-mail). We hope Shoebox Science will help stimulate your child’s curiosity and foster a love for science. May you and your family have much fun with the program and enjoy some well-deserved and needed family time. Teresa Terranova tdterranova@columbus.rr.comKathy Jelinek kljelinek@yahoo.com SHOEBOX SCIENCE PARTICIPATION FORM(PRINT AND RETURN TO KATHY JELINEK, C/O JOHN JELINEK, 6X) I would like ________________________________________ Class____________ (Student’s Name) to participate in The Shoebox Science Program during the 2010-2011 school year. ____________________________________________ (Parent/Guardian Signature) ___________________________________________ (E-mail address)