April 12th, 2022
STEAM FAIR – INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES
General Information
For additional information and STEAM package – please visit: https://kea.wrdsb.ca/school-council/steam-fair-2022/
While in the past Keatsway has held Science fairs, this year we are holding a “STEAM” Fair which is broader in nature than a traditional Science fair and promotes an integrated, project-based approach to learning.
Keatsway School Council is excited to give students this opportunity. After a few years of school events being restricted due to the pandemic, it will be good for our school community to come together again!
A STEAM fair involves science, technology, engineering, the arts (including Social Studies, Language Arts, Music, Visual Arts, languages), and math, but students do not need to limit their project to one of these fields. Students are encouraged to explore their project of interest by integrating skills from a number of fields and building connections between them.
Participating in this event is a great opportunity for students to learn more about a topic of interest, to develop a curiosity about our world, to foster creative and critical thinking skills, to make connections between subjects, and to share their discoveries with their families and the school community.
All students from JK-Grade 6 are welcome to participate. This is a non-competitive STEAM Fair. All participating students will receive recognition of their work.
While it is important that the projects are student-driven, family support can be valuable. The objective is for students to learn something new and gain a sense of accomplishment through their efforts, but family involvement may enhance this experience. The supervising adult(s) may facilitate the choice of topic, help the student find a focus for their project, help with the logistics of presenting the results, and of course, provide encouragement along the way.
2022 Theme: Imagining the Future
For this year’s STEAM fair, we are inviting students to explore a topic that allows them to imagine the world in the near or distant future. What new inventions can they imagine? What will space exploration look like? What renewable sources of energy will we use? How will climate change impact our everyday lives? What social changes can we envision?
Students may choose to think about their hopes and dreams for a better future and use that as a starting point (e.g. creating poetry and art to reflect their vision). Or, students may be excited about new technologies and inventions and may want to focus on how these might change the way we live on a daily basis.
Please note that the theme is an optional challenge—it is more important that students choose a topic of personal interest that will spark their curiosity than one that fits closely with this theme.
We know that the idea of an unknown future may be worrisome or scary for students, and so it is important that parents pay attention to what their child is reading and learning and encourage them to focus on the role we can play in shaping a better future for generations to come. We trust that parents can help students engage in their topics in age-appropriate ways with a focus on the possibilities for positive change.
To get started we have put together a slideshow about how to approach your STEAM project, along with links to websites and resources. When students have chosen a topic, parents can register by completing the on-line form or requesting a paper copy from the office.
Please direct any questions to parent volunteers at keatsway-steam-fair@googlegroups.com. We welcome all parents who are interested in volunteering to help with this event and/or know STEAM professionals in the community that would be willing to lend their expertise.
Keatsway STEAM Fair Schedule
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Who: Keatsway students interested in exploring a topic of interest with their families
What: A voluntary, non-competitive project-based fair (projects may integrate science, technology, engineering, arts, and math)
Why: To pursue personal interests, foster curiosity about our world, and to build creative thinking, problem solving, and planning skills
Where: Keatsway gym
Cost: FREE! (We’re grateful to the Waterloo Region District School Board for the Parents Reaching Out grant to make this fair possible).
If you have questions, please contact Keatsway at 519-886-1650 or parent volunteers Kyoko Yamaguchi, Heather Fields, and Rebecca Steinmann at keatsway-steam-fair@googlegroups.com.
Schedule
Registration deadline – Tuesday May 10, 2022
ONLINE REGISTRATION – CLICK HERE
Display Board Distribution:
Before and after school on Friday May 6 and Tuesday May 10
(8:45 to 9:20am and 3:30pm to 4:15pm)
It is recommended that parents assist with pickup of the boards since the boards are large. A registration form MUST be submitted (on-line or paper copy) for each student participating in the fair BEFORE boards will be given to students.
Day of the Fair – Tuesday, May 17th, 2022
8:15-9:20 am Bring projects for set up in the gym
During school Class visits: Teachers may ask participants to present their projects to their class during this time.
3:40 – 4:15 pm Presentations: Participants present their projects to a volunteer expert. Students should be prepared to answer questions and explain their projects in a one-on-one conversation
4:00 – 5:00 pm Open House: Keatsway families are invited to view the projects and appreciate the hard work of the participants. All student participants are expected to be present until 5:00 pm and should take projects home at that time.
5:00 pm Clean-up: Your help with clean up and stacking tables is appreciated!
Additional Notes:
-COVID restrictions and protocols will be determined closer to the date of the Fair based on public health regulations.
-Students should NOT bring valuable objects to school in the morning. Items may be added to presentations after school when students are present at their displays.
-Students are requested to NOT offer candy or other food prizes as part of their project.
-Feel free to send after-school snacks with your child if needed.