Category Archives: Other Events & Contests

Writing Contest: Robots

Other Events & Contests

What type of robot would you invent to help people (or your community) and why?

WHO: 4th – 12th graders

WHAT: Essay answering, “What type of robot would you invent to help people (or your community) and why?

WHEN: Submissions are due March 15, 2019

WHY: To practice your writing skills of course!  You might also win a chance to meet Grant Imahara who has worked on some of the most famous movie and TV robots of all time including R2-D2 and the Energizer Bunny.

Visit https://www.nescifest.com/participate/essay/ for more details.

2019 Nebraska Robotics Expo

Other Events & Contests

The Nebraska Robotics Expo will be held at  Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum on Saturday, February 16, 2019.  Westside would like to take 3 TEAMS to this amazing event!

Mr. Harold Sanchez, a Loveland parent, will be holding workshops on Saturdays in January to prepare for the event.  All 4rd-6th grade students at Westside Elementary Schools are invited to attend. Even if a child decides he/she does not want to participate in the Expo, they are still welcome to attend the Saturday workshops.

Descriptions of the Robotics Expo events can be found by clicking the links below.

Please fill out the form to reserve your spot for the Saturday workshops.  They will be offered on January 5, 12, and 26 (all Saturdays) in the Swanson Public Library (9101 W Dodge Rd, Omaha, NE 68114) basement.

There is only space for 20 participants at each workshop. Students will be working on teams.  If a child wants to be part of the teams participating in the Robotics Expo, he/she should be prepare to attend all three workshops.

  • 3:00-3:30 pm: General information about the event, and set up.
  • 3:30-5:30 pm: Practice
  • 5:30-5:45 pm: Clean up and closing

During each workshop, we will be practicing the activities.  If possible please bring a roll (or 2) of painters tape to assist in setting up the games/activities.  If your child plans to participate in the autonomous course (programming), it would be ideal for you to have a laptop computer (PC or Mac) with a USB port and the CEENBoT Commander software downloaded.  The CEENBoT Commander software can be found here: https://www.ceenbotinc.com/updates

Battle of the Books 2019 Post #2

Learning Opportunities, Other Events & Contests
Calling all 4th-6th graders!  It’s time to start thinking about BOTB 2019!

Fast Facts:

  • Students will form teams of three or four students. Teams may have five students, but at most four students may compete in any round.
  • Each team will provide at least one parent volunteer to assist during part of the competition in March, in addition to a team parent to accompany the team on battle day.
  • Since this is a team event, individual students do not have to read all of the books on the list to participate.
  • This event is open to all 4th through 6th grade students in the District.
  • Registration will begin in October
  • The battle will be held on the morning of March 30, 2019 at Westside Middle School.

Check out the September Flier for additional details and bookmark the BOTB website to get the most up-to-date information!

BOTB Book List: 2019 Golden Sower nominees

1. Soar by Joan Bauer

2. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

3. All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor

4. Moo: A Novel by Sharon Creech

5. Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

6. Slacker by Gordan Korman

7. Wish by Barbara O’Connor

8. Maxi’s Secrets: (Or, What You Can Learn from a Dog) by Lynn Plourde

9. Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

10. Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

All of these books are available to borrow from the Omaha Public Library and will be available in the school libraries. If you would like to purchase books, check out The Bookworm, Half Price Books, or Amazon.com.

 

Science Related Art & Writing

Full STEAM Ahead, Mini Challenges, Other Events & Contests
Stone Soup is in the process of gathering work for their September issue which will be science themed.  Check out the many types of work you can submit:
  • write up a science fair project or experiment for Stone Soup readers to try
  • write a short essay about any area of science that fascinates you (i.e. comets, dinosaur coloration, the geology of a place near where you live, something about the weather, etc.)

Check out more details here.  All entries are due July 1, 2018.

Poetry Contest-Deadline April 24, 2018

Other Events & Contests

The Omaha Local Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is sponsoring an illustrated poem contest for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Write and illustrate a poem using the CCEW theme, “Dive into Marine Chemistry.”

Contest Deadline: April 24, 2018

Contest Details: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/outreach/ccew/illustrated-poem-contest.html

Prizes: Local winners advance to the national contest for a chance to win cash prizes. ACS will award $300 to first-place and $150 to second-place national contest winners in each grade category!

Winners of the Omaha Local Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes!

 

Tech Savvy April 21, 2018

Other Events & Contests
Tech Savvy, a program of AAUW,  introduces girls in 6th through 9th grades to many types of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and teaches “savvy skills” such as critical thinking, sharing opinions, financial literacy, and negotiation.

Tech Savvy will be held April 21, 2018, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the College of St. Mary, 7000 Mercy Rd, Omaha, NE.

Find out more at: https://aauw-ne.aauw.net/tech-savvy/

Central Honors Institute

Other Events & Contests
The Central Honors Institute (CHI) is a five-day residential academic camp for middle school students who have completed the 6th or 7th grade and who have demonstrated academic accomplishments, leadership and maturity among their peers.

Students attend classes during the day (see below) and socialize with peers in the evenings while experiencing life on a community college campus.

  • CHI Stream Team: During this biology based track, Stream Team campers will investigate living and non-living objects, food web, and biodiversity in a nearby aquatic ecosystem.
  • FLY CHI Track:  This track will focus on the fascinating aspect of flight from archery to ornithology, rockets, gliders, combustion and beyond!
  • CSI at CHI Track: Campers in this track will investigate and solve a number of puzzling cases throughout the week.
  • CHI Creativity Track: Campers will explore their creative potential through teamwork and cooperation.

To learn more, visit: https://www.cccneb.edu/chi/

Applications are due May 1, 2018

Virginia Frank Memorial Writing Contest

Other Events & Contests, Uncategorized
The Friends of Omaha Public Library are currently accepting submissions for the Virginia Frank Memorial Writing Contest.  The contest is for students in 5-8th grade.  First prize in each grade is $100.

The Virginia Frank Memorial Writing contest is held each year in the spring to recognize the creative writing talent of area students. This contest, sponsored by the Friends of Omaha Public Library, recognizes the top three winners from each grade. Each winner receives a cash prize and certificate, is recognized in a ceremony at the library, and has their story published on the library website. The school libraries of each winning student are also recognized with a matching cash prize.

Eligibility Requirements

    • Stories must be submitted with an entry form to be considered. Complete all fields either online or on a printed entry form and submit with your story.
    • Students must be in 5th to 8th grade and live in Douglas or Sarpy counties.
    • Students may be enrolled in public, private, parochial or home school.
    • Stories must be typed and no longer than 750 words.
    • Entries must be original fiction featuring a character from a book you have enjoyed and read on your own. Identify the book and author from which your character originated in the title or subtitle of your story.
    • Only one entry per contestant will be accepted.
    • The decision of the judges is final.
    • All entries become the property of Friends of Omaha Public Library (FOPL) and may be featured by Omaha Public Library on its website or social media.
    • Deadline for entries is February 28, 2020.

    Prizes

    • First ($100), second ($75) and third place ($50)
    • Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners from each grade.
    • The school library of the winning students will be recognized with matching cash prizes.

Read the winning stories from the 2019 Virginia Frank Memorial Writing Contest

About Virginia Frank

The Virginia Frank Memorial Writing Contest began in 2003 and is named in honor of a longtime Friends of Omaha Public Library volunteer. Virginia Frank was a Central High and UNO graduate. She acquired a master’s degree from Brown University and taught English literature and creative writing at UNO for many years. Her passion for students and young people inspired everyone around her, and her enthusiasm encouraged many students to explore their creative writing talents. Frank volunteered thousands of hours with the Friends of OPL to help ensuring a bright future for our public libraries.