Category Archives: Other Events & Contests
Crazy Creatures Writing Contest!
Watch the video above & get excited to participate in the Crazy Creatures Writing Contest! All students in grades K – 6 can participate!
To enter this contest, you must write a MINI-SAGA featuring a crazy creature! What is a mini-saga? A mini-saga is a story told in UP TO 100 words that must have a beginning, a middle & an ending. It MUST be original! You can be inspired by other stories, but your mini-saga must be written in your own words.
Write your mini-saga on GOOGLE DOCS and then share it with your school’s EY teacher. Share your doc by MONDAY, DECEMBER 19TH!!
Use THIS LINK to download a graphic organizer to help you get started!
Here’s a WORD BANK that might help you, too!
Click HERE for more information! GOOD LUCK!
The Scholastic (Try Your) Hardest Math Problem Contest!! Grades 5 – 8!
The 2022 Contest is now OPEN!
ABOUT THE CONTEST
The Hardest Math Problem Student Contest is an annual competition presented by Scholastic, The Actuarial Foundation, and the New York Life Foundation that challenges grades 6–8 students to solve multistep, grade-appropriate math problems with real-world situations and engaging characters. Plus, 5th graders are eligible to participate by reaching to a higher grade level! This year’s theme is food access.
Enter Challenge 1! – Click HERE to download the entry packet!
Challenge #1 is due on or before December 5th!
Puzzle It Out!
Writing a Math Argument
Practice, practice, practice explaining clear math reasoning so you can show other people how you found your solution!
Why is this important? Many people use math in
their jobs. For example, an actuary uses complicated
math to help businesses make decisions, so they
have to be able to clearly explain their calculations
to people who aren’t math experts.
Click HERE to practice your math arguments!
Click HERE & scroll all the way to the bottom to view past questions & answer keys!
**Turn your completed entry form into your EY teacher at your school on or before December 5th!**
Peculiar Pets 2022 | Poetry Contest for Elementary
Peculiar Pets poetry writing contest is now open to
elementary school students ages 6-12 years old.
What would your perfect peculiar pet be? An acrobatic bunny? A tech-savvy puppy? A vegan crocodile? A bird that’s scared to fly? A giraffe that likes to race? A superhero cat?
You can create an animal mash-up, be inspired by your perfect pet, or make your own awesome animal to write a poem about.
Visit the website for more information!
Deadline: Friday, October 28, 2022.
STEM-TACULAR Event for Girls in Grades 6-8: May 1st
United States Academic Pentathlon: Grades 6-8
What:
Academic Pentathlon tests students in five different subject areas. Students can choose to compete in 1, 2, 3, 4 or all 5 subject areas. All tests are online.
Where and When:
The 2022 Regional Competition (for Westside Community School students in grades 6-8) will be on Thursday, Feb. 17 at Westside Middle School.
Why?
Academic Pentathlon isn’t about demonstrating how good a student you already are. It’s about daring to push your limits.
If you are interested in participating in the Academic Pentathlon, please email Dr. Spady by Friday, Jan. 21. She will provide you with additional details.
The 2021-22 United States Academic Pentathlon theme is:
Water: A Most Essential Resource.
Below is a brief summary of the topics covered.
SCIENCE: The science topic will be an introduction to marine biology.
LITERATURE: The literature curriculum will include critical reading, one long work of literature, and selected shorter works. The long work of literature will be the novel A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park ISBN 978-0-547-57731-9.
FINE ARTS: The fine arts curriculum is a combination of art and music. The guide will focus on the impact of water on art and will explore the many ways water has influenced music.
SOCIAL SCIENCE: The social science curriculum will be the impact of water on human history.
MATHEMATICS: The mathematics curriculum will cover an overview of probability, permutations and combinations, statistics and algebra.
For more information, visit: https://www.usad.org/Pentathlon.aspx
Math+: Advanced Math Learning Opportunity
Math+ is an advanced math class that will be taught this spring by Jake Moore, a math instructor at Duchesne Academy. Students in 6th-8th grade are invited to participate in this course which will focus on Logic and Proofs.
Starting on Wednesday, Feb. 2, the course will run for 6 weeks from 5:30-6:30 at St. Thomas More. The program costs $250 and families can sign up at www.RedwoodPrep.com
For more information, check out the flyer linked below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dT0HZJ2kfvEQ3Wb1JLLLc9ZdIWfLFEGr/view?usp=sharing
Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described in this material. The distribution of this material is provided as a community service.
This Is Me | Poetry Contest
‘This is Me’ Poetry Contest
It’s your time to shine! YoungWriters is sponsoring a poetry contest and you have the opportunity to explore and celebrate who you are and express yourself through poetry. You can write about your dreams for the future or about someone that inspires you. You can write about your emotions and even create an acrostic (using your name or a word that describes you).
Check out the link below for some free resources including a video, example poems, and a word bank to help you as you write your ‘This Is Me’ poem.
DEADLINE: February 11, 2022
https://youngwritersusa.com/contest/elementary/me
Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described in this material. The distribution of this material is provided as a community service.
Speech and Debate Opportunity…STARTING SOON!
WHAT: Guided by Kids is a non-profit which offers speech and debate education free of charge.
WHO: Omaha area students in grades 5-8
WHEN: Weekly meetings are on Thursdays, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., except for our first two classes, which meet on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 and Tuesday, December 14, 2021.
WHERE: Sump Memorial Library in Papillion in the largest meeting room,
Class size is limited to 12 students in order to practice social distancing. Guided by Kids also asks that all students who are part of Guided by Kids attend classes masked and be fully vaccinated (if vaccines are available for their age group). Both instructors are fully vaccinated.
Find out how to apply here: https://www.guidedbykids.org/application
Westside Community Schools does not sponsor or endorse the organization or activity described in this material. The distribution of this material is provided as a community service.
2021-22 EY Challenge #4
There are several writing contests happening in the next few months. For this EY Challenge, check out the writing contests below and find one (or two or three) to enter!
- Unsolved: Middle and High School Students~Due Oct. 29, 2021 https://youngwritersusa.com/contest/middle-high
- Overcoming Adversity Essay Contest: Grades 4-8~Due Oct. 31, 2021 https://www.scholastic.com/contests/index.html
- City of Omaha Human Rights & Relations 4th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. “Living the Dream” Original Social Justice Short Essay: Grades 7-12~Due November 19 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qdb3TJLtI1i–SIJ1j230gIixLU38SWH/view?usp=sharing
- Favorite Character Sweepstakes: Grades K-3~Due Nov. 30, 2021 https://www.scholastic.com/contests/index.html
- Nebraska Scholastic Writing Contest: No age requirement is listed nor a specific writing prompt/topic~Due Dec. 15 https://www.artandwriting.org/regions/NE001W (NOTE: There is a cost associated with submitting to this contest so if you’d like to submit your work, check with the EY Coordinator at your building.)
- Ridiculous Writers: Elementary Students~Due Dec. 17, 2021 https://youngwritersusa.com/contest/elementary/ridiculouswriters#download-links
- Listen to a Life Story Contest: Ages 8-18~Due Apr. 15, 2022 https://legacyproject.org/7gen/ltalrules.html
Image Source: https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Hand-writing-letter/36281.html