Friday, January 11, 2019--Issue #28

An extra-curricular that many may not be aware of, Robotics at Pierz high school continues to ‘build success’ in their competitions this year.

Coached for the past three years by Mrs. Pat Tax and assisted for the past 2 years by Mrs. Mary Jo Schaefer, the high school offers this exciting, innovative and sometimes frustrating competition to both junior high and senior high students.

Students involved in Robotics at Pierz have many different aspirations: some of the students aspire to become mechanical engineers, some are looking at the medical field, some are thinking business and some are thinking public relations--whichever career path any of these students take, the skills they are learning in this after-school activity will indeed help them be that much more successful in their future endeavors.

Katie Schaefer explains, " Robotics is important to me because you are able to think outside the box, and I also like it because everyone has a voice in the group. " Read on to learn about competitions and future goals.

3D Printing class uses high-tech printer to collaborate and create

Mr. Teske's 3D Printing and Design class worked with 'clients' this week as they custom designed door clings for each teacher at Healy. This is not only an aesthetically pleasing addition to the doors, but also a safety improvement, as it prevents a potential attacker from seeing inside the locked classroom through the side glass window. To create these masterpieces, students are using the Roland SG300 TruVis printer on loan (a $15,000 printer!) at no cost thanks to SourceWell (formerly NJPA).

Makerspace has an official 'home' at Healy Media Center

The Makerspace in the high school media center got it's official signage last week, courtesy of the artistic abilities of Mrs. Monson. Makespace is a collaborative space where students can come and tinker, create, design, color, glue, cut, and even knit. It's a movement that encourages students to take a break from their day to create and collaborate in an open environment. Some of the Makerspace activities at Healy so far this year: pointillism, BreakerSpace (students get to take apart old appliances and see if they can put them back together), EV3 Lego Robotics, board games, greeting cards that light up, make and take book marks, pixel art and more to come!

Team building, collaboration, & communication in physical education

Remember when phy ed was just sit ups, burpees, and dodgeball?

Today's physical education guides the whole student--mind and body. Students in Mr. Monson's phy ed classes were tasked with getting their team safely across the gym using mats--and not letting anyone touch the floor. This physical and mental exercise was part of their Cooperative Learning/Team Building unit. Through experiential learning, students learned key words from the unit: Communication, Sportsmanship, Positivity and Integrity.

Josi's Quote of the Week for this week came from Mark Twain: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain

Attention parents and future students: January 15 is an important date

It's your chance to become a Pierz student!

Pierz capped open enrollment this past year to continue small class sizes while using our newly modeled four-section PK-6 school.

To clarify, MN law states that parents who apply by January 15 to open-enroll into the following school year will be notified of the possible open slot at the end of February. Once your student is enrolled, you need not apply again.

If you have any questions, please call Shari at the Elementary office x2209 or Kim at the High School office x1209.

Pierz Public Schools #484

[email protected]

District Office: 320.468.6458

112 Kamnic Street, Pierz, MN 56364

www.pierz.k12.mn.us