Athens ISD press release
South Athens Elementary School is on a mission to prove that math and science is not only important but can be a lot of fun for students and their families. Seeing and doing is believing. So the campus is hosting Math and Science Night this Thursday, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for all South Athens students and their family members. The come-and-go event is free.
“This is an opportunity for families to engage in math and science fun,” explained event organizer Elaine Nelson, a math and science intervention teacher at the school. There will be a great deal of hands-on activities. We want families engaged and talking about math and science.”
Making math and science fun may sound like a difficult task to some, but the hour-and-a-half schedule is packed with interactive opportunities and presenters. For example there will be “magic math” activities, where kids will be able to correctly identify a number between one and 30 that a family member secretly chooses. Of course, it’s not really magic; it’s algebra. There’s also Place-Value Yahtzee, coin riddles, a geometry concentration game, addition and subtraction Tic-Tac-Toe and a challenge to find a way to walk through paper.
A host of presenters will offer hands-on activities and demonstrations. The Athens High School robotics team will show off a robot built by students; the Trinity Valley Community College science club will dazzle with a bit of interactive “kitchen chemistry;” a representative from Lake Tyler State Park will talk about birds; the Henderson County Library will have read-alouds and offer families opportunities to sign up for library cards on the spot; members of the Henderson County Master Gardeners will show parents the on-site student garden; and much more, including light refreshments.
Math and Science Night is a first-of-its-kind event at Athens ISD and was made possible thanks to a $1,000 grant by the Athens Public Education Foundation. APEF is a non-profit organization that operates independently of the school district, raising funds in order to award grants for education programs and projects that are not part of AISD’s budget.
“We are thrilled to have APEF’s support,” said Nelson. “Our families and our community will benefit as a result. This is touching more than one generation.”