We are honored to partner with Franklin Elementary School and the Santa Monica College Madison campus for this year’s 2008 GATE program for the 4th and 5th grade. GATE students will have the opportunity to attend 4 Saturday workshops in the Black Box Theatre and Music Classrooms, choosing either Lego Robotics Design or Shakespeare. The $31 million state-of-the-art facility at SMC’s Madison campus on 11th Street and Arizona Avenue will give the Westside an amazing cultural arts venue when it opens this year, and Franklin students can be a part of its inception!

The goal of this program is to provide students with a thoroughly immersive experience. With the guidance of mentor teachers, professionals in their field, GATE students will have the time and opportunity to “stretch”, both mentally and physically, allowing depth, complexity, AND educational excitement.

Lego Robotics or Shakespeare

Sign up for this exciting Saturday educational adventure!

Dates: February 23, March 1, March 8, March 15
Times: 1:30 to 4:30pm
**Students are encouraged to commit to 4 weeks, but special arrangements can be made if an absence is planned in advance.
Location: Madison Avenue Campus 11th Street and Santa Monica Blvd.

Important Date: Saturday, March 15 | 3:30-4:30 pm
Shakespeare Culmination & Lego Robotics Demonstration

Workshop I: SHAKESPEARE

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” declared Shakespeare. No matter what role you play in life, the key is bringing your individuality and uniqueness to the part. In a safe, fun, and supportive environment with STAR’s professional theatre teachers, GATE students will integrate movement, voice and character with Shakespeare’s scenes and monologues, while exploring the many facets of Shakespeare’s life and times.

Workshop II: LEGO ROBOTICS

Join STAR’s Lego Robotics team!

This class teaches students how to build simple robots for use with a variety of sensors and the graphical programming language incorporated with the Nxt microprocessor. Students will learn to program their robots to perform tasks, such as picking up objects and following pathways. This fun series of weekend adventures is the perfect chance to give your young engineer a leg up in the world of computer technology.

STAR’s Gifted and Talented Department opened the doors to their new GATE Convention Center this Fall, located at the STAR Offices on Jefferson Boulevard in Culver City. Plans are to host students, parents and teachers in hands-on interactive classes, professional development, weekend family adventures, and performance workshops. Currently, the 4th and 5th and 6th grade GATE students of El Rodeo, Hawthorne, Beverly Vista and Horace Mann are scheduled to attend weekly classes in Gizmos & Gadgets, Lego Robotics, and Entrepreneurship. Tery Arnold, Director of G.A.T.E. comments, “In the context of our Convention Center location, students get the opportunity to study one subject for an extended length of time, allowing for depth and complexity of subject matter and the interactive space to work together as teams.” Please check on STAR’s website (www.starinc.org) to find out about more exciting events coming your way. Anyone interested in booking the GATE Convention Center for educational events, please call the GATE Office at 310-842-8040 extension 113.

GATE FIELD TRIP TO WIRED NEXTFEST!

STAR’s GATE, SCIENCE, and ZOME Departments hosted an educational field trip for the Gifted and Talented Students of Wiseburn Unified School District on September 13th, boarding a bus to the WIRED Next Fest, the World’s Fair of New Technologies. To kick off their new curriculum in NEW HORIZONS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, students and teachers walked through interactive exhibits in The Futures of Exploration, Green, Health, Play, Robotics, Security and Transportation. Wiseburn GATE students continue their educational journey weekly at their schools with STAR GATE teachers, studying both the “NEW HORIZONS” curriculum, as well as classes in “CREATIVE WRITING – FROM FABLE TO FAIRYTALE”.

FUN, FIT & PHYSICAL FAMILY NIGHT AT ARNOLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Arnold Elementary School hosted the STAR GATE Department for their second annual Health and Fitness Night. Parents and students gathered to view STAR Science’s traveling Health and Fitness Exhibit. Volunteers were picked from the audience to participate in learning about the digestive system, and Marisa Cleghorn got everyone up and moving with invigorating exercises for the brain. More eager volunteers were picked to practice the art of Hula Hoop, Capoeira, and Twirling, after the presenters Marisa Tellez, Alessandra and John Mitchell talked inspiringly on their art, craft and motivation. A healthy “brain” snack was served (red grapes, sunflower seeds and water) and students all received their own hula hoop to practice at home! Physical Fitness and Education, all rolled into one fun-filled evening!

NEW HORIZONS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Burnett Mondays 8:30-10:00 | October 1 - December 10
Burnett Thursdays 8:30-10:00 | October 4 - December 13
Anza Fridays 8:30-10:00 | October 28 - December 14
*Thursday September 13th Kick Off Field Trip

Our G.A.T.E. adventure with the 3rd through 5th grade GATE students of the Wiseburn Unified School District will start with a field trip on Thursday, September 13th, to the Los Angeles Convention Center to attend WIRED NEXTFEST (The “World’s Fair of Technology), where they’ll experience exciting new technologies that will be a part of their future lives. Accompanied by STAR Science and Technology teachers, the students will have a 2-hour field trip from 10:00am to 12:00noon to kick off this exciting 10-week program. Subsequent classes will cover new horizons in Human Origins, the Mind and Brain, Health and Medicine, Technology, Space, Physics and Math, and the Living World and the Environment. This is an educational module ripped from the headlines.

CREATIVE WRITING: EXPLORING FORMAT FROM FAIRYTALE TO FABLE
Burnett Mondays 10:15-11:45 | October 1 - December 10
Burnett Thursdays 10:15-11:45 | October 4 - December 13
Anza Fridays 10:15-11:45 | October 28 - December 14
*Monday December 17th Culmination Performance

We read them voraciously as children, we watch them brought to life on the silver screen, but what are these fables trying to teach us? Many of the lessons encoded in these stories still seem relevant today. This is a class that inspires the “Unanswered Questions”. Students will explore various formats in creative writing – from journal writing to poetry, from song verse to playwriting, from autobiography to fiction, students will write and discuss what they think is true, fair, good and beautiful, and create – alone or in teams – their own inspired fairytale.

MODULE II

ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Burnett Mondays 8:30-10:00 | January 21 – April 21
Burnett Thursdays 8:30-10:00 | January 24 – April 10
Anza Fridays 8:30-10:00 | January 18 – April 18

In ENTREPRENEURSHIP, students will explore the logistics of business plan components, concept development, mission statements and all the economical intricacies that come with launching their very own business. Last class will be a mock-convention, where students will exhibit their created product, individually or in teams, display the product (or prototype) advertise the product, and sell the product (or take orders). Students could also choose to “present” their product during the exhibition. Parents will attend the culmination “convention, and be given “pretend” money at the door to buy the desirable products while listening to the sales pitches.

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING: EXPLORING YOUR COMMUNITY
Burnett Mondays 10:15-11:45 | January 21 – April 21
Burnett Thursdays 10:15-11:45| January 24 – April 10
Anza Fridays 10:15-11:45| January 18 – April 18
*Thursday April 27th, 2007 Culmination Event

From behind the movie camera, what is really going on in your school? Explore the process of interviewing, researching, and choosing images to portray your school’s world, and learn the art and technique of documentary storytelling. What is the “behind the scenes” story of Burnett and Anza School? What is the real story of the community that resides around your schools? Learn the art and technique of visual storytelling, and create the “real” story of your own school and community.

GIZMOS & GADGETS | 4th GRADE Mondays 9:30-1:00 | October 1 - November 5
Culmination Date: November 5 Parents Invited 11:00-12:30

ROBOTICS | 5TH GRADE Thursdays 9:30-1:00 | October 4 - November 8
Culmination Date: November 8 Parents Invited 11:00-12:30

The 4TH and 5TH grade G.A.T.E. students of the Beverly Hills Unified School District will travel to the STAR Offices and STAR Eco Station to attend a series of 6 classes in GIZMOS & GADGETS and ROBOTICS. Students will discover their inventiveness, engage in thinking about their futures, and take part in hands-on science projects that will reinforce dynamics of energy and momentum; they will also learn to build and program a working robot, while being introduced to technical literacy, fundamental mathemeatics, computer programming, critical thinking and team building.

MODULE II

ENTREPRENEURSHIP | 6TH GRADE Wednesdays 9:30-1:00
Team I- El Rodeo & Hawthorne | January 16 - February 20
Culmination Date: February 20th Parents are Invited from 11:00-12:30
Team II- Beverly Vista and Horace Mann | March 5 - April 16
Culmination Date: April 16th Parents are Invited from 11:00-12:30

The 6th grade students of the Beverly Hills Unified School District will travel to the STAR Offices and STAR Eco Station to attend a series of 6 classes in ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Students will explore the logistics of business plan components, concept development, mission statements and all the economical intricacies that come with launching their very own business. Last class will be a mock-convention, where students will exhibit their created product, individually or in teams, display the product (or prototype) advertise the product, and sell the product (or take orders). Students could also choose to “present” their product during the exhibition. Parents will attend the culmination “convention,” and be given “pretend” money at the door to buy the desirable products while listening to the sales pitches.

MODULE III

GAME DESIGN | 7TH AND 8TH GRADE Wednesdays 8:00- 9:30
Team I: El Rodeo | September 26 - October 31
Team II: Horace Mann | November 14 - December 19
Team III: Hawthorne | January 16 - February 27
Team IV: Bev. Vista | March 5 - April 16

The 7TH and 8TH grade students of the Beverly Hills Unified School District will have the opportunity to participate in classes in GAME DESIGN at their home schools. Students will learn the basics of programming and be able to create simple 2D models and import them into the game engine to create their own video game. STAR’s GAME DESIGN teacher will travel to 4 schools, one at a time, for 6 sessions each.