January 2018 Updates

Chocolate Milk at Leverett School

On Thursday, December 21st, 2017, the 6th graders made presentations to a panel regarding whether or not chocolate milk should be served at Leverett School.  The panel consisted of Principal Lacey, Superintendent Haggerty, school committee members Craig Cohen and Tara Acker, school nurse Annie Clarke, and Food Service Director Molly Snedden.  After listening to the carefully crafted presentations which included research from experts as well as survey information from students here at Leverett School, the panel is willing to consider adding chocolate milk as an option at lunch.  They have asked the students to create a parent survey and if the parents agree, they are willing to do a 6 week trial of chocolate milk.  During the trial, the 6th graders will need to keep data and then present a report regarding the outcomes of having chocolate milk at lunch.  Do students drink more milk?  Are more lunches sold?

Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions

We have started a new unit in science exploring chemical reactions. Students have completed two labs where they have combined different chemicals (a liquid and a powdered solid) and recorded how the temperature changes.  The first lab had students testing beef liver and hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice and baking soda, and yeast and hydrogen peroxide.  The second lab was a mix and match using water and acetic acid (vinegar) as the liquids and calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate, and citric acid as the powdered solids.  The students then mixed each of the liquids with each of the solids and recorded their observations about the evidence of a chemical reaction and recorded the temperature change.  After each lab, students created a graph and wrote up their conclusions.

  

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