Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Training Workshop & Student PreRegistration Now Available

On Saturday, August 29th, the math program will be providing Math Pentathlon games training for our full time coaches, rule experts, and club monitors. If your child is considering joining the Math Pentathlon program at Fern Bluff this year, we'd like to invite you to join us in the school cafeteria for this event, as we believe that you will find the training program valuable for understanding and encouraging your child's experience with Math Pentathlon and for at home play with your child. There is a small fee for the training which allows us to bring the program to our school. Adults who attend the training on Saturday, August 29th will be able to pre-register their children for the club. The training workshops are limited to 28 adults per division and we will place parents in the classes based on order of receipt of registration and payment. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, email the Math Club coordinator at mpcbobcats@hotmail.com for the registration forms.

We currently have parent staffing to enroll 40 students per division. If you are interested in volunteering EACH THURSDAY after school from 2:30-4 PM for the Math Club, your children will have automatic placement in the club and one registration fee will be waived. Please contact us immediately if you are able to join our team!

If you can not attend the training workshop on Aug 29th, the next opportunities for student registrations are (in priority order):

# 4. Students of parents who attended training in 2008, who went to tournament, and are changing divisions (by Sept 1)

# 5. Students who went to tournament in the prior year (by Sept 2)

#6. Students who were in Math club, but not at tournament (by Sept 3)

# 6. New Students & Parents attending Mini Orientation Session on September 3rd

# 7: New Students; Waiting List Replacements until September 30th

However, this priority placement list does not guarantee enrollment in the Math Pentathlon Club for 2009-2010. This simply states the order in which we will accept registrations. Once we have reached the capacity in any division, students will then be placed on a waiting list.

Regardless of when your student registers, we still expect a parent to volunteer for SIX hours during classes as a rotating volunteer or at a Saturday tournament as a supervisor.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

2009 National Champions on K-EYE at 5 PM

Celebration Thanks!














HUGE Thanks to our special guests at the 2009 Math Pentathlon National Champions Celebration & Awards Ceremony!

There is only one school in the United States that can claim the title 2009 Math Pentathlon National Champions and it's Fern Bluff Elementary. Now there are one-hundred thirty-six students who will always be able to say, "We were National Champions!"

The celebration and awards ceremony was incredible and lovely in the school courtyard! Dr. Wilson, Principal, welcomed the crowd and introduced Lisa Mack, campus coordinator for the program. She shared her thanks for the strong parent support of the program and her pride in the kids growth and sportsmanship.

Round Rock ISD Director of Curriculmn, Suzanne Burke spoke on behalf of Superintendent Dr. Chavez in congratulating the students for their incredible achievement.

Dr. Lorenzo Sadun of the University of Texas who is the advisor to a collegiate math team spoke about real world applications of the math program and how how hoped to meet them again in 10 or 15 years at UT.

Jarrod Weaver presented a certificate of special congressional recognition on behalf of Congressman John Carter.

Rene LeBlanc, national director of the Pentathlon Institute honored Fern Bluff Elementary students with a trophy presentation.

Students then marched through the halls in the Parade of Champions getting high-fives from their classmates before getting their individual trophies in the gym.

Special thanks also to Round Rock ISD's Board of Trustees Member Charles Chadwell and Williamson County Commissioner Lisa Birkman's representative, Tammy Smith for joining our celebration!

LAST DAY TO SEND IN YOUR TOURNAMENT PHOTO

Tomorrow is the last day for to email us your tournament/club photo so we can try and include it in the OFFICIAL NMPAT PROGRAM

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS AT:
www.mathpentath.org/mpt/mptPHOTOS.html#tournament

Your group or child can be a part of the National Academic Mathematics Pentathlon Academic Tournament Program. This free program with tournament photos taken by parents and coaches can be accessed online soon. Updated information and pictures taken the day of the tournament will make this program more accurate and enjoyable to share with family, friends, and co-workers. The Pentathlon Institute is grateful to everyone who submits photos and will make every attempt to include at least one of your pictures in the Official National Tournament Program. However, some photos may not be included due to problems with resolution, downloading, dropped emails, and other unknown conflicts.

We are hoping ALL the Texas Official Programs will be up by June 12.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Awards Ceremony Address by Lisa Mack

Last spring, when we first began discussing the possibility of having a Math Pentathlon club here at Fern Bluff, I was encouraged to keep it small. Have 12 kids, maybe 20 total? Truly, my heart couldn’t handle the disappointment that would result in turning away any student (my disappointment) and so we set out to build a club in which parents could each offer their time and talents, which would allow us to grow it for more students. We set out to make a club where new friends from different grade levels helped each other learn how to play the games, how to think differently, how to see future moves, and how to defend their position. The Fern Bluff Math Pentathlon club is not simply an after-school activity. We are a family of families each participating in some aspect of the Math Pentathlon club at Fern Bluff. We knew the payoff was great: our kids would develop math strategies; and learn critical thinking skills, good sportsmanship, and self-confidence through game play. How can it get any better than that? Let me tell you how; by the numbers:

BY THE NUMBERS:

9 Teachers supporting us by letting us use their rooms each week for our classes

21 Moms & Dads as our full-time Volunteer Staff serving as coaches, rule experts, and monitors each and every Tuesday

32 Parents as rotating Volunteers on Tuesdays 57 Parents as Tournament Supervisors

136 Students in Math Pentathlon: 40 from Kinder/First, 60 from Second/Third, 36 from Fourth/Fifth

94 Students at 3 tournaments

20 Honorable Mentions earning 11 points

9 Bronze Medalists earning 12 points

17 Silver Medalists earning 13 points

5 Gold Medalists earning 14 points

7 Hall of Fame Gold Medalists earning 15 points. These kids won all 5 of their games!

And, finally, it gets better like this:

There is only ONE 2009 National Champion and it’s Fern Bluff Elementary!

Students in the News

Look for your kids in the news and on the news . . .

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
KEYE 5 PM, 6 PM, & 10 PM

Saturday, June 6 or Tuesday, June 9
Round Rock Leader

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Community Impact
Web Article: http://impactnews.com/round-rock-pflugerville/recent-news/4688-fern-bluff-elementary-celebrates-math-pentathlon-national-victory

Wednesday June 3, 2009
Round Rock ISD Website
http://www.roundrockisd.org/index.aspx?page=3400&recordid=1564&returnURL=%2findex.aspx

Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Statesman, Metro section

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Championship Award Ceremony

Reminder: Have your student wear his/her Math T-Shirt tomorrow for the ceremony. If your child won a medal, have him/her wear the medal too! EVEN students who did not attend tournament are a part of our team so all kids in Math Pentathlon club should come to school with their club T-shirt.

Ceremony: We will begin at 8:00 AM in the school courtyard with a presentation of the National Trophy and some words from Dr. Wilson and district representatives. The kids will then have a parade of champions around the school and will end in the gym with donuts and juice for all pentathletes, parents, and invited guests.

Fern Bluff Elementary Named Math Pentathlon National Champion

There are 15 Math Pentathlon National Championship schools in the United States. Fern Bluff Elementary in Round Rock ISD is now one of them.

Yesterday, Rene LeBlanc, Associate Director of the Pentathlon Institute, announced that once scores had been counted and confirmed for all schools nationwide, the Kinder —5th grade team at Fern Bluff Elementary took the Championship with 352 points.

“This is truly an incredible achievement for our kids and our coaches,” said Lisa Mack, Fern Bluff Elementary Math Pentathlon campus coordinator. “We know our kids are truly special and now the whole country knows.”

Tournaments have been held for the past 31 years with national championships awarded since 1994. Texas has been hosting tournaments since 1997 and this is only the 2nd time a school in Texas has won the national championship. Thousands of schools around the US have Math Pentathlon games in the schools either in the classroom or as an extracurricular enrichment program. In 2008-2009 there were 219 schools that participated in the national tournament.

What’s even more astonishing about the win is that this is the first year Fern Bluff Elementary has even had a Math Pentathlon club on campus. “Clearly the dedication of the coaches, rule experts, and parent volunteers working with the kids each week has made a huge difference on that campus,” noted Mr. LeBlanc. “They have an exceptional program, an exceptional staff of parents running the program, and exceptional students.”

At 8:00 AM on Wednesday, June 3rd, the campus will celebrate their victory with a presentation by Mr. LeBlanc and reception.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

DIV III TOURNAMENT RESULTS: 4th & 5th Grade

SEVENTEEN 4th and 5th grade students took part in the National Math Pentathlon Tournament today. Another FANTASTIC experience for all of us as the kids played each of the games they have learned all year long with about 350 competitors from schools around Texas. Everyone seemed to have lots of fun and showed super sportsmanship and behavior. We are very proud of all the students who so wonderfully represented Fern Bluff Elementary.

HALL OF FAME Gold Medalists: John Davis, Praveen Elangovan, Kenyon Landt, Taylor Sims
(These kids won all five of their games!)

Silver Medalists: Rachel David, Marissa Lozano, Meghan Richardson, Garima Singh,Vishrudh Sriramprasad

Honorable Mentions: Arvind Ashok, Jack Dressendorfer, Nate Menke

Monday, May 25, 2009

Final Practice: Tuesday May 26

Fourth & Fifth graders going to tournament on Saturday should plan to attend a final practice Tuesday, May 26th from 3 PM - 4:30 PM in the science lab!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Tournament Scheduled for May 30th

The Division III and IV Math Pentathlon Academic Tournament for Texas has been rescheduled for:

May 30, 2009
New Date and Location
Austin ISD
Covington Middle School
3700 Convict Hill Rd | Austin, TX 78749

Thursday, April 30, 2009

TOURNAMENT POSTPONED

We have the final confirmation from AISD that the Math Pentathlon Tournament is CANCELED and will be rescheduled to a later date.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Final Class

Today is the last class for Math Pentathlon as the 4th & 5th graders get ready for their tournament this weekend! First-timer tournament tips and directions to LBJ High School were emailed to parents today. We're excited for our final tournament!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

4/24: Family Fun Friday

4th & 5th Graders! Bring the family or come with friends to play the Math Pentathlon games before tournament. Coaches Cruz & Carrie will be answering last minute questions and available for rule clarifications.

THURSDAYS

Next year, 2009-2010, Math Club at Fern Bluff Elementary will be held on Thursday afternoons. Tuesdays conflicted with Musicats, another fantastic school activity that is offered only on that day and is highly anticipated by 5th graders. With the exception of Mad Science, there are no known major conflicts with Thursday. Mad Science will be scheduled for a different day of the school week so that students currently enrolled in both will have the opportunity to continue to attend both.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

WEEK 25: 4/21

Tournament preparations continued for DIV III students with focus on the rules and challenges for Stars & Bars and Kings & Guards.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Aug 29th: Math Pentathlon Training at FBE

Mark your calendars now! Rene LeBlanc, director of Math Pentathlon Institute, will be at Fern Bluff Elementary on Saturday, August 29th, to provide coaches, parents, and teachers with training on the Math Pentathlon Games. DIV I will be in the morning, DIV II will be in the early afternoon, and DIV III will be in the late afternoon through evening. If you need a registration form, email us!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

WEEK 24: 4/14

As part of tournament preparation, DIV III coaches covered rules, strategy, and correct challenges on Juggle, Contig 60, and Fab-a-Diffy.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Student Placements for Math Club 2009-2010

Students will be placed in the Math Club according to this schedule.

# 1. Coaches, Rule Experts, Monitors, DIV Coordinators, Math Club Chairs by May 15th

# 2. Students whose parents attended training in the prior year, who went to tournament, and who are staying in the same division by June 1st

# 3. Students of parents who attend training on August 29th

# 4. Students of parents who attended training in the prior year, who went to tournament, and are changing divisions by August 31st

# 5. Students who went to tournament in the prior year by September 1st

# 6. New Students & Parents attending Mini Orientation Session on September 1st

# 7: New Students; Waiting List Replacements until September 30th

Volunteers Needed for 2009-2010

The Fern Bluff Math Penathlon Club has had an exciting year so far! Our DIV I (Kinder & 1st grade) and DIV II (2nd & 3rd grade) teams have already been to tournament and brought home many gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention medals. Now, we are starting to plan for next year's Math Pentathlon club at Fern Bluff and are looking for volunteers.

If you are available every week after school on Thursdays, for an hour, to work with the kids or to work behind the scenes organizing the program, please consider volunteering as a full time member of our club staff. In return for your commitment to the Math Pentathlon club, your children will get automatic placement, you will get free training, and one child's registration fee waived.

We need Coaches, Rule Experts, Monitors, and Division Coordinators. For a detailed list of the responsibilities, please email the club at MPCBobcats@hotmail.com.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

DIV III Classes Extended to 5:00 PM

The final three classes of Math Club for DIV III students (4th & 5th grade) will be held from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM for greater tournament prep. The DIV III games are 45 minutes long each so the students will benefit from longer playing time as they continue to develop strategies.

Tuesdays: April 14, April 21, April 28

Monday, April 6, 2009

Games Donated to Fern Bluff Math Club

A HUGE thanks to Michael Scott and Dan Robinson who each donated their set of DIV II Math Pentathlon games to the Fern Bluff Math Club. We truly appreciate their support of the club!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

DIV II TOURNAMENT RESULTS: 2nd & 3rd Grade

FORTY-TWO 2nd and 3rd grade students took part in the National Math Pentathlon Tournament today. Another FANTASTIC experience for all of us as the kids played each of the games they have learned all year long with some of the 640+ other competitors from schools around Texas. Again, everyone seemed to have lots of fun and showed super sportsmanship and behavior. We are very proud of all the students who so wonderfully represented Fern Bluff Elementary.

HALL OF FAME Gold Medalists: Kevin Black, Kam Dyer, Naren Gundapaneni
(These kids won all five of their games!)

Gold Medalists: Jace Robinson, Angela Zhang

Silver Medalists: Rose Anconentani, Samantha Banks, Alec Kennison, Emily Lai, Molly Riquelmy, Hayden Zahler

Bronze Medalists: Sean Aiton, Daniel Cogan, Richard Lai, Taran Nudurumati, Katie Swain, Cindy Wang

Honorable Mentions: Sinduhja Ayyagari, Hannah David, Emily DiLullo, Mira Jain, Ethan Paquet, Anika Puri, Isabelle Scott, Andrew Tang, Reymond Wong

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

WEEK 24: 3/31

DIV II: Last class for second & third grade students. We reviewed what to expect at tournament and game rules. Tournament is Saturday, April 4th!

DIV III: Earthquake game play, one-on-one, with all five pentathlon games.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

DIV I TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Kinder & 1st Grade

THIRTY-FIVE Kinder and 1st grade students took part in the National Math Pentathlon Tournament today. It was an AWESOME experience for all of us as the kids played each of the games they have learned all year long with some of the 400+ other competitors from schools around Texas. Everyone seemed to have lots of fun and showed great sportsmanship and behavior. We are very proud of all the students who so fantastically represented Fern Bluff Elementary.

Gold Medalists: Sam Davis, David Dressendorfer, Benjamin Molis

Silver Medalists: Hayden Anconetani, Varun Jawarani, Ethan Mack, Coleson Muirhead, Elaine Yuan, Carson Zahler

Bronze Medalists: Kristen McCullough, Pooja Reddy, Daniel Velani

Honorable Mentions: Brett Adcock, Logan Hoover, Katelyn McLeod, Aidan Myers, Matthew Riquelmy, Tarek Sims, Gaurav Singh, Blaine Schroeder

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Math Fun Friday!

Family Fun Night Friday
6:30-8 PM
Cafeteria

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

WEEK 23: 3/24

DIV I: This is the LAST week of Math Club for Division I students! Tournament preparation and fun game play are on order as the students get ready for their tournament on Saturday, March 28th.

DIV II: Today DIV II students will play in a mini-tournament with friends from other classes.

DIV III: More instruction on Queens & Guards.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

WEEK 22: 3/10

DIV I: First grade and Kinder students were matched up one-on-one this week for an exciting mini-tournament!

DIV II: This was the last week of instruction on Sum Dominoes & Dice for second and third grade students.

DIV III: The fourth and fifth grade students continued with lessons for Kings & Quards.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Thursday, February 26, 2009

WEEK 21: 2/24

DIV I: Game lessons are over! Today the kids played all the games one-on-one Earthquake style. This was a fun refresher before they have a mini-tournament during class to prepare for their tournament on March 28th.

DIV II: Sum Dominoes & Dice rules were explained today and the students had the chance to practice the game. Ask your son or daughter what it means to REACT, ROLL, REACT, and DRAW.

DIV III: Fourth and fifth grade students began learning their final game today: Kings & Guards.

Monday, February 23, 2009

THURS Feb 26, 6:30 PM: Tournament Volunteer Training

NO Math Club MARCH 3rd

The school will be closed for extracurricular activities due to TAKS testing.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

WEEK 20: 2/17

DIV I: Kinder and first grade students finished learning their final game, Star Track.

DIV II: Second and third grade students played a game to help them recognize how to find two domino ends that added together equal the sum of three dice rolled. Roll, react, draw. These steps, and correct domino placement, are the founding steps of our final game, "Sum Dominoes & Dice."

DIV III: Fourth & fifth grade students enjoyed EARTHQUAKE game play with one-on-one practice of all the games they have learned thus far.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

WEEK 19: 2/10

DIV I: First lesson in their final game, "Star Track." This game has students pick two strands of links, count them, and choose which one they want to use for moving their pawn forward. There are advantages to determining a good move based on the number of links in the strands. For instance, if you end up on a star you have to move your pawn back on the game board to the previous star.

DIV II: Earthquake game play day with one-on-one play between students for all four games learned so far.

DIV III: Final week on Stars & Bars!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Tournament News

Over 100 students from Fern Bluff Elementary have registered for the National Math Pentathlon Tournaments!

Tournament Supervisors & Game Assignments

Yesterday tournament supervisors were emailed their game assignments and the rules for that game. Come to Fun Fridays on Feb 6th or March 6th to practice hands-on! Volunteer training is on Thursday, February 26th at 6:30 PM. If you are a tournament supervisor and did not get an email from the Math Club, email us at MPCBobcats@hotmail.com.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

WEEK 18: 2/3

DIVISION I students played the popular EARTHQUAKE game today. This is where all the games they have learned so far are put out and the kids play each other one-on-one. Randomly, the coach will call EARTHQUAKE and the kids will move to a different game (currently in progress) and play against a new opponent. Their goal is to try to pick up on the previous students' strategy to continue and/or win the game.

DIVISION II students completed their final week learning and playing RAMROD by working through some strategies for making captures and recognizing when their opponents are trying to set up captures so they can be prepared to defend against those moves.

DIVISION II students continue to make progress on the game, STARS & BARS. This is the most challenging game of their division.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Family Fun Night

Friday, February 6th is Family Fun Night! Be sure to bring your child for some fun game playing time with you and his/her friends at Fern Bluff Elementary.

Tournament Registration

If you haven't registered for tournament yet, do it now! If you don't know how, email us at MPCBobcats@hotmail.com for detailed instructions.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

WEEK 17: 1/27

Today was the final day for DIV I students and their journey in the land of Kings and Quadraphages. DIV II students practiced Ramrod with the recycling rule today and DIV III students are still exploring the many operations and possibilities of Stars & Bars.

Friday, January 16, 2009

WEEK 16: 1/20

This was a big week for game rules! We have introduced the basic concepts of each of the games to the students and are learning to play. As usual, there might be one or two rules that come after the main concepts have been learned. These make the games exciting and offer additional strategical options. Ask your child what a quadraphage or a cuisinaire rod is or what the big deal is about stars and bars!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Tournament Registration

Today we sent home instructions on how to register your student online for the National Math Pentathlon Tournament. Please take some time in the next two weeks to get your child(ren) registered! If you have any questions, be sure to email us. Thanks.

WEEK FIFTEEN: 1/13

All of us started our first lesson on a new game today! Generally, on a first week we introduce concepts (through exploration and activities) that will be used when learning the game during a subsequent week. From www.mathpentath.org, here's the MATH we are learning behind all the fun!

DIV I: Kings & Quadraphages
Horizontal, vertical, and diagonal movement, which is the basis of many mathematics/ science concepts, is practiced in this simple, but challenging entrapment game. In addition, students experience a dynamic use of counting skills while exploring deductive thinking and the topology of open and closed regions. Students take turns placing a chip (referred to as a square-eating Quadraphage) on a grid-type gameboard and moving their pawn (the King) to entrap the opposing King.

DIV II: Ramrod
The game of Ramrod combines the ability to know all facts for each number family with strategic thinking. Cuisenaire rods and a gameboard that connects rectangular (sum) boxes composed of different metric lengths provide the setting for students’ active investigation of addition and subtraction, measurement, estimation, spatial reasoning, and inductive and deductive thought. In this game students must plan ahead to construct “RAMROD” (addend) combinations of two rods that complete a rectangular (sum) box length in the playing area of the gameboard. Such (addend) combinations result in captures that relate to the game goal of being the first to complete their 24 cm rectangular region of the gameboard. The ability to associate each of the colored rods with their corresponding number value facilitates students’ skill to mentally compute all of the facts for each number family represented on the gameboard.

DIV III: Stars & Bars
This multiple classification-logic game uses geometric attribute cards and a grid-type board to help students develop understanding of multi-variable relationships. For each play students try to maximize their scores by placing cards onto the gameboard and comparing them to adjacent cards that are one, two, three, or four-ways different. The horizontal, vertical, and diagonal placement of the cards onto the gameboard contributes to the development of logical, computational, and spatial thought.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

WEEK FOURTEEN: Earthquake Day

To get the students back into the games, each division had an Earthquake Game Play day. Every five minutes the students would rotate to a new game, with a new partner, and play the game that was currently in progress. This challenges the students to quickly determine the strategy of the former player to try to make progress or win the game before their next rotation five minutes later. It's a great way to remember the games we've been playing and play one-on-one with many of their friends in class!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Classes Resume

Math Club will resume on Tuesday, January 6th!