We hope you had a fun and restful summer and are "geared up" for the 2015-2016 school year. This is the first of our monthly newsletters for science teachers. Each month, we'll bring you new technology integration ideas, highlight a pedagogical strategy, and inform you about upcoming science events for both you and your students. We'll also spotlight some of the innovative work being done by teachers around the district. Additionally, you can check out what's happening in the science department on our new website, http://ccsdscience.weebly.com, and follow us on Twitter using the handle @cobbscience.

We hope you enjoyed the sessions you attended at Teacher Kick-Off and learned some new ideas from your peers. As a reminder, you can find all of the presentations for grades 6-12 on Blackboard. If you are a K-5 teacher, you can find the links to all presentations on the Engage Cobb Wordpress site for your grade level.

Make this the year to introduce exciting new science clubs or extracurricular programs at your school! One well-established program in Cobb is Science Olympiad.

How it works: Science Olympiad teams operate at all grade level bands (elementary, middle, and high). Student teams of up to 15 members typically work after school to prepare for Cobb's elementary or middle school competition. Pairs of students participate in hands-on events in disciplines such as genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, mechanical engineering and technology. Winners of those competitions advance to the state competition held in May at Kennesaw State.

Debbie Amodeo of Dodgen Middle School has a plethora of experience leading Science Olympiad teams. She is leading a new coaches training at Dodgen on Saturday, October 24th from 8:30-12:30. This workshop will include training on specific events and a Coaching Roundtable session for new and experienced coaches. The workshop is free and is a great chance to collaborate with other coaches and science colleagues. To register, email Kathy Jacobson at pkjacobson@earthlink.net. Check out Debbie's school flyer for her Science Olympiad team. You can also find more information about Science Olympiad on our Cobb Science website.

Capture your back-to-school energy by trying a new instructional strategy. Interactive notebooks are an excellent way for students to reflect on and communicate what they are learning in class. They don't have to be in a physical notebook either-- if you are challenging yourself to do more digitally, your students can keep electronic notebooks. To learn more about the nuts and bolts of interactive notebooks, check out this informative website. It has how-to's as well as student work samples from every grade level. http://wastatelaser.org/Science-Notebooks/home