A Message from the Middle School Team
Dear Families,
As we wrap up the last week before April break we would like to highlight the middle school robotics elective. As many of you know, St. Mary's has partnered with TrueRobotics from Worcester Polytechnic Institution to offer a hands-on robotics course to our middle school this term.
The students have been exemplary in their cooperation and leadership with this opportunity. Throughout the past few weeks, the three grades have worked together to build and begin programming their robots. It has been a joy to see the students work together across the three grades, to build new relationships, and to share their skill sets with each other. Throughout the term students will have the opportunity to learn about mechanical engineering as well as programming. The middle schoolers have embraced this new challenge with vigor and are excited to move onto the programming stage with their robots.
Have a wonderful weekend and April Break and we are looking forward to seeing you all back in school after break!
Grade 7
The 7th graders continued their study on heredity by learning about DNA. During the lab, students learned about the chemical structure of DNA and the process of DNA extraction. They were given the opportunity to extract DNA from strawberries using common household materials such as dish soap, table salt, and rubbing alcohol.
Through this hands-on experience, students were able to observe the physical properties of DNA, including its stringy texture and the way it clumped together in the presence of alcohol. They also learned about the importance of DNA in genetic research and how it is used to identify genetic diseases and traits
