Congratulations Lukas for an amazing performance in the 30th Annual Connecticut Geographic Bee, sponsored by the National Geographic Society, which was held at Central Connecticut State University on Friday, April 6, 2018. About one hundred of the top geography students in grades four through eight competed for the top geographer in the state!  Lukas (pictured in the middle) with meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan, competition moderator and the other top placed participants.  Thank you Dr Priest for supporting this competition and encouraging participation at Middlebrook.

Last week was Middlebrook’s annual World Languages week. On Tuesday March 27^th, the musical group SURCARI came to Middlebrook to perform during two assemblies. This was the third time that the group had performed at our school. They were as engaging and as entertaining as when they came in 2012 and in 2015. They know how to celebrate the Hispanic world and how to teach about different countries through musical instruments and songs. Their performance was very interactive. They had students stand in front of the stage, dance and play different instruments. Teachers were also asked to play instruments, sing, and dance. Students loved the performance and shared some thoughts about what they had learned.

“I loved the interactive part because being able to play the music is quite a different experience from just hearing it” (Shryia)

“It was interesting and eye opening because I saw different ways of entertainment in different countries” (Leeland)

“It was a lot of fun. It was nice that it was so interactive because a lot of people were able to go up.” (Cathy)

“It was very good. They did a good job including the audience.” (Matt)

Middlebrook 7th Grader Varun Vadera won first place in the Grade 7 Lockheed Martin Physical Sciences category at the 70th CT Science & Engineering Fair. The event was held March 12-18 at Quinnipiac University.

For his project, The Buzzing Eye–Helping the Blind, Vadhera developed a prototype of a “smart” walking stick that utilizes ultrasonic sensors to warn blind people of an object in their path. For placing first, Vadhera won $200 and a trophy, and he was invited to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars), “the premier science and engineering competition for middle school students.”

Vadhera also won several other awards for his project:  first place in the Barnes Aerospace Applied Technology (Middle School) category ($300, trophy and medallion); the United Technologies Corporation Award ($500 in UTC Common Stock, plaque and backpack); the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) CT Section’s Honors Award–Junior ($250); and the Zepke Award for the best use of electronic Circuitry–Middle School ($100).

The following provide resources to help parents with questions:

• Turningpointct.org Website
• Mobile Crisis Website
• Nami
• GoZen
• National Association of School Psychologists Website
• "Helping Children Cope With Tragedy"
  A Report to Parents.
• Helping Young Children Cope With Trauma
  American Red Cross
• Helping Children Cope with Frightening News
• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers: National Association of School Psychologists
• Talking to Children about Community Violence
  American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
• Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
  National Association of School Psychologists
• Guidelines for talking to your kids about tragedies and school shootings
• Talking to children about shootings
• Helping children cope with tragedy and related anxiety

Refer to the resources in Parent Resources for useful links on a variety of topics.