McNair Chess Tournament - February 2019

grandmaster chess set

MAXIMUM ENTRIES - 170

On Saturday, February 16, 2019 McNair PTA will host the next McNair Scholastic chess tournament for the 2018-2019 school year.  

We will be hosting the following divisions at this event:

  • K-3
  • K-5
  • K-8
  • Open Quads (1300+)

Please go to the following link for information and to register - McNair February 16, 2019 Chess Tournament 

  • The early online registration fee is $27 per chess player and will close at midnight on Tuesday, February 12, 2019.
  • The late online registration fee is $32 per chess player and will close at midnight on Thursday, February 14, 2019.
  • The on-site registration fee is $40 per chess player and will close at 8:30 am sharp on Saturday, February 16, 2019.
  • NOTE: Participants should use the back / cafeteria doors - the front doors will NOT be open.
  • NOTE: Our chess tournaments are subject to Fairfax County Public School policies.  In case of inclement weather - please check www.fcps.edu 

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
McNair ES PTA

Tentative 2018 - 2019 McNair Chess Tournament Schedule (subject to change):

  • Saturday, March 2 (Warm-up for the VA Scholastic & College Chess Championships)
  • Saturday, April 6
  • Saturday, May 4

This competition is for All GRADE LEVELS. 
Questions?  Please reach out to the Coordinators at mcnair.reflections@gmail.com

Registrations for 2018-19 are now closed.
​Award Ceremony Video:   Click here to view

Theme:  “Heroes Around Me” 

EXPLORE THE ARTS!!!     PARTICIPATE IN PTA REFLECTIONS!!!        


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students K through grade 6 are encouraged to create and submit works of art (created at home) in one of the above six areas. Please drop the entries @ the Front office addressed to PTA Reflections.

For program details, general rules and category rules, visit the webpage by clicking the attached link http://www.vapta.org/arts-and-education/reflections

Entry form attached below.  Each entry submitted by the student must be accompanied by the student entry form, and must follow the category rules as specified in the link above.

Visual Arts 3D expansion! The visual arts category allows students to enter three-dimensional artworks in addition to the traditional 2D entries.  Please click here to view more information regarding this expansion.

Download all of these important Reflections Resources:

Program Update

 

Selection process: 
On Nov 6, 2018 ART teachers reviewed more than 65 entries and spent about half day for reviewing and judging each and every entry carefully.
They followed National PTA guidelines for judging(e.g. blind judging) and awarding the entries. 
There were too many competitive entries and hence our judges decided to use the following three categories for recognizing the entries.

Awards:
  • 6 Awards of Excellence (have been submitted for Fairfax County PTA)
  • 3 Awards of Merit
  • 15 Honorable Mention

No fees collected for this competition!
McNair Elementary PTA simply wants your child to participate! 

 

 

This competition is ONLY FOR 3rd thru 6th GRADE. 

Registration for 2018-19 is now closed.  Teams have now been formed.


Questions?  Please reach out to the Coordinators at McNair.ACSL@gmail.com

American Computer Science League (ACSL) organizes computer science and programming contests for elementary, junior, and senior high school students. 

McNair PTA is excited to support this computer science program starting 2018-19 school year and encourages students in grades 3-6 to participate in the contests.

Divisions

Elementary Division is open to students from grades 3 -6 and consists of non-programming problems. Four contests each consisting of a 30-minute, 5-question tests would be administered.

Junior Division is geared to students with no previous experience in programming/coding. Four contests each consisting of a 30-minute 5-question short answer test and a take home program to solved in 72-hours. Team scores are based on the sum of the best 5 scores each test. McNair PTA recommends this division for 5th and 6th graders interested in programming/coding.

Schedule

The program is based on a curriculum and is run as four-part contests during the school year. The last day that each contest must be completed is as follows:

    Contest #1: Friday, December 21, 2018

    Contest #2: Friday, February 1, 2019

    Contest #3: Friday, March 8, 2019

    Contest #4: Friday, April 19, 2019

All-Star Contest and Prizes

Based upon cumulative results after the four contests, ACSL will 

  • invite the top scoring teams in each division to complete at its All-Star Contest. At the All-star Contest, prizes are awarded to top scoring teams and to top scoring students.
  • award plaques to top scoring students and teams based upon previously announced geographic regions. 

Teams

McNair PTA would help facilitate team formation. Please register your child(ren) using this form before Saturday, October 20th.

A team comprises of one administrator/coach and a minimum of 5 students. Each Team can participate in one of the divisions - elementary or junior division. Team administrator would register  the team directly with ACSL as a private/neighborhood team (not as a "McNair" team) and pay the required fees to participate. ACSL would send the administrator the contest materials and instructions on how to submit the results. More information can be found here. PTA would be able to help administer the tests, if needed.

Coaches

ACSL at McNair relies on volunteers to coach the teams. PTA requests parents/guardians with computer science background to volunteer to coach and support this program. PTA would establish a community forum for the coaches to share knowledge, resources and help each other.

Registration for 2018-19 is now closed.  Teams have now been formed.


Odyssey of the Mind program encourages students of all abilities to participate in the competition.  For further clarification or if you have any questions, please reach out to the Coordinators at mcnair.oom@gmail.com

  • This competition is for All GRADE LEVELS. 
  • This is a much sought out after program at McNair Elementary school and we are excited to offer this program again this year!
  • Odyssey of the Mind is an International creative problem-solving program that engages students in their learning by allowing their knowledge and ideas to come to life in an exciting, productive environment. Participants build self-confidence, develop life skills, create new friendships, and can recognize and explore their true potential. OOTM proves that students can have fun while they learn.
  • Students get to use their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting a dramatic performance on stage.  All their hard work culminates in an exciting competition with other local teams at Manassas Park High School in March and there on to the State and World championships if the team wins!
  • This is a wonderful program for students willing to commit time and effort towards their team. To learn more on what to expect, please check the power point attached below.
  • The cost is $50 per child.  Coach's chid - No fee.  Assistant Coach's child - $30.

​Want to coach a team but unsure of what is expected of you?  To learn more - Click here

Remember that we are here to help you.
If you have any questions, please get in touch so we can be of assistance.

For further information, please check out the following websites

 

This competition is ONLY FOR 6TH GRADE. 
Registrations for 2018-19 are now closed.

Questions?  Please email the coordinators at mcnairvasob@gmail.com

Science Olympiad is a school-based program for students from third grade through their senior year in high school. It offers students the opportunity to improve their understanding in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to work together in teams to learn new skills. Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO) is a non-profit organization engaging and challenging students in these disciplines through team-based competitive tournaments in Virginia.

VASO seeks to inspire a passion for science and technology in Virginia's students through collaboration and teamwork, hands-on experiences, variety and creativity in topics and skills, and fun and rewarding tournaments. Events are carefully chosen by the National Science Olympiad organization to reflect national educational standards and are changed or revised every year to allow students to learn new things.

This competition is ONLY FOR 4TH AND 5TH GRADE. 
Registrations for 2018-19 are now closed.

Questions?  Please email the Coordinators at mcnairmustangsso17@gmail.com

Important Information:

  • Student interest form/ registration: September 13, 2018
  • ​Student/Team Registration Deadline: September 15, 2018
  • Tournament Date: October 13, 2018
  • Process for selection: Based on number of students who are interested, a test will be conducted to select a maximum of 45 students.
  • Test date TBD (week of Sep-16 to 21). 
  • Please note: Preference will be given to students whose parents are willing to volunteer as coaches as well as those who can help out during the tournament.

Science Olympiad is a school-based program for students from third grade through their senior year in high school. It offers students the opportunity to improve their understanding in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to work together in teams to learn new skills. Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO) is a non-profit organization engaging and challenging students in these disciplines through team-based competitive tournaments in Virginia.

VASO seeks to inspire a passion for science and technology in Virginia's students through collaboration and teamwork, hands-on experiences, variety and creativity in topics and skills, and fun and rewarding tournaments. Events are carefully chosen by the National Science Olympiad organization to reflect national educational standards and are changed or revised every year to allow students to learn new things.

 

This competition is ONLY FOR 6TH GRADE. 
Registrations for 2018-19 will open up once we have volunteers to lead this event.

If you are able to lead(volunteer) this event, please fill up this form

The National Science Bowl® (NSB) is a highly competitive science education and academic event in a fast-paced verbal forum to solve technical problems and answer questions in all branches of science and math. Each team is composed of four students, one alternate student, and a coach. Regional and national events encourage student involvement in math and science activities of importance to the Department of Energy and the Nation.

 This program is ONLY for students in GRADES 4-6
Self-organized teams have already been formed for SY 2018-19

Regional Tournaments are scheduled for the month of November 2018.

Questions? Please reach out to PTA coordinators at mcnairfll@gmail.com

WHAT IS FIRST LEGO LEAGUE?

Guided by adult Coaches, FIRST LEGO League teams research a real-world problem such as food safety, recycling, energy, etc., and are challenged to develop a solution. They also must design, build, program a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology, then compete on a table-top playing field.

It all adds up to tons of fun while they learn to apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts (STEM), plus a big dose of imagination, to solve a problem. Along their discovery journey, they develop critical thinking and team-building skills, basic STEM applications, and even presentation skills, as they must present their solutions with a dash of creativity to judges. They also practice the Program’s signature Core Values.