News Archive

4^th Grade Ecology Fair
January 08- Fourth-grade students chose topics covering natural disasters, ecosystems or endangered animals, and then wrote papers, created Power Point slide shows or constructed displays for the Ecology Fair. Parents, students, teachers and other guests visited the Fair on Jan. 25 to hear what fourth-graders had learned.

Girls Conference Registration Open
January 08 - Curiosity, Confidence, Challenge! – a statewide science and technology conference for middle school girls – will be held at Sycamore on Saturday, March 8. The annual conference is sponsored this year by Dow AgroScience and Sycamore School. The event is designed to awaken girls’ interest in scientific careers and help them select high school courses that will lead to success in college. The conference features a series of small-group workshops led by women whose professions include mathematics, science and technology. This year’s conference will offer two special programs: “The Physics Circus” by the IUPUI Physics Department, and “Birds of the Wild” by local naturalists. A parent forum will feature Judy Monroe, M.D., Indiana State Health Commissioner. The event is open to any Indiana girl in sixth, seventh or eighth grade. (Sycamore girls in fifth grade also may register.) Registration closes on February 19 at 4 p.m. The cost is $35, including lunch.  Click here to register online.

Local and National Honors for MS Students
January 08 - Middle School students have won honors in a variety of contests and categories this month.

Knowledge masters: Sycamore’s 5/6 Knowledge Master team finished first in Indiana and fourth in the nation in a computerized academic competition on January 23. Competing against 370 schools in the United States, Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, Sycamore scored 828 points out of a possible 1,000, just 47 points behind the first-place finisher. Knowledge Master team members collaborate to answer questions on a variety of topics. Teams around the world compete simultaneously via computer. The 20-member team is coached by middle school history teacher Linda Crady.

SPEECH MEET: Three Sycamore students competed in the Carmel Middle School speech competition on January 22, and each took home a ribbon. A seventh grader finished first among 30 competitors in the impromptu event. Two eighth graders competed in the discussion event, earning fourth and eighth place, respectively, out of 25 participants.

SPELLING BEE: The top three spellers in Sycamore Spelling Bee on January 22  represented eighth, fifth and seventh grades. Seventeen finalists from fourth through eighth grades competed in the Bee, Sycamore’s first spelling competition in several years.

Grant to Foster Senior Friendships
January 08 - OHANA, the Middle School service club, has won a $2,000 grant to fund a program that promotes intergenerational friendship. In the project that OHANA calls S.A.S.S. – for Students and Seniors Socializing – the kids will host parties at local nursing homes. Students will get to know residents, treat them to a day spa, play games and perform for them. OHANA members completed a lengthy application process to win the grant from Youth As Resources, a United Way agency.

Perfect Scores For Three
January 07 - Twenty-two Sycamore students have qualified for participation in the AMC 10, a high school-level math test sponsored by the American Mathematics Competition by scoring at least 16 out of 25 on the AMC 8. Three Sycamore students earned a perfect score on the AMC 8, which was administered in November to grades 7, 8, and some students from grade 6. The purpose of this contest is “to spur interest in mathematics and to develop problem-solving ability through the excitement of friendly competitions in a timed format.” The AMC 10 will be in February.

The Big Show
January 07 - Aspiring dancers receive instruction during the Dynamo Dancers recital in the Sycamore Theater. A dozen kindergarten and pre-kindergarten girls learned creative movement and ballet during the most recent session of this after-school activity.

OHANA Brightens Holidays
December 07 - Members of the Sycamore middle school’s service organization OHANA committed a day of their busy holiday schedules to complete two projects benefiting members of the community. Students shopped for items to be donated to families from the Crooked Creek Community Center who were adopted for the holidays. Later that day, the students brightened the day of Carmel Care Center residents with a holiday party they had planned, complete with refreshments, games, prizes and goody bags.
    

Student Project Attracts Grant
December 07 - Sycamore was awarded a $2,500 technology grant from Best Buy for a program in which eighth-graders and their second-grade buddies wrote and produced books that to be sent to underprivileged children overseas. Second-graders wrote fables as part of their language arts curriculum and the eighth-graders helped to expand, edit, and word process their stories. They also designed a cover picture using original Photoshop images or scanned illustrations. The second-graders created a PowerPoint presentation of the story with illustrations for each paragraph which the duo reviewed to complete the book. This project taught the students to learn and refine the writing process in an exciting, fun way using interactive technology. The Best Buy grant allowed Sycamore to purchase six digital video camcorders and five eyeball Quickcams to further support the extensive and growing movie-creation and video-podcasting curriculum. Pictured: The Sycamore computer technology teacher who applied for the grant displays a completed book.

Fighting Hunger with Fire
December 07 -Sycamore’s eighth-grade class received a heartfelt thank-you from Gleaners Food Bank for a gift to assist in feeding Indiana’s hungry this winter. The class raised $235 by hosting a bonfire party this fall. Snacks and activities were donated to allow the students to contribute the full amount collected in admission fees. To encourage participation in the event, an anonymous parent donated $200, to bring the overall contribution to $435. Congratulations to the entire class for making a positive difference in our community.

Rock Hard
December 07 - A Sycamore preschooler chips away at a chunk of marble during EC2’s study of sculpture in the Early Childhood’s art appreciation class. Each student used a chisel, rubber mallet and goggles so they could get in touch with their inner Michelangelo.

National KMO Champs!
December 07 - Sycamore’s 7/8 team finished first in the nation during the fall Knowledge Master Open competition last Wednesday. The team scored 1,679 out of a possible 2,000 points, ranking first among 33 schools in Indiana and at the top of 711 schools nationally. This is the sixth national championship for Sycamore’s 7/8 team, the first since 2002. Knowledge Master team members collaborate to answer questions covering various disciplines. The questions are delivered via computer linkup, allowing thousands of students to compete at their home schools.

Eye-Opening Experience
December 07 - An assistant teacher at the Indiana School for the Blind, recently visited Sycamore’s full-day pre-kindergarten class to explain the way blind children learn. They got an idea of what blindness might be like when each student was blindfolded and taught to use a cane to maneuver around obstacles. The students really enjoyed the activity and were very quiet and focused on not bumping into anything. The teacher from ISB also demonstrated a Braille typing machine for the class.

Taking Care of Business
December 07 – Last week third and fourth-graders were running businesses at Junior Achievement’s BizTown. After weeks of in-school preparation, the students experienced economics first-hand by assuming jobs, making and selling products and services, receiving paychecks, shopping, managing checking accounts, and repaying business bank loans. The student who served as mayor for the day said, “I will encourage people to be creative and to do their best.” By all accounts, her mission was fulfilled. As one third grader put it, “BizTown rocked!”

Learning is Key on Florida Trip
December 07 - Sycamore sixth-graders spent four days last week at Newfound Harbour Institute in Big Pine Key, Florida. The field trip supports oceanography studies in the science curriculum, giving students an opportunity to examine marine life and ecosystems. Photos, from left to right: students are perched at the bow of a flattop boat, preparing to snorkel in search of sea life. A student inspects a sea urchin discovered during snorkeling.

Gifts Galore
December 07 - Students of all ages found perfect presents for family and friends at the Sycamore School Association’s Gifts Galore. The Meeting Center was once again transformed into a shimmering holiday shopping wonderland for the students. This service event has been a long tradition of the Sycamore parent volunteer organization, SSA, delighting our children and their gift recipients each year.

Lending a Warm Hand
November 07 - Sycamore School’s early childhood division collected hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves for its “Helping Others Get Ready for Winter” service project this month.  These “warm” donations went to the Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center at Crooked Creek for young children needing gear to face the cold months ahead.

Play Dough
November 07 - Fifth-grade gingerbread girls wait backstage for their cue to sweeten the stage for Sycamore Drama Club’s production of Hansel and Gretel. Two casts performed three shows yesterday in the Theater.

Students Give Thumbs-up to Philanthropy
November 07 - Sycamore students took time to thank the philanthropists in their midst last Thursday during National Philanthropy Day. Kids made special cards like the one shown below. After adding their thumbprints and signatures, students delivered the cards to teachers, parents, friends – anyone who had made a difference by giving to them.

Hollander Named Teacher of the Year
November 07 - Congratulations to teacher Kathy Hollander, named Indiana Teacher of the Year for the elementary division by the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association. Mrs. Hollander has taught Spanish to Sycamore's early childhood and lower school students for 15 years with great enthusiasm and energy. Her early childhood Spanish program introduces the children to the enjoyment of another language as they begin to build a vocabulary base. The lower school program expands students' Spanish vocabulary, and builds listening/reading comprehension, writing and speaking skills. Her goal to promote the love of language and the appreciation of other cultures brings passion into the classroom for all of her students.

Six Chosen for Regional Band
November 07 - Six middle school musicians have been named to the 27th annual Indiana Bandmasters Association All-Region Honor Band. These students were selected from a pool of over 200 applicants in grades 7 through 9 from 21 area middle and high schools. The honor is based on a written application, participation in private lessons and solo/ensemble contests, and director nominations. The honorees will rehearse then perform as an ensemble on November 18 at Brownsburg High School.

Mixer Man
November 07 - EC2 students each got a chance to get a cab's-eye view of the world, sitting in a cement mixer as their class began its study of transportation. The mixer came to the Sycamore campus and the driver assembled the truck's chute and demonstrated its operation for the class.

Staff Give 100 Percent
November 07 - Eighty-seven Sycamore faculty and staff members are wearing WE GIVE 100 PERCENT pins in celebration of the accomplishment of reaching a 100-percent participation rate in the 2007-08 annual giving campaign. Staff members hope to inspire the school community to make gifts of their own by recognizing that the individuals who guide their children’s learning experiences at school, also gladly share of their financial resources, knowing that this type of commitment is essential in advancing educational opportunities for gifted learners.

Happy Campers
October 07 - An annual autumn adventure is fourth grade’s three-day trip to Camp Tecumseh, near Brookston, Indiana. This outdoor education highlight, featuring canoeing, archery and nature studies, is the first overnight field trip for Sycamore students.

Cross Country Boys Are Conference Champs
October 07 - This fall, the boy's cross country team earned a first-time ever conference championship for any boy's team, and the first for Sycamore since 2001. As a member of the Indianapolis Independent Schools League, our team competed against other local private, independent schools for the honor. "Every member made a major contribution to this victory," said Coach Fink. "Each runner pushed the others through many hot practices, never giving up, and focusing on the goal of a conference championship." The Sycamore girls finished third in the meet with one student finishing in first place, individually.

On Top of Old Smoky
October 07 - Fifth-graders spent glorious autumn days in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park last week. This annual field trip supports many areas of the fifth-grade curriculum, including science, history, fine arts and physical education. Among the highlights of the trip were an 8-mile mountain hike, a daylong trip Cades Cove, a night hike and lots of river exploration.
 

Students Give Back to School
October 07 - As part of a Photoshop unit in computer technology class, middle school students at Sycamore School designed candy bar wrappers. Five designs selected by the seventh graders decorated the candy bars sold on Friday, September 28th to raise money for the Sycamore School annual giving campaign. On October 16th, the 7th graders made their official donation, signified by a leaf on the Giving Tree displayed in the school. The fifth and eighth-grade classes will have an opportunity to sell their designs in November, as will the sixth-grade class in December.

Let's Make a Deal
October 07 - Third-graders learned about bartering and dickering in their classroom studies of economics. Students brought 10 small items from home and were allowed to trade them with fellow students. Overall, they highly endorsed this form of commerce, although some students warned: “You have to think very hard when you barter.” and “It’s important to understand that once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Penny War to “Change” the World
October 07 - Four Sycamore eighth-graders sparked a school-wide penny war between grade levels and the staff after attending the conference “Imagine: Students for Global and Local Action”. The day-long look at local and global poverty featured speakers such as the former director of the United Nations World Food Program, the director of technology for Taking ITGlobal.org, and a former nominee for Teen People’s “Twenty Teens That Will Change the World”. The money collected will go to KIVA, a global loan program which makes very small loans around the world to assist needy individuals in creating better lives for themselves.

What's in a Bird's Nest?
September 07 - Kindergarteners dismantled nests to see the wide variety of building materials birds use to construct cozy cribs for their eggs. Among the students' discoveries were twigs, feathers, fuzz, eggshells, candy wrappers and plastic. The nest project was part of kindergarteners' study of vertebrate animals.

Food Fight Benefits Community
September 07 - It was a food fight Sycamore School could be proud of, especially the second-graders, who won the battle. Organized in honor of Head of School Leo Dressel's birthday, Sycamore School conducted a food drive to benefit the pantry at Crooked Creek Multi-Service Center . Students of all grade levels, pre-school through eighth grade, donated 5,200 items in all. The class donating the most items per student won a pizza party with Mr. Dressel. Crooked Creek representatives graciously accepted the donation of 310 grocery bags and 28 cartons filled with food and personal items.

Going Buggy
September 07 - First-graders found that the new outdoor learning lab is a great place to pursue their study of insects and arachnids. Students prowled through plants and paths in search of many-legged friends. After inspection, each creature was returned to its Sycamore-campus haven.

Sweet Charity
September 07 - Fourth-graders offered sweets to eager student customers for the class-sponsored bake sale supporting a charity called “Giving Back to Africa”. Managed by the parents of a Sycamore staff member, the relief organization works to supply and rebuild the Congo. Africa has been the focus of the fourth grade's social studies so far this school year.

Student's Work to Illustrate Auction
September 07 – A seventh-grader's work was selected among 26 student entries created in a two-week after-school program to be the centerpiece image for Sycamore's 2008 Auction for Advancement. Judges evaluated entries for overall visual appeal, effective illustration of the “Reflections” auction theme, suitability for reproduction and the work's ability to serve as a positive image representing Sycamore. The student's work will appear on the auction invitation, catalog cover, posters, and other documents. The original will be framed for permanent display in the school for the Sycamore community to enjoy.

Eye on the Sky
September 07 – Alumni students from the class of 2007 gathered to try out four new hand-held sky scopes which represented their graduating class gift to Sycamore. Unfortunately, cloud cover prevented stargazing, but the middle school science teacher was able to demonstrate how the devices operate if the sky is clear. The sky scopes utilize GPS technology to locate celestial bodies and identify stars or constellations. The devices will be used in the sixth grade's astronomy studies.

Musicians of Note
September 07 - Six Sycamore students have been selected to participate in this year's Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra's Youth Wind Ensemble. Middle school musicians from across Central Indiana audition for the opportunity, only 41 of which are chosen to perform in this elite group. Concerts are scheduled throughout the year at a variety of city venues.

Into the Sunflower House
September 07 - The EC3 class threaded its way through the walls of towering sunflowers in the Sycamore outdoor learning lab to listen to Eve Bunting's story Sunflower House.
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Spirit Day
September 07 - Spirit filled the gym during the 2007 Spirit Day – Sycamore's energy-filled ceremonial kick-off to the school year.
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Sycamore Begins with Record Enrollment
August 07 - This year Sycamore opened its doors with a record enrollment of 432 students. The school community welcomes 50 new families and 77 new students into all three divisions, from EC1 to seventh grade. Most classes are filled through sixth grade, which is another first for the school. The record enrollment is seen as a testament to the outstanding educational program and faculty at Sycamore and the ever-increasing visibility of the school.