Dear RHLS Community;
This year's school theme 'God of Wonders' was intentionally chosen to focus on space. Last year we applied and were one of five schools in the US selected by NASA and ARISS to host an event in which we focus on space exploration and the International Space Station. Our students will be provided the opportunity to talk directly with Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). This is a joint program with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station).
Mrs. Sara Bridgman, STEM Teacher, is the catalyst and coordinator of this event. There have been two planning meetings so far with ARISS officials. We are now ready to begin the push to get the word out and encourage all in the RHLS community to learn more about space and the International Space Station. RHLS classroom teachers will help to do this and build excitement for this amazing opportunity and event with all students, and we welcome everyone in the community to share in this exciting opportunity and upcoming event.
The date of our planned contact with the International Space Station will be Feb. 8-11, 2021. We will not know the specific date / time until the week prior as the specific ISS mission schedule is solidified one week at a time with mission control. We are asked to be very flexible in our availability for hosting this exciting event. As such we will keep this week of the school year as open and flexible as reasonably possible.
To that end we have a slight change to our school calendar. Our planned annual Grandparents/VIP day on Feb. 11 was subject to cancellation as a result of our COVID restrictions and protocols. Hosting this NASA - ARISS event will allow us to fully engage all students, parents, grandparents, VIP's, etc. as it will be broadcast to all who wish to 'tune in'. The planned minimum day for Thursday, Feb. 11 will now be a full regular day of school for our Kdg-8th grade students (Red Day), as we are not hosting the GP/VIP's that day. Attached is a revised school calendar with the change included. Please make a note of this calendar and schedule change to show Thursday, Feb. 11 as a full day of school (Red Day) for our Kdg-8th grade students [this will remain a 'non-student' day for our Preschool parents/students as initially shown on our school calendar].
I believe it will be easy to get all students, and ourselves very excited about this event as the US is about to launch its first crewed operational flight of a Crew Dragon Spacecraft THIS Saturday, Nov. 14 at 4:49 pm PST. Real time updates on the launch, mission, and crew can be found on the NASA web page. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_
Below is a link to a recent (Nov. 9) 30-minute interview with the four astronauts. I encourage you to watch this as a family if possible. It provides a Q & A with the astronauts, and towards the end (approximately 25:00 + min.) they specifically talk about school, education and Science - STEM programs. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Also attached is an informational flyer that we encourage you to circulated in our community announcing this event to family and friends. As this event date draws closer teachers will be providing intentional lesson content for students in their classrooms, as we will all do some learning about space and the ISS, as well as the Astronauts we will have the chance to converse with during our event. Attached is a simple bio on each. One of the Astronauts, Pilot Victor Glover, is a local southern Californian, having grown up in Pomona, attended Ontario H.S. and Cal Poly SLO. You are encouraged to dig deep and find out more about these select Astronauts and this mission.
There are a myriad of amazing learning opportunities connected with this event that we will tap into. Just going to the NASA web site will allow you to feel the excitement (similar to what you may remember from when we would watch space shuttles take off and land; and if you are old enough - Apollo missions). I could go on and on about this event and opportunity, but for now I wanted to get this information out to each family and strongly encourage you to watch the scheduled launch of the crew this Saturday, Nov. 14 at 4:49 pm PST. The next 3 months leading up to the NASA - ARISS event here at RHLS on Feb. 8-11, 2021 will be exciting to be a part of. Thanks for your time and energies in this historic endeavor. Please feel free to email Mrs. Sara Bridgman ([email protected]) if you have questions, comments, or insights specifically related to Amateur Ham Radio, NASA, JPL, or other areas.
A big thank you to Mrs. Sara Bridgman for launching RHLS into this exciting season along with our God of Wonders!
Blessings,
Dr. Paul Marquardt, Principal