December 2013
Robotics Team Wins Elimination Match A team of students from Branchburg-based Storming Robots, including two from Bridgewater-Raritan High School, won the first elimination round of the 2013 ZeroRobotics SPHERES Challenge, hosted by MIT and NASA. The team, known as Quark Charm, advanced to the semifinals of the competition. There were 10 total members of the team, including BRHS 11th grader Sunny Aggarwal and BRHS ninth grader Pranav Darbha.
Aggarwal
According to a release from Storming Robots, this is the third straight year that the team has won the 3D Elimination Round and advanced to the semi-finals of the challenge. The next elimination round is Dec. 2. The robots used in the challenge are miniature satellites called SPHERE, according to the release, which have their own power, propulsion, computing and navigation equipment. The competition is an intensive engineering/physics/programmingcentric challenge in which teams design software that can automate small satellites operating in a microgravity environment on the International Space Station. The competition, the release said, begins online with teams competing to solve a specific challenge. Finalists are then selected to compete in a live championship on the International Space Station. An astronaut will conduct the
championship competition in microgravity with a live broadcast. Throughout the last three weeks of November, the release said, the team worked on math, coding and strategy enhancement for the competition, using the Storming Robots online forum to communicate with each other. Code for the next elimination round is submitted in early December. From there, the top nine teams are selected to enter the finals. For more information about Storming Robots, visit the website at stormingrobots.com.
Darbha
Testing Report Reveals Improvement By Audrey Levine Interim superintendent Cheryl Dyer recently presented the annual district testing report, with students strong in their performances in tests in all grades. As for the NJASK test, Dyer said, the number of students achieving proficiency or higher in all grades for language arts was more than 80 percent. Eighty to 90 percent were at least proficient in math. “We are only below 90 percent for 2013 in math in the seventh to eighth grades,” she said. “Grade seven is usually a dip down, but it did show improvement this year.” With scores released, but performance reports not yet available, Dyer said the districts performance targets are in jeopardy for certain subgroups at Adamsville Primary, Bradley Gardens Primary and John F. Kennedy Primary for language arts. For math, the schools with targets in jeopardy are Adamsville, JFK and the middle school. Those schools will now, as per state regulations, have to come up with action plans to remedy performance on these tests. “Now we have to do the im-
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provement plans,” Dyer said. “Student achievement data is part of the teacher evaluations this year.” Board member Ann Marie Mead asked why there are no concerns about target goals at Eisenhower Intermediate, which gets students from JFK. “There may have been changes made that didn’t manifest until Eisenhower,” Dyer said. “It could be maturity.” “It could also have to do with the subgroups because of how many grades are combined in the testing pool,” she added. At the high school, average scores on the SATs were about the same in 2013 as in 2012, as were scores on the ACT. Dyer did note that not as many students take the ACT test, but Bridgewater is of-
ten ahead of the state average. As for advanced placement tests, Dyer said, 540 students took tests in 2013, with an increase of 61 students from 2012. A total of 1,350 tests were administered, up by 90 from 2012. From there, Dyer said, 94.7 percent of the students taking AP tests passed with a score of 3, 4 or 5. “In New Jersey, passing rate on the AP tests was in the 70 percents,” she said. “Ours was a full 20 percent higher, and that is kudos to all the teachers.” Dyer said a total of 475 graduates in 2013 were planning to attend some sort of four-year college. In the coming years at the high school, there will be some curriculum changes coming because
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School Calendar Dec. 2 – Dec. 6: Hillside – Holiday Bazaar for Students Dec. 2: BRHS – PTO meeting, 7 p.m. Dec. 4: BRHS – Winter Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5: Bradley Gardens – Craft Night with Frosty Dec. 6: Milltown – Movie Night Dec. 6: Adamsville – PJ Party, Book Fair Night, Clothing Drive Dec. 7: Hamilton – Breakfast with Frosty Dec. 7: Van Holten – Breakfast with Frosty Dec. 7: Bradley Gardens – Toy Sale Dec. 10: Hamilton – PTO meeting Dec. 11: Eisenhower – Grade 5–6 Vocal Winter Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12: Hillside – Grade 6 Band/Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12: Eisenhower – PTO Meeting, 9:15 a.m. Dec. 13: BRMS – Parent/Teacher Volleyball Game, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Dec. 13: Hillside – Grade 5 Band/Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14: Adamsville – Holiday Shoppe/Breakfast with Frosty Dec. 14: John F. Kennedy – Breakfast with Frosty, 9 a.m. Dec. 16: BRMS – Vocal Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17: Wade Building – BOE Regular Meeting, 8 p.m. Dec. 17: BRHS – Winter Vocal Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18: Eisenhower – Grade 5 Band Winter Assembly, 2 p.m. Dec. 18: Hillside – Grade 6 Chorus Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19: Milltown – Grade 4 Winter Assembly, 2 p.m. Dec. 19: Hillside – Grade 5 Chorus Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19: Eisenhower – Grade 6 Band Winter Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 23 – Jan. 1: Winter Break, Schools Closed. Check the school websites and calendars for updates or lastminute adjustments, www.brrsd.k12.nj.us. of a new test being prepared to replace the HSPA. “We are being told not to get too excited,” Dyer said. “The HSPA is not too rigorous, and PARCC [Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers] will be. We shouldn’t be resting on our laurels is what I’m hearing.” Dyer said she does understand
that it could be difficult for students with so many tests. “We could fear students will lose their motivation,” she said. “We can’t afford that because we would lose how the district is valued.” For now, Dyer said, all students are doing well. “Our students continue to perform at a high level,” she said.
Preparing B-R Students for the Future Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association
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