This seminar has now ended.

The competition is scheduled for March 12th at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Below are a few pieces of information I would like to pass along.

1. The competition begins at 9. However, parking for this event can be an issue since it is very popular. I would suggest getting to the museum by 8:30. Even though the doors won't open until 9, parking should not be a problem.
   
2. A parent is required to stay at the competition, unless they arrange for another parent to keep an eye on their kid for them.
   
3. Each child should bring a backpack with:
   
   1. a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack
      
   2. drinks to get them through the day
      
   3. at least 2 items to keep them occupied during the down times (which there will be plenty of). Examples include deck of cards, small board game, book, etc. Electronic devices are permitted, but only at the owners risk.
      
4. The competition will most likely last till 2 or 3pm.
   
5. Waterloo has 9 teams comprising of about 40 students and 9 coaches. Would the teams who arrive early try and save as many seats for the school as possible?
   

If there is anything I forgot to add, I will add it in red.

Today, the instructional portion of Safe Racer wrapped up with a review session. From this point forward, the only time I will meet with your team will be when/if you request Mr. Mauer and I to conduct tests in school on Fridays from 1:50 - 2:20. If you would like us to conduct tests:

• the dates available as of now are 12/11, 12/18, 1/8, 1/15, 1/29, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26, and 3/4.
• please email us several days beforehand so that Mr. Mauer can plan to be in and I can ensure that we don't have too many teams wanting to test on that day.
• you do not need to be present.
• I will provide you with information regarding your test including pointers, measurements, video evidence, etc.

There are a few other reminders:

• Please don't forget to review the information found in the folder I sent to you previously.
  
• Don't forget that our first Safe Racer evening is Jan. 13th from 6-8pm. Your team is welcome to attend for as much or as little of the time as needed. We will have a total of 8 ramps available, as well as a few sets of barriers that will mimic the track at BMI. In addition, eggs will be provided.
• If your team can't make the Jan. 13th Safe Racer evening, two additional dates will be offered on 2/3 and 2/24 from 6-8pm
• Don't forget to have students journal their experiences during your meeting.
• There is a document in each students hcpss.me drive that you can use to write a report. If you need a reminder on how to access it, please let me know.
  

We discussed that the center of gravity of your Safe Racer car should be about 1 to 1.5" in front of the rear axle. I explained that by having the center of gravity closer to the rear of the car would ensure that a majority of the weight was pushing down the ramp as long as possible.

Today, we broke up into two groups. Both groups explored potential and kinetic energy. However, one group did an activity with me, while the other group did an activity with Mr. Mauer. Next week, we will repeat this week's demonstrations with the groups flip flopping.

Here are the steps needed to move the 2 Safe Racer team documents to your Drive.

1. Go to https://hcpss.me.
   
2. Click on "Google Apps".
   
3. Enter your technology username and password.
   
4. Click on "Shared with Me".
   
5. Find the document titled, "Team (Coach's Name)".
   
6. Drag it to "My Drive".
   
7. Find the document titled, "Team (Coach's Name) - Journal".
   
8. Drag it to "My Drive".
   

That's it! Don't type on the document until the Safe Racer coach instructs you to.

Neither Mr. Mauer nor I could make the session today. However, Mrs. Weeks stepped in and taught students about momentum. Students learned that momentum will help overcome friction and that speed and weight play a part in a car's momentum.

Today, students were introduced to the concept of Newton's First Law of Motion. We learned that friction is a force that will act upon the Safe Racer car causing it to eventually slow down. In addition to watching a short video and watching a brief demonstration, students were able to rotate through 3 stations, each of which contained different grits of sandpaper (i.e. coarse, medium, and fine). By rubbing the pieces of sandpaper together they were able to experience how much harder it is to rub two things together when there is a greater amount of friction. Students began to understand where friction impacts the Safe Racer car (e.g. wheels and ground; side of wheels and edge of track; axles and axle mount).

We had an extra session of Safe Racer today so that we could determine teams. Within the next month, your child's coach will be contacting you to introduce themselves and begin setting up team meetings.

Great news! We officially have enough coaches to ensure that every child can participate. However, we can always use additional coaches to help reduce the number of students on each team which will in turn limit the amount of work our coaches must do. At our next class, we will begin learning about potential and kinetic energy.