Bay Academy Science

6th Grader? Check your Jupiter messages!

…especially if you are interested in joining the Science Olympiad Team!

We have been sending out many notices to 6th Graders regarding the Qualifying Exams which include:

• the steps you to take to register (though if you did not take the first exam, you will not be allowed to sit for the remaining two exams)
• the Permission Slip you must bring in no later then 2:00 pm Tuesday
• the materials necessary to bring with you to both remaining tests
• the time you will be in school taking the test as well as the way to get home those days
• and so much more…

So look through your e-mails. Make sure you have read everything and we’ll see you Wednesday!

6th Grade and the Science Olympiad!

Attention 6th graders! The 1st Qualifying Test for the Science Olympiad team will be on this Friday, September 21st! All students have been sent the necessary information through their Jupiter accounts (one more great reason to have the family signed up on Jupiter)!

There will be two more tests after this (a total of 3) to qualify for the SciOly Team. If you are interested, check your Jupiter mail and get ready! We are only taking five or six 6th graders on this year’s team, so be prepared!!

Like science? You’re going to LOVE science at Bay Academy!

It is no secret. The Bay Academy Science Olympiad team is 1st in NY City, 5th in NY State and will be going to Nationals this year (a promise, not a prediction)! Are you an incoming 6th grader this September? Then you already know that The Bay Academy science department is #1 in New York City so get ready for three exciting years of science!

To help make this happen our principal, Mrs. Timo, has added a THIRD room (shown above) to the science department that will be used by the Science Olympiad team for all building events (Towers, bridges, Gliders, etc…). If you have been involved with building events in the past, you know that a big disadvantage has been, “Now that I built the glider, where can I leave it until I can work on it again tomorrow so nobody hits and breaks it?” That problem is solved! This room is for balsa builders only and will be locked when not being used and will give the team a big advantage preparing for this year’s competitions. It is Room 222 and located to the left of Dr. C’s Room 232. Here’s a picture! Nationals in 2019!

See the beautiful lab in the photos above and below? We’ve spent the first two weeks of summer vacation cleaning, organizing and re-stocking the Chemistry Lab. This is one room that really sets The Bay Academy apart from all other middle school science programs. This facility is as good – if not better – than some of the chemistry work areas you will see in many of our NY City high school science labs. This is where we will be working on some of the most popular events like Potions and Poisons, Food Science, Disease Detectives, Water Quality, Crime Busters and more!

And here (pic below) is where it starts – Room 232. Even though the Science Olympiad is one of the most popular science competitions, it is by no means all we have to offer. It is in this room where you will learn all about Future City, Future Engineers, E-Cybermission, Engineer Girl, Fluor Challenge and more than a dozen other academic/science competitions that you will be working on all year if you are Science Talent or at your own pace if you happen to be in another talent. Be prepared, because our students have been taking home more top prizes each year (3-D printers, cash, $1,000 and $500 saving bonds and we expect this year to be our best yet)! We know what you want from science and The Bay Academy has it all for you. After all… we are #1! See you in September!!

Bay Academy Science CRUSHES IT AGAIN!

So much has happened in the last month, so this is going to be a long – but very informative – post.

• In case you haven’t already heard, the Bay Academy Science Olympiad (SciOly) Team has placed 1st in the NY City Regional competition and 5th at the NY State competition! This is HUGE for three reasons: First, this the is highest our team has ever placed in State competition. Second, this is the highest that ANY NY City middle school SciOly team has ever placed at the NY State State competition level. And lastly, EVERY ONE of our students medaled at least once in their event(s)!! In other words, every one of the State team members, medaled! For the coaches this was a great moment to see every student walk up to take home one of the prizes! Next year we promise to coach the team all the way to NATIONALS!
• 2018 Bay Academy State Pics – This is how “winning” works!
• 2018 Bay Academy Regional Pics – Nobody has more fun on away trips than SciOly!!

Now onto other “science” news… Parents and students are always asking us how they can be involved in any of science contests and competitions offered by the Science Department. They then ask if these events are open only to Science Talent students. Certainly not! Every one of these academic/science competitions are open to students from ANY TALENT! (** Students must “test into” The Science Olympiad and the NY City Science Bowl, but all others are open and available for all talents to participate.)

Overall, this has been a great year for The Bay Academy Science Department and all students who entered – and won BIG – in so many events and from so many different talents. Here is just a partial list of the contest wins:

• e-Cybermission – 1st Place in NY State!! (6th Grade Category) Three students each won $1,000 bonds!! Teams of three or four students are instructed to ask questions (for science) or define problems (for engineering), and then construct explanations (for science) or design solutions (for engineering) based on identified problems in their community.
• NY City Art & Poetry Contest (science-themed) – Two winners received a $500 bond each for Outstanding Poetry! New York City and East and West of Hudson Watersheds students create original art and compose poetry that reflects an appreciation for our shared water resources.
• Future Engineers – Top Ten Semifinalist Nationwide. This student won a MakerBot 3-D printer for home use (just like the ones we use here at Bay Academy!) The challenge is to create a digital 3-D model of an object (using any of the 3 free software programs provided) to function on the International Space Station and the winning TEEN design will be 3-D printed on the International Space Station!
• Fluor Challenge – Three Bay Academy teams placed 1^st, 2^nd & 8^th internationally!! More than 3,800 students from 10 countries participated in the 2018 Fluor Engineering Challenge to create a ball launcher and receiver using everyday materials (like cups, pencils, ruler, tape, rubber bands, and paper). Students devised, tested & submitted innovative solutions and launcher designs. (You might have seen the students practicing in the hallway shooting small aluminum balls with their catapults)!
• Exploravision – One team earned Honorable Mention (but we had so many great ideas that we are sure to take one of the top prizes next year!!) Students pick a current technology, research it, envision what it might look like in 20 years, and describe the development steps, pros & cons, and obstacles.
• Engineer Girl – One student placed 3rd Nationwide (6th – 8th Grade category) ($100 cash) This was a 600-1,000 word persuasive essay to convince others on how to improve your community’s infrastructure.
• Future City – 3rd Place NY City!! Future City is a project-based learning program where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future. We had ten teams compete this year!!
• Scranton Earth Day Essay – One student won 1st Place for Bay Academy (and received a beautifully engraved medal for her hard work!) Student wrote essays that clearly explain their position on climate change and include information on its possible causes and effects. 
• Poetic Power – Two students are being published and are also in the running for National Top Ten positions! Students write poetry based on any appropriate topic (but we make it SCIENCE!)

But this is not the end of our contests and competitions for this year! We have yet to hear from…

• Mars Competition ?
• DXC Coding ?
• MyMiniFactory (3-D printing) ?
• An Inconvenient Sequel Essay ?
• Geek Partnership Writing Contest (science fiction short story) ?
• And many more! If I missed any, please let me know and I will add them 🙂 

We are counting on next year to be our biggest and best year yet, so we need YOU to be involved! I will be sending out messages letting you know what contests (in addition to the above) will be available to us so you can sign up and compete. Remember, no matter your talent, if you love science and really, REALLY love to compete academically, speak with me (Dr. C), Mr. Davis, Mr. Lilly or Mr. Caputo and let them know you want to be involved!

Off to States!

The time is here! We are finally on our way to the NY State SciOly Competition. All our students have been working night and day to make this our best and most successful competition yet. Here is the itinerary for the trip (remember, students are coming to school the same time as usual):

BAY ACADEMY – ITINERARY / SYRACUSE SCIENCE OLYMPIAD / APRIL 13-15, 2018

 FRIDAY APRIL 13, 2018

7:00-8:00 AM           Bus arrives and loads at Bay Academy

                        1401 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235

8:00-8:15 AM           Bus departs for East Syracuse, NY (I am recommending that students bring some breakfast or snacks (fruit is always a good idea… along with a bottle or two of water!)

                         Stop en-route for lunch

2:30 PM          Check into hotel Embassy Suites by Hilton Syracuse – 315-703-9100

                         ** Take a look at where we’ll be staying!

                        6646 Old Collamer Road South, East Syracuse, NY 13057

3:30 PM          Depart for to East Syracuse-Minoa HS – 315-434-3300

                         6400 Fremont Rd, East Syracuse, NY 13057 

4:00 PM          Check in for Science Olympiad

6:55 PM          Science Olympiad ends Depart for hotel

5:30-7:30 PM Hotel offers complimentary reception with sodas and snacks Pavilion Room (Sorry, no pool use).

7:30-8:30 PM Food delivered by Barbagallo’s

SATURDAY APRIL 14, 2018

6:00-6:45 AM  Breakfast at Hotel

6:45 AM           Depart for East Syracuse-Minoa HS

6400 Fremont Rd, East Syracuse, NY 13057 – 315-434-3300

7:00 AM           Participate in Science Olympiad

11:00 AM         Box Lunch by Peppino’s delivery to Room

6:30 PM           Depart school for hotel for dinner

7:30-8:30 PM Food delivered by Barbagallo’s

SUNDAY APRIL 15, 2018

7:00-7:45 AM  Breakfast included at Hotel

8:00 AM           Check out of Hotel

8:30 AM           Depart for Home

                        Stop en-route for lunch

2:00 PM          Approximate Arrival Home

Parents, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. 

Best regards,

Dr. C (631-664-7885)

Bay Academy is now the #1 Science Olympiad Team in New York City!

Following a long day of events, the again usual ups and downs of academic competition, and an embarrassingly late entrance to the awards ceremony (many apologies to you, Alice!) Bay Academy has finally taken 1st Place at the New York City Regional SciOly tournament. My hats off to our great students, dedicated coaches, supportive parents, encouraging administration and yes, our team photographer! It is exactly – and only – three years since Bay Academy began on this journey to be #1 and each of you has been there every step of the way. Thank you all. 

Watch us at work!!!
But no time to rest on our laurels. It is now when we begin preparations for our time at State SciOly where it will be decided if this is the year we head to the National Competition – our grail! We feel this is certainly within our grasp… if we can just work a few bugs out of the machine 🙂
So wish us luck, as we head to our 3rd year at State and another chance to take our team to the next level – Nationals!!

Success at Cornell!!

The Science Olympiad Team once again proved their worth. After a long day of ups and downs (as is always the case with any big competition) The Bay Academy team attended the awards ceremony and were called to the stage a record 21 times for events in 26 categories! You rocked it boys and girls! Three 1st Place medals and the other eighteen in the Top 6!! I will keep this short and sweet to get some rest as we will be going to the NY City Regional competition in 6 days!! We are predicting to take 1st and 2nd Places and four weeks after that be on our way to the NY State SciOly competition! From State only the top 2 teams go to Nationals and we have placed 2nd 3rd and 5th in our three most important competitions this year. So close, but as a roofer I once worked for used to say, “Now is not the time to stand back and admire your work”, and so we won’t. Let’s get in as much as possible this week and crush the Regionals! And thank you to all our coaches, teachers (even Mr. Auriti!), Student Coaches and especially parents. It means so much to the team to see you there rooting for and supporting them. You all ROCK! (Here’s a sampling of our champions!)

Our kids at Cornell!

Bay Places 2nd at Islip!!!

Once again our bright and hard-working Bay Academy SciOly team reached a new high in our race to the top! After some unexpected highs and lows during each of the events, our team finally eclipsed so many of our toughest competitors and took home 2nd Place! So this leaves only one more to go – 1st Place!!

In addition, our new t-shirts and lab coats provided an awesome level of professionalism and bravado to our relatively new team. Next month marks only three full years The Bay Academy Science Olympic team has been around, and yet look how far we have come. It is hard to believe, but easy to understand when you see the amount of time and effort put forth by students, parents and teachers. Thank you all, and as always, you all make me so very proud to be your teacher and coach! Next stop? Cornell!! Dr. C

This is what 2nd Place (beating out virtually ALL of our former toughest competition) looks like!!

Bay Academy ROCKS the Garnet PA SciOly Invitational!

Just a few short weeks after making a name for The Bay Academy at the Bayard Rustin PA Science Olympiad Invy, our boys and girls returned yesterday to take on the top ranked National-standing Pennsylvania Science Olympiad teams and to prove that Bay Academy is no “flash in the PA pan”! As the only NY school in attendance, The Bay Academy placed 4th OVERALL out of over 40 other schools and took home so many medals that our boys and girls were being called back to receive more medals before they even got back to their seats. They were AWESOME!! So many new 6th GRADERS winning. So very rewarding to see all their hard work validated by their great achievements. A special thanks to Mr. Davis, Mr. Lilly, Ms. Bourbackis and Ms. Defreitas for coaching and chaperoning this event and a special thanks to our building coach, Mr. Arkady Kheyfets. A very special thank you to our “returning veterans” Aleks, Anna, Aribah, Allison, Nicole, and Renata for your participation and guidance of our NexGen SciOly Nerds and Geeks! Without all of you, this would not have been possible. But this is no time to rest on our laurels patting ourselves on the back. Our next challenge is in 6 DAYS at the Islip Seawolves Invy where we will be up against our stiffest NY – and Nationals winning – competitors. So let’s hit the books, the chemicals, the builds… whatever it takes to repeat yesterday’s great success! Congratulations to The Bay Academy SciOly team!

2018 Garnet Scioly Invitational Pictures

Two Invys – Back to Back!

WE ARE COMPETING IN TWO INVITATIONALS – BACK TO BACK – THIS WEEKEND (1/27) AND NEXT WEEKEND (2/3). HERE IS ALL THE LOGISTICAL INFORMATION. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK.

Our 2nd Invitational is happening 1/27 (this Saturday) and here are the details! As always, parents are allowed (sincerely encouraged!) to attend, but due to school insurance regulations, they are not permitted on the bus. It is about a 2 hour drive and about 15 minutes away from our last Invitational (Bayard Rustin) and so much of this information is identical to the Bayard Rustin trip.

• Date: Saturday 1/27/18 – Day Trip (Sunday 1/28 snow date)
• Location: 601 Smithbridge Rd, Glen Mills, PA 19342
• DEPART BAY SATURDAY (1/27/18): Bay Academy NO LATER THAN 4:30am (AM!!) BEST TO ARRIVE BETWEEN 4-4:15am AS THE SCHOOL WILL BE OPEN, YOU CAN STAY WARM AND WE CAN PACK THE BUS IN AN ORGANIZED/ORDERLY FASHION)
• (IF YOU ARRIVE AFTER 4:30AM, YOU WILL MISS THE BUS. SERIOUSLY.)
• ARRIVE AT EVENT BETWEEN 6:30am – 7:30AM JUST IN TIME TO REGISTER
• LEAVE EVENT SATURDAY approximately 6:30PM – 7:30PM AFTER AWARD CEREMONY
• RETURN TO BAY ACADEMY (1/6/18) approximately 9:30pm depending on traffic, we made it back early last Invy – about 9pm)
• Please make sure you have all permission slips in on the day we return (except returning 9th graders who will have them e-mailed on Tuesday and MUST bring them with them on Saturday unless we see you before then).
• STUDY, STUDY & STUDY!! WE WILL BE CHOOSING OUR CORNELL TEAMS IN PART BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE HERE. SO DON’T BE NERVOUS… BE PREPARED 🙂 Remember our motto: 
  

  “Rome did not create a great empire by wasting time… they did it by crushing everyone who opposed them.”

  Remember, we are competing to win (and to show the world that science nerds rock!)

• Parents or students, if you have any questions about this, or upcoming Invitationals, please do not hesitate to post them here (other parents might have the same questions) or e-mail me – drcubbin@yahoo.com I am attaching the schedule below for the remainder of the year (4 more events!!) Some details have changed slightly (teachers/parents attending), so I will continue to make updated posts here on the website as we near each event.
• 2017-18 SciOly Invitational Travel Itinerary 

Our 3rd Invitational is local – right here on Long Island – South Shore Seawolves. As always, parents are allowed (sincerely encouraged!) to attend, but due to school insurance regulations, they are not permitted on the bus. It is about a 1 hour 15 minute drive.

• Date: Saturday 2/3/18 – Day Trip
• Location: Islip Middle School, 211 E Main St, Islip, NY 11751
• DEPART BAY SATURDAY (2/3/18): Bay Academy NO LATER THAN 5:30am (AM!!) BEST TO ARRIVE BETWEEN 5-5:15am AS THE SCHOOL WILL BE OPEN, YOU CAN STAY WARM AND WE CAN PACK THE BUS IN AN ORGANIZED/ORDERLY FASHION)
• (IF YOU ARRIVE AFTER 5:30AM, YOU WILL MISS THE BUS. AGAIN… SERIOUSLY.)
• ARRIVE AT EVENT APPROXIMATELY AT 7AM JUST IN TIME TO REGISTER
• LEAVE EVENT SATURDAY approximately 5:30PM AFTER AWARD CEREMONY
• RETURN TO BAY ACADEMY (2/3/18) approximately 7:00pm depending on traffic)
• Please make sure you have all permission slips in on the day we return (except returning 9th graders who will have them e-mailed on Tuesday and MUST bring them with them on Saturday unless we see you before then).
• STUDY, STUDY & STUDY!! WE WILL BE CHOOSING OUR CORNELL TEAMS IN PART BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE HERE. SO DON’T BE NERVOUS… BE PREPARED 🙂 Remember our motto: 
  

  “Rome did not create a great empire by wasting time… they did it by crushing everyone who opposed them.”

  Remember, we are competing to win (and to show the world that science nerds rock!)

• Parents or students, if you have any questions about this, or upcoming Invitationals, please do not hesitate to post them here (other parents might have the same questions) or e-mail me – drcubbin@yahoo.com I am attaching the schedule below for the remainder of the year (3 more events!!) Some details have changed slightly (teachers/parents attending), so I will continue to make updated posts here on the website as we near each event.
• 2017-18 SciOly Invitational Travel Itinerary