San Cayetano is a nationally recognized NASA Explorer School. In 2007 they were chosen through a competitive grant process to earn that title. With that distinction come many opportunities. This year, NASA team member Melanie Chisholm teamed with San Cayetano Principal, Jan Marholin to write a competitive paper about an experiment in micro gravity. Mrs. Chisholm and her students took the lead on developing an experiment that can be flown in reduced gravity and shared that with other team members and their students. The project was chosen as one of 10 in the country for this years flight. The experiment has to do with liquid transfer in reduced gravity. The experiment will be shipped to Houston after the Family Science Night and then the five teachers will follow on April 21st. They will go through astronaut type training in at Johnson Space Center before their flight. Each teacher at their own expense had to be cleared by an Aviation Medical Doctor saying they were ok to fly. We thank Dr. Brian Brantner of Ventura who gave staff a very generous discount. The teachers and the experiment will fly in a C-9 aircraft and do parabolic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. Upon landing and collecting the data from the experiment , the students at San Cayetano will be able to video conference live with them as they get off of the aircraft. These teachers are the first from Ventura , Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo Counties to be chosen for this project. The Micro Gravity Team will be demonstrating their experiment at San Cayetano’s Family Science Night April 8th. Come and meet the team: Melanie Chisholm, Brandi Walker, Rory Maus, Scott Olson, and Viviana Laureano-Magana.

This is the second year that San Cayetano has had a team win the championship. This year was extra sweet as they scored higher than any of the secondary schools that entered the competition. There were 21 teams entered. Through San Cayetano’s NASA Explorer Schools Program, San Cayetano was able to purchase LEGO Robotics and have teacher coaches who attended a Summer Robotics workshop at JPL in 2008. Each 4th and 5th grade student receives thirteen sessions in robotics instruction. This year the program is being expanded with simple programming to include 3rd graders. Each January an after school opportunity begins with robotics teams preparing for the championship and out of those students the team members, by secret ballot choose who can best represent them to win. This year San Cayetano’s sponsors were Fillmore Sunrisers Rotary and INTELSAT. T-shirts were purchased through Waterart Designs, a local business owned by Veronica Morris. One last note that makes our San Cayetano Family very proud- they were awarded a certificate for Good Character as they loaned other teams parts who had broken or forgotten parts so that they may still compete. Isn’t that what life skills are all about!

Currently the competition can be viewed on the web at www.ustream.tv/nasajpl

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On Monday, March 8, 2010, San Cayetano School recognized good citizenship and character at their Peacebuilder Assembly for the month of March. Mr. Todd Schieferle, principle of Fillmore Middle School, came to speak to the students about what a good citizen is and how being a good citizen can help not only the students, but others around them in their community. Joe Jiunta and Christina De La Mora, the San Cayetano ASB President and Vice-President assisted Mr.Schieferle in handing out the Peacebuilder certificates. The Peacebuilders for March are: Leo Barajas,Kayla Cervantez, Miranda Magana, Jasmine Vega, Ramces Salazar, Jessica Nava, Marissa Luna, Caceandra Hearne, Daniela Chavez, Hannah Ransom-Fairall, Fatima Zamora, Andrea Magana, Briana Lopez, Jordyn Rolfe, Clarissa Alcozar, Veronica Valdivia, Cali Wyand, Brandon Nava, Samantha Cabral, and Kiana Velenzuela . At the upper grade assembly, Joe then announced to the students that the Rainbow Foundation is sponsoring the San Cayetano Character Counts Award of a $100.00 savings bond. Sandra Chavez was chosen by the fourth grade teachers as a model of outstanding behavior, responsibility, and kindness to the other students. She was recognized with a certificate and the savings bond. To conclude the assembly, Christina reminded the students to turn in their Perfect Attendance tickets. Each month all students who come to school, each day, on time, are given an orange raffle ticket. The students place their tickets in a box and one ticket is drawn. The student whose ticket is drawn is given a backpack full of supplies. Each month, the tickets will be put into a larger box that will be kept until the end of the year. In June, Mrs. Marholin, the principal, will draw from the tickets to give away two new bicycles. Robert Gonzalez from room 5 won the Perfect Attendance Award for March.