Clubs & Activities

Spelling Bee Regional

On Friday, January 31, students participated in the regional spelling bee for Dayton and Cincinnati.  The spelling bee was held at Dayton High School.  Twenty-six students participated in the 3rd-5th grade competition, and twenty-seven students participated in the 6th-8th grade competition.

Bingo Night

PTO bingo night was a big hit. Many families came and enjoyed a great competitive game of bingo. Everyone came in with the intention to have fun and win amazing prizes. Mrs. Nugent did a great job of organizing the event, and gathering the prizes. All participants seemed to have a great time, and never gave up on getting a bingo. Please make sure you join us for our next PTO family night, and get in on the fun and excitement here at Horizon Science Academy Downtown Dayton.

 

Ice Skating

For Concept Test II 3rd – 8th grade students were challenged to raise their test scores 10% from Concept Test I.  Many, Many students accepted the challenge and on January 13th over 100 students were awarded with a trip to the Riverscape Ice Skating Rink for an afternoon of twirling, spinning, racing and wipe outs!  Congratulations to all who raised those scores!  We can’t wait to see how you improve on Concept Test III!

 

 

IMP WINTER CAMP

We went to Cowan Lake State Park Cottages for IMP winter camp on Dec.20th. This camp was for 2 nights/2 days. IMP students did study math and reading. We went to the movie “Frozen” and “Starbucks”. We did hike around the cottages, watch the Cowan Lake. IMP students got some memorable times.

 

  Community Breakfast

 

On Thursday, December 12, Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown had their Annual Community Breakfast.  This year it was titled, Community Leadership Breakfast Series, Our Children….Our Future:  A Community Conversation on Youth Education.

The breakfast was held at the Turkish American Community Center.  A beautiful and informative power point presentation was prepared by our computer teacher, Ms. Atak, and it was played throughout the breakfast showing the many accomplishments and opportunities for students at HSADDT.

Opening remarks and presentation were from our Director, Mr. Ozer. Mayor Gary Leitzel gave a brief overview of Charters in the Community followed by our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Thomas J. Lasley II, Executive Director Learn to Earn Dayton at the Dayton Foundation.

In attendance were members of the Fire Department and The Dayton Police Department and a representative from The Ronald McDonald House.  Employees of Essex Electric and Christian Egli Heating with Steam were also present along with several of our Horizon Families. The Superintendent of the Cincinnati-Dayton Region for Horizon Schools, Mr. Zen, was present as well as other administrators from sister Horizon Schools.  Several staff members from HSADDT were also in attendance.

The breakfast was a success and a good time was had by all.

 

Winter Concert

On December 3rd and 4th Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown held its annual Winter Concerts.   This year we were fortunate to have Julia Brummel and Kim Tavierne, two music majors from Cedarville University, to lead the students in learning and performing the programs.

Tuesday night K-4 performed a variety of winter songs including “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bell Rock”.  A saxophone quartet and a jazz ensemble from Cedarville University also play for our entertainment.

Wednesday night grades 5-8 had a chance to show off their talents while performing “Marshmallow World”, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”, and “Sleigh Ride”.  Janelle Finley played a beautiful violin solo and the Women’s Choir from Cedarville University was also there for our listening pleasure.

The children enjoyed singing for their families and wearing a Santa hat to brighten up the evening.

 

In School Science Fair

On Thursday, December 12 Dayton Horizon Science Academy held their annual Science Fair. Grades kindergarten through eighth grade all participated with every student from fourth through eighth grade doing individual projects. The Science Fair took nearly all day with Faculty and Students alike, enjoying being able to show of the hard work and dedication of the students. Mr. Ison the Science Fair Coordinator and Science Teacher for Grades 5-8 was able to secure judges that work in the science fields of Chemistry, Pharmacueticals, and engineering from the surrounding community. Experiments ranged from the classic Mento’s and Diet Coke explosion to an awesome experiment showing the Flammability of rubbing alcohol.

            The experiment involving the rubbing alcohol consisted of an eighth grader soaking a dollar bill in an alcohol water solution and then setting it on fire. The dollar bill appears to burst into a blue fireball. Eventually the fire dissipates leaving the dollar bill unburned and virtually dry. This experiment and demonstration was so popular and exciting that every student in the building that day was able to watch the students’ presentation and demonstration. At one point the student was traveling from class room to class room to present this exciting experiment.

            The top ten students from the science fair will have an opportunity to represent Dayton Downtown in Cleveland at the National CONSEF and Stem Expo competition held in March. Mr. Ison is extremely proud and excited to show off his students’ creativity and hard work!!!

 

Boys Basketball Team 

 

 

 Anti Bullying 

 

The week of December 9th – 13th was Anti-Bullying Week.  At Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown we take a strong stand against any kind of bullying.  In order to educate our students as to what bullying is our school nurse invited a Piqua policeman to come and speak on December 10, 2013.  We divided the student body into two groups, K-4th and 5th-8th grades.  He spoke on the kinds of bullying, what bullying is and what our response should be if we are bullied.  Our goal is to stop any kind of bullying taking place in school.  Our teachers are trained to spot bullying and hopefully now our students as well.

 

Winter Concert K-4

On December 3rd and 4th Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown held its annual Winter Concerts.   This year we were fortunate to have Julia Brummel and Kim Tavierne, two music majors from Cedarville University, to lead the students in learning and performing the programs.

Tuesday night K-4 performed a variety of winter songs including “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bell Rock”.  A saxophone quartet and a jazz ensemble from Cedarville University also play for our entertainment.

Wednesday night grades 5-8 had a chance to show off their talents while performing “Marshmallow World”, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”, and “Sleigh Ride”.  Janelle Finley played a beautiful violin solo and the Women’s Choir from Cedarville University was also there for our listening pleasure.

The children enjoyed singing for their families and wearing a Santa hat to brighten up the evening.

 

Turkey Giving

HSADDT implemented “dress down days to help needy families” from Tuesday, November 12 through Friday November 22.  Each day a child or staff member dressed down, they paid $2.00.  All the money was collected over that nine day period and we raised $1000!  We were able to feed 30 families a complete Thanksgiving meal.  The meal consisted of a 15 pound turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry relish, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie.  The families were very appreciative and it was a great life lesson for our students to help people in their time of need and to focus on others.  It made the Thanksgiving Holiday very special for all involved at Horizon Dayton Downtown!!!

 

Thanksgiving Dinner

On Tuesday November 26, Mr. Ozer hosted the 4th annual Pasha Thanksgiving Celebration.  The HSADD staff gathered together for a delicious meal before a much needed and deserved break began.  It is always a delightful time to get teachers out of the classroom and thank them for a job well done!

 

Parent Teacher Breakfast 3rd,4th and 5th 

On Tuesday November 26, students in grades three, four and five enjoyed delicious Bill’s Donuts with their families and teachers.  Several students and parents gathered in the fourth grade classroom to come together to talk about the happenings around HSADD and to get know each other.  It was a great time!

 

FLL Robotics Competition

We are proud to offer robotics as an extracurricular activity at Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown. Students in 6, 7, 8 grade can join to club. The team competes against other schools just like athletic teams do. There are different levels of competition: regional, state, national, and international. Team members design, build, and program their own robots. HSADD robotics team, RoboGears, participated at the First Lego League Qualifying Tournament in Dayton (Sinclair Community College) on Nov. 23, 2013. The students represented our school with pride and did a great job! The students showcased their knowledge and skills admirably along with 24 teams. This was the first year for RoboGears in FLL. Good luck to RoboGears for the next year’s competition.

 

IMP in SHOPPING

IMP students did shopping twice so far. First one was before winter break. We went to Fairfield Mall after studying at school. Second one was on January and we went shopping at Premier Outlet after lunch at Sultan Mediterranean Cuisine in Cincinnati. IMP students spent so much fun time.

 

Spelling Bee

Our school spelling bee was held on Friday, November 15, in the community center.Throughout the month of October, students in grades 3-8 held spelling bees in their classrooms.  The top five students from each class then participated in the school-wide spelling bee.  The winners from each grade will go on to the Concept School Spelling Bee in Chicago on December 7.

The winners of the spelling bee are:

3rd grade – Deniz Makhmudov (Beyram Abbasov – alternate)

4th grade – Charis Tann

5th grade – Greg Johnson (Ruslan Ismailov – alternate)

6th grade – Albina Kosimova (Ali Suleymanov – alternate)

7th grade – Zeynab Pashayeva (Niyaz Niyazov – alternate)

8th grade – Lexis Scott (Tim Stamper – alternate).

 

Second Grade Breakfast

On Tuesday, November 12, 2013 parents/guardians and students of HSADD’s 2nd grade class were invited to eat breakfast with their teacher, Mrs. Schneble.  Parents, students, and Mrs. Schneble enjoyed a relaxing donut breakfast with juice and milk.  During this time parents were able to share with Mrs. Schneble any concerns they may have about their child as well as get to know the teacher to establish a more personal relationship.  The relationship between parents/guardians and teachers is essential for the student’s success throughout the year.  All who participated in the breakfast had an enjoyable time and hope to continue this tradition in the future.

 

Mummies Alive

On Monday, November 4, the 7th grade Social Studies students began learning about the mummification process from Ancient Egypt.  The class was broken into 3 groups, and 3 people were chosen to be “mummified”.  The groups had to embalm their mummy by removing the brain (cauliflower), lungs (socks with rice), stomach (lemon juice holder), and intestines (rope) and put the organs into jars (baggies).  Next, the students had to clean the body with spices (hand sanitizer) by putting the spices on the mummy’s hand.  The next step included the students wrapping their mummy.  The groups used toilet paper and tape to wrap their mummy.  Finally, the students made a sarcophagus by outlining their mummy on the floor.

 

Dr.Kaboom

Science can be fun!!! The fifth grade and sixth grade attended the Dr. Kaboom show at the Victoria Theatre. The show was all about how science can be fun and exciting. During the show Dr. Kaboom went through several different experiments covering several facets of science. These experiments included but are not limited to, shooting a volunteer across the stage on a improvised rocket, showing classic examples of centripetal force, and even fun math tricks that come in handy multiplying three digit numbers. As a science teacher I was particularly excited about how Dr. Kaboom expressed the importance of lab safety. Multiple times he addressed the specific protective gear needed to run the experiment safely.  After the show was over, you could immediately tell students were excited about math and science and it truly has paid off in the classroom. I highly recommend to any teacher to have their class attend his show if it is performed close by.

 

First Grade Breakfast

We had a small but fun group of parents come to our first grade breakfast.  The parents and the first grade teacher, Ms. McMurtry,  chatted about the first graders and their younger siblings.  All  who were present enjoyed coffee, juice, and doughnuts.  It was a great opportunity for the teacher to spend some quality time with her students parents and to get to know them and their families on a more personal level.  The food and the conversation were both good.

 

Halloween

Horizon Staff and Students enjoyed an eventful day on Thursday, October 31.  We celebrated Halloween a little differently this year.  We call it StoryBook Character Day. Students and staff had an assignment of dressing up in their favorite storybook character.  Along with their costume, they were required to bring a book that showcased their favorite character.

It was fun seeing everyone dressed up and trying to figure out who they were.  Some were very obvious and others took a little thought.  In the afternoon the 5th – 8th students went to the K-2 students classrooms and paired off together.  The older child read to the younger child.  It was amazing to see the interaction between the students.  Our older students did a great job at reading and holding the attention of the younger students.

After reading together the students returned to the classrooms and ended the day with, first the younger grades having a parade for the older grades and then vise versa.

It was a fun filled day but it also promoted reading and the enthusiasm from that was a wonderful site to behold when you see the students light up and absorb the books.

An example of some of the storybook characters:

Ms. Nugent – Ms. Frizzle

Mr. Vinson – Phil Robertson

Mrs. Mershon- Mary Poppins

Mrs. Ziders- Little Red Riding Hood

Mrs. Schneble – Bad Kitty-Bad Kitty/Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel

Ms. McMurtry-Viola Swamp- Miss Nelson is Missing

Mrs. Lopez- Where’s Waldo

 

Greene County Parks Visit 10/31/2013

On October 31 the 3rd and 4th grade classes had a visit from Greene County Parks and Trails. The Naturalists displayed not only stuffed and preserved specimens native to the area, but also several live specimens as well. Using these animals in education allows students to connect the information being taught with the actual animal. Students are clearly more engaged when there is a live animal in front of them, more so than simply looking at a photograph. This type of education is invaluable to students, particularly in an urban setting, because although many of the animals are native and quite common, many students have never seen them in real life. The program included several species of turtles, amphibians, and the program was topped off with a live screech owl.

 

PTO 10/29/2013

A positive way for HSADDT to involve parents is through our PTO.  Some staff members and parents got together on Wednesday, October 30th to create our “spooky grams”.  Students made purchases throughout the week during lunchtime and were able to send “spooky grams” to other students or staff members.

The PTO is hard at work stuffing clear gloves with popcorn and candy corn.  They also made ghost lollipops.  You can send a special message with your “spooky gram” and students enjoy giving and receiving these special treats.

Thank you PTO for working together to make Halloween just a little more “spooky”.

 

Breakfast KG Classes 10/29/2013

The Kindergartners, parents, and teachers all got together for a great time! We all ate donuts, enjoyed juice, and had a discussion about what was going on in our classrooms. Mrs. Ziders and Mrs. Glenn shared with parents our expectations for students by Winter Break and what we expect from students by the end of the school year. We also discussed how we are really pushing our students to know 2 sight words a week, and how we want the students to be reading simple books by Winter Break and more complex books by the end of the school year. Parents were really receptive, and excited about how hard we are pushing the students this year.

 

Robotics Team 10/25/2013

We are proud to offer robotics as an extracurricular activity at Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown.  Students in sixth through eighth grades can join the club. The team competes against other schools just like athletic teams do. There are different levels of competition: regional, state, national, and international. Team members design, build, and program their own robots.

HSADD robotics team, RoboGears, participated in the First Lego League Qualifying Tournament in Dayton (Sinclair Community College) on Nov. 23, 2013. The students represented our school with pride and did a great job! The students showcased their knowledge and skills admirably along with 24 teams. This was the first year for RoboGears in FLL. Good luck to RoboGears for the next year’s competition.

 

Wrestling Team 10/23/2013

There were about 200 wrestlers from different cities in Ohio who participated in the OH-Way Novice

Wrestling championship in North Olmsted last Sunday. It was like a festival. HSA-Dayton Downtown

team was the only team representing Dayton that participated in the championship. Our wrestler, Mustafa

Dzhulpayev,  won a Bronze medal in 110 lb. weight class. We congratulate him and we are proud of

a job well done!

 

IMP Collage Trip to University of Cincinnati  10/22/2013

Five IMP students had a field trip to the University of Cincinnati accompanied by their IMP mentor teacher Mrs.Yasmin. Students had a chance to feel the college atmosphere and to see the opportunities the university is providing its students. After the tour, students enjoyed lunch at the university cafeteria. Students also enjoyed walking on the university’s huge football field. All of the students were very excited. It was clear that their motivation to go to college has skyrocketed!

 

Movie Night 10/21/2013

Families enjoyed a night out at school. They watched the movie Hotel Transylvania, and nibbled on deliciously fresh  popcorn. Families also received a raffle ticket because one lucky family gets to take the movie home after the viewing.

 

Anti Bullying 10/21/2013                    

Horizon had the honor of Juggler Nels Ross sharing an Anti Bullying rally for our Kindergarten through Eighth grade students.  Nels reminded our students that they have value.  And if everyone has value…then treat them that way!  His message was “You don’t have to be perfect.  Be You!”  In his exciting juggling act Nels reinforced the information he was sharing with the students through the ABCV acronym:

A- positive attitude

B- give your best

C- have courage to make good choices

Because

V you are valuable and so is the person sitting next to you!

It was wonderful to hear such a positive, important message in such a fun and silly way!

 

 

Butterfly Release

In the spring of 2013, 2nd grade participated in their 3rd annual butterfly release. This year they were accompanied by 1st grade to release butterflies in the open field across from the school parking lot. The students studied the butterfly life cycle for about 2-3 weeks, observing the butterfly grow as a tiny caterpillar in the pupa stage and watching it create a chrysalis in the larva stage. Students were fascinated by the final transformation from the chrysalis to the adult butterfly stage. Our 1st and 2nd graders became quite attached to our little Painted Lady Butterflies, just as the butterflies appear to be attached to them.

Cave Painting

Several of Ms. Nugent’s art students painted on paper bags with designs that might be found during the cave man era. The bags were then placed in a stairwell at the school from top to bottom to give the illusion of being in a cave. The students helped build the cave and it was enjoyed by all within the school. Way to go Art students!

Anti Bullying

Bullying is an issue we take very seriously at Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown. On January 18, 2013 we started the year by inviting a Dayton policewoman to address our student body on the consequences of bullying in adult life. We have a very strict zero tolerance discipline policy on bullying. Several students were put on behavior contracts which clearly stated that bullying was not acceptable and anyone who did not comply would be asked to leave HSADD.
Ms. Kathryn Nugent, our art teacher, implements a bullying program each year into her curriculum. She has partnered with Matt Heck and the Prosecuting Attorney’s office in a poster and poem contest. Ms. Sandy Hunt comes to the classroom and gives the students a presentation on bullying and internet predators. The children then create posters or write poems against bullying. HSADD’s own Ilmira Aslanova placed first in Montgomery County last year. Other HSADDT students also placed including but not limited to: Stace’ Dixon, Elijah Jonathan and Khadizha Kuchiyeva. Everyone who participated receives a prize of some sort. The program begins in December and wraps up with the poster and poem winners being announced in March.

8th Grade Graduation

The first 8th grade class graduation of HSADDT occurred on May 31, 2013 at the Turkish American Center in Dayton, Ohio. Families were entertained by stories from our Valedictorian, Aeryonne Hawkins and Salutatorian, Maya Akhmedova, about highlights of their time together. The graduation ceremony concluded with a dinner.

Columbus Zoo Trip

The HSADDT trip to Columbus Zoo took place on May 30, 2013. The students and staff, as well as many chaperones, were excited to see perhaps the finest zoo in the nation. The trip gave many students the opportunity to discover many animals and sights seen only in science textbooks. The chance to see many unusual animals from around the world was a once in a lifetime event. This field trip will not soon be forgotten by those in attendance.

CONSEF Science Fair

March 22, was the 10th annual CONSEF Science Fair. CONSEF is a project competition for students in grades 5-12 attending any Charter School (also known as Community Schools) in the State of Ohio. At CONSEF, students were judged on their use of scientific method, creative ability, and comprehension. It is an ISEF affiliated science and engineering fair. This fair is held to increase students’ interest in science, engineering and mathematics. The students at HSA-Dayton Downtown were eager to participate in the event.
Our students worked hard to place at their school Science Fair in order to earn a place at the CONSEF Fair.
Over 500 students with their science and engineering projects competed against each other. More than 10 schools were participating in the science fair; some from Cleveland, some from Columbus, some from Dayton and Cincinnati. There are two sections; middle school and high school. Each section has medicine-health, biology, environmental science, physics, and math-computer science categories. There are over 75 judges from different universities like CSU, Cleveland Clinic, Case Western and Akron. We also had an Art Project and Language Exhibit at the Cole Center. There were over 150 Mythology and Art projects at the Science and Art fair.

9-11-01 Remembrance Assembly

NEVER FORGET!! With the help of the local American Legion members HSADDT held a heartfelt ceremony replacing our old flag with a new flag on our pole that is placed in the middle of our playground. A 9-11 video was observed by our students and a 21 gun salute was performed by the veterans. American Flags were waved by all the students and even a few tears were shed.

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