A team of six Provo Middle School scientists have worked for the past 8 weeks to prepare for the 2020 Fortis TCI Science Fair. Linked to our recent exploration of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, we wanted to pick an investigation that could positively impact our world.
Undertaking research in Microbiology, our Science Fair team set out to answer the question “Is boiling an effective means of making water safe to drink?”
Did you know that over two billion people do not have access to clean water? We felt this was a huge issue that deserved attention!
Middle School – Science Fair, 2020
5 March, 2020 Leave a Comment
Yr 6-8’s UN Sustainable Development Goal Assemblies
28 February, 2020 Leave a Comment
As a school, we have been learning about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the last half term. These 17 goals, part of The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are,
“an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”
(Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs)
That sounds like something everyone should get involved in, doesn’t it? Well, our students certainly think so. [Read more…]
Year 7 – Experimenting with Elements
24 February, 2020 Leave a Comment
Our Year 7 students have been doing some exciting experimenting with elements in their Science lessons. In addition to testing how metals react when heated, the students have acquired some important new Middle School Science skills.
In order to carry out their experiments with safety and accuracy, the students first needed to learn how to use a Bunsen burner and demonstrate their ability to use one safely. After receiving their Bunsen burner licences, the students then worked on how to identify different elemental metals according to their properties. Although many metals look the same, their properties are very different. It was, therefore, essential that the students were able to identify the correct element they needed for their experiments. Finally the students needed to ensure they observed the reactions accurately, and recorded their observations correctly.
Catch us at the Fish Fry tonight for all your holiday gifts
19 December, 2019 Leave a Comment
Beautiful student art bags, mugs, calendars and greeting cards all ready for the Fish Fry tonight! Raising money for our field trips in Y7 & 8 this summer.
National Heritage Month: Provo Middle School head to the field to study our Islands’ heritage.
22 November, 2019 Leave a Comment
National Heritage month is always a busy one at Provo Middle School. We believe it is important to see and experience the varied remains of our Islands’ heritage in order to appreciate the past. This year, students in our Year 7 and 8 classes set out on a number of field trips linked to their learning on the Turks and Caicos Islands’ salt and cotton industries.
Year 7 first visited the national museum to understand the significance of the Salt Industry, which operated here for around 300 years.
The success and importance of this industry led to population growth on the islands, as well as creating tension between neighbouring islands who wanted to gain control of this profitable export. We learned how the Turks Islands were perfect for the production of natural salt, produced through solar evaporation, direct from our oceans.
Year 3 motivate our Fun Runners with their flags and cheers
22 November, 2019 Leave a Comment
Waving their positive affirmation flags, excitedly, Year 3’s support really encouraged our Year 6, 7 and 8 students, as they determinedly found the energy and endurance to keep going in the final laps of their Fun Run yesterday. Here’s what Year 6 wanted to pass on back to them:
Thank you for the signs, you really motivated us.
We couldn’t have made it without you.
Thank you for putting so much thought and care into the posters.
Thank you you all for the support and energy you gave us.
Year 3’s signs really encourage us when we were about to give up.
Way to go, Year 3! So great to see you being GAME ON leaders, motivating our older students!
When it was the Year 3’s Fun Run turn, they had lots of family and friends support too, as you’ll see in the photos below.
Y7 Investigate how to Investigate…
16 September, 2019 Leave a Comment
Maths and Science classes have already got off to a head-scratching start at Provo Middle School this year!
Our new Year 7 class have undertaken a series of investigations in the hope of sharing their advice on how to succeed in an inquiry. From comparing results with others, to making careful notes and drawings – each member of the class discovered different ways to help themselves improve.
“Are we allowed to work together?” was asked at one point. As it turns out, finding proof is almost impossible if you don’t!
“I think I know how this works…I’ve solved it!” could be heard from the other side of the room. Again, as it turns out, forming a hypothesis (and testing it) is an essential part of the investigative process.
By thinking about how we investigate, every student was able to make better decisions and move forwards in their thinking and process. We discovered a lot of helpful tricks that will us in the future. We hope that you find them useful too!
Finally, each child was asked to pick the tip that they felt helped them the most – here’s what they had to say about them…
Disproving our Misconceptions in Physics
22 June, 2019 Leave a Comment
This week, Year 7 conducted an experiment in physics that thoroughly challenged their previous understanding of forces.
Children were asked to predict which item would fall fastest; a very heavy shot put or a lighter foam ball? Both balls were a similar size but very different in their weight. Many children predicted that the shot put would fall much faster as it so much heavier.
To their surprise, both balls hit the floor at almost exactly the same time from a 2m height. So what was going on here?! Why was there so little difference given the great difference in the weight of the objects?
In order to explore this further, we conducted tests with a range of balls; light and heavy, small and large. The results were dramatic in many cases.
The class learned to consider the frictional force of air resistance in order to explain their results. Here were some of their thoughts: [Read more…]
Year 7 news from the Adirondacks
5 June, 2019 Leave a Comment
Year 7s from Provo Middle School have enjoyed a fantastic start to their residential field trip to Camp Echo Lake in the Adirondack Mountains.
A chilly first day was spent orienteering and kayaking/canoeing on Echo Lake. Children needed to apply a range of cooperation skills while they learned to read maps of camp or paddle their canoe together.
The evening was spent out in the woods playing games around a camp fire. Of course, children finished the day roasting marshmallows for S’mores.
Year 6 & 7 Athletics Finals Festival
27 March, 2019 Leave a Comment
Year 6 & 7 Athletics Finals Festival
Monday 1st April, 9-11am.
We are excited to invite you to our planned Athletics Finals Festival next week at the National Stadium.
Children have spent the term learning to compete in a range of Track & Field disciplines. We have practiced the basic techniques and used video analysis to improve our performance and technique in each area. Check out our video analysis work here.
Children have chosen 2-3 events to compete in, balancing the freshness,energy and focus needed to give their best in each event. After all the refinement of their skills, children are now anxious to see how a bit of pressure impacts their performance!
We hope that you will be able to join us for this showcase event. It has been designed to give all students an equal and competitive opportunity to apply their learning. We are hopeful that this will be a dress-rehearsal for an inter-school athletics event after Easter.
As we complete our Athletics unit, please join me in thanking Ryan Jones and Jen Blain for giving their time to support teaching. Their input has been valuable and much appreciated!
If you are able to join us, I will look forward to seeing you at the track on Monday!
Performance analysis leads to new records in PE!
26 March, 2019 Leave a Comment
Years 6 & 7 have been studying and practising Athletics this term, thinking about how track & field athletes are able to develop their technique in order to improve performance.
Students have spent time learning the specific techniques needed for each discipline: the shot put, javelin, long jump, high jump, triple jump, sprint and hurdles. All children then made an excellent effort to practise these skills.
In recent weeks, we then started to look at how video analysis can help sports people to identify strengths and weaknesses in their performance and technique. Children watched videos of record breaking athletes in order to identify “best examples” for each event. We then recorded each other at our PE sessions to see how we compared and where we could improve.
Year 7 see Microscopic Miracles at the Hospital!
11 February, 2019 Leave a Comment
Students of Provo Middle School embarked on a truly inspirational and thought provoking field trip to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre last week. We wanted to see how our biology learning about cells applied to the real-life context of medical care. We were treated to an exceptional all-access visit to the histology, pathology and micro-biology labs at the hospital on Provo.
Children learned how doctors receive tissue samples from all patients who undergo any surgical procedures in order to confirm diagnoses or test the outcomes of previous care. Everything from human organs to skin and other tissue is tested and prepared for study under the microscope in the histology labs. The work done in this lab not only helps to save lives, by identifying the cause of illnesses on a cellular level, but could also be used to explain how or why a person may have died. [Read more…]
Registration is now open for Years 7 and 8 at Providenciales Primary & Middle School
5 February, 2019 Leave a Comment
Providenciales Primary & Middle School is accepting registrations
for Years 7 and 8 for September 2019.
Students graduating from Providenciales Primary School have proved through their strong academic results and successes as young adults, that our creative approach to teaching and learning has a large impact on their lives.
Providenciales Middle School extends upon this approach, ensuring that our brightest minds continue to be challenged and developed into their teenage years.
Middle School Bag4Life Project – available now!
8 January, 2019 Leave a Comment
Did you know that supermarkets around the TCI will not be providing plastic bags after this month? Well, we did – so children of Provo Middle School set about making pointillism-style Bags4Life to help you carry your groceries!
Each piece of artwork was inspired by the TCI’s Beautiful By Nature animals. Done in a pointillism style, they were painted dot-by-dot by our Middle School students.
Our bags are reusable and durable, making them an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. And we think they look great too!
Our bags are available at the Middle School and will be sold at Provo Primary School for the week of January 14th-18th at our 3pm collection time. They cost $20 and all profits will go towards the Year 7 end of year field trip.
We hope that you like our Beautiful By Nature designs – pick up a bag today!
Provo Middle School Celebrate the TCI Salt Industry in Art!
10 December, 2018 Leave a Comment
Year 7 students of Provo Middle School participated in the Provo Arts & Craft Expo, sharing their learning about the TCI Salt Industry in the process.
In their Design & Technology lessons, students were challenged to create a range of products that were inspired by the TCI’s salt raker heritage. Students arrived at the Arts & Craft Expo ready to sell a wide range of items in order to raise funds for our end of year field trip to upstate New York. We had everything! From cards and calendars, to salt shakers and Christmas ornaments – Year 7 produced real diversity in their ideas and designs.
Students worked their stall throughout the weekend, introducing themselves to customers and explaining our learning journey this term. All products were well received and many happy customers walked away from our stall with handfuls of salt-inspired items.
We were especially pleased to be selling products sent to us by Ms Cynthia of Salt Cay Salt Works, with whom we visited on our field trip to Salt Cay in October. We also sold specially-made soaps that were produced by Ms Arlene of Island Organics. We loved seeing how these two businesses continue to use natural TCI salt in their products.
After a very successful weekend selling, children will now evaluate their products and discover whether they were able to make a profit from each item they designed. Judging by the reaction of one customer, who claimed “this stall is the most fun at the whole fair!”, children will have some very positive evaluations to write!
None of us can wait for our end-of-year field trip next June – we are certainly one step closer after this weekend!
Great Effort in Primary & Middle School Swim Meet
10 December, 2018 Leave a Comment
Students from Provo Primary & Middle Schools participated with great skill, perseverance and stamina this week – with some taking part in a developmental swim meet for the first time. Hosted by the International School of the TCI, the meet gave a total of 20 children the opportunity to compete.
Children participated in two-length races in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly. All students set good times that can be used to track their own development in the future. A number of children found themselves paired in tight contests throughout the morning; competing in extremely close races against other students in the pool. It was a pleasure to see our children facing a new challenge with such determination and a positive attitude!
The event finished with two 4×2 length relays and a fun whole-team race at the end.
Very well done to our eight Provo Primary & Middle School swimmers! We look forward to the next opportunity to compete in the pool.
Year 7 #mygrandturk video challenge – Please support this project
3 December, 2018 Leave a Comment
I was excited to see the #mygrandturk video challenge that has been advertised locally. A $1000 grand prize is being offered for the video that celebrates Grand Turk and gains the most YouTube votes.
I thought that our school had a ready-made celebration of Grand Turk and Salt Cay after our field trip in October. So I entered Provo Middle School right away!
Please support the school by sharing the link to our video with friends & family, or on your social media, asking everyone to support us by liking the video on YouTube. Only YouTube likes will be used to decide the competition winner, so we need direct clicks! Please share far and wide and request YouTube likes! YouTube likes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=q1hHDyaTL9E
More information about the project & competition can be found here:
We have a great head-start on everyone else as ours is the first video submitted.
Thank you for our support – the $1000 grand prize could be put to great use to enhance our new school!