First Robotics Program

As a school we had been working on a way to provide additional access to rigorous and relevant academic experiences outside of the regular school day. We are pleased to announce that this year Wheatland School District will continue to build on our Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math focus by providing students the opportunity to participate in First Robotic’s www.usfirst.org, First Lego League competition.

First Lego League introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.

Elementary and middle-school students get to:

  Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology
  Apply real-world math and science concepts
  Research challenges facing today’s scientists
  Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills
  Participate in tournaments and celebrations

What FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And the skills they learn will last a lifetime.

Registration information will be provided prior to the season’s start date in November. In the meantime we are looking for parent volunteers to assist with coaching, supervision, or establishing community partnerships. If you are interested in participating in the First Robotics program as a volunteer please be sure to indicate your interest on the parent volunteer form. 

Laptop Program Update

New Devices for 7^th & 8^th Grades:

We are excited to enter our third year of our one to one laptop program. Due to the number of new students attending our school and the greater larger enrollment numbers in grades 4-8, there has been a need for us to acquire additional computers. Making the decision as to which computing device to purchase was one in which we spent a lot of time and effort with. We looked at multiple tablets, Chromebooks, and other versions of netbooks. Ultimately we selected the Lenovo ThinkPad. These computers had the performance we were seeking, the durability, and the right price. The new computers will be issued to all 7^th and 8^th graders. Students in grades 4-6 will continue with the netbooks for an additional 1-2 years. We are very excited that our 7^th and 8^th graders will now be able to utilize the Auto Cad Inventor program, which is used in their science classes, on their laptops at home.

Carrying Cases:

After two years of the laptop program we have found that our damage rates are higher than we would like to see. Some schools choose to restrict the computers from traveling between school and home. At Wheatland we feel that the greatest advantage of our 1 to 1 computing program is that all of our students have access to the computers at both school and home. Transporting the computers between home and school does however come with a higher damage rate. To help alleviate this concern, the school will be providing a satchel style carrying case for all students to use. Please do not purchase a separate computer case for your student, as they will be required to utilize the school provided carrying case whenever they are transporting their computers.

Laptop Insurance:

We are continuing our self-funded insurance program. The annual premium is $15 and is a part of your school year fees. Due to the breakage rates there is also a need to add a deductible to the insurance program for damage not covered under warranty. By adding the deductible we can keep the insurance rates low and keep the charges to those that damage the machines. Deductibles are as follows per each incident:

$1-$75 Damage (Typically screens and keyboards) = 50% of the repair cost, not to exceed $30

$76-$350 Damage = 40% of the repair cost not to exceed $150

*In the cases of economic difficulties arrangements can be made for payments of deductibles.

If you have any questions regarding the insurance program, please contact Mr. Tadlock, District Administrator