About the STEM Committee: The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Committee is a group of parents interested in helping to enrich Runnymede through hands-on science, mathematics and technology opportunities that focus on the reinforcement of the mathematics and science curricula.
If you would like to join or help, please contact the STEM committee chairs RunnymedeSTEMcommittee@gmail.com.
Activities taken on by the committee include:
- Facilitating STEM enrichment activities :
- Fun, in-class math activities ‘Angry Birds’ for kindergarten students
- The Amazing MATH Race June event for students in grades 4 and 5 (volunteers permitting)
- Fun Amazing MATH activities in class for students in Grade 1-3
- Science Fair for students in Grades 6-8
- STEM Night for Grade 4/5 students
- Classroom enrichment programs such as University of Toronto Engineering Outreach for students in grades 6-8
- Creating hands-on science “kits” and procuring science manipulatives for students in kindergarten – grade 8
- Sourcing math manipulatives for all grade levels, to make math more hands-on and fun
- Dispatching a team of parents to assist in the installation of school technology and to make sure all computer systems are up and running for immediate, in-class use
- Sourcing additional funding and instructional support for in-school technology as well as STEM subjects
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR STEM PROGRAMS AT RUNNYMEDE!
The STEM Committee has exciting activities planned this year in 2025/2026 and we need parent volunteers to make them happen.
SIGN UP TO HELP, AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH! VOLUNTEER SIGN UP
Runnymede Senior School STEM Fair – Friday, February 27th
STEM Fair Judges needed!
Help evaluate student projects. No science background required. A Zoom pre-session will cover judging criteria.
Morning judges (15 needed): 8:50 AM–12:00 PM
Full day judges (10 needed): 8:50 AM–2:00 PM, includes selecting projects for city fair
The direct sign up to be a STEM Fair judge is HERE!
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LEGO Club & Robotics : Weekly throughout the term (TBD)
Senior Robotics/FIRST LEGO League Challenge (2–4 volunteers)
Work with older students on competitive robotics
Primary and Junior LEGO Learning (6–8 volunteers)
Guide younger students through building challenges.
SIGN UP HERE AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH VOLUNTEER SIGN UP
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Angry Birds Math Challenge
Kindergarten students participate in the Angry Birds Math activity where they get to stand up and measure, build, sort, graph and LAUNCH Angry Birds! 
Dates and times are in June & TBD, but each class will participate in a half-day activity (9:00 – 11:30 am or 12:30 – 3:00 pm). The Angry Birds Math activity usually runs in late May / early June once students have covered most of the math curriculum. (4 volunteers needed per class)
Interested in volunteering in your child’s class for this activity? Please email runnymedeSTEMcommittee@gmail.com or SIGN UP HERE AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH VOLUNTEER SIGN UP
These programs cannot run without parent involvement. Even one activity makes a difference. Thanks!
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Primary students (grades 4&5) participate in the Amazing Math Race. This is a half-day, on-site, fun math event where students run around and use their math and team-work skills. High-energy math activities in the last week in June (TBD)
Dates: Each grade will have a specific day in the last half of June.
Time: 12:00 – 3:15 pm
Grade Leads Needed! We’re always looking for parents who can do a bit of preliminary organization and help lead the Amazing Math Race for their child’s grade. If you’re interested in being a Grade Lead or if you simply want to volunteer for a half-day of fun math activities with your child on the day of the event, No math expertise required! (6 volunteers needed each day – you will be needed for the whole afternoon)
SIGN UP HERE AND WE’LL BE IN TOUCH VOLUNTEER SIGN UP or please get in touch at runnymedeSTEMcommittee@gmail.com.
GRADE 1-3 have in class AMAZING MATH ACTIVITIES brought to their classrooms, so they can have a morning of fun math games, activities and challenges (like GIANT sudoku, multiplication madness and Yahtzee fun!
Grade Leads Needed! We’re always looking for parents who can do a bit of preliminary organization and help lead the Amazing Math activity for their child’s class. If you’re interested in being a Grade Lead or if you simply want to volunteer for a half-day of fun math activities with your child on the day of the event, please get in touch at runnymedeSTEMcommittee@gmail.com. No math expertise required!
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Robotics at Runnymede
Runnymede is extremely fortunate to have hosted competitive FIRST LEGO league robotics teams. Tryouts are typically hosted in the spring for students who will be in grades 4-8 the following school year. Teams get straight to work as soon as school starts on their annual challenges.
What is FLL? FLL combines basic robotic programming and scientific discovery with team work and product development culminating in a fun and friendly showcase competition. In FLL coaches become mentors and the students work to find solutions together. Visit FLL League for more information about this worldwide phenomenon.
Visit the team’s website to find out about our projects and for helpful hints on LEGO building, programming and crazy STEM fun!
Interested in learning programming at home? Check out the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s site SCRATCH. This site encourages kids to program using blocks of code that they connect to make scripts. They can “see inside” the programs of posted games and learn from others, or follow the tutorials provided.
Join us!
Any parent interested in helping promote the Math and Science curricula at Runnymede is welcome to join the STEM committee – we’d love to have you! No specific skills are required. Please co
In the past STEM events have included Future Goals: Hockey Scholar STEM Learning sessions and University of Toronto Engineering Outreach programs.
STEM Parent Resources
To support math learning at home and to be connected with your child’s mathematics learning, you can check this website offered by the TDSB. (Lots of great resources)
https://sites.google.com/tdsb.on.ca/tdsb-mathematics-for-families/home
The Family STEM Challenge
Are you feeling that you may run out of activities over the break? Why not participate in Runnymede’s holiday STEM challenge?
Materials needed for the challenge:
-Toothpicks
-Soft candy or marshmallows or cubes of cheese or fruit (anything that will hold to a toothpick)
How the challenge works:
Start by attaching pieces of candy to toothpicks and build your structures through trial and error. Kids will use logic and creativity to combine the toothpicks and candy in a way to build the structure they have envisioned- tall or wide or a CN Tower prototype- there are lots of options.
Who will have the tallest or sturdiest tower? How much weight can your structure hold? Can your family recreate a famous landmark?
Grab your candy and toothpicks and have some fun!
Runnymede Home & School Association 