Please visit TVMSC's Calendar Page

TVMSC's Intent to Return Process

TVMSC's Student Selection Process

Important Partnership Update

It is with great pleasure that TVMSC announces a new partnership with Boise State University!

TVMSC's students who take the Center's new 'Introduction to Engineering' course may apply for Concurrent Credit with Boise State University for Fall 2009-10. This course meets the requirements for ENGR 120 within BSU's College of Engineering (COEN).

In support of this course, faculty of BSU's College of Engineering:

1. Will invite students in the TVMSC class to the BSU campus to participate in relevant events.
2. Will have BSU professors from each engineering departments within the college visit the TVMSC class to provide an overview of their discipline.

TVMSC's students who take the Center's Discrete Mathematics course may also apply for college credit. Discrete Math will carry Concurrent Credit through Boise State University's Mathematics Department (Math 187).

These classes are each 4 credits. BSU's registration deadline will be October 9th. The procedure for registering to receive college credit for either or both of these courses through Boise State University will be explained at TVMSC's Back to School Night/Open House on the evening of September 24th.

Posted September 17th, 2009

Commonly asked questions about TVMSC

• TVMSC is a school of choice for public, private, charter or home schooled students from throughout the Treasure Valley.
• Students who attend TVMSC are bused to and from their home schools in Boise and Meridian Districts.
• There is no tuition or cost associated with being a student in TVMSC. This is a public school program that is offered within Boise Independent School District.
• There is no cost associated with screening for consideration to enter TVMSC, however the scores from the screening will be used for the Student Selection process only. The scores will not be mailed home or shared from the screening as TVMSC covers all costs associated with testing and scoring these assessments.
• Students must have completed the equivalent of Accelerated Math 7 or a school year of Pre-Algebra before entering the program, as the first math course they enter is Accelerated Algebra 1 (with additional trigonometry). This course requires a thorough understanding of pre-algebra.
• All cohort levels in TVMSC are multi-aged. Students are placed in their cohort based upon their academic needs in mathematics. Cohort levels are not grade levels!
• If students have not completed or mastered pre-algebra at the time that they are screened, they have the option of attending TVMSC's Summer School program to take the Pre-Algebra/ Accelerated Math 7 course.
• Students who enter the TVMSC program at the 8th grade cohort level or higher will be placed into the mathematics course that is appropriate for building upon their current math background.
• Students spend half their school day at TVMSC and the other half of their school day at the school of their choice for the remainder of their classes.
• Students only need to go through the screening process once in order to qualify for entrance into TVMSC. As long as students maintain acceptable academic standards each semester, they do not need to reapply to continue with the program.
• Students may enter TVMSC as soon as they are ready for Accelerated Algebra 1 (regardless of their age or their grade in their original school). They may remain in the program until they graduate from high school, as long as acceptable academic standards are maintained.
• Students who have left TVMSC with acceptable grades in their last year while in the program are able to re-enter TVMSC by contacting our office. (854-6802)  They will need to provide the center with a copy of their transcript or report card showing the courses they have taken and grades earned while out of the program.

Posted September 8, 2009

Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. donation for TVMSC!

On behalf of the Treasure Valley Mathematics and Science Center, I would like to express our most sincere appreciation for the generous donation of $20,000.00 offered by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. in July, 2009 to support the educational efforts of our program during the 2009 – 2010 school year. Of these funds, $15,000 is designated to provide support for the implementation and offering of two new Engineering and Medical Professions courses in the TVMSC program. A further $5,000 is designated to provide support for the Boise School District FIRST Robotics team, 'Team Tators'. This will be TVMSC's third year as the sponsor school for 'Team Tators.'

The funds provided by this grant will support:

-'Team Tators,' the Boise School District FIRST Robotics team in designing, building, testing, and improving their robot. The grant will also help transport the team and 'Tator Bot' to nearby FIRST Robotics Regional Competitions in Spring 2010.

In July 2008, the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. awarded TVMSC a grant in the amount of $20,000 to support TVMSC's program. This generous donation assisted TVMSC in acquiring equipment, materials and lab supplies for environmental science, biology, chemistry and physics. The donation also supported TVMSC's summer program, enabling the Center to offer valuable preparatory and study skills classes to incoming and current students. The grant further supported TVMSC's teachers in acquiring valuable professional development opportunities. The donation by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. also enabled TVMSC's student to participate in mathematics and science competitions and to travel to locations in order to conduct valuable field research.

In July 2008, the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. donated a further $5,000 for use by 'Team Tators,' the Boise School District FIRST Robotics team. This supported the team in designing, building, testing and improving their robot. It also provided valuable support for getting the team and 'Tator Bot,' their robot over to the FIRST Regional Competitions during spring 2009.

In August 2007, Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. also awarded TVMSC a grant in the amount of $25,000 in support for continuing with the planned expansion of the Center. These funds were for use by the Center to renovate and outfit the new TVMSC science lab for the new Capital High location.

This followed the initial $20,000 donation from the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. to the Treasure Valley Mathematics and Science Center in Fall, 2006 which supported teacher training, acquisition of equipment and materials, as well as funding for summer classes and community outreach events offered through the Center.

The support provided by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. has greatly expanded the opportunities that the Center is able to provide for the students in the program. In turn, these funds have also enabled the Center to provide quality outreach programs back to the community, which further benefit our students, our staff and our guests from across the Treasure Valley who attend these events.

The Treasure Valley Mathematics and Science Center sincerely appreciates the continued support for our program that has been provided by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc.

Posted September 17th, 2009

Jan. 1st, 2009: Luke Harmon-Vellotti rang in the New Year with two great accomplishments for the state of Idaho! He was invited to join the most prestigious youth chess team in the U.S. and officially compete for the United States in international events. He is the only Idahoan to ever be awarded this honor (think of the Olympics for chess!)

Luke also achieved the title of Candidate Master (Expert) awarded by the USCF (the governing body for chess in the United States) for accruing enough official rating points during sanctioned chess competitions. His victories over higher rated adult players at a recent event in Seattle, WA put him over the top. Luke became the youngest Chess Expert in Idaho's history, and is on track to becoming the youngest Chess Master in the state as well.

Luke Harmon-Vellotti, is currently a student in the Treasure Valley Math and Science Center's 9th grade cohort. He has also been invited to be the U.S. delegate to participate in the 2009 World Youth Chess Championships to be held in Vung Tao, Vietnam in October, 2009. His brother, Carl Harmon-Vellotti, also a student at the TVMSC in the 10th grade cohort, qualified to be an alternate on the U.S.  team.

Recently, while away at a chess tournament, Luke saw the Haitian earthquake images on CNN. He instantly wanted to help. As a popular and well-known State and National youth chess champion, he began to think of ways to raise funds to support the Red Cross' efforts.  He contacted the local pizza and pasta chain, Smoky Mountain Pizza, and they agreed to team up with Luke to offer a way for the community to donate for this important cause. On Saturday, January 30^th, Luke arranged a fund raising effort in support of the Red Cross' Haitian Earthquake Relief Efforts. He played 20 simultaneous games of chess in an exhibition. Luke played all players at the same time, and 100% of the $20 contribution fee per contender was donated to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. 

Luke has his own website: http://sponsorluke.com/

Posted February 5th, 2010

Boise's 'Team Tators'  Robotics Team

The Treasure Valley Mathematics and Science Center is once again sponsoring the Boise School District's FIRST Robotics team, 'Team Tators,' for the 2009 - 2010 season.

In the Spring 2010 Competitions, Team Tators will compete in the new Salt Lake City, Utah FIRST Robotics Regional Competition.  They will also return to compete in the Sacramento/U.C. Davis Regional Competitions for FIRST Robotics.

The formal kickoff of the FIRST Robotics 2010 build and competition season will occur on January 9th, 2010. During the Kickoff Event, the teams from across the nation will watch a NASA-televised program that explains the challenge for the 2010 FIRST Robotics season. Teams then begin to envision, design and build their robot over the following six weeks.

Team Tators is extremely grateful to the following sponsors of Team Tators for the 2010 season:

• Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. - $5,000
• Boise Public Schools Education Foundation - $2,000
• Micron Technolgy Foundation, Inc. - $5,000
• Julius C. Jeker Foundation, Inc. - $6,000
  

In the 2008 season, Team Tators competed in the Portland and Sacramento/U.C. Davis Regional Competitions for FIRST, earning first place as the winning robot at the U.C. Davis Regionals.  As a result of their robot's strong performance, Team Tators went on to compete at the FIRST Robotics National Competition in Atlanta, GA.

In the 2009 season, Team Tator's first 2009 competition was in the Portland Regionals, in Oregon from March 5th - 7th where the team earned the Motorola Quality Award.  The team then competed in the Sacramento Regional Competition at U.C. Davis  from March 26th - 28th where their team's alliance earned second place in the finals.

For the 2009 season, Team Tators Robotics received valuable support from:

• Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Inc. - $5,000
• Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation - $2,000 of the $5,000 TVMSC grant
• Boise Public Schools Education Foundation - $2,000
• Micron Technology Foundation, Inc. - $5,000
• Hewlett Packard Company - $5,000
• Hewlett Packard Company - in-kind donation of 150 hours of shop time
• M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust - $2,000
• SolidWorks - in-kind donation of 10 seats of access to the system

The goal of FIRST Robotics is to encourage and support students in developing a keen interest in the fields of engineering, robotics, computer programming and mechanical design. Participating teams of high school-aged students are recognized for excellence in team work, professional conduct, creativity in engineering, as well as for having a well designed robot. Participation on the team provides students the opportunity to work with mentors from business or industry (engineers, programmers, welders, etc.). It allows students to bring their academic abilities in mathematics and the sciences into a setting that provides a meaningful, real-world context for their interests.

http://www.usfirst.org/what/frc/default.aspx?id=366

Team Tators is extremely appreciative of the ongoing guidance and support provided to the team by mentors from Hewlett-Packard Company and Micron Technology, Inc.

To view the current year's design challenge, please visit the US FIRST Robotics website at http://www.usfirst.org/

Posted February 5th, 2010

Best Buy Teach Award Grant for TVMSC

This year, Best Buy Teach Awards, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, have been given to more than 460 schools to sustain or enhance existing educational programs. TVMSC is one of the 460 schools nationwide to be awarded a Best Buy Teach Award for 2009 on behalf of Julie Ekhoff, TVMSC's environmental science and research teacher. This year's grant is for $5,000.

This is the fourth Best Buy Teach Award granted to a TVMSC teacher.  In February 2008, Matt Yocum received a $2,000 Best Buy Teach Award. This followed a February, 2007 award where Janice Poppenga was also a recipient of a $2,000 Best Buy Teach Award. In 2006, TVMSC also received a $5,000 grant to obtain equipment for use in obtaining equipment for outdoor lab activities.

Best Buy believes technology can excite and engage students, creating a more valuable educational experience. Through Best Buy Teach Awards, schools are provided gift cards to enable them to purchase more technology for their students to use and learn. Since 2004, the Best Buy Teach Award program has awarded over $17 million to over 6,000 K-12 schools nationwide.

This award has been used to acquire additional technology for the program, including a weather station, a telescope, TI-89 graphing calculators, memory devices, a web cam, binoculars, educational DVDs and a set of 2-way radios.

The Treasure Valley Mathematics and Science Center sincerely appreciates the continued support for our program that has been provided by Best Buy!

Posted March 2, 2009

There will not be classes held at TVMSC from March 30th - April 2nd for Spring Break.

Posted February 23rd, 2010