Dear NJAAPT Colleagues,

Hope you are having a good start to the school year, whatever it might look like in your school or district!

My colleague, Mike Powell, and I here in Tinton Falls are co-advisors for our Physics Club this year...which, like all club activities at our school, has been asked to meet virtually.  As our traditional goal has been to work towards the Physics Olympics competition in January, I have two questions:

1.  What ideas do you have to engage students in a virtual Club meeting (say, 1 hour, weekly) for Physics?  Other than practicing Fermi problems, we're not sure how to approach the building/engineering tasks that are so much a part of the fun and interest of Physics Club/Physics Olympics.  Even "advertising" to join the Club seems to be a challenge since we are on the hybrid/split class schedule with all-remote learning Wednesdays.

2.  Perhaps more a question for NJAAPT leadership, or maybe a discussion for our community:  Is there a status for the Physics Olympics this year?  Or, how can we help decide the nature of this program given the circumstances?

Thanks for any thoughts, comments, or questions you might send our way!  Good luck!

Matt D'Amato

Monmouth Reigonal HS (Chemistry and Physics)

Tinton Falls, NJ