STEM School & Academy
Newsletter
September 22, 2016

From the Desk of: Executive Director, P.J.Eucker, PhD


STEM School and Academy- different yet the same

As we grow, organizational and operational changes are required for efficiency and sustainability. The Academy classes are being moved to the STEM School for the 2016-2017 school year and beyond. The school provides substantial subsidies to support the Academy programs including two employees, facilities and insurance.

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General Updates
The informational meeting for the trip to France that was to be held tonight has been cancelled.

Thank you!
Reminder:

No School for students tomorrow - Professional Development Day for Staff
Upcoming Dates:


Sept. 23   No School - Professional Development
Sept. 23   Girls inSTEM (JE Dunn Construction) Field Trip
Sept. 24   High School Movie Night
Sept. 28   MANDATORY Winter Sports Interest meeting
Sept. 28   Spirit Night Cold Stone Creamery
Sept. 29   Winter Basketball Information Meeting at D1 Sport
Sept. 30   HS Powderpuff Game
Oct. 01    High School Homecoming Dance
Oct. 03    Band Concert, Middle & High School
Oct. 04    STEM BOD Meeting (Quorum pending)
Oct. 05    HS: First Responders Career Discovery Event
Oct. 05    Guitar Concert, Middle School
Oct. 06    Virtual Day Grades 6, 10, 11, & 12 / PSAT Grades 7-9
Oct. 06    Parent/Teacher Conferences - by appointment only
Oct. 07    No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences - open house


Click here   to view school calendar and times.
High School Updates
From the Desk of Principal Cody Blackburn


Click here
 
f or the video Newsletter


Dear Parents of Juniors:

Overview:
On October 19, 2016, all Juniors will take the PSAT NMSQT. This assessment is not part of state mandated accountability testing , but an opportunity to practice for the SAT in April.
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For PSAT 10 Score Information for
Parents of Juniors Click here

Athletics:

Cross Country:

The high school cross country team will race this Friday, September 23rd at 5:00pm.   Our only female athlete will race at 3:50pm.   STEM students do NOT have school on September 23rd . Come out and support our Spartan runners! The race is at Columbine- 


STEM Spartans Volleyball:

Come eat all the pizza and garlic knots you can handle!  For only $10 per person, you can support our awesome volleyball team and have a great dinner at the Garlic Knot restaurant in Ken Caryl Village on Oct. 4 !  Please see Coach Evil, Coach Cassie, or any of the team members for pre-sale tickets to our dinner.  Hope to see you there!
For more info on the Inaugural Volleyball Team Fundraiser Dinner 
October 4, 2016, 4-6pm

Winter Sports:

Fall sports season is barely off and running, and we are planning for winter sports already!  You can register for Men's or Women's 2016-2017 HS Basketball NOW on Revtrak!  

Also, STEM High School Athletics is excited to announce a joining of forces with D1 Sports for winter basketbal l.  We will be both hosting games and practicing at D1 for the winter season.  In order to get everyone on the same page with D1, if you or your high school student is interest in participating in basketball for the 2016-2017 sport season (whether you were on the team last year or not), please plan on attending the an informational meeting.  Click for details here!

Middle School Updates
From the Desk of Middle School Principal 
Leanne Weyman


Teacher Spotlight:

This week,  Mrs.  Shaun DeLisa, one of our all-star 6th grade Computer Science teachers,  introduced our students to a new robot named Dash.  Sixth-grade students used drag-and-drop visual coding to program robots to navigate a labyrinth.  While using the Blockly app students learned  advanced concepts of coding including algorithmic design, command sequences, variables, conditionals, loops, and creative problem solving.  



For more information -  https://www.makewonder.com/apps/blockly

Thank you Mrs. DeLisa!

Attention Middle Schoolers!!

Hello Everyone!
In order to support the mission of STEM to create relevant, real-world educational experiences we are offering our 6th grade students the opportunity to participate in a multi-day immersion field trip to Keystone Science School. Students will spend three days working together as snow scientists  At this time we are determining the level of interest for this trip. The trip is offered for three separate trips in order to help accommodate busy December schedules.  In order to show your interest and be informed about further requirements for the trip, please fill out the Google form linked on the  website  by  October 6th .

Thank you
-- 
Katie Hoffman
STEM History Teacher

Elementary School Updates
From the Desk of Elementary School Principal
Karen Johnson, PhD

Parent Conferences
Teachers will be reaching out next week with specific information regarding signing up for conferences.
Math Resources
If you need clarification regarding math lessons for grades 1-5, visit the following video series.  Eureka Math Video Lessons .  This resource provides a brief video that summarizes the lesson for each grade level.  
Lunch Visitors
Parents are welcome to enjoy lunch with their students. In order to be prepared for our guests, we are requiring visitors to sign up at least 24 hours in advance on our Lunch Visitor Sign Up
Specials Rotation
Students in Kinder and 1st grade rotate specials every 5 days.  Students in 2nd - 5th grade rotate every 10 days. The order of rotation can be remembered as CAMP (Chinese, Art, Music, and PE). A calendar can be found here: Elementary Specials Rotation Calendar
School Directory
We have a school directory this year!  This is an opt in option for parents to communicate with other families and teachers. Join HERE .  The school code is STEMSchoolandAcademy.  

Updates from our Assistant Principals /
Academic Dean:
Honor Roll:
This award is given to students who have demonstrated strong organizational abilities, determination, and excellent academic achievement. To be eligible for this award, students must have earned a GPA of 3.5 to 3.79.

Principal's Scholar:
This award is given to those students who have demonstrated superior organizational abilities, determination, and excellent academic achievement in all of their classes.  To be eligible for this award, students must have between a 3.8 and 4.0 GPA.

Click here to view list

Counseling Corner:
Important Dates to Remember

Career Discovery Program: First Responders
Wednesday, October 5, 2016

National College Fair
Sunday, September 25, 1-4 p.m.

High School Allies in Diversity with Ms. Reinking
Meetings take place every Tuesday, from 3:30-4:20 in Room 130

Click here for:  TIPS FOR REDUCING TEST ANXIETY

Office Updates:
Volunteer News
Drama:
T he drama class will hold auditions in class next Friday, September 30th . If you would like to judge for the parts, please contact Katelyn Rooney at  [email protected]  .  Auditions will be at 11:25-12:30pm  and 1:25-2:20pm . 

Seeking carpet donation for LSS Room:
In need of a carpet donation in our LSS Room.  The carpet does not have to come from Home Depot but they are the only ones, (we have found) who would do a commercial installation. If needed, please contact [email protected] for more detail.

High School Movie Night & Homecoming Dance
Donation Opportunities:
High School has 2 upcoming events that need items donated.  If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity,  click here  to view the lists.  
Thank you!



Other Volunteer Opportunities:
  • Gift Card Rewards for Students
  • Driveline Improvement Process
  • Physics classroom volunteer
  • Winter Sports Coaches
  • On-Going Opportunities
  • Classroom Donations
You can see these and other current opportunities 
(including donation items) on the  Volunteer Page  of our website.
Academy News
Career Discovery Event: First Responders TSA
Join us for our 3rd Career Discovery Event for High School students to learn from and interact with professionals ­ our program on Wednesday, October 5th will be with First Responders.

TSA ­ Donations Needed
Looking for volunteer opportunities? Consider supporting our TSA Program! It started  this week, and we need help in 2 different ways. We are looking for volunteers to help  supervise students during the club ­ walking around, helping kids, asking questions  about their projects. We are also hoping for donations for snacks for the kids. You can  view both opportunities HERE!

Cross Country Update
This past Saturday, our middle school cross country team competed in the Rock Canyon XC Invitational. They ran well and had a blast! This Thursday, they compete at the Hawk Invitational at Chatfield Botanic Gardens. Go Spartans!

TSA ­ Donations Needed
Looking for volunteer opportunities? Consider supporting our TSA Program! It started this week, and we need help in 2 different ways.


Newsletter
Would you like to receive our Academy newsletter? Please contact

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STEP/PTO

Today - STEM Blast Off:

What:    Event to celebrate the school and build parent community
When:   September 22, 2016 (3:30pm-7:30pm)
Where:  Civic Green Park


Eat Ice Cream and Raise Money for STEP/PTO!!!

Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Time: 4:00 - 7:00 PM
Location: Cold Stone Creamery
Located at the Highlands Ranch Town Center

Click here to view flyer

Skate City Bronco Party:

Please sign up here to ride the bus for Skate City Bronco Party by  Tuesday Sept. 27th. Students must turn in a permission form to board the bus. If there are less than 25 kids, the bus will be cancelled. Lockers are available for $0.50 at the skating rink. ALL PARENTS MUST PICK UP THEIR STUDENTS AT  6PM. (Skate City 5801 S Lowell Way, Littleton, CO 80123). Questions? Contact Rebecca at  [email protected].    Click here to sign up.


Click here for the August STEP/PTO Newsletter

Douglas County School District News

Douglas County Educational Foundation 
Community Events:
  • Sept. 16 - 18:    Rockies Back to School Nights
  • September 17:  Colorado Rapids Community Night
  • October 12:      Denver Botanic Gardens (Chatfield) Corn Maze and Hay                            Rides

Link to the Foundation's recent eNewsletter  which contains complete list of upcoming events and links to purchase tickets:  click here

Click here for information on Parenting Class 

Click here to subscribe to the Douglas County Association for Gifted & Talented (DCAGT) Newsletter.

View August's  Prevention Press

Click here for DCSD story on:  "STEM School and Academy Students Win National Award for Innovation."


STEM School & Academy | 303-683-7836 | www.stemhigh.org
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