Massachusetts Project Lead The Way Grant Applications Due
Dec 1
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The
MA PLTW grant
opportunity is now open. The grant is made possible by the Executive Office of Education in conjunction with the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council, the Governor’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, and matching funds from the One8 Foundation. The grant is open to all public schools in Massachusetts looking to adopt PLTW or expand current PLTW programs.
The first round of grant applications are due December 1st. To learn more about the grant opportunity and to apply, visit the
PLTW website
. View the
grant webinar
to learn more.
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PLTW High School Students Connect
with College Opportunities
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Earlier this month, over 200 PLTW high school students met with representatives from colleges and universities to learn about undergraduate STEM programming.
At the fair, students learned about STEM career options from industry professionals from GE, Sunpower, and Shepley Bulfinch. Students also received valuable information about earning college credit for their PLTW coursework, scholarship opportunities, and tips about the college application process from the American Assistance Program and the Massachusetts Education Finance Authority.
Thank you to the high schools, colleges, and partners who joined us for this inaugural event! We are excited to grow the STEM College Fair in future years!
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Mass STEM Hub Classroom Spotlight
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Future scientist at work at Stoneham Central Middle School!
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In Ms. Puopolo's Design & Modeling class, students put their engineering stills to the test with their "Go Fish" design challenge. Students designed and built prosthetic fishtails that could be used by injured aquatic animals.
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Teachers, are your students doing amazing things in the classroom? We'd love to hear about it! Share your students discovery moments with us and maybe their work will be featured in our newsletter!
Email Faith
.
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The latest study by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine found that the growing number of jobs in the computing field far outpaces how many students earn bachelor's degrees in computer science. In the report they list several recommendations.
Read the report here.
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Dracut High School recognized in Lowell Sun
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A local paper profiled Dracut High School on their award they received at the Massachusetts PLTW Conference this past October. Dracut was one of six schools recognized for having students qualify for PLTW +AP credit for scores on end-of-course assessments.
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Tech Jobs in Massachusetts grow, but diversity and talent remain a challenge
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Two reports published by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council show that employers are drawn to the talent in Massachusetts but diversity in the hiring pool and overall size of the talent pool is still a constraint for many companies. The report recommends a heavy investment in education.
Read more here.
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Roster your PLTW students
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Thank you to all the schools that have rostered. Over 65% of schools in the network are rostered and we are hoping to get to 100%. Rostering helps to inform our programming and who to invite. If you haven’t already, please roster today!
When rostering, keep in mind:
- Beginning and end dates are important to help us plan events and simplify survey administration
- Accuracy matters—students must be rostered for correct courses and matched to the correct teacher
- Roster all your students
To roster students, log into your mypltw.org account and click on "My Sites" to find detailed instructions.
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Participate in the Project Lead The Way Survey
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As part of our statewide PLTW initiative we are conducting student and teacher surveys.
The student and teacher surveys will increase our understanding about how PLTW creates engaging learning experiences that help students develop the skills required for success in college and careers. Further, the study will help Mass STEM Hub support PLTW teachers and students across the state by tailoring the opportunities to their needs.
To participate in this exciting project, click
HERE
.
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Verizon Innovative Learning Labs
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PLTW and Verizon are offering free interactive labs that will expose students to new skills such as coding, virtual reality, robotics and 3D printing.The labs will be offered one Saturday a month at the
Boston Verizon Destination Store
(
745 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
).
Below are a list of upcoming dates and topics:
2017-2018 Labs:
January 20 – Wearables
February 24 – Music Mixing
March 24 – Coding
April 21 – Internet of Things
May 19 – 3D Printing
June 16 – Augmented Reality
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Connecting PLTW Students to Industry
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Mass STEM Hub will host several events for PLTW students throughout the state. If you would like to learn more about our events and how you can get involved, visit our website!
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Mass STEM Hub Collaborative Teaching Prize
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The first Mass STEM Hub Teacher Prize is for Interdisciplinary Student Projects based on PLTW coursework. We invite educators to develop or submit an existing lesson plan that connects a PLTW lesson to other disciplines (e.g., math, ELA, history). Lessons should reflect PLTW’s hands-on, rigorous approach.
Winning submissions will receive a prize of $500.
Submissions are due February 28th, 2018. To learn more,
click here
.
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Enjoy a Fail Forward poster for your classroom!
Feel free to download the poster below through the link or email Faith at
[email protected]
to be sent a printed version.
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Student Scholarship Opportunities
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As high school students begin to apply to college, we have complied a list of scholarships available for students looking to pursue degrees in STEM. To learn more about these scholarship opportunities,
click here
.
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Mass STEM Hub Virtual Design Challenge
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Teachers, are you looking for additional opportunities for students to develop their skills as future STEM leaders? Then connect students to the Mass STEM Hub Virtual Design Challenge! Students can submit their solutions to the design challenge and their designs will be judged by industry professionals.
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Additional Funding Opportunities
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Toshiba America Foundation Grant
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The Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) Grant provides grants directly to teachers to support STEM programming in their classrooms. Funding is available for teachers teaching grades 6-12. Applications for projects under $5,000 are due
December 1st
.
TAF also announced it will make nearly $50,000 in grants available for 13 innovative K-12 classroom STEM projects.
To learn more about this opportunity and apply,
click here
.
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Mass STEM Hub had an opportunity to learn and network at the Massachusetts STEM Summit 2017 last week! It was great to run into so many of you there.
Follow us at @mass-stemhub to see what else we've been up to.
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Do you have an idea for student or teacher events? Are you an industry professional looking to get involved? Do you have a question about PLTW implementation? Are exciting things happening in your classrooms that should be shared in our newsletter?
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Have a question for Mass STEM Hub?
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