View the Spanish translation of our newsletter here
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Hello! I hope this finds you enjoying the summer and staying cool as we prepare for heading back-to-school.
Here at the Hub we recently celebrated an important milestone. August 3, 2022, marked our second year as Oregon’s youngest STEM Hub…and what a year it has been! We’ve grown by leaps and bounds in nearly every area of our work this past year. As we’ve expanded our portfolio of programming to achieve our mission of elevating STEM/STEAM and CTE opportunities throughout the region to reach every student - particularly those furthest from opportunity - we’ve made great strides.
Over the next few newsletters, I’d like to highlight a few of the key players that have contributed to our success, beginning with the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub staff. I have the profound privilege and honor of working with an extraordinarily devoted and talented team of professionals who help make this important work both rewarding and fun. If you haven’t met everyone on the team, I’ll be sure to include their contact information so you know who they are and how to connect.
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Meet Chris Singer, Program Coordinator
Chris has been with MVSCH since its inception and is the lead for our innovative work in Early Learning STEAM Education, Rural STEAM Leadership, STEM Beyond Schools, Computer Science and Digital Literacy, and our upcoming Mobile Makerspace. Chris brings his passion for STE(A)M and project-based learning to make content accessible and equitable for everyone. From creative uses for a cardboard box to learning about electricity with a slice of pizza, this self-described ‘playologist’ brings learning to life.
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Thanks to all of you for your support of our work these past two years. We truly cannot do this without each and every one of you.
Sarah Whiteside
Executive Director
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We have some major changes and exciting news for the MILL (Maker and Innovator Learning Lab) at the Albany campus of Linn-Benton Community College. We have moved from IA-237 to Takena 229. While this space has fewer ready-made resources, it will be a dedicated space for the MILL. We have a lot to get done to get the space ready but we are still planning to open in late September for our soft launch of programs.
While awaiting the launch, consider joining our Discord, where we will post news updates, host discussions about what we are making, and take suggestions for ways to make sure the MILL is the equitable, inclusive, and awesome hands-on learning resource it is meant to be!
Want to participate in making the MILL? Consider a monetary or in-kind donation! We are looking for equipment in good, working condition in the following categories:
- Screen Printing
- Dust collection
- Woodworking
- CNC routing
- Laser cutting
- 3D printing
- Fiber arts (sewing, embroidery)
- Media production (audio, video)
- Electronics (soldering, fume extraction)
- Printmaking
- Framing
- Something else? Please tell us about it!
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The Power of STE(A)M-Based Play: Hot Wheels |
The Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub concluded our summer outreach programming with a Hot Wheels Camp at the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Santiam in Lebanon and Sweet Home.
During the camp, youth were able to experiment with their own track designs while learning the science behind speed, angles, slopes, collisions, kinetic and potential energy. Some of the STE(A)M skills learned in this camp include engineering and design thinking, math and science skills, critical thinking, and inquiry.
Play leads to a whole host of learning opportunities for youth. Every STE(A)M-based play activity we do is grounded in these three principles:
- Play leads to inspired creativity
- Play builds stronger classroom communities
- Play makes you happy!
It was a joy to see youth experiment with track designs and different Hot Wheels. For us, this camp served as a shining example of how play can lead to inspired creativity and vice versa!
We love seeing social and emotional learning through play. Play builds trust, it builds relationships, and can even build on and improve the community and culture of a classroom. Play provides an outlet for youth to express empathy and compassion for one another. And play provides kids an opportunity to express joy and have fun. Seeing students’ joy with their successful Hot Wheels track, or taking pride in their slow-motion video of their track was a highlight of our week spent at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Santiam!
If you’d like to learn more about our STE(A)M-based play activities, please get in touch with our Program Coordinator slash “Playologist,” Chris Singer. You can get in touch with Chris via email at singerc@linnbenton.edu.
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Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub Director, Sarah Whiteside, and Program Coordinator, Chris Singer proudly accept an Early Learning grant award from Pacific Power’s Regional Business Manager, Adam Kohler. The Hub is grateful for this support to provide STEAM programming for our region's future innovators!
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Lending Library News & Updates |
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Updating the Educator's Lending Library Webpage |
Our catalog is under construction - pardon our mess! We moved our visual catalog directly onto the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub web page; check it out here. In addition to being easier to find, we plan to incorporate inspiration for lessons and curriculum for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners for each item. We have also made some slight changes to the request form to make it easier and faster to fill out.
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Recently added to the Educator's Lending Library
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Robotic Inventions with Strawbees and the BBC Micro:bit.
Robotic Inventions is a classroom set of 10 robotics boards to make it easy to attach and program servo motors to Strawbees with the micro:bit! You can also control two RGB-pixel lights to create a full light spectrum for a show. This board comes with a removable Strawbees building clip to snap connectors and straws for making robots or mechanical structures like a crane.
Your students can write code in Microsoft MakeCode’s block-based programming platform, upload the program to the micro:bit, and remove it from the computer to run on batteries.
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Check out the Robotic Inventions kit in action in this video of students building a robotic crane! |
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Completely confused or curious to learn more? Need strategies for using these resources with your students? We can help! Reach out to our Makerspace and Lending Librarian, Forrest Johnson at johnsof@linnbenton.edu today! |
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Check out our Lending Library today!
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Classroom to Career:
Developments in Career Connected Learning
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Are you an educator looking for ways to expose students to career possibilities without having to create your own activities? The Career Journeys video series, created by the Oregon Department of Education and the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication and the Journalistic Learning Initiative, has done it for you.
Career Journeys is a library of video interviews with young career professionals explaining their path to their current profession, paired with reflection exercises and writing prompts. The introductory video explains the series. It is likely both you and your students will be inspired by these stories. Take a look and let us know what you think! Email jarkowd@linnbenton.edu
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MVSCH Media: Closing the Gap |
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Closing the Gap
Closing the Gap is back on September 12, 2022, for the podcast’s third season! Get ready; we have 22 new episodes coming out this season and you won’t want to miss a single one! We are kicking this season off with Missy Smith, Associate Athletic Director at Oregon Episcopal School, and the organizer of the Oregon Girls Sports Leadership Summit. Join us as we talk about bringing the spirit of leadership onto the court and into the classroom!
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Educators, We Need Your Help! |
Do you know about our awesome digital educational resources like our podcast, Closing the Gap, and our career-connected learning video series, A Step Ahead?
If you’re interested in resources like these, we'd like to invite you to fill out this survey. Our goal is to create resources for you, the educators in our region. Filling out this survey will help us custom-make content to best serve the educational needs of our community.
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If you are a woman in STEM, or have a career in manufacturing or a skilled trade and would like to talk about your experience, contact Kacey Montgomery at montgok@linnbenton.edu.
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Resources, Events, & Upcoming Opportunities |
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STEM/CTE Community Bulletin Board |
What's happening in your school/business/organization? Send us your news items for the Community Bulletin Board in our monthly newsletter and we'll help you spread the word! We ask that submissions be regional, non-commercial, STEM/CTE germane, and be limited to one sentence and a link. Submissions are due by the third Monday of each month. |
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The 2022-2023 Outdoor School Application is OPEN
"We thank those of you who have already submitted your 2022-2023 Outdoor School funding applications. We’ll be reviewing those and issuing Work Orders in September. As a reminder, the Outdoor School funding program has moved back to our pre-pandemic definition of outdoor school for 2022-2023 (minimum of 3 consecutive days and a maximum of 6 days, 5 nights). However, if your school has appropriate justification for an exception to this requirement, please contact us for review and approval.
Applications are due by November 15, 2022, though we encourage districts to submit their applications as soon as they are able to gather the relevant information. The district’s 2021-2022 outdoor school report must be completed before the 2022-2023 application will be available in the system. Each school district/ESD submits a single online application package that includes funding requests for all schools within the district that plan to participate in outdoor school. Please visit our Application and Reporting page for more information, and contact your Regional Coordinator with any questions."
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Outdoor School is an Oregon State University Extension Service Program |
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ABOUT US
Visit the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub
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Mailing Address:
Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub
Linn-Benton Community College
CC-212
6500 Pacific Blvd SW
Albany, OR 97321
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To keep up on the latest MVSCH news, follow us on our
social media networks:
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