January Newsletter
January 18, 2018
Save the Date: June 8th MS Design Showcase @ Boston Children's Hospital
Happy New Year! 2018 is proving to be an exciting year for PLTW teachers and students in Massachusetts! This spring we will host several events for PLTW students throughout Massachusetts including the Middle School Design Showcase on Friday, June 8th, 2018 at Boston Children's Hospital!

Mass STEM Hub is partnering with Boston Children's to hold a design showcase where students who've completed PLTW's Design and Modeling course can showcase their final projects for doctors, staff, and patients at the hospital. This event will give students a unique opportunity to interact with professionals who specialize in Cerebral Palsy. Students will receive authentic and relevant feedback on their designs and prototypes, as well as ask questions of the doctors and learn more about future STEM careers.

Be on the look out for save the dates for our other events this spring! Contact Faith with any questions.
Classroom Spotlight
This month we had the great opportunity to see several PLTW teachers in action.
Students in Ms. Hicks-Rosow's class worked on their coding for their Computer Science Innovators and Makers final projects.
Students in Mr. Michael's Design and Modeling class work on their drawings of blocks students designed. For a challenge, students drew more complex block patterns designed by Mr. Michael.
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 .
MA Mentor Teacher PD Opportunties
MA PLTW Mentor Teachers are organizing PD opportunities for PLTW teachers. These PD sessions are specific to PLTW programs and classes. Visit the links below to learn more and sign up!
Students in the News
Shawsheen Valley Tech students reflect on PLTW
Students from Shawsheen Valley Tech reflect on their experiences in PLTW in a profile by a local newspaper.

To learn more about the students' reflections read here .
KIPP Students Design Toys for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Students at KIPP Lynn are profiled for their work in PLTW's Design and Modeling class and talk about their experiences completing their final project.

Read the article here .
Reminders:
Roster your PLTW students
Thank you to all the schools that have rostered. Over 66% of schools in the network are rostered and we are hoping to get to 100%. Rostering helps to inform our programming. If you haven’t already, please roster today!

When rostering, keep in mind:
  • Launch and Gateway Teachers, you can roster your students yourself!
  • 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.
Participate in the Project Lead The Way Survey
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

Read the PLTW Survey FAQs on our website to learn more.
Follow Mass STEM Hub on Twitter!
Thank you to those of you who have started following us on Twitter!! Here are some exciting things going on in Massachusetts PLTW Schools as shared on Twitter:

Share what's going on by tagging @Mass_STEMHub !
Use  #pltwma   to stay connected with all the latest PLTW news in Massachusetts.
Student Gallery
Mass STEM Hub is seeking photos of exemplar PLTW student work to showcase on our website. The Student Work Gallery will be a place where we can showcase student work from PLTW classes for other educators, as well as industry professionals.

If you have photos or videos of student work that you would like to share, please email them to fmcduffie@mass-stemhub.org with a brief description of what the photo shows. Please include: PLTW Course, Unit, Lesson, and Grade.

We look forward to seeing the wonderful work your students are doing every day!
Upcoming Opportunities:
Verizon Innovative Learning Labs
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 is a list of upcoming dates and topics:

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
Mass STEM Hub Collaborative Teaching Prize
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 .
Classroom Resources
Student Scholarship Opportunities
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 .
Mass STEM Hub Virtual Design Challenge
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.

To learn more about this opportunity, visit the Mass STEM Hub website today!
Additional Funding Opportunities
American Honda Foundation
The American Honda Foundation awards educational grants to schools with a specific focus on STEM programming. Applications for new organizations are due February 1st. Award amounts vary.

To learn more about this opportunity and apply, click here.
GE Additive Education Program
Applications for the GE Additive Education Program which awards 3-D printers to schools will go live at the end of January. Sign up here to receive information as soon as the application becomes available.

To learn more about this opportunity, click here.
Alternative Fuel Foundation
The Alternative Fuel Foundation offers grants for schools ranging from $50 to $500. Schools may apply once a year and funding can be used to help fund science equipment such as 3-D printers. Applications are reviewed on a 60 day cycle. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.
Hearst Foundation
The Hearst Foundations has funding for educational programs. Schools may apply once a year for funding and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. If you are looking for additional funding for your PLTW program, learn more about the Hearst Foundation's grant process by clicking here .
Do you have an idea for a student or teacher event? 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?

Please get in touch by emailing Faith at   fmcduffie@mass-stemhub.org .
Have a question for Mass STEM Hub?
Email us at connect@mass-stemhub.org