THIS MONTH: Program updates - AE Safety Check - Curriculum - Important things to know

CAP squadrons across the nation desire to “adopt” ACE classrooms to extend STEM concept instruction, provide aviation career options and introduce the CAP cadet program to ACE students in grades 5-8. The ACE program is designed for grades K-6, but many middle schools use the 6th-grade ACE curriculum for grades 6-8. Thus, these are the perfect grade levels for CAP squadrons to “adopt” and support through the school year. 

The program can be delivered in person or virtually, as is pertinent for each squadron/teacher collaborative team. The ACE Plus program is easy to do -- having the squadron adults and cadets teach a minimum of three lessons. All lessons and hands-on materials are provided to the squadron and teacher at no cost. If the squadron leaders and teachers desire to do more, the sky is the limit with additional opportunities for the students! Squadrons can do as much as the teacher desires beyond the three ACE Plus lessons! Extra demonstrations or field trips can truly make the collaborative adoption program exciting for the students. 

Interested teachers should contact their state’s Director of AE (list found HERE) and request to be “adopted” and submit the teacher section of the Request to Collaborate form, below. Find out more at the ACE Plus link below. Click the link for the ACE Plus guide, below, and click on the chapter for which you need information. 

Each educator member of CAP can take a Teacher Orientation Program (TOP) flight each year! It is easy to connect with each state’s Director of AE (list found HERE) to request a CAP flight over the teacher’s school and community. 

Teachers are using the beautiful fall weather to schedule their flights to delight their students, who can view this flight via a school fly-over, a live-stream event or a video of the experience after the flight. Teachers can connect STEM concepts they are teaching with the applications of aeronautic principles of flight and aviation technology experienced during the pre-flight orientation and the in-flight opportunity for the teacher to actually fly the plane! To expand the program, pilots can then be invited to discuss aviation STEM and career opportunities with the students in person or via a virtual meeting. Plan to schedule a flight with a coworker or principal NOW and take YOUR teaching experiences “out of the classroom and into the sky!”

As found on the Air &Space Forces Association’s Outstanding Cadet Awards page, each year, every CAP cadet and composite squadron can request an awards packet to present to one outstanding cadet. The AFA is proud to support these accomplished cadets with an award package containing a medal and ribbon. 

Annual request dates are Dec. 1-Jan. 15, but AEOs can work with their commanders now to begin requesting the 2022 award. Send all request forms to afa@capnhq.gov as CAP NHQ/AE accepts the requests and sends the award packages. (NOTE: Cadets do not have to be selected now, but the award package requests should be submitted now so that when the squadron makes the cadet selection, the package will be ready for the award presentation.)

While still awaiting CAPR 39-3 (page 24) information update, please see correct information at both the Cadet Programs Individual Cadet Awards page and the Aerospace Education page for AFA Squadron Awards.

As the AFA is the sponsor of this award, please follow guidance at the information link below for AFA awards to connect with and invite the closest AFA chapter to send a member to make the presentation. Presentations can be done in person or virtually. CAP provides an annual report to the AFA; so please take a photo of the presentation and return with the after-action report due to afa@capnhq.gov. Use the links below to begin your request.  

Any K-12 classroom teacher can apply for the competitive $500 grants provided by the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) to fund a STEM project or program, such as this teacher’s trip to the Kennedy Space Center. It is easy to complete the online application, which needs to be submitted by Dec. 15. Good luck, classroom teachers!

FEATURED STEM KIT - ROBOTICS WORKSHOP: Getting started with the Robotics Workshop STEM Kit will intrigue and engage cadets, students and adults in an exciting manner with endless possibilities for extension. Build and program robots with this complete robotics engineering system. Using sensors, motors, a core controller, and hundreds of snap-together building pieces, you can follow the instructions to assemble 12 different robots. The versatile parts also allow you to make robots according to your own designs over and over again. This fun robotics curriculum starts out with instructions for building simple robots, teaching you how the sensors can be used to control the robots. Build an ultrasound robot that can avoid obstacles, a line tracker robot, a touch sensor robot, and a doodling robot. Move on to more complex robots that have multiple functions, such as a ball-manipulating robot, a crawling robot, and a grabbing robot. Finally build some functional, helpful robotics including an automated door-opening robot and a protected robotic safe to store your valuables. After you have mastered all the robotic models in the instructions, you will have the tools and knowledge you need to go on and build and program your own amazing robotic creations. The robots can be controlled directly in real-time and programmed to perform series of commands using an easy-to-use, free downloadable app on tablets and smartphones. The app wirelessly connects to the core controller using a Bluetooth low-energy connection. You can create more complex programs using the open-source visual block programming editor "CB1 Blockly" on a PC with a USB connection to the core controller. A 96-page, full-color manual features step-by-step illustrated building instructions and instructions for how to program and operate the models.This kit is recommended for ages 10 and older.

Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program

AEX Award registration for squadrons and AEMs: Has your squadron submitted their 2021-22 AEX program activities? If not, you still have time to complete the AEX Award Report. Activities must have taken place from Oct. 1, 2021 - Sept. 30, 2022.

Make sure your squadron or classroom applies for the 2022-2023 AEX Award program in eServices. AEX program activities should take place from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 each year.  Activities and resources are available in eServices, AE Downloads and Resources, and on the AE website, Lessons and Activity Videos and Aerospace/STEM Resources.  

To learn more about the AEX Program, click the link below.

All CAP AE Programs Participants: We need your photos

AEOS and AEMs:  You are promoting aerospace/STEM education daily to thousands of youth all over the nation. We have a favor to ask. To help us promote the great work you do in CAP AE and the impact that work has, please take and send us photos and videos of your lessons, activities and field trips. Often, we can use photos from cell phones, sent at their largest, actual size. Other times we need larger files (photos larger than 300 dpi). 

Photos and videos should:

• Feature only youth with permissions to be photographed for publication
• Reflect the diversity in your classrooms and squadrons
• Be clear of clutter such as snack packages or soft drink bottles

If you have photos and/or videos of any programs or lessons, please email them to ae@capnhq.gov. If there are multiple pictures or large files, you may provide access via a link to downloadable media. In your email, please include information such as the state/wing and school/squadron and a main contact for additional information. Thank you in advance for helping

If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov.

Earlier this month, NASA launched Artemis 1, the first flight of the Artemis program moon mission. Like the NASA missions before it, Artemis has a mission patch as well (pictured above). With interest high on the topic of space missions, now is a great time to check out My Mission, My Patch. In this lesson, students will understand the purpose of space exploration mission patches. They will analyze mission patches to identify U.S. mission events and learn space history. Then they will get to design their own patch that represents their mission in life -- their dreams and goals. My Mission, My Patch is Academic Lesson #7 in the Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Grade 4 Teacher's Guide. Or find that lesson plan here. ACE is CAP's K-6 STEM program, and registration continues for the 2022-2023 school year. Find more information on the ACE Program here.

Each month, this space features important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are four things you need to know as an AEM or AEO.

AEOs and AEMs, there are no restrictions on the number of STEM Kits you can apply for within a fiscal or school year. Once you have received your STEM Kit, used it for a minimum of six hours and turned in a STEM Kit evaluation, you are eligible to apply for your next kit for your cadets or students. For full information on the program process, click the link below. Have questions? Email stem@capnhq.gov.

All Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) are offered an annual FREE “in-kind renewal." The online renewal email is sent 60 days prior to the membership expiration date. A renewal banner appears at the top of the eServices sign-in page 90 days prior to expiring. (You can’t renew earlier than 90 days.) Find additional information at the link below.

AEOs, this is the perfect time to reach out to your AEMs whose memberships expire within 60 days or whose memberships have expired. For more guidance, see Recruiting and Retention of AEMs on the AEO Resources page link below.

Please note: CAP has several categories of membership, but each member can only be assigned one category of membership. Any adult uniformed member, who is an educator, may access all the resources available to an AEM. 

Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education

Contact: Aerospace Education

https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/ae