Weekly news & updates
Friday, May 15, 2020 | Newsletter Archive | View as Webpage
STEM Parent Academic Survey and School Operations Survey
As we continue to focus on further improving our school, we look to the STEM families for feedback. We are asking for feedback related to the teaching staff, curriculum, school culture, parent engagement, and have added a specific area related to our recently implemented remote learning. 

Please take a couple of minutes to complete the  STEM Parent Academic Survey (please complete one per student) and the School Operations Survey (please complete one per family) regarding the 2019-20 school year. 

We greatly value your feedback. As an organization we are committed to ongoing improvement in all facets of our school to better serve our students. Please complete the surveys prior to May 15th. 

Thank you,

School Accountability Committee (SAC) & STEM School Administration
STEM PTO Newsletter
Check out the latest edition of the STEM PTO Newsletter to get the latest on news and events from our parents.

Interested in Joining the School Accountability Committee (SAC)?
SAC is is looking for interested families to join for the 2020-21 school year. Click here to view the SAC Interest Flier .

iReady Assessments Information
Students have been completing the iReady Diagnostic assessment within language arts and math classes during this week and through May 15th. The information gathered from this assessment will assist staff in identifying gaps in learning and areas of acceleration as we plan for the upcoming school year. Since this assessment is administered at home, please support your student in completing the assessment on their own to the best of their ability in order to allow for an accurate picture of student needs. Please do not spend an enormous amount of time on this task, an hour is the average. If you would like a copy of your student's results, please complete the following FORM and it will be emailed to you. 
Hello STEM Students and Families,

As we bring this year to a close, STEM is hard at work planning for the upcoming year! We want to keep you updated and informed so you're prepared for the fall and hope you can share in our excitement.

As the K-8 Dean of Students it is my job to connect, engage with, and advocate for the needs of our students. One way I'm doing that is through Restorative Practices, a relationship-based approach to discipline that works WITH people instead of doing things TO them or FOR them. It is an approach that advocates for personal accountability, taking action, and involves multiple perspectives and stakeholders in the process. We're continually improving our practices here at STEM to better serve our community and this is one significant way we want to engage with our students and families to best support their growth. Here's a quick infographic to give you some basic information about Restorative Practices and hope that it inspires you to do some of your own research. I'll be sending out more tidbits of information throughout the summer, but please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Congrats to all our students on another year of growth, success, and resilience. Always, #stemstrong.

Sincerely,
 Meghan Tokunaga
 K-8 Dean of Students 
THANK YOU PARENTS!
Completed Volunteer Hours 2019-20
Thank you to all these volunteers that completed their volunteer commitment before our COVID-19 break from school. We really appreciate all your hard work and dedication!
Abano, Myla
Albertoni, Maria
Alleman, Ronalea
Allen, James
Arnold, Janet
Baird, Nikki
Banko, Elizabeth
Beck, Olena
Bello Smith, Martha
Bikki, Jyoti
Boen, Elizabeth
Boraks, Julie
Butler, Kathy
Caldwell, Jenny
Campbell, Adelita
Campen, Maria
Carter, Lindsay
Cayton, Victoria
Chow, Wai
Conway, Susan
Copic, Ivanka
Crowley, Tiffany
Davison, Jeanne
Dickerson, Courtney
Elliott, Heidi
Farmer, Kelly
Fast, Lisa
Finley, Katherine
Galvan, Sylvia
Gonzales, Jacie - Tiemann, Brandon
Goodwin Riley, Gina
Gottapu, Hymavatny
Graber, Laura
Greichen, Theresa and Jack
Gurule, Rebeccah
Gustafson, Carla
Haas, Penny
Homesley, Dale
Hong, Haqqi
Huebschmann, Amy and Matt
Hulshof, Cecile
Huskins, Judith
Irish, Terri
Jacobs, Christine
Johnson, Ruth
Jordan, Cari
Kalra, Ishmeet
Kerr, Stephanie
Kim, Hyounmi
Kim, Jane
Kindrick, Devon
Kingman, Brett
Knox, Beatrice
Kovack, Kent
Kummarakunta, Shalem
Lander, Kimberly and Chris
Lee-Toy, Karen
Lewis, Leta
Liedtke, Emily - Liedtke, Michael
Liyanage, Gayani
Lu, Zhiping (Amy)
Luniova, Kate
Malik, Sarika/Vipin
Mauch, Laurel and Kevin
Mauger, Laura and Andrew
McGuire, Kathi
Mclain, robert
Min, So Young
Mitchell, Lisa
Montgomery, Susan
Mukkamala, Ramesh
Neguse, Sarah
Nicoara, Eugen
Reilly, Shanna
Olson, victoria
Osborne, Susannah and Jason
Pan, Bo
Parol, Beata
Patil, Deepti
Patil, Sheetal
Paulson, Kelley
Pederson , Mindy
Peng, Samantha
Pheteplace, Elizabeth
Poirier, Catherine
Prince, Julie
Ragampudi, Phani Krishna Prasad
Ray, Katie
Reyna, Kelly
Rosca, Adrian
Sapp, Suzanne
Saron, Gagan
Savolainen, Suzanne
Schaefer, Dana /Rudy Lukez
Schell, Shelly
Shure, Chris
Smith, Brett
Soto, Samira
Staab, Charles
Switzer, Tomo
Tavva, Sindhu
Thapa, Machhendra
Tombre, Michelle
Tong, Meredith
Traynor, Barbara
Vargish, Tara
Vaughan, Lori
VegaRyan, Chery
Venable, Julie
Wallace, Joshua
Weckerle, Annegret
Westbarn, Dave
Wheeler, Tammy
Winans, Amy
Winfrey, Dave and Sarah
Wolak, Kimberly
Wolter, John
Young, Erin
Zawisza, Edyta
Zerr, Kathryn
Zukosky, Kerri
SCHOOL UPDATES
Elementary Updates
Click here to read more about important Elementary Updates as we head into another week of Virtual/Online Learning.

Helpful Elementary Links
Secondary Updates
Click here to read more about important Secondary Updates as we head into another week of Virtual/Online Learning.

Helpful Secondary Links
WE'VE GOT 2020 VISION - OUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT
ADDITIONAL UPDATES
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Mental Health Supports Page
If you haven't checked it out, our Mental Health Supports page, has a number of helpful resources for students and parents.
DCSD Mental Health Support Page
Douglas County School District has a Mental Health Resources page with a variety of resources for students and families. Please take a moment to review all that they have listed.
Manage Your Fears (And Your Kid's Fears) as the Pandemic Evolves
Wednesday, May 13 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Featuring Dr. Jacob Beniflah from Sky Ridge Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Licensed Counselor Whitney Kearney from Sky Ridge Behavioral Health Center
Call-in/joining information will be provided before the event.
STEM Center for Strength
The STEM Center for Strength is taking shape. Click the logo to the left to visit their website to get helpful resources as we continue our journey through recovery. You can also visit the STEM Center for Strength Facebook Page,
A new support group for students in grade 4-7 on Thursdays from 4-5:30 p.m. Click here to to join the Zoom session.
SHARING OUR GOOD NEWS
Stay-at-Home Student Photography Contest
Congrats to two of our students who received first-place in the middle and high school photography contest. Click here to watch a video.

Eighth Grade Quarantine Poetry
Click here to read some poems submitted by some of Ms Dillon's eighth-grade students.

STEM Students Staying Active
Click here to watch a YouTube video of some of our PE students doing the Git Up dance with Ms Lipe.
STEM Stories from Quarantine
STEM Stories from Quarantine is organized and produced by Mrs Maura Ridder and features stories from our students and staff. Click the logo to the right to watch the latest episodes.

STEM Quarantine Lookbook
Click here to see a presentation of tips, ideas, inspiration, and resources for summer activities, volunteer work, reading, and educational resources. 
THE FOUNDATION FOR DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOLS
The Foundation for Douglas County Schools is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which works with corporations and organizations to develop private resources to enrich education within Douglas County schools for the fulfillment of lifelong learning experiences of our students, citizens and community. Visit the website.