|
Educators, it's almost time to soar into another Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) year! On Aug. 1, registration for the ACE program opens. ACE is CAP's K-6 grade-specific STEM program, which provides class sets of educational manipulatives, such as the foam glider for third-graders (pictured). Read on for more information.
Aug. 1 is also when registration opens for ACE Plus, a program which connects squadrons with classrooms. Aerospace Education Officers (AEOs) and Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) can find out how to participate below.
August and September bring deadlines for closing out the 2024-2025 year for the Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) program. This newsletter has information on how to make sure your unit receives credit and the award for completing the program.
An additional resource to help with AEX completion is the transformative redesign of AEX curriculum. The new resources are available online only in Absorb LMS and include a Launch Guide for leaders as well as a growing list of lessons built from the foundation of the engaging core activities from our AEX books. Absorb LMS is accessible via eServices > Online Learning. Keep reading in the Curriculum Spotlight of this issue to find out more.
Finally, read about a new partnership with CYBER.ORG to assist with resources for cybersecurity education. Read all the details about how to get access to tools such as ready-to-use lesson plans, slide decks, activities, labs, and answer keys that can be used as is or easily customized to your audience and teaching style.
As always, if you have any information you'd like to see highlighted in upcoming newsletters, contact us at ae@capnhq.gov.
| | THIS MONTH: Program updates - News and Events - AE Safety Check - Curriculum - Important things to know | | |
PROGRAM UPDATES
2025-2026 ACE registration opens Aug. 1
| | |
Cappy has an announcement
To help start off the year.
So listen really closely,
I'm sure you'll want to hear.
ACE opens August 1
So make sure to log in then.
Schedule a time to register,
ACE is about to begin!
Click HERE to register for Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE), CAP's grade-specific K-6 STEM program. If you have questions, email ace@capnhq.gov. Find out more about the program by clicking the box below. Last year, more than 117,000 students participated in the program. Read about the outstanding teachers, schools, and classrooms that were recognized as 2024-2025 ACE program award winners by clicking below.
| | ACE Plus 2025-2026 registration opens Aug. 1 | | |
Teachers in grades 5-8 who register for the ACE program can have their classroom adopted by a local CAP squadron with adults and cadets coming into the classroom to teach ACE and other aerospace/STEM lessons! Registration opens Aug. 1. On the newly designed Registration Form, classroom teachers that enter student numbers for 5th and/or 6th grades simply select the YES button to be adopted by a local squadron. NHQ staff will send teachers that selected YES a Request to Collaborate Form.
Interested teachers can complete the top of the Request to Collaborate Form and send to their state’s volunteer Director of Aerospace Education (DAE) as found on the list HERE. The state’s DAE will connect the teacher to a squadron, which will complete the bottom portion of the form and submit to adopt@capnhq.gov for processing.
To find out about this amazing collaborative program, click HERE. Please feel free to email adopt@capnhq.gov with any questions.
| | AEX 2024-2025 Program deadlines are approaching | | |
AEX Award completion deadlines for the 2024-2025 cycle are approaching for squadrons:
Aerospace Education Excellence completion counts toward earning the Quality Cadet Unit Award (QCUA) as well as the Squadron AE Achievement Award.
For credit for the QCUA, the AEX Completion Report should be submitted by Aug. 31. The deadline for the Squadron AE Achievement Award is Sept. 30. AEX program activities should take place from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 each year. Activities and resources are available in Absorb LMS and in AE Downloads and Resources - both accessible in eServices. Or you may use your own activities or lessons from a like-minded STEM education organization. Work conducted while participating in the CAP/NASA Aviation Weather Mission, the High-Altitude Balloon Challenge, and STEM Kit lessons also make great activities to apply toward AEX completion.
To learn more about the AEX Program and the instructions for completing the program, click the link below. If you have any questions about AEX or filling out the completion report, please contact aex@capnhq.gov.
(Pictured: Pines-Miramar Composite Squadron from Florida Wing works with the Sphero STEM Kit during AEX activity completion.)
| | |
New partnership with CYBER.ORG enhances
cybersecurity education for cadets, members
| | |
Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education is thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with CYBER.ORG, an initiative of the Cyber Innovation Center. This collaboration is set to significantly enhance our ability to provide high-quality cybersecurity education across Civil Air Patrol, cultivating the next generation of cyber-ready leaders and professionals.
CYBER.ORG is dedicated to strengthening K-12 cybersecurity education and developing a future workforce equipped to meet our nation's critical cybersecurity demands. Through grant funding from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), CYBER.ORG provides a wealth of valuable, no-cost resources specifically for K-12 educators within the United States. Thanks to the special MOU between CYBER.ORG and CAP, this now includes our dedicated Aerospace Education Officers (AEOs), and any other senior member interested in instructing K-12th graders, to include our Aerospace Education Members (AEMs)..
Since 2019, Maj. Sylvie Kacmarcik (pictured) has spearheaded the Washington Wing Cyber Education Training (CET) program, which has successfully integrated CYBER.ORG resources alongside Air & Space Forces Association CyberPatriot/CyberCamp and Cisco Networking Academy courses. Their ready-to-use lesson plans, slide decks, activities, labs, and answer keys can be used as is or easily customized to your audience and teaching style.
Find out more information, including how to access the resources, by reading the full story at the link below.
(Also pictured: Cadets participate in Washington Wing's Green Darner Cyber Education Academy.)
| | (Welcome to AE Safety Check! These safety nuggets are things to think about as you lead or participate in an Aerospace Education activity. The writer of this monthly feature is Lt. Col. Karen Cooper, National AE Manager, who works in safety and risk management on the AE National Headquarters Staff and is also the Northeast Region DCS/Aerospace Education.) | | |
SAFETY TIPS FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
As more and more of our aerospace activities move outdoors, and in addition to the safety precautions you are taking that are specific to your activity, please keep these things in mind:
- Take plenty of water.
- Wear sunscreen and sunglasses.
- Take breaks in the shade, if possible.
- Take a fully charged mobile phone, in case you need to call for help.
- Wear loose, lightweight clothing and sturdy shoes with traction.
- Follow all posted safety rules.
- Bring a first-aid kit, a multi-purpose tool, and a whistle.
| | If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov. | | |
CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT
New AEX curriculum materials now available online
| |
If you missed the news or are new to CAP within the last few months, be sure to explore exciting updates to the Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) program materials, conveniently located in Absorb.
You'll find a thoughtfully revised and expanded selection of lessons -- such as On Target (pictured) -- all designed to spark curiosity and empower learners. These updated resources build upon the engaging core activities from our AEX books, offering even greater opportunities for active STEM learning, creative exploration, problem-solving, and engineering design. Absorb is accessible via eServices > Online Learning. Navigating Absorb to find lessons is simple – try searching with tags such as “30 minutes,” “leadership development,” “data analysis development,” “grades 5-8," or “aviation”! If you're new to Absorb, the resource linked here will guide you through accessing the lesson catalog, understanding AE searchable tags, and utilizing the new interactive presentations that enhance the lessons.
And if you're just starting with the AEX program itself, be sure to check out the AEX Launch Guide, a resource created to help Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) and Aerospace Education Officers (AEOs) understand the program's framework and build strong aerospace foundations for students and cadets. In the On Target lesson, cadets and students can expect to demonstrate fundamental flight principles by constructing and testing paper aircraft. Learners will also apply mathematical concepts to analyze flight data, converting fractions to decimals and calculating percentages to determine the success rate of their designs. The lesson is available in Absorb. (Note: The new lessons are available online only and not in printed copies.)
| | 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. | | New AEOs can find tips on how to get started | | Are you a newly appointed Aerospace Education Officer? Congratulations! Check out this list of tips on how to get started and how to find help. Click the button to learn more. | |
You can update your eServices profile information. Here's how: | | Sign into eServices and click on your name in the top right-hand corner. Update your email address, mailing address, contact numbers, etc. This ensures you receive timely and pertinent information from CAP. If you are a teacher, ensure your primary email address is your home and your secondary email address is your school so that your annual renewal email and any other important information will not end up as spam in your school email account. | |
AEMs: Is it time to renew your membership? | | 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 the membership expiration date. (You can’t renew earlier than 90 days.) Find additional information at the link below. | |
AEOs: Reach out to AEMs whose memberships expire soon | | |
AEOs, 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.
| | | | |
