High School News and Updates (01/12/25)

High School News and Updates (Presentation)

Director's Message

A message from Mr. Alsup, High School Director

Dear STEM Spartan Students and families,

Wow, it is hard to believe that we have completed the first semester of school. This is an exciting time of year. The freshmen have completed their first high school finals, the sophomores have finally settled into their daily routines, the juniors begin looking into the future, and the seniors are anxious about graduation and all that it entails. This is a time when our students begin to look forward and plan for their futures. 

Now that January is here, it is time for the course selection process to begin. I would like to invite the students and parents in grades 8-11 to our annual Academic Planning and Course Information night. This year the event will take place on January 23rd at 6:30.  This information night is designed to provide parents of next year’s middle and high school students with an overview of the Academic Planning Guide and to help you support your students as they select their courses for next year. Students will also receive this information at school. We strongly encourage parents who are unfamiliar with STEM’s course options and selection process to attend. If you have middle school students, they will have their own dedicated time from 5:00-6:00. The sessions will be recorded and posted on our website for those unable to attend. If you have any questions, please contact info@stemk12.org.

Students, start saving your money. Our Annual Wish Week is quickly approaching! STEM will host our annual Wish Week March 1-7. Our National Honor Society students are working hard to organize a wonderful week that will include students at all levels. Please stay tuned for additional information!

Parents continue to have a strong influence on their teenagers.  STEM staff encourages parents to keep open lines of communication with their teens by maintaining family time to discuss things and share common activities, enforcing consistent rules that help adolescents learn the relationship between independence and responsibility, and showing that education is important by encouraging homework and reading, knowing the student’s teachers, and supporting post-secondary education planning. And please monitor their social media accounts, both the accounts you know they have, and the accounts they may have created without your knowledge. 

The past few years, we have seen an increase in bullying through social media. While it appears to be less of an issue this year, the issue is still there. There are anonymous Instagram pages where someone is actually accessing your social media, downloading and posting pictures of the students in an embarrassing way. There are anonymous posts where some of the students are bullied relentlessly. These posts are anonymous and can only be stopped if parents monitor social media. And it doesn’t stop with bullying. Around this time last year, we received the tragic news that a student in another nearby school took their own life. They were online and got caught up with an online predator posing as a high school student. Without going into details, the student was put into a compromising situation and didn’t see a way out. And while this was a student at a different school, we are not immune. We have had a couple of situations recently where our own students have fallen victim to similar predatory practices, and had it not been discovered, we may have experienced a similar situation. So please monitor your students’ social media. You wouldn’t let them leave the house without knowing where they are going, and I encourage you to do the same on the internet.

 

Upcoming Events

  • Monday, Jan. 13- Boys basketball vs. Two Roads Charter School. JV 5:00 and Varsity 6:30p.m.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 15 – Boys Basketball at William Smith. JV at 6, and varsity at 7:30
  • Thursday January 16th- Boys and Girls basketball vs Rocky Mountain Prep.
  • Thursday January 23 Academic Planning and Course Information Night, 6:30p.m. (Middle School 5:00)

That is all I have for now. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Ryan Alsup, High School Director

Proud to be a Spartan!

Upcoming Events

Academic Planning and Course Information Night

January 23rd 6:30 – 7:30 p.m

This information night is designed to provide parents of next year’s middle and high school students with an overview of the Academic Planning Guide and to help you support your students as they select their courses for next year. Students will also receive this information at school.

Winter Formal Pep Rally

January 22nd

STEM DEI Committee

January 16th 4-5 pm

The DEI Committee meets monthly and is open to all families, students and staff.

MLK Day - No School!

December 20th

Career Discovery Corner (Internships and Career Opportunities)

UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science - Open House

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs will be hosting their annual Open House on Thursday, January 30th from 5 pm to 7 PM. The event is your opportunity to meet faculty, current students and gain more insight on their programs. In addition there will be live demonstrations in the Aerospace and Electrical Labs. For more information, please review the attached flyer.

Explore STEM Careers - Registration Now Open

Join Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) as they explore STEM careers in multiple industries including Aerospace, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering and many more. The explorers program is held once a week from January 14th through March 11th and provides an opportunity for students to engage with sponsors from Calibre Engineering, the Forest Service, Eurofins, USACE and many more local organizations. Please review the attached flyer to learn more about the programs and to register.

BOLT Camp - Registration Now Open (Biomedical Engineering)

Are you interested in the biomedical engineering field? If so, the University of Colorado Denver, Department of Bioengineering is now accepting applications for their summer camp, BOLT (Bioengineering Opportunities and Leadership Training). BOLT is designed to introduce students to biomedical engineering design and leadership topics. The in-person camp will be held at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. For more information, please visit the CU website or review the attached flyer.

CSU SciVet Summer Program

Are you looking to learn more about science and veterinary medicine? Join CSU’s Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center this summer as they explore scientific and veterinary practices. Students will carry out investigations, using real tools, and collecting data both in the lab and field. For more information, please visit the CSU website at https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/scivet/

Attn: 10th Grade Students - Children's Hospital Healthcare Opportunity

The Medical Career Collaborative (MC2) is a health careers pathway program designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain experience and exposure to the world of healthcare and access ongoing support in pursuit of their healthcare professions. Applications are currently being accepted and must be completed by Wednesday, March 5, 2025. For more information on the program and the application process, please visit the website at https://www.childrenscolorado.org/careers/professional-development/medical-career-collaborative/

News and Updates

Update on Secondary Student IDS

Dear STEM Families,

We are dedicated to maintaining a safe environment for our students and staff. Safety is our number one priority and is a layered approach. One of the measures is to ensure that all students, staff, and visitors are identifiable on campus. Student IDs also alert office staff to who has off-campus permissions and allow students to quickly check in and out using our automated system. We ask for your continued support in ensuring your child is wearing an ID to school each day.

As time goes on, we understand that students will misplace their IDs and lanyards. We ordered another shipment of lanyards and ID holders, but our students are going through them pretty quickly.

After Fall Break, students will be charged $5 for replacements. This charge will run through their Myschoolbucks account. Please monitor the account and speak to your child about these charges if they occur.

Spartmart is looking into purchasing nicer, higher quality lanyards to sell as well and you may also purchase lanyards online.

Finally, because IDs are part of our dress code, if a student is not wearing an ID and does not have a temporary ID, they may be assigned a detention. Students have been made aware of this expectation.

Once again, we really appreciate your support. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to one of our building directors.

In partnership,

The STEM Admin Team

Tutoring during access in MS and HS commons

Our Math Society students are volunteering to assist with math homework during access periods (11-11:40 a.m.) on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Help will be available in both the Middle School and High School commons. Students who need support or want to catch up on homework should feel free to take advantage of this opportunity. Students should contact either their math teacher or access teacher to add their name to the list for help.

College and Career Newsletter

College and Career Planning Resources Graphic
Comments are closed.