High School News and Updates (10/04/24)

Dear STEM students and families,

A lot has happened at STEM since my last newsletter, but perhaps the biggest item was Homecoming Week. Homecoming was a huge success. The festivities started the prior week with our homecoming assembly. The students did a great job. I would like to thank all of our staff who volunteered to help our students make this an amazing week. Whether it was coaching a powderpuff team or the cheerleading team, participating in the assembly, or chaperoning the dance, we really appreciate all that you do to make this happen. One of the truly amazing things about STEM is that all of our staff participate to make this an amazing week for our students. It is fun to have our elementary, middle, and high school teachers chaperoning the various events. I would also like to thank Samson Barios, our Dean, for DJing the dance for the students. I would like to extend a special thank you to Daniel Kerwin for all that he does to support our students. This is his first year supporting Student Government and he is doing an excellent job. Finally, I would like to thank our student government students for organizing the events and putting in countless hours to make it all happen.

Earlier this week, we conducted our second lockdown drill of the year. I know these can be very difficult for many, but these drills are extremely important when it comes to the safety of our students and staff. If you have any questions about the drills, I would encourage you to go to the I Love You Guys Foundation website. Here, you will find important information about the Standard Response protocols and information you may find useful if you want to discuss this with your students at home.

Testing

October is the official start of the testing season. On Tuesday, Oct. 9th, our 8th grade students will take the PSAT 8. We are also giving the SAT to the seniors who signed up to take it. This is a regular school day for everyone else, so please make sure you attend! There is no fee for the PSAT 8, but any senior taking the SAT must pay for the test prior to the test date.

Change of Date: On Saturday, Oct. 26, we are offering the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) to any 11th grader who is interested in taking it. If you are interested in taking this test, please complete this short survey. The National Merit Scholarship program is a competitive scholarship program that recognizes some of the best and brightest students from across the country. Students enter the competition by taking the NMSQT in October of their junior year. Breakfast will be provided! These tests are digital, so we must provide a device for you to use. With that in mind, we can only provide tests for those who complete that survey. Please have it completed by Monday, Oct. 14. Once again, this is the only opportunity our students will have to enter the National Merit Scholarship program!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

We will host our annual conferences on Thursday, Oct. 10, from 3:30-7 p.m. and on Friday, Oct. 11, from 1:20-3:30. If your child struggles in a class, you may receive an email from those teachers who feel it is essential to attend.

With each update, I sign off that I am Proud to be a STEM Spartan. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a fantastic school. Every day, our students amaze me and make me proud to be part of their lives as they grow into adulthood. This week, I had the opportunity to watch our DECA students shine as they hosted their first DECA invitational. I’ve also watched our Best Robotics teams burst with excitement as this year’s playfield and challenges were unveiled for our region, right here in our own gym. I have enjoyed watching our student-athletes demonstrate commitment and teamwork as they compete against opposing teams. And finally, I have had the pleasure of working with amazing student leaders as they planned such an amazing Homecoming week. We have amazing students, and it is an honor to be able to work with them each and every single day.

That is all I have for now. I hope you have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Ryan Alsup, High School Director

Proud to be a STEM Spartan!

Monday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. – Secondary Gym

Students who would like to have their pictures retaken can do so on this date. DR Photo will send a link to families to order photos.

Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 5:30-7 p.m. – Zoom

This is a special meeting. There will be no public comment. The community is invited to observe

Wednesday, Oct. 9, from 6:30-8 p.m. – Zoom

Join the STEM PTO for their monthly meeting.  STEM PTO is comprised of parents from the STEM community who work together to help foster a strong sense of community and provide enhancement activities for students, faculty, staff, and families while also helping to increase educational, social and emotional experiences for the members of their families.

STEM PTO is organized to enhance the quality of each student’s education, the school as a whole, and the entire community through the development of resources and the participation of parents, school staff, and the community. Meetings are open for anyone to attend.

Friday, Oct. 11

Kindergarten and first grade will dismiss at 11:50 a.m. Grades 2-5 will dismiss at 12 p.m. and grades 6-13 will dismiss at 12:20 p.m.

Dismissal on the West side (Elementary) will use PikMyKid and follow the normal dismissal process with using placards and coming at your designated time.

Dismissal on the East side (Secondary) will follow normal dismissal process with using Pink Placards at 12:20 p.m. and Blue Placards at 12:30 p.m.

Students will receive a sack lunch to take before dismissal.

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

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.

Calling all parents and friends of STEM! Would you like to share about your career path, educational experiences and profession with our students? If so, we invite you to participate in our upcoming Career Discovery event.

On October 24th, we are hosting our annual Career Discovery Day event for middle and high school students. Our industry professionals will bring insight and inspiration to student learning and career exploration, allowing students to engage in career-focused conversations.

If you are interested in participating and supporting our student learning, please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org.

Hello, STEM community! Yearbooks will be available for purchase soon at yearbookforever.com. We have some important action items to make the yearbook as great as can be:

• SENIORS: Senior portraits and senior quotes should be emailed to yearbook@stemk12.org on or before October 31.
• PARENTS OF SENIORS: Baby ads are also due by October 31. They can also be purchased at yearbookforever.com as you purchase your senior’s yearbook.
• PREFERRED NAMES: If your student would like their name printed as any name other than what is listed in Infinite Campus, please email parent permission to yearbook@stemk12.org or michelle.wesley@stemk12.org.

The National Security Agency (NSA) is looking for high school juniors who possess outstanding academic credentials in business, computer technology, engineering, graphic arts, manufacturing, construction, Chinese language, Russian language, or humanities.

The program is designed for students who plan to participate in a paid part-time internship from September through August for a minimum of four hours a day, Monday through Friday during senior year. For more information, please see the attached flier.

Are you interested in a healthcare career? If so, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is now accepting applications for their CU Pre-Health Scholars Program (CUPS). The program serves grades 6th through 12th and exposes scholars to high-impact events, research, STEAM, and Healthcare careers. At the same time, preparing our scholars to be competitive applicants for post-secondary education and matriculation into professional health careers or graduate school programs. The application is open until December 1, 2024. You can find more information about the program on their website.

Merrick & Company is seeking a high school student interested in Engineering or Drafting & Design for a paid apprenticeship program for Fall 2024 in the Greenwood Village, CO headquarters. The apprentice will support client projects such as those involving aerospace missions, national defense, research laboratories, land development, water systems, sustainable energy, bio-manufacturing, and industrial manufacturing, as well as being exposed to training and development opportunities!  The apprenticeship program has a commitment of approximately 18 months to 2 years.

Are you looking for a summer internship? Merrick & Company is accepting applications from now to November 2024 for a paid Mechanical Equipment Designer Intern. The Merrick Intern Program will provide an opportunity to gain technical experience in the field of mechanical equipment design. The intern will be exposed to a variety of mechanical design items, potentially including detailed machine design, 3D modeling in CREO (Pro/Engineer), and creation of drawings in CREO (Pro/Engineer). For more information and how to apply, please visit Merrick’s application page.