Secondary News and Updates (04/19/24)

Dear Middle School Families,

Great news! We have completed all of our middle school state testing except a few make-ups. A huge shout-out to our testing coordinator, Julie Adamak, for all her hard work in coordinating and executing the CMAS, PSATs, and SATs for our entire school. Thank you to all of our proctors for their diligence and hard work, to all of our families for supporting our students during this stressful time, and to all our students for making it through this testing season! We have five weeks left of school, and they are packed with all sorts of fun events!

Middle School End of the Year Awards Ceremony

Our second annual Middle School End of the Year Awards Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 15, at 4 p.m. in the Secondary Gym. All students receiving an award will receive an email over the next couple of weeks. This year, we will be giving awards for the following categories:

• Academic Achievement (from Fall 2023): Honors (3.25 – 3.50), High Honors (3.50-3.75), and Highest Honors (3.75+)
• Attendance (Fall, Spring, and Full Year)
• Leadership
• Dedicated Student
• Character
• Positivity
• Art
• Drama
• Music
• PE
• Engineering
• Robotics
• Computer Science

Middle School Field Day

Our third annual Middle School Field Day will occur on Wednesday, May 22. Students will still attend a shortened schedule of their blue classes that day. After lunch, our Field Day will begin.

Important Upcoming Dates

• Thursday, April 25th – STEMFEST
• Thursday May 2nd – Saturday May 4th – The Addams Family Musical
• Thursday, May 9th – Secondary Music Concert
• Wednesday, May 15 – Middle School Awards Ceremony
• Monday, May 20 – Graduation – No School
• Wednesday, May 22 – Middle School Field Day

In partnership,

Maura Ridder, Middle School Director

Dear Stem Spartans and families,

We have had an amazing month of April so far! As you know, April is test month. Over the past few weeks, our students have completed the CMAS, PSAT, and SAT. I want to take a moment to thank all of our staff for their flexibility as we navigate through the testing process. Proctoring, teaching in different rooms, and teaching virtually can be a challenge. I would also like to give a big shout-out to Julie Adamek, our K-12 testing coordinator, for putting this all together! And speaking of testing, we are not done. For those of you who missed the PSAT or SAT on Tuesday, make-ups will be on Tuesday, 4/23. If your student missed the PSAT or SAT, they will be called out of class to take the make-up unless they are opted out. If you would like to opt them out, please email Julie Adamek at julie.adamek@stemk12.org and let her know that you would like to opt your student out of the make-up exam. AP exams are also just around the corner. AP exams start the second week of May.

Juniors and Seniors, Prom is one week away! The Student Government has been working hard to create an amazing evening for you. This year, Prom will be at Hudson Gardens, and the theme is Prom in Wonderland. You can purchase Prom tickets now for $60 and it includes your ticket to After Prom as well. Purchase them now because they will be $75 at the door. After Prom will be held at the school this year. There will be food and games, and plenty of prizes! It will be a great time, and I hope to see all of our juniors and seniors there.

Now that we are into April, the end of the year is in sight. This is a very fun time of year. Seniors are counting down to graduation, and the rest of our kids are looking forward to summer. Students are talking about Prom, club elections, robotics competitions, and the spring play. With all of this going on, it is easy to get distracted this time of year. Students, it is important to make sure you finish strong in all of your classes, and if you are struggling, please take the time to meet with your teachers to get the help that you need. Parents, I know many of you came to conferences, but if you ever have any questions about your child’s academic progress, please feel free to reach out to the teachers at any time.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. It is also the start of the deadliest time to be on American roadways. According to the CDC, in 2020, 2,800 teens lost their lives in automobile crashes, and another 227,000 students were injured. It is the leading cause of death for American teens across the country. As I expressed to the students, this one hits me pretty hard because, as a career educator, I have lost far too many students to car accidents. And we are entering the deadliest time of year as, statistically, students are much more likely to be in a car crash in the spring and summer months. Parents, please make sure you continue to talk to your kids about the risks of distracted driving.

Thanks, everyone. I hope you all have a safe and fun weekend!

Sincerely,

Ryan Alsup, Proud High School Director

Please take a moment to check the STEM All-Events Calendar on our website.

There are lots of events already scheduled so please take a moment to take a look at the calendar to familiarize yourself with some of the events at the start of school. This calendar will continue to be updated throughout the summer as we get closer to the start of school.

Saturday, April 20, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Room 230

Students taking the AP History Exam can take part in a Mock AP test to practice and prepare. Students should park in the Secondary Parking lot and enter through the Secondary Entrance.

April 22-May 15

Middle School Student Government will be holding a Toy Collection Drive to benefit the Children’s Hospital. Donations can be dropped off at the collection boxes in the Secondary Lobby.

Saturday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Room 231

Students taking the AP Statistics Exam can take part in a Mock AP test to practice and prepare. Students should park in the Secondary Parking lot and enter through the Secondary Entrance.

Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Room 134

Students taking the AP Physics Exam can take part in a Mock AP test to practice and prepare. Students should park in the Secondary Parking lot and enter through the Secondary Entrance.

Saturday, April 27, from 8-11:40 a.m. – Room 131

Students taking the AP Environmental Science Exam can take part in a Mock AP test to practice and prepare. Students should park in the Secondary Parking lot and enter through the Secondary Entrance.

Thursday, May 2, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. – Elementary Gym

The Geography Bee is a competition similar to the Spelling Bee, but instead of correctly spelling words, students must answer questions on the spot about world geography, regions, people, and events. The event looks similar to a Spelling Bee: students are on stage and a presenter will read them questions. Up to 20 students grades 4-8 may qualify for the Bee and will take a qualifying test with their Social Studies teachers in April. To study, start hitting the atlases and lists of largest countries, national capitals, or longest rivers.

This event is for Elementary and Middle School students and families.

Please park in the parking lots on the West side of the campus and enter through the Elementary School Entrance.

Contact: Evan.voorn@stemk12.org

Thursday, May 2 & Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. – Secondary Gym

Saturday, May 4, at 3 & 6 p.m. – Secondary Gym

Get ready to celebrate the eccentricities of every family with our smash-hit Broadway musical, The Addams Family! Join us as we bring the beloved characters to life.

Witness Wednesday Addams, the iconic princess of darkness, navigating the complexities of young love. When she falls for a charming young man from a conventional family, she enlists her father Gomez in keeping it a secret from her mother Morticia. For the first time, Gomez finds himself in uncharted territory – keeping a secret from his cherished wife.

Experience the uproarious twists and turns as the Addams family hosts a dinner for Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and his parents. Brace yourself for a night where everything changes for this delightfully unconventional family.

Please park on the West Side of campus and enter through the Athletics entrance. Tickets are $20 each, free for staff members.

Baccara USA, located in Englewood, Colo., is seeking a summer intern to support the applications engineer/ manager in providing technical expertise, project management, and solutions to their customers. The internship is a paid internship and will be during summer for a minimum of 75 hours. Students who successfully complete the internship can earn .5 high school elective credits. If you are interested in applying for the internship, please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org.

We’re excited to announce that sixth graders at STEM next year will be provided with a laptop from STEM, so they will not need to purchase their own laptop. More information will be shared in the coming months about the type of laptop and distribution.

The DAC is currently accepting applications for membership for 4 Parent Representatives. Please click below to apply.

Thursday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. – Red Robin Restaurant (63 Centennial Blvd. Highlands Ranch, CO 80129)

All-day restaurant fundraiser! The Boys Volleyball team will receive 20% of fundraiser sales* during this fundraiser. Participate on Apr 25, 2024 during the scheduled fundraiser time by showing the flyer below to your server at this Red Robin location, or by ordering online at redrobin.com or on the Red Robin mobile app. For online and mobile app orders you must add the fundraiser to your cart before you check out for the sales to count towards the fundraiser.

Senior Walk – May 3, 2023, at 8:15 a.m.

Seniors will be doing one “final” lap around the school wearing all of their college (or STEM spirit) gear. This is an event that all of K-12 participate in and is a wonderful memory for our seniors.

Senior Picnic – May 10, 2024, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Seniors have a half day today, so once they are done with class they can enjoy their afternoon at the picnic with friends! The senior picnic will include lunch and Coldstone for each senior.

Senior Honor Night – May 16, 2024, at 6 p.m. in the Secondary Gym

Seniors will receive invites to attend Senior Honor Night to receive their awards and cords to wear at graduation. This is an annual STEM tradition event for our seniors.

GRADUATION!!! – May 20, 2024, at 10 a.m. at Echo Park Stadium in Parker

Seniors should arrive at Echo Stadium by 9 a.m. to take part in the graduation walk-through ceremony. Families will be invited into the stadium at 9:45 a.m.

Are you interested in saving on college tuition costs? Check out the ASCENT program. ASCENT, Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment, is a high school program that allows students to participate in concurrent enrollment (college coursework) the year after 12th grade by enrolling in postsecondary courses and earning college credit at no tuition cost to them or their families. Students will still be enrolled at STEM, but will attend one of our partner institutions for their 13th year.

Seniors, if you have earned a minimum of nine college credits, and are interested in learning more, please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org. The deadline to enroll is April 30, 2024.

Concurrent enrollment registration is underway! If you plan to take a concurrent enrollment (CE) course in Fall 24, you will need to complete the STEM Concurrent Enrollment Agreement. The agreement is required to be completed each semester. In addition, if you have not taken a STEM CE course, you will need to apply to Arapahoe Community College (ACC). You can view the attached flyer for assistance with your application. The deadline to complete the STEM CE Agreement and ACC application is May 10, 2024.

If you plan to register for courses at one of our other partner institutions, please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org for the next steps.

Would you like to experience life as an engineer? Horrocks Engineers is seeking 2 to 3 high school students to join their project team for the Girls in Construction event held in September. Students will be part of the planning and execution of the project, and gain real-world experience while working alongside a team of engineers. Initial planning will start in May, with construction during summer. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org.

July 1-August 9, 2024 – New York City

GSTEM is an NYU summer research program for talented high school juniors interested in STEM. Founded and sponsored by the world-renowned Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, GSTEM offers opportunities for an incredible summer. Our mission is to support those historically underrepresented in STEM including girls and other minorities. Application is open and early deadline is March 15. Final deadline is April 15.

The Youth Activation Committee (YAC) for the Colorado Special Olympics is excited to spread the word about inclusion and any events or fundraisers for our Special Olympians. Below are two upcoming opportunities.

One opportunity is an Open House for anyone who is interested in joining the YAC. It will take place on Sunday, April 21, from 1-3 p.m. at the Celebrity Lanes off of Arapahoe Road. Click the button below for more information.

Another opportunity that YAC offers is the Polar Plunge & 5K in Aurora on Saturday, April 6. Click the button below for more information.

The Experiment Digital Leadership in STEM prepares participants to be more civically engaged and lead change. This fully funded six-week summer virtual experience teaches high school students to formulate and implement STEM projects in their local communities. The Experiment Digital is designed to connect hundreds of young people across the United States, Middle East, and North Africa (MENA) region.

Our application to the 2024 Experiment Digital program is now OPEN! To learn more about our program, click here. Spaces are starting to fill, so be sure to share the application with your students. Students and parents/guardians can apply by clicking here! Final admissions deadline: May 13, 2024

Read and share our program flyer here.

If you have any questions, feel free to reply to this email or reach out at: digital@experiment.org. We’d love to see your students at The Experiment Digital! Click here to visit the website.

Are you looking for something to do over the summer? Below are a few ideas to get you started. The following organizations are currently taking applications for their summer programs.

• NEW – Summer of Emerging Tech by The Coding School. Summer programming is currently open for middle and high school students interested in learning more about quantum computing, emerging tech, data science (HS only) and AI (HS only). Click here for more information and to register.
• The Aerospace States Association and Colorado Space Business Roundtable Aerospace Summer Internship Program is currently accepting applications for their Summer Internship program. For more information, visit their website: ASA/ CSBR Summer Internship Program
• UC Denver, GenCyber Summer Camp – Application is currently open for the free online program being held July 15-19.
• Colorado Health Careers Academy (CHCA) in conjunction with ACC and other healthcare partners are hosting a summer program for students to explore health careers. Information sessions are available through May. If you are interested in a career in healthcare, click here to learn more.
• CU Science Discovery is offering summer classes for high school students at their CU Boulder and CU Anschutz locations. Programming includes Aerospace, Biotech, Computer Science, Forensics, Neuroscience, Biomed Research, Medical Student Experience and more! Summer Scholarships are available. Learn more on the CU Discovery website.

As a reminder, you can continue earning college credit by taking a course through one of our partner institutions. Please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org with questions. Registration for Arapahoe Community College opens March 11th for Summer and Fall courses.