Secondary News and Updates (05/06/22)

Monday, May 9, from 6-6:30 p.m.

Information meeting for next year’s 8th-grade fall STEM trip to Boston, where parents and students can hear about the trip and decide whether to participate. Contact Heather Dillon, heather.dillon@https://stemk12.org, with any questions

Tuesday, May 10, from 3:30-5 p.m.

The time has finally come! Phase One of the P-TECH Building Renovations is finally complete and we are so excited to welcome out community inside. Please join us at 3:30 p.m. for the cutting of the ceremonial ribbon, followed by light refreshments, snacks and tours of the building.

Wednesday, May 11, from 3-4 p.m.

The Girls’ Persist ceremony has been a tradition since 2018 to honor past, present, and the next generation of women leaders. The ceremony marks the beginning of what is to come for these amazing young ladies and to bridge the divide of what was. This ceremony is a tribute to, “When Girls’ Persist, Women Thrive.” Go STEM! Who can attend: Middle and High School Students and families who are part of the Girl’s Persist program. Please park in the Secondary Parking Lot and enter through the secondary Entrance.

Wednesday, May 11, from 3:15-4:30 p.m. – Room 236

Wednesday, May 18, from 3:15-4:30 p.m. – Room 236

Interested Middle School Students will learn about Calculus with Dr. Snow after school in two upcoming sessions:

• Calc I on Wednesday, May 11th
• Calc II on Wednesday, May 18th

Students don’t need to have any previous experience, and they can attend either or both of the sessions. Sign up using the link below, and see Ms. DeWeese in Room 109 with your questions.

Wednesday, May 11, from 6:30-8 p.m. – Zoom

STEM PTO is comprised of parents from the STEM community who work together to help foster a strong sense of community, 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 for the purpose of enhancing the quality of each students’ education, the school as a whole, and the entire community through the development of resources and participation of parents, school staff, and the community. Meetings are open for anyone to attend.

Thursday, May 12, from 5-7:30 p.m. – High School Commons

Do you like movies? Do you maybe even enjoy making your own and wish you had a chance to show them to the world? Well, look no further, pal, because your big chance has at long last arrived. It’s time for the second annual STEM Film Festival!

After the success of last year’s event, this year the fest will be held in person, Wednesday, May 4, 5-7:30 p.m., in the High School Commons. Mark your calendars! The event will feature of course your submissions, awards, concessions (probably), prizes and maybe even the opportunity to meet Jacob McGillvray himself. Free admission and entry, too. Both Middle and High School students are invited to participate. We are currently accepting submissions in the categories of:

• MS and HS Comedy
• MS and HS Drama
• MS and HS Animation
• MS and HS Action/Thriller
• MS and HS Horror
• And, of course, everyone’s favorite, MS and HS Uncategorized. You can go wild on this one.

There will be an award for the winner of each category, as well as a gift card prize for the coveted BEST IN SHOW WINNERS. (Woah!) TSA and Video Production students, you are especially welcome to send any videos you may have produced as a submission. Please send any submissions to carlos.martinez@https://stemk12.org.

Friday, May 13, from 6-8 p.m.

STEM’s Theater Showcase will be an amazing culmination of all the things that The STEM Theater Department has been working on this year, including an improv comedy show, Individual Events in the style of the Thespian Convention, and a Mini (30-minute original re-write of the musical) Mamma Mia!

This event is for Middle and High School Students and Families. Tickets are $10. Please contact max.schwartz@https://stemk12.org with any questions. Please park in the Secondary Parking Lot and enter through the Secondary Main Entrance.

Friday, May 13, from 6-9:30 p.m.

Join us for a fun night of outdoor movie watching of Sing 2 on the field! Food trucks, bounce house, and face painters will be there to make this event a great way to get ready for summer! These vendors will be on site from 6-8 p.m. and movie showing will begin after (when the sun goes down!)

This event is for STEM Elementary and Middle School Families, students and staff. While the event itself is free, the please plan to pay for any items available by the vendors.

Please park in the Elementary School Parking Lot or the KOSON Schools/P-TECH Building Parking Lot (South of the school). Due to the Secondary Theatre showcase going on, we are asking all attendees to not park in the Secondary Parking Lot.

Contact: pto@https://stemk12.org or chelsea.bench@https://stemk12.org

Wednesday, May 18, from 6-7:30 p.m. – Southridge Rec Center

Seniors and their families are invited to attend Senior Honor Night at the Southridge Rec Center from 6-7:30 p.m. Seniors will be honored for their accomplishments prior to graduation. The event will be live streamed.

Thursday, May 19, from 10-11 a.m. – EchoPark Stadion

STEM Senior Graduation will once again be held at EchoPark Stadion on Thursday, May 19 starting at 10 a.m.

Monday, May 23, from 5-7 p.m. – High School Commons & Zoom

If you’re interested in getting involved in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at STEM, we encourage you to attend to find out more information. Email amie.mcelroy@https://stemk12.org with questions.

Tuesday, May 24, from 4:30-6 p.m. – HS Commons

The annual National Honor Society Induction Ceremony will be on Tuesday, May 24 starting at 4:30 p.m. in the High School Commons. This event is for incoming National Honor Society members. This event is open to students and families being inducted into NHS. Contact Aubrey.white@https://stemk12.org with questions. Please park in the Secondary Parking Lot and enter through the Secondary Entrance.

Tuesday, May 24, at 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The meeting will also be available to watch via Zoom as a trial. In-person participation is strongly encouraged to help build engagement. Additionally, those who would like to participate in Public Comment must do so in person.

The purpose of the SAC is to inform, encourage and provide opportunities for parent and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school’s instructional program and quality improvement processes. The SAC makes recommendations concerning the School’s performance, improvement, priority improvement, or turnaround plan, and meets to discuss the implementation of the School’s plan and other progress pertinent to STEM’s accreditation contract with the Board of Education. The SAC makes recommendations to the director for prioritizing the spending of school money.

Thursday, May 26, from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – Playfield

Middle School students will be taking part in a Field Day event on Thursday, May 26 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the Play Field. Fun activities and a Kona Ice Truck will be available to all participants.

Friday, May 27, at 11:30 a.m.

Secondary’s last day of school is Friday, May 27 and it is a half-day. Click the button below to access the Secondary Early Release schedule.

Friday, May 27, from 8:30-11 a.m. – Central Park

On Friday, May 27, High School students and 8th-grade students will be dismissed at 8 a.m. and walk with their teachers to Central Park. Fun activities, along with music and yearbook distribution will take place. There will be an 8th-grade award ceremony and a Welcome message. Students will walk back to STEM in time for dismissal at 11:30 a.m.

Do you want the community to know what’s great about our school and why their kids should attend here? Have you ever had a concern or frustration about our school but didn’t know what you could do to address it or change it? Do you know how to have a voice in what’s going on in our school? Do you know how to actually make a difference in our school? The School Accountability Committee may be the place for you!

The purpose of SAC is to inform, encourage and provide opportunities for parents and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school’s instructional program and quality improvement processes. SAC meetings give parents and community members a forum to discuss improvements and opportunities for the school.

What does that mean exactly? It means we discuss things like:

• Budget Priorities
• Staffing needs
• Technology
• Principal Evaluation Tools
• Community Concerns and Opinions
• Unified Improvement Plans (the school’s academic goals and action plans The Annual Report
• Safety Issues
• Testing
• Calendars
• Other items that may be impacting our school

The SAC makes recommendations to the Executive Director and STEM Board of Directors about the above priorities. This is how we can impact what happens in our school. We help influence the decisions that ultimately impact every student in the school, and possibly the district.

We need parent representatives that reflect our school’s amazing diversity to be a part of the SAC. That means you!

Becoming a member of the SAC means:

• attending the SAC meeting which occurs monthly. The SAC typically meets on the third Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7 p.m., and the time qualifies for volunteer hours.
• becoming informed about school programs and budgets – specialists may be invited to SAC meetings to help educate the members.
• becoming a voice for our school.

Each elected member serves a two-year term; however, your role on the committee may change from one year to the next within the elected term. We are currently assembling our SAC Committee for the next school year. The more parents involved, the better!

If you are interested in nominating yourself or another person for SAC, please contact Kelly Reyna (sac@https://stemk12.org) by Friday, May 20. We look forward to your participation in our SAC!

We are looking for high school students to volunteer as Leadership Interns (LIs) this summer in helping to lead Camp Invention, a camp for kids in grades K-6. Our LIs help lead the campers through the different modules throughout the day, building relationships with the kids, and encouraging them to innovate! LIs are needed for the week of June 6th – 10th, and students can earn volunteer hours. Please contact Sara.Phelps@https://stemk12.org if you’re interested!

We desperately need to hire to support the STEM community, any assistance is greatly appreciated.

We are looking for two Senior Program Leaders and one Program Lead to work in a busy and fun program. If you, or someone you know, is looking to develop management skills and gain experience in a growing program with a fun, experienced, and dedicated staff, this is the right move for you. Hours would be M-F 1:30-5:30/6. Part-time and full-time hours are available during school breaks. I am happy to coordinate with BASE Managers who have staff looking for more hours.  Feel free to call ( (720) 688-2928) or email (amy.dupays@dcsdk12.org) for more details or questions.

Thank you,

Amy Dupays

We are hosting three summer camps at STEM and registration is open!

• Camp Invention (K-6th) – June 6-10
• Lego Robotics Camp (4th-6th) – June 13-17
• Girls Persist Summer Program (6th) – July 18-22

Visit our Enrichment site to register or email Sara.Phelps@https://stemk12.org with questions.

We are starting the planning process for MathCounts 2022-2023! MathCounts is a national mathematics competition for 6th-8th grade students. If you are interested in participating next year, please fill out the survey linked below. It does not matter what level of math you are in, so if you love math and competing, this is the place for you! Reach out to Ms. Bates if you have any questions at jessica.bates@https://stemk12.org.

• Wednesday, May 18 (6-7:30 p.m.) at HRCA Southridge Recreation Center – Senior Honor Night
  • Event for those students receiving academic honors.
  • Seating is limited to honor students and two guests
• Thursday, May 19 (10-11 a.m.) at Echo Park Stadium – Graduation
  • No tickets are needed
  • Students arrive at 9 a.m. for rehearsal
  • Parents enter at 9:30 a.m.
  • Please park in the east parking lot.

Email Karen.Adam@https://stemk12.org with any questions.

Click the link below to find out more about some exciting internship opportunities for High School Students. Please be advised that these internships have a fee associated with them. Reach out to amelia.reinkensmeyer@https://stemk12.org with any questions.

Yearbooks are expected to arrive at STEM soon and will be distributed to your student during their lunch on May 11, 12, and 13. Your student should come to the Yearbook table located in the cafeteria on one of those dates to receive their book.

If you haven’t yet purchased a yearbook, they are sold at yearbookforever.com for $55. Contact Michelle Vitale, yearbook advisor, at michelle.vitale@https://stemk12.org with any questions.

Families can access their photos by visiting the link to the right or going to dr-photo.com, selecting the School Portrait Proofs link, and when prompted enter their private password in the following format: Student ID#

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

During May, individuals and organizations participate in a national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Each year they fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.

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