Secondary News and Updates (08/16/24)

Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 5:30-7 p.m. – Mechatronics Lab in P-TECH/KOSON Building & Zoom

The KOSON/STEM Board of Directors will be holding its Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 5:30-7 p.m. in person and via Zoom.  The BOD is comprised of parents and community members who volunteer their time. The Board’s role and purpose is to provide oversight of the KOSON Schools Chief Innovation Officer, who implements the policies set forth by the Board. The Board also provides support and direction for STEM’s long-term vision and mission. Additionally, the Board is active in making sure that KOSON Schools remains in compliance with all DCSD, state and federal compliance requirements, as well as STEM School Highlands Ranch’s Charter Contract.

Meetings are open to anyone to attend. Anyone who would like to address the Board Members must sign-up in advance by completing the Public Comment Form no later than 12 p.m. the day of each Board meeting. If written testimony or a handout is submitted, presenters are asked to supply one (1) copy via email to communications@stemk12.org.

Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 5:30-7:30 p.m. – KOSON/P-TECH Building (Mechatronics Lab)/Zoom

The meeting will also be available to watch via Zoom. 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 parents 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 to prioritize the spending of school money.

Thursday, Aug. 22, from 4-5 p.m. – Room 105 (Secondary)

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming DEI Committee kickoff meeting! This is a wonderful opportunity for parents, family members, and students to come together and share their ideas and aspirations for our school. STEM is dedicated to fostering an atmosphere where all voices are heard. We want to emphasize that this meeting (and all meetings for that matter) is unbiased and non-political–your perspectives and experiences are invaluable and we’d love your support and thoughts. This year we have exciting plans, including:

• Creating a Secondary Multicultural Holiday Celebration
• Establishing more social events
• Encouraging Situational Conversations
• …and we’d love to hear YOUR ideas for making STEM the leading example for Douglas County

While STEM has such a diverse and unique community, we know that achieving our goals requires more than just a small core group of participants. We invite you to challenge yourself to attend just one meeting and witness the impact your involvement can have. Regardless of whether you can attend our upcoming meetings, please take a moment to answer these short 5 questions to help us prepare for this meeting.

We look forward to seeing you at our first 2024-2025 DEI Committee meeting and hearing your thoughts!

The CU Pre-Health Scholars Program (CUPS) is currently accepting applications for their middle school and high school programs. Applications will be accepted from August 1st through December 1st, 2024. The program exposes students to high-impact healthcare events, research, STEAM, and healthcare careers. Programming is held at Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. For more information, visit the CUPS website.

Applications are now open for the fall session of Civic Academy, which begins Tuesday, September 10. This free, seven-week course of study is hosted by the Denver Regional Council of Governments and invites Front Range residents to learn more about regional issues, such as transportation, economic vitality, affordable housing, planning and development. Sessions range from interactive workshops to field trips. New this year will be simultaneous Spanish interpretation of each week’s classes.

Applications close Friday, Aug. 23. Click the button below to apply. Civic Academy (formerly Citizens’ Academy) began in 2007 as a program of nonprofit corporation Transit Alliance. Since 2018, DRCOG has organized and hosted the Civic Academy.

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.

Did you know you can start earning college credit while in high school? STEM currently partners with Arapahoe Community College (ACC) to bring CE (concurrent enrollment) courses to our STEM classrooms. Students can begin taking courses in engineering, technology, computer science, English, math, and science at the STEM campus. ACC also offers courses onsite to support students in their long-term academic goals.

In addition, STEM partners with other Colorado colleges, including Metropolitan State University, Denver (MSU), and Colorado State University (CSU), to bring additional options for our students. Below are the courses for the Fall Semester.

CSU

• GEOL 110, Introduction to Geology – Parks & Monuments (GT-SC2)
• SOC 100, General Sociology (GT-SS3).

MSU

• AAS 1010, Introduction to Africana Studies (GT-SS3)
• ANT 1010, Introduction to Biological Anthropology (GT-SC1)
• SWK 1050, How to Change the World (GT-SS3)
• ASL 1010, American Sign Language I

Deadlines to register are quickly approaching. If you are interested in learning more or registering for classes, please reach out to Nicole Ryan at nicole.ryan@stemk12.org.

Last chance information meeting for the Belize trip! Learn about the trip details, costs, experiences, how to earn college credit on the trip, and much more! Please attend our virtual information meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 28, from 3-4 p.m. A recording of the meeting will be sent out after with a place to ask questions if you cannot attend. Please email kent.schnacke@stemk12.org. This trip is open to any student who is in or has taken Biology or AP Biology.

Merrick & Co is looking for a Designer Apprentice to join their team. Merrick & Co is an engineering, architecture, surveying, and geospatial firm, headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. To learn more about the Fall 2024 paid apprentice program, please click the button below.

Make sure you are paying attention to all deadlines and getting your community service, yearbook things, and ICAP tasks completed on time. Please also get your cap and gown ordered ASAP so you can save money on it! 🙂

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ms. Belisle (A-L), Ms. Grebe (M-Z) or myself (college/graduation/honor night)!

Mrs. Myrick

Hello STEM Spartan Students and Parents,

If you are currently enrolled in a concurrent enrollment (CE) course at STEM, or at one of our partner universities/ colleges and require accommodations, this email is for you!

All accommodations will need to be requested through our partner colleges/ universities, including CE courses taught at STEM. I have included information for each of our partner schools below. If you are attending a CE course at STEM, you will need to follow the link for Arapahoe Community College’s disability access services office.

• Arapahoe Community College
• Metropolitan State University
• Red Rocks Community College

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Thank you.

Nicole Ryan, Career Discovery Coordinator

Applications are now open for NASA’s PolCube CubeSat polarimeter virtual internship. A student will learn to run and apply the PolCube-MAPP algorithm to study sensitivity to spherical and non-spheroidal aerosols from the future PolCube satellite instrument. Interns must be age 16 and up. Applications close on February 28, 2025. For more information and to apply directly with NASA, please click the button below.