Checking in with Mr Hoffman, Assistant Director (9-12)
One of STEM’s guiding principles is a value of relentless reinvention and adaptation. There has been no time in my career in education when I have seen learning communities’ requirements for this kind of thinking so strongly needed. To say times are hard is an obvious understatement. Our parents, teachers, staff, administration, and most importantly, our students are feeling the weight and pressure of not only high school academics but social distance, difficult national conversations, and the dangers of a pandemic.
As we engage in learning during these difficult circumstances we know we cannot be complacent about how we work together to create the best school experience possible for students and staff. We will reinvent and adapt! Click the button to the right to keep reading.
All Middle School Students will be Virtual from October 5-8
On Friday, Oct. 2, a positive COVID-19 case was reported to STEM, prompting 73 students and 13 staff members to move into a 14-day quarantine period for precautionary purposes. An Infinite Campus message has been sent directly to the impacted families, and the staff members have been contacted as well, with specific instructions.
While some of our students and staff must quarantine, there are students who will not need to because they were not exposed. However, due to a shortage of staff available to fill in to assist for in-person learners, we have had to make the decision to move all students in grades 6, 7 and 8 to virtual learning for the week of October 5-8. Click the button below to read more.
Volunteer News!
*Due to COVID 19, no visitors or volunteers are allowed in the building at this time. Volunteer requirements will be adjusted as needed. If you are making a donation, please keep track of your donated items for the time being until we provide additional instructions on how to log your hours.
We need Driveline Volunteers
If you have some extra time in the mornings or afternoons, please consider signing up to volunteer for our Secondary School Driveline. We need volunteers to help from 7:20-7:50 a.m. with unloading students from their cars and directing cars through the parking lot. In the afternoon, we need volunteers to help from 2:30-3:15 p.m. to assist with student safety and traffic in the parking lot.
If you are interested, please enter through the Middle School lobby, register as a visitor and complete the health screening form. Masks are required.
Donations Needed!
Additionally, we have an ongoing need for classroom and healthroom donations. Click the link to the right to see all of the donation items that we are collecting for, and to sign up.
FREE Meals for Hybrid and Virtual Learners from DCSD
Nutrition Services is excited to announce that, effective immediately, ALL meals served in school are now free for all students. Free meals include all entrees (except Subway at High Schools) with fruit or veggies, and/or milk. As a reminder, STEM does not serve breakfast.
For Virtual/Online Learners, DCSD will begin weekly remote meal bag pick-ups at all neighborhood Elementary and Middle Schools in Douglas County (pick-up not available at STEM) every Friday from 1-2 p.m. These bags will contain five breakfast/lunches for Virtual/Online Learners and three breakfast/lunches for Hybrid learners. Meal pick-ups do NOT require pre-order. Simply pull up to our curbside pickup locations and request a meal for kids, just like our Summer Feeding sites. Kids do not need to attend DCSD Schools and do not need to be present for pickup.
Exciting Opportunity for High School Students
We were informed of an exciting opportunity open for High School students to take part in the first-ever year-long quantum computing course through The Coding School. In partnership with IBM and MIT’s Center for Quantum Engineering, our students would have the opportunity to be exposed to a topic that is often not taught until graduate school. The course will be taught online with live instructors from MIT, UCLA and UC Berkeley. The course will start on Sunday, Oct. 11 and end on May 10, 2021. There will be Weekly Lesson Lectures on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (PST) with Recitation Labs on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Saturday (time and day based on student’s availability)
Additional Details:
- Students who sign-up, must meet the following Math Requirement: Knowledge of Trigonometry (including sine and cosine)
- Additionally, students who sign up must commit to a full year of the course. Attendance will be taken and a limited number of absences will be permitted.
- Tuition is Free if registered through STEM.
- Independent study credit through STEM is available.
PLEASE NOTE: Students must sign up by Monday, Oct. 5 using the two forms to the right. (Both forms must be completed. Students must also email Mr Lein (paul.lein@stemk12.org) after registering.
STEM K-12 Spirit Week (In-person and Online)
Staff and Students are encouraged to show their school spirit both in-person and online, by dressing up each day next week.
Monday-Crazy Mismatch Day
Tuesday-Sports Day
Wednesday-Space Day
Thursday- PJ Day
**Reminder: STEM Dress Code Policy applies**
Career Discovery Event: Engineering the Future of Healthcare
Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 3-4 p.m. MST via zoom
Presenter: Stryker – The 3D Printing Store – CoorsTek
Secondary students and their teachers are invited to attend live via zoom. This Career Discovery event is designed to inspire and inform students about the intersection of technology and engineering in healthcare.
Presenters will send us links, articles, or questions students research before the presentation. They will challenge our students and staff to solve one of their industry problems. Presenters will let us know the best way to find answers, discover more, and connect with SME (subject matter experts) in simple, meaningful ways.
The students are expected to come to the presentation with curiosity and questions.
We will ask all students who participate in the session to provide a paragraph explaining what they learned, what they still want to know, and what they will do with what they have learned.
*Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 791 6106 3806
Passcode: 054495
Please email gregg.cannady@stemk12.org to receive accompanying links and materials.
Career Discovery Event: Making the Cut "Your Path to Becoming a Surgeon"
Thursday, Oct. 8 from 4-5 p.m. MST via zoom
Presenter: Dr. Andrew P. Rabenstein – Chief Resident, Surgery, Stony Brook University
Secondary students and their teachers are invited to attend live via zoom. This Career Discovery event is designed to inspire and inform students who are interested in the journey to becoming a surgeon.
Dr. Rabenstein will send us links, articles, or questions students research before the presentation. He will let us know the best way to find answers, discover more, and connect with SME (subject matter experts) in simple, meaningful ways.
The students are expected to come to the presentation with curiosity and questions. We will ask all students who participate in the session to provide a paragraph explaining what they learned, what they still want to know, and what they will do with what they have learned.
ZOOM Invitation: https://zoom.us/j/392776942
Please email gregg.cannady@stemk12.org to receive accompanying links and materials.
Info about PSAT for 7th and 8th Graders
**Please note the date change**
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, STEM seventh and eighth grade students in Cohort A will take the PSAT 8/9, and on Thursday, Oct 22, seventh and eighth grade students in Cohort B will take the PSAT 8/9. This assessment is not part of the state-mandated accountability testing, but an opportunity for parents, students and teachers to see what skills students need in order to prepare for high school and college. More information about the PSAT 8/9 can be found here. Also, click here to view the PSAT 8/9 Overview that includes the schedule for October 6 & 8, as well as FAQs.
Current Off Campus CE Registration Meeting
Monday, Oct. 26, from 3:30-4:40 p.m. via Zoom
All current Off-Campus CE students must attend this meeting in order to register for their Spring 2021 CE courses. This meeting is only for current Off-Campus CE students (grades 10-12) currently enrolled in classes for Fall of 2020 that intend to continue CE in Spring of 2021. Click the button to register for this event. A Zoom link will be provided via email after registration.
First Time Off Campus Concurrent Enrollment Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 3:30-4:40 p.m. via Zoom
This meeting is for students completely new to Off-Campus Concurrent Enrollment. In this meeting all new Off-Campus CE students (grades 10-12) will complete all enrollment paperwork and learn how to register for classes. Click the button to register for this event. A Zoom link will be provided via email after registration.
NMSQT Testing for Juniors
*Grades 9, 10 and 12 will be virtual*
On Thursday, Oct. 29, juniors will take the PSAT NMSQT. No lunch will be provided, as the cafeteria will not be open. Students in grades 9, 10, and 12 will complete remote assignments from home, regardless of cohort. Students who have selected the elearning option will attend at their scheduled cohort time. Testing rooms will be capped at 15 students, and social distancing will be maintained. Masks are required. Click the button below to review the schedule, what to bring and FAQs.
STEM College Advice Alumni Panel
Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 6-8 p.m. via Zoom
This event is for all secondary families interested in hearing advice about the college experience and application process from graduates of STEM. Students from both in-state and out-of-state universities will answer questions about the college application process and discuss their educational experiences at their respective universities. Click the button below to register. A Zoom link will be provided via email after registration.
Science Olympiad Interest Form
STEM High School Students! Science Olympiad is starting up again this year and we’d like to provide the opportunity for anybody interested in participating to join us. For those of you who have never done Science Olympiad before, it is a series of science competitions spanning many areas of science, from chemistry to engineering to ornithology and paleontology. It’s done with a team of students and is also a load of fun. If you’re interested, please fill out the form below using your STEM student email.
Opportunities for Female Computer Science Students
Registration for the Fall 2020 Colorado School of Mines Virtual DECtech Outreach Program for Girls is open.
Building upon our success with virtual camps this summer, we are hard at work creating all new activities to engage girls in STEM. As always, DECtech sessions are developed and led by female Mines students who are both passionate about their subjects of study and sharing this passion with the next generation of leaders and innovators. Zoom group sizes are kept small in order to encourage engagement and participation; and activities are interactive and hands-on.
Join the Hispanic Honor Society
Has your student taken, or are they taking Spanish classes 3, 4 or AP Language and Culture, and are interested in Hispanic culture? The Hispanic Honor Society is the perfect place for them. They can meet new friends, and learn about the culture of 21st countries that speak the language.
We will also visit places in our area that give us an approach to Hispanic culture. We are waiting for your student! Te esperamos!
Click the button to the right to download the application form. Submit the completed application to Sra. Moreno: maria.moreno@stemk12.org.
Gracias y “Todos a una”
Student Virtual Prototyping Design Challenge
MakerBot is offering a chance for students to win a MakerBot 3D Printer with the Student Virtual Prototyping Design Challenge.
Student Challenge Prompt: Create a design of something that will help your classmates and teachers excel with remote learning, whether that’s a pencil holder, a bookmark combined with a notepad or a device that can store both your calculator and erasers. The challenge deadline has been extended to October 12, 2020 to make sure students have enough time to submit their design submissions. Click the register button below to find out more.
Attendance Reminders
Attendance Line – 303-683-7836
- Please call the line before class begins to let us know if your student will be tardy or absent for hybrid OR virtual students – otherwise they will be marked unexcused.
- Please visit the student/parent Handbook to review the attendance policy.
- Virtual students that opt to attend in person classes must do so on their assigned cohort days only. The student must check in at the front office before attending class.
Early Dismissal
- Students will be excused to leave class with an Early Leave pass from the office. The student may exchange a note from the parent for the pass at the office. Younger Elementary students may need to rely on their parents calling the office ahead of time to set up an early release.
- Students will still need to be signed out by a parent at the respective office (Elementary or Secondary).
- The course of action that will cause the least amount of disruption to the classroom is to:
- Pick your student up during passing period
- Send a note in with your student to receive an Early Dismissal Pass (students will be able to show this to their teacher before class begins, and leave at the appropriate time).
- NO unscheduled early pickups will be allowed after 1:15 pm.
*Parents MUST call the attendance line when student is not following the Academic plan that was chosen.
Secondary Yearbook Info
All Secondary Students can pick up their yearbooks from last school year at the Middle School Front Office. People who have yet to purchase their yearbooks from the 2019-2020 school year and would like one can email sherry.wise@stemk12.org to request and get payment information.
Online ordering is now available for 2020-21 Yearbooks. Click here to purchase yours today!
Senior Photo Information
The last date to submit a senior picture for the yearbook is October 30, 2020. Aaron Guggenheim (aaron.guggenheim@stemk12.org) is our new Yearbook Advisor. Click here to view a helpful flier with important date and information on photos.
Class T-Shirt Ordering Now Available
Thank you for your patience! High School student government has created the order forms for students to sign-up and order their class t-shirts. Click on the respective links to the right to place your order today! Information on delivery will be provided at a later day.
School Photos Update
To view your student’s school photo proofs, visit DR Photos and select the link School Portrait Proof. Use your student’s ID number to access their proofs and place any orders that you’d like.
If your student has not taken a picture yet, this is your chance to have an updated photo for this school year. Picture ID cards will be made on the spot.
This year school pictures make-up/retakes will take place the week of October 19-22 for Secondary Students. Secondary students will go in small groups during their study hall (M, T, W or Th). If a student does NOT have a study hall, they can get their photo during their lunch break, or make an appointment at the photographer’s studio. If the student will miss their study hall due to PSAT testing, the student can have their photo taken AFTER completing their test.
It will be up to the parents to inform their student of the desire for a make-up or retake picture. Students wanting a retake, or that have not had a photo taken should participate.
Students may make an appointment to have a photo taken at our photographer’s studio. DR Photo – 8110 W Brandon Dr, Littleton, CO 80125. Click here to set up an appointment.
SpartMart News
If you pre-ordered face masks or gators they have arrived and are at the MS Office for pick up. If you are a fully remote student, please come to school to pick up your purchases. Spart Mart does not have shipping capabilities at this time. Click the button to the right if you would like to purchase one. We have youth and adults sizes available.
Canvas Parent Resources
IT News
Has your student received a message similar to the image to the right? If so, that is a message from our IT Department. We are working to bring all of the student Zoom accounts into the school account. If your student sees a message like this, please approve the request. Any questions can be submitted via a ticket to support@stemk12.org.
