On September 3rd, Hawk's Nest STEAM Academy (Gaston County) and Lakeshore Elementary School (Iredell-Statesville Schools) became the 31st and 32nd NC public schools* to receive the prestigious NC STEM School of Distinction designation before the State Board of Education. *(+1 Private)

Hawk's Nest STEAM Academy earned recognition as a Model STEM School of Distinction, and Lakeshore Elementary achieved the Prepared STEM School of Distinction designation.

Both schools shared accounts of the tremendous STEM educational practices accomplished by their faculty and administration and highlighted the benefits their programs have had for their students and their communities. Even in the shadow of COVID-19, an incredible commitment toward igniting the passion for creative learning and growing a culture of STEM education has been sustained within their communities.

NC DPI extends its best wishes for continued success and achievement and encourages all schools with a STEM focus to reach out and network with these successful schools. 

Additionally, the September 2020 SBE meeting acknowledged, for the first time, the renewal process that now allows previously recognized NC STEM Schools of Distinction the opportunity to demonstrate that their commitment to excellence has remained uncompromised and to extend their prior STEM designations for an additional three years. Sixteen North Carolina schools earned a continuance of their STEM School of Distinction designation for the outstanding work they continue to demonstrate each day. Kudos to each of these schools!! Please be sure to visit the STEM Schools of Distinction webpage for updated information about these schools and programs.

Do you deserve to be the next NC STEM School of Distinction?

Many schools across our state facilitate quality STEM instruction; maximizing community partnerships and driving opportunities for students, developing the skills necessary for future success. NC DPI and the NC State Board of Education want to recognize each and every school that exemplifies the qualities associated with STEM success.

The STEM School Progress Rubric serves as an incredible tool for self-assessment and school improvement and is the key to achievement for STEM schools in North Carolina.

Schools who self-assess at the Prepared or Model level of achievement, based on the Rubric, are encouraged to complete an Intent to Apply with NC DPI. This intent does not obligate the school, but instead, allows the opportunity for receiving additional information and resources toward becoming recognized as one of North Carolina's finest in STEM education.

Interested schools should complete their Intent no later than October 9, 2020.  Please contact Howard Ginsburg at howard.ginsburg@dpi.nc.gov should you have further questions.

How to Make Remote or Hybrid Math and Science Instruction Engaging Take advantage of the online resources and simple experiments students can do at home to keep them learning in all teaching scenarios. Visit this great article by Pete Barnes, featured at Edutopia.org

EcoEXPLORE Badge Series EcoEXPLORE, an incentive-driven citizen science enrichment program for North Carolina children in grades K-8, has recently created a new badge with challenges centered around NC’s water resources called the Water Badge. These four units, that include adventure-based Youtube videos along with research-based challenges that kids accomplish at home and in their local area, are now being offered to teachers as a resource they can use for their virtual and remote learners.   The educational content surrounding the Water Badge is designed in the style of a vintage comic book. Each of the four videos feature real ecoEXPLORERS as the "heroes" who consult with scientists and educators from the NC Department of Environmental Quality to accomplish missions based on topics related to hydrology and aquatic habitats.   EcoEXPLORE is an initiative of The North Carolina Arboretum. Be sure to check out EcoEXPLORE.net for more information.

Schoolnet! Canvas! #GoOpenNC!   Short on-demand tutorials to help you get started with these Home Base Instructional Products!

NC Science Teachers! You now have access to Plasma Games’ National Science Foundation award winning virtual learning resources that include a first-of-its-kind 3D educational game and lots of teacher materials to help you engage your students!    Do not miss out on this opportunity. Click the link in the Welcome Packet to register for a 1 hour webinar where you will gain access to all these amazing resources. If these times do not work for you, email support@plasma.games so they can schedule something special for you and your teachers. These resources are for middle school science, high school physical science, and high school chemistry. Check out a middle school and a high school example.

Upcoming Virtual Conferences

The NCDPI's Digital Teaching & Learning Team is coordinating a series of virtual conferences for the 2020-2021 school year, designed to support educators across North Carolina as they develop effective remote/hybrid instruction to meet the learning needs of all students. The series is titled #NCBOLD - Beacons of Learner Diversity.

Save the date! The first event in the series will take place September 15-16, 2020. We will be kicking off this event with 2018 North Carolina Principal of the Year, Tabari Wallace, as our Keynote Speaker. Concurrent sessions will be 80 minutes in length, scheduled throughout both days and evenings.

Please follow #NCBOLD and @ncdpiDTL for the latest information.

Click for Registration Information

Bridging the Gap 2020 will be a fully virtual event.   Bridging the Gap is an annual conference whose goal is to strengthen K-16 STEM education throughout North Carolina. It brings together educators, business leaders, government officials and others who play a role in STEM education to share ideas and resources.  The conference is organized by the North Carolina Association for Biomedical Research.

Click for Registration Information

DPI Phone Numbers Have Changed

The Department of Public Instruction and all agency staff have new phone numbers. Previous phone numbers for individual staff members are being deactivated.

DPI’s new main number is 984-236-2100.

Only the department’s previous main number and those for divisions and sections within the department will continue to connect to the new numbers for the next few months.

To find new numbers for all agency divisions, sections, and individual staff members, please use the department directory. The K-12 Standards, Curriculum & Instruction Division information is under the Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation, and the agency directory can also be accessed from the homepage at dpi.nc.gov.

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NC DPI STEM Consultant

Howard Ginsburg

howard.ginsburg@dpi.nc.gov

If you are currently not subscribed and would like to receive future releases of STEMtastic News, please visit the NCDPI Subscriptions webpage and register for the NCDPI STEM newsletter. You will first be prompted to enter your email to create an account. Once your account is created, return to the NCDPI Subscriptions webpage to choose your interests.