Urgent Reminder! Only 1 Week Remaining!!
Intent to Apply due by Friday, October 9th. Takes only minutes to complete!
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 to Apply no later than COB this Friday, October 9, 2020. Please contact Howard Ginsburg at howard.ginsburg@dpi.nc.gov should you have further questions.
Free Resources
Are your students interested in connecting with peers in other parts of the world? Visit this website to find an updated list of several organizations and tools that can help you set up virtual exchanges. The first section includes resources that are primarily platforms for educator-designed projects, such as global literature reading groups, and are all free. The next group includes those that allow the option of self-designed or pre-developed curricula; and the last section includes resources that offer chances to connect globally with pre-developed curricula.
#GoOpenNC Monthly Webinars
Join monthly webinars to learn more about #GoOpenNC. #GoOpenNC is our free collaborative platform for educators to share standards aligned resources and explore hubs of curated resources, including STEM! Webinars are one hour long and offered at 10am, 3pm, and 7pm to help you attend the session that best fits your schedule. Educators who attend a live webinar will receive a CEU certificate for 0.1 CEU that is recommended for Digital Learning Competency Credit. All webinars will be recorded and archived on our YouTube channel to rewatch as needed. Make sure you register today for upcoming webinars!
Cost-free Episodes and Materials
There are now 13 new episodes of EarthDate ready for cost-free download from the website, www.EarthDate.org. Each two-minute episode includes thoroughly researched, peer-reviewed background materials suitable for the classroom that explain the science behind the topic being covered.
New episodes include: “How Do Animals Vote”, “Copper’s Superpower”, “Wondrous Waterfalls”, “Under Greenland’s Ice Sheet” and “125 Years of X-Rays”.
EarthDate is an entertaining and informative addition to classroom instruction, and the cost-free episodes and materials are great for remote learning.
Complementary Subscription!
With so many teachers working remotely, NCWildlife.org is offering a complimentary one-year subscription to the digital edition of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine to all teachers in North Carolina.
Wildlife in North Carolina features informative articles and stunning photographs about wildlife and wild places. Each issue includes a "Wild Notebook" section dedicated to elementary school-aged readers and a "Nature's Ways" essay answering a question about the natural world.
To redeem your complimentary subscription, send an email to teachers@ncwildlife.org from your school system email address. Please include your name and school in the body of the email, or visit NCWildlife.org/WINC to learn more and read sample articles.
STEM is Global
Join NCDPI for International Education Week (IEW) November 16-20, 2020
Mark Your Calendars!
International Education Week (IEW) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of State is part of the effort to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences. International Education Week offers the chance to:
- Expand awareness of and interest in global issues and global learning
- Collaborate with and learn from international student groups
- Gain a new cultural understanding
- Sample a small part of life beyond the shores of America
A variety of IEW activities will be planned by NCDPI to promote International Education Week in North Carolina. From now through #IEW2020, we are sharing several Global Education resources on NCDPI's Global Education listserv and social media! Be sure to follow NC Global Education on Facebook (@NCGLOBALED) and Twitter (@NCGLOBALED) and subscribe to the listserv to start saving and bookmarking those resources! Stay tuned for more information and resources as IEW approaches!
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Upcoming Bridging the Gap Virtual Conference
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
K-12 Science Formative Assessment Survey
The K-12 Science Section would like to highlight effective instructional practices of NC Districts and Charter Schools that ensure the success of students. This survey gathers information on formative assessment practices. Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond to this survey. It should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Your feedback is valued!
Link to the Survey: https://bit.ly/3kBeMLi
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.
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.
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