Share this email with them and encourage them to sign up for the STEM listserv!
Calling All STEM Reviewers!!
Your Support is Greatly Appreciated
The 2022-2023 North Carolina STEM Schools of Distinction Recognition Program is underway. With over 20 schools across the state having communicated their Intent to be recognized as a leading STEM program in North Carolina, we are asking those STEM educational leaders, who have familiarity with the STEM Schools of Distinction process, to assist with the Review of this year's applications.
Individuals presently leading within a NC recognized STEM school, or any individuals who have served as past SSoD reviewers, are asked to provide updated contact information by completing this Reviewer Application by December 31st.
There will be a required Reviewer training. More information on this training will be available soon. This year's applications will be shared the week following the February 3rd deadline and reviewers will have two weeks to complete their review and share feedback. The number of reviewers assigned will be dependent upon the number of submitted applications.
Thank you for continuing to drive quality STEM programming in North Carolina!
‘Coding in Minecraft’ is a computer science credential program with supporting curriculum for Grades 6-8aligned to the NC Computer Science Standards and delivered through Minecraft: Education Edition.
And it is FREE for all North Carolina middle school teachers.
‘Coding in Minecraft’ in the STEM classroom will:
•Create engaging, enrichment activities.
•Allow students to experience real-world examples of how STEM is used in Computer Science.
•Allow for student-led, fast finisher activities that keep all students engaged.
•Develop important skills such as problem solving, creativity, and critical thinking.
‘Coding in Minecraft’ is an easy to teach solution enabling educators with little or no computer science or coding experience to deliver an up-to-date computer science curriculum. The comprehensive solution includes curriculum, Minecraft Worlds, assessments, micro-credentials, capstone exam and educator resources.
The curriculum is student-led! As students can learn at their own pace, submit their evidence to an online portal for educators to assess and use Minecraft: Education Edition at their own pace.
During this planning institute, schools will review the attributes of the Rubric, consider what each attribute means in the context of their individual school, assess the school’s readiness, draft a strategic plan and develop next steps for school improvement or to apply for the NC Global-Ready Schools designation.
The institute will include whole group discussion to learn from best practices across the state and individual school team planning.
Who should attend: School teams of three to five (including a required administrator). Schools which currently have a Global focus or have previously applied for the NC Global-Ready Schools designation but did not receive it will benefit the most from this institute.
Thomas Edison once said "There's a better way to do it - find it!"
This challenge is extended to students from grades 4-12! This contest challenges students to create their own inventions to solve problems that they see in the world today. Students have the chance to:
Learn about STEM, history & entrepreneurship all in one contest
Receive a FREE Maker-Kit full of inventing supplies & a stipend for their teacher/mentor
Motivate & inspire students to learn science, engineering, business, marketing & more!
Pitch your invention to a panel of judges who are real-life scientists & entrepreneurs
Work together as a team to win the Grand Prize - A 3D PRINTER FOR THEIR SCHOOL
Grassroots Developed, the Portrait provides a more balanced measure to determine what student success should look like
An initiative led by the N.C Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to define the skills and mindsets students need for success after high school has been unfolding since March. Now, with the help of 1,200 North Carolinians across the state, this grassroots-informed PortraitofaGraduate has been finalized.
The PortraitofaGraduate aims to ensure that North Carolina students are well equipped for the broadest range of postsecondary opportunities. Aligning with State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Catherine Truitt’s 2022 focus on the “Year of the Workforce,” the Portrait can be adopted by schools and districts to better prepare the state’s 1.5 million students for civic life, career or college.
As determined by the design teams that were part of the initiative, the statewide Portrait identifies seven competencies that students should possess upon graduation from high school to help them thrive in the 21st century. These include:
Adaptability
Collaboration
Communication
Critical Thinking
Empathy
Learner’s Mindset
Personal Responsibility
To learn more about the Portraitand competencies, click here.
Nominations for Presidential Awards for Excellence in STEM Teaching Now Open!
The National Science Foundation (NSF) administers Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), created by Congress in 1983, on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The awards are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of STEM, including Computer Science. This year's (2022-2023) awards will honor science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers working in grades 7-12. Recipients of the award receive the following:
A certificate signed by the President of the United States.
A paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities.
A $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
An opportunity to build lasting partnerships with colleagues across the nation.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about the North Carolina Presidential Awards Program, please contact the State Coordinators for PAESMT:
Kapwing—a browser-based video editing software that works on all platforms, including Chromebooks—is offering no-cost subscriptions to students and teachers in K–12 and higher education institutions. Teachers and students can create all types of multimedia content in Kapwing; no editing experience required. Tools and tutorials are available to guide users to record presentations, complete group projects, edit videos, design worksheets, and more. (Note: To access the free subscription, teachers need to register with an official school e-mail address.)
Innovative STEM educators who engage—or want to engage—their students through creative implementation of Vernier technology may apply for this new grant program. Vernier will award 10 grants this year. Each grant will include $1,000 in Vernier technology, a one-year license for the Vernier Graphical Analysis™ Pro app, and three hours of virtual professional development. Applicants must be educators who are actively teaching in a K–college educational institution within the United States and who have never received a Vernier grant.
Grants will be awarded based on purpose and need of request. (Deadline November 30)
Building Engineers in K-5 ClassroomsConference:
Presenter Proposals Now Open!
What is the Building Engineers in K-5 Classrooms Conference?
An annual get-together of elementary educators from across North Carolina that are interested in and passionate about utilizing high-quality STEM skills with their students. It happens each spring and includes 2 days: Day One = Traditional conference style experience, with a keynote speaker and concurrent sessions. Day Two = Elementary robotics/engineering showcase, hosted by Moore County Schools. For more info, click here.
When and Where?
This year's event will take place on May 4th and 5th in Moore County, North Carolina. The location for Day One is still being finalized (should be able to announce in the next few weeks!). Day Two will take place at Pinecrest High School.
Interested in Presenting?
We are looking for great presenters to come and share their knowledge with participants from across the state! If you are able to present on any of the following topics (with a K-5/Elementary focus) we would love to have you:
Engineering, robotics, design thinking, computer science, high-quality STEM, tying STEM to core content (such as literature), makerspaces, writing STEM-focused grants, AR/VR, or any other high-quality and practical STEM strategies.
Presentations will be 45 minutes long and the audience will be seated at round tables (to encourage more hands-on opportunities!).
We would LOVE to have you present! Please click the button below to find the proposal form. All proposals must be submitted by midnight on Friday, December 2nd Acceptances will be sent prior to the holiday break.
Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten announced the YOU Belong in STEM initiative at STEMconnector’s Innovating for the Future Summit on October 12, 2022. This initiative aims to improve STEM education outcomes by advancing a sense of inclusion and belonging in STEM for all students and teachers and has three primary goals:
Support STEM educators by strengthening opportunities to join, grow, and stay in the STEM teaching field.
Help ensure all Pre-K-Higher Education students have access to, and benefit from rigorous, relevant, and joyful STEM learning.
Encourage education and youth-serving systems and organizations to invest American Rescue Plan and other federal, state, and local funds in STEM education.
You can follow YOU Belong in STEM activities and updates at www.ed.gov/stem.
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