What's The Latest @ STEM?

Hello STEM Families!

I'd originally started this blog last year, but did not continue it after article one for a few reasons.  Last week, however, when our PTO (which has over 20 parents!) brought up the blog, the resounding feeling seemed to be that we should keep it up!

Work of Art by one of our
current seniors for a painting class

So, without further ado, let's talk about STEM! Throughout the blog series this year, we'll talk about what's going on here at STEM, what's changing, what are the new things that are happening that we're excited about, and we'll do some features on our teaching staff as well as always post some thought-provoking articles for you to read or videos to watch.

Please also remember that the comments section at the bottom is not a good forum for discussion. I welcome you to our PTO, Governance Board, or scheduling a meeting if you're ever feeling a conflict with what is being written. Feel free to post comments, but please know that students also see these and it's important that we are being supportive of them first. Thanks!

What's new at STEM? A TON OF STUFF!!! We'll devote some time in each blog post to an area that STEM Staff are actively working on for the future or are already implementing.

First, let's chat about academics...because we're pretty excited about some of the changes we've been implementing!

Teachers Prepping over
the summer in Mauston, WI.

This summer, the entire teaching staff got together, along with another PBL school over in Mauston, WI, and worked through some in-depth training on Project-Based Learning. One of our goals as a school is to begin aligning ourselves, grades 3-12. This is not an easy thing to do, even when you're all under one roof! The staff feels very passionate about creating what we call a Professional Learning Community, or PLC, that is effective.
At our training, the team very intentionally focused on how we're approaching projects at our school.

In the past, students were given a whole host of standards they could choose from (but also felt an express need at the middle school level to rush through due to very high numbers of standards required) and their projects were essentially based on the following:

A) Whatever they were interested in
B) Whatever they already knew and had probably done projects on in the past
C) Whatever their standards were dictating they must do a project on

This often resulted in students becoming bored with projects, redoing projects they'd already done in middle/elementary school, only going surface-level with their learning, or finding themselves stuck because they just didn't know what to do.

Over the last couple of years, we have discussed as a whole school the desire to shape our projects in

Learning about area with
Mrs. Hughes

a way that truly allows our students to excel, speak to experts, take meaningful field trips, etc. This cannot happen as a school of over 200 students if everyone is off in their own direction with a project. How can a guest speaker come in for a project that only one child is doing? How can students talk about their projects with fellow peers if no one even understands where they're headed? How can we draw in those experts and volunteers if there is never common ground for what we're working on?

After a great deal of work as a team, research, training, and reflection on everything from projects to Design Challenge, our staff made the decision to move forward with what are called Arcs.

Think of an Arc as a school-wide "theme." An overarching, very broad topic, that allows us to give some common experiences to your child. Students in elementary school as well as students in high school are doing projects within this Arc. There's still a huge amount of student choice, but now our students are trying to create driving questions and projects that within the same Arc. While one student might be focused on how the DNR regulates hunting and fishing, another student may go in a totally different direction and look the effects of plastics in our ocean, while another student may focus in on civics and research how we can change laws/ordinances at a local level to cut down on waste. There are SO many directions our students can go in with these projects. The goal is not to limit their choices, but offer boundaries and experiences that we think will encourage creativity, collaboration, and authentic projects!

I can say, without question, that this is the most positive start of the year I've ever seen with students and staff. All of the STEM staff has gone through excellent training, they've collaborated and worked on these Arcs throughout the summer, and they're all very excited to be sharing and seeing what all of the kids are doing. I am thrilled to see what is happening with our projects this year!

If you're curious, our ARCS this year will be:

Students developing project
ideas with Mr. Hayes

• Environmental
• Community
• Health
• Engineering
• Entrepreneurship

Here's a few of the exciting things we'll talk about in our Blog this year:

1. The T in STEM and what it can mean
2. Project-Based Learning and what it really is!
3. Commencement: Our First Senior Class!
4. FabLab - What's a FabLab? And other spaces being developed in our school. 
5. Senior Capstones
6. Sports at STEM - We have a VolleyBall Team and they're Awesome! 
7. Volunteering and Community Connections
8. The Referendum and how it will affect STEM
9. STEM and the Arts

Book Recommendation: "Last Child in the Woods" By Richard Louv

Here's a little preview of what we'll be talking about in the next post. It's controversial and it's something we've openly chosen to address at STEM. I'd recommend watching it from start to finish.

What's happening this coming month? 

1. First Project Cycle
2. STEM Middle School Girls Volleyball (Games on Tuesdays and Thursdays) - Go Sharks! 
3. Scary Scurry Run (see email sent to all guardians and students)
4. PTO Meetings (Second Thursday of the Month