February 2018

NewsletterRedesigning secondary education

In this issue Page 2Principal’s CornerStudents of the Month

Page 3School Counselor Connect

Page 4Main Office News

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs

STEM Academy students visit Corning Museum of GlassSTEM students visited

the Corning Museum of Glass on December 20. While there, they learned about the process of sandblasting glass and designed and sandblast-ed their own drinking glasses.

Students embarked on a guided tour of the museum’s Innovation Center, 35 Centuries of Glass Gallery and the Contemporary Art and Design Galleries. They also enjoyed a live hot glass demonstration.

They were excited to see artifacts from trade routes that we have been studying in Global History and many different scientific processes at work while getting a taste of local culture.

To learn more about this local gem and all of the programs they offer for students and families check out www.cmog.org.

Students produce news showA group of students in the Drawing Design for Production 2 class have been creating the “STEM Academy Stu-

dent News Show.” They came up with the idea at the beginning of this school year, started recording the show early in the fall and have been improving every week.

Check out their progression on our YouTube channel and let us know what you think. Go to YouTube and search for “GST BOCES STEM Academy Channel.”

2

2

Dear STEM Academy Families---

I hope everyone had a wonder-ful holiday season. We are starting our third marking period at the STEM Academy and we continue to have many thrilling activities going on. We recently began setting up shadowing experiences for our Chapter 2 students. We also have started a new in-school opportunity for our Chapter 1 students to experience our PTECH Pathways. We will provide them information, guest speakers and experience to help them make their Pathway choice for next year.

It has been a phenomenal experience to watch many of our Chapter 2 students complete and participate in col-lege courses through Corning Community College. I have been able to visit the campus with some of our students and observe them during their final presentations. What an experience!

We are looking forward to what the future brings next year as our students begin taking classes on the CCC Campus. We are very proud of all of our students and the educational risks they take each day.

We want to thank everyone for your support with all of the Student Council fundraising that has occurred in the past few months. We are looking forward to our New York City field trip on March 24.

The rest of the school year will bring many new and exhilarating experiences for all of us here at the STEM Academy. We are looking forward in taking on all of these challenges together. As always, please contact me with any questions. Stay warm!

Rob Sherburnersherburne@gstboces.org607-739-3581, ext. 1496

Principal’s Corner

The

Congratulations to our STEM Acade-my Student of the Month for Decem-ber, Lucas Pratt. You impress us each and every day. Thank you for you for all of your hard work and dedication!

Congratulations to our November STEM Academy Student of the Month, Amber Updike. You are an inspiration to all students and staff here at the STEM Academy. We are so proud of you!

Students of the Month

3

Gamification at the GST STEM Academy

The use of Classcraft as a gaming platform at the STEM Academy was addressed in the last STEM Acade-my Newsletter. Another way we gamify in the classroom is through the use of Kahoots. These are competitive, online, interactive quizzes that get students working in teams or individually to review content. According to our social studies teacher, Mrs. Mehlen-bacher, “Kahoots gets instant engagement from all students right from the start.” All students get an opportunity to work with the class material in a new format rather than just looking at a re-view book or answering a worksheet. Mrs. Houck, our English teacher, likes Kahoots as, “it provides students and teachers with instant feedback on a topic.” Students can even do review on their own time and play Kahoots for fun. Students have even created their own Kahoots to demonstrate they have learned the content.

School Counselor Connect

We have some exciting academic opportunities coming up for our students at the STEM Academy.

New Cohort Names: Since we are a non-traditional secondary school with enrollment ranging from 4-6 years, we have released a different way of referring to the succes-sion of years at the STEM Academy. The following will be commonly used terms your student will refer to during their years to come:

Chapter 1 = 9th grade Chapter 2 = 10th grade Chapter 3 = 11th grade Chapter 4 = 12th grade Chapter 5 = Post-secondary Chapter 6 = Post-secondaryChapter 1 students will begin their journey exploring

the different STEM Degree Pathway options from Corn-ing Community College. The Career Exploration portion is embedded within their Drawing Design for Production course to give them the exposure and knowledge that will ultimately help guide their pathway decision. We are excited to welcome many guest speakers into the classroom from Corning Community College, as well as with our business and industry partners to aid students with these connections.

We had 17 Chapter 2 students enrolled in one or more college courses this past fall semester, total-ing 63 college credits earned by our STEM Academy stu-dents. Spring semester is just kicking off, with 18 Chapter 2 students en-rolled in Introduction to Sociology and four in the Ele-ments of Applied Math II course. Chapter 2 students will finalize their degree pathway this spring. We will highlight these students to celebrate and acknowledge this important decision for their futures.

We look forward to sharing more information with our families regarding next year’s college course options for both our Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 students.

PTO Corner• The PTO and students had a successful Holly Days

fundraiser, earning $378! Thank you to everyone who supported this event.

• The PTO will purchase pizza for the class that brings in the most loose change for the WINK 106 Children’s Miracle Network radiothon.

• June is just around the corner and the PTO would greatly appreciate any donations for the Painted Post Colonial Days raffles.

• Please join us for our next meeting on February 8 at 6:00 PM at the STEM Academy.

• If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please reach out to Wendy VanZile VanzileWL@Corning.com or Ciji Somma-Perkins cijisomma@gmail.com.

4

Like the Greater Southern Tier STEM Academy Facebook page to follow highlights of our daily activities.

Physical EducationStudents at the STEM Academy participated in a

table tennis unit in January. During this unit, stu-dents explored the history, rules and the basic skills of table tennis and completed a both singles and doubles tournament.

Due to limited space and equipment, creativi-ty is key to creating our Physical Education units here at the STEM Academy. Instead of table tennis tables, we used classroom tables pushed together and removable nets. By using these classroom tables, we were able to save money, as table tennis tables can be costly. It also allows students to collaborate and work together to set up and take down the tables properly. Due to the amount of tables we are able to utilize, students were able have more games going on at a time which means more activity time for our students!

Main Office News:A few reminders for your students:

• Please remember to send in a written note for any absence once your child has returned to school.

• Please let the main office know if you have transporta-tion changes.

• Please let the main office know if you have a change in address, phone, etc.

• When entering the school to pick up your child, please indicate your child’s name when asked through the intercom system at the main entrance. This is very important because it insures the safety of all staff and students.

We have implemented a new policy when your child is absent from school. You will receive a phone call to verify that you are aware of the absence. If a message is left on your phone, please return the call at 739-3581 x1490 to verify.

I want to express my thanks to those I have met in my recent weeks here at the STEM Academy. Your children are a pleasure to be with and many of them make me smile. You should be proud.

Students work on a chemistry lab with Mr. John Sharkey Vice President, Chief of Staff to the CEO,Corning Incorporated.