A.T.O.M. STEM Academy Monthly News
March Edition: STEM Word of the Month is PURPOSE
March's STEMtastic News
Happy March, STEM Families! March came roaring in with strong winds and rainy weather, but we won't let that stop our PURPOSE! In the A.T.O.M. STEM Academy, our PURPOSE is to engage our scholars with a rigorous and meaningful 21st Century learning experience. Our teachers work around the clock to provide our scholars with the best education possible. Speaking of education, it's only right that we relate the recent changes in the weather to the Earth's tilt. On March 20th at 5:37 am, Spring or the Vernal Equinox officially showed its face as the Northern Hemisphere tilted towards the Sun, resulting in more daylight hours and warmer temperatures. This is an exciting time of the year as we observe fresh growth and new hope! Please continue to encourage our scholars to SPRING up and show out in their studies.
March Madness:
- Please check with your son or daughter to ensure that they completed the STEM Survey
- National Reading Month (Read Across America on March 2nd)
- Deaf History Month
- National Nutritional Month
- Women's History Month!!! We want to acknowledge all the women out there making history by affecting positive change within our scholars, community, and world!
- March 5th: Dr. McShephard's presentation on Science (make-up date for BHM STEM Presentations)
- March 18th: RPS Virtual History Fair
- March 19th: Agile for Learners presentation featuring our STEM Scholar, Aamira Scott!!
- March 19th: 6th-grade Student Recognition Ceremony; gold tickets were sent via email to qualifying students! Scholars enjoyed 30 minutes of fun with their teachers and peers
- April 2nd: Half-day, class dismiss at 12 pm (the same as our Wednesday schedule)
- April 5th-9th: School is closed due to SPRING BREAK!!!
We appreciate your partnership STEM families, and as previously stated, "It takes a village to raise a child." I want you to know that we are in this together, and we want to support you and your scholar in any way possible.
Below are MLK's 6th grade March Student Recognitions of the Month presented by Mrs. Menjivar!
March's STEM Student of the Month goes to Chikia Valentine
Also, we want to shout out our "Outstanding" and "Most Improved" STEM scholars
Our 6th grade Student of the Month is Ariyanna Coleman!! Keep up the great work, Ariyanna! We are proud of you!
Last, but most certainly not least, we want to recognize Aamira Scott for her participation in our Agile For Learners presentation!
In the below picture, Aamira is waiting patiently for the adults in the meeting to reflect during the presentation. Aamira and a scholar from Henderson Middle School represented both STEM Academies exceptionally well!
We are proud of you, Aamira!! Keep Making GREATNESS!!!
Looking for something to do during SPRING BREAK, encourage your scholar to complete Ms. Baines's Monthly "STEM At HOME" Student Challenge
We want to extend a huge shout-out to Ms. Baines, one of our STEMtastic Science teachers at MLK! Ms. Baines went above and beyond to ensure that our scholars had a STEM challenge to complete at home. For the month of March, Ms. Baines recorded herself leading scholars through an "Estuary in A Cup" project to extend their understanding of fresh, salt, and brackish water. You are appreciated, Ms. Baines!!
Please challenge your scholars to complete this hands-on activity at home during SPRING BREAK!!!
Below is the link to access the video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a-WAkCjLcBhvNFbN6NefI7Wblen8fDVD/view?usp=drivesdk
Allow us to introduce you to Dr. Williams!!!
On the last Friday of February (2/26/2021), Dr. Tiffany Williams met with our scholars to discuss dentistry and how math has prepared her to be a successful Dentist! Dr. Williams currently works for VCU Schol of Dentistry, where she is the Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions and the Associate Professor for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. During her presentation, Dr. WIlliams highlighted three courageous women who were great influences on her, those three persons were:
- Grandmother, Ms. Frances Gill
- Dr. Janet Southerland
- First Lady Michelle Obama
Lastly, Dr. Williams ended the conversation by reflecting on her life experiences as she took scholars through some review questions that showcased how she utilizes math daily! Thanks, Dr. Williams! You are truly an INSPIRATION!
BHM STEM Program- rolled out in February and finished in March
For the month of February and the first week of March, on Fridays during Community Circle (9:15 to 9:45), we had the below guest speakers inform and interact with our scholars on the topic, S.T.E.M Acronyms.
Below is the information of our Friday presenters for the joint STEM Academies BHM Celebration:
- Feb 5th- Mr. Canaday- STEMprenuer and RPS employee
*Focus: Engineering
- CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW-Feb 12th- Mr. Cosby- School Videographer/VCU professor
*Focus: Technology
- Feb 26th-Dr. Williams- VCU Pediatric Dentistry
- Moved TO MARCH 5th- Dr. McShepard- VUU Biology professor
*Focus: Science
Welcome to the wise and wonderful, Dr. McShepard!!!
Pictured here is Dr. McShepard from Virginia Union University (VUU). On March 5th, Dr. McShepard blessed MLK with an engaging discussion on science, key black influences, and background information related to COVID-19.
At VUU, Dr. McShepard currently serves as the:
- Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs in the School of Arts & Sciences
- Associate Professor of Biology for the Department of Natural Sciences
We salute you, Dr. McShepard, and appreciate you for taking time out of your busy schedule to connect with our scholars!!!
It's that time of year again....NextUp Spring Session (April 12-June 10th) is open for registration!
NextUp- Online afterschool enrichment program
JOIN IN ON THE FUN: Sign-up for the spring session today!
- ARTS & HUMANITIES
- CAREER READINESS & WORK SKILLS
- LEADERSHIP / MENTORING
- SPORTS & HEALTH
- SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND/OR MATH
Sign up today with just three easy steps!!!
- SUBMIT ONLINE FORM: https://sites.google.com/view/nextuponline/home
- SIGN UP FOR CLASSES: https://nextuprva.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Parent-Portal-Instructions.pdf
- JOIN CLASSES: https://www.nextuprva.org/
Please see the below flyers for Upcoming Events and Opportunities:
CodeVA is offering fun and engaging sessions during SPRING BREAK, use the below link to register: https://www.codevirginia.org/events/
Attention, to all of our males in STEM (SUMMER OPPORTUNITY AT Hampton University: June 21, 2021-July 9, 2021 from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm)
Hampton University is excited to continue hosting this free STEM program for our middle school students. We encourage all of our young princes to participate!
For more information about this program, please contact Hampton University/Program Manager at
To register, visit www.nacce.com/vil21regformboys.
To learn more about Verizon Innovative Learning, visit VerizonInnovativeLearning.com.
Calendar Reminders
Please remember No Cell Phone, Hangout chats, or ZOOM Chats during class
Stay connected with us
https://www.instagram.com/mlk_titans/
For any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We are here for our students, families, and community! We want to continue to strengthen our family and community partnerships for the well-being of our scholars.
-RESPECT, RESPONSIBLE, KIND-
#IamKing
Email: dsmith23@rvaschools.net
Website: https://www.rvaschools.net/Domain/31
Location: 100 Mosby Street, Richmond, VA, USA
Phone: (804) 780-8011
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Twitter: @MLK_Titans