STEM Head of School Update
February 10, 2023, Issue 24
From the Office of Art Campbell, Head of School
Mr. Art Campbell, Head of School
Ms. Kelly Stauffer, Admin. Asst. to the Head of School
Thursday, January 16 is an early dismissal day for all students. School will be dismissed at 12:40 pm.
As a reminder, school will be in session on Friday, February 17 due to the snow closure on December 15. Families should follow the standard attendance reporting procedures for absences on these days.
Parking Permit Update
We have had many inquiries recently about obtaining a parking permit. We are currently unable to issue any additional parking permits at this point in the year. We are still encouraging students to apply to be added to the waitlist, so that if a space becomes available, we will offer in the order that students have applied. The parking permit application can be located on our website under the STEM Backpack.
Campus Safety Reminders
Please be reminded that students are to be dropped off behind the school. No students should be dropped on Manor Ave. We appreciate your cooperation. Safety is always our first priority.
Also, beginning Monday, February 6, for the safety of all students and staff, crossing back and forth, the entrance to the STEM Academy on Campbell Drive will be closed during all lunch times for the remainder of the school year. Please use the West entrance to access the campus during that time.
Upcoming February DEI Programming and Community Events
- Downingtown Area School District is excited to announce a virtual event featuring professional soccer player Zack Steffen, taking place on Feb. 27, in honor of Black History Month. The event will focus on the importance of community and how it has played a role in Steffen’s personal and professional journey. A 2013 graduate of Downingtown High School West, Steffen is an American professional soccer player who currently plays goalkeeper for Manchester City F.C. and the US Men's National Team. He has had a successful career and is known for his strong leadership and community involvement. He is the founder of VOYCENOW Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing equal opportunities and resources for minority students; a co-chair for the Philadelphia Soccer 2026 bid committee for FIFA World Cup 2026; and a co-founder of Parichute app. Registration is required.
Over the past few years, Downingtown Area School District (DASD) has seen an increase in the number of student civil service projects within the district. As we continue to see this number rise, the DASD Culture Equity Task Force will welcome award-winning philanthropist Nahjee Grant for a district-wide training about the importance of these community ventures and how they can best benefit those who are most in need. This virtual event will be held on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 3:45 pm. Registration is required. Grant is a motivational speaker, published author, TV host, and celebrated storyteller who has shared his amazing life story to full-capacity rooms filled with people of all ages. He shares his personal journey of failure-turned-into-hope through his books, online courses, school assemblies, leadership conferences and workshops. Grant is also an entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience as a community organizer providing an array of services to community members of all ages.
Ted Talk at the STEM Academy
STEM Counseling Department
STEM Academy Counselors:
All counselors see students in grades 9-12.
Ms. Mary Wallin: Last names A-C
Mr. David Stratton: Last names D-Kl
Ms. Stacey Hewitt: Last names Ko- Ra
Ms. Leanne Glowik : Last names Re - Z
Ms. Stephanie Rockowitz, Counseling Secretary/Registrar
Ms. Jennifer Stull, Prevention Specialist
Guide to Districtwide Mental Health Resources
Is your college asking you to send 1st and 2nd marking period grades? Please stop by the Counseling Office and pick up a Midyear Report Request form so your counselor can submit this report. A few important things to remember:
- Make sure your grades are correct before turning in this form.
- Make sure your college(s) actually require the midyear report (not all do!)
- The midyear report lists the letter grade for the 1st MP and the letter grade from the 2nd MP separately - they are not averaged together.
- Fantastic Leadership Summer Program Opportunity for Sophomores The HOBY State Leadership Seminar will be held June 2023. The STEM Academy will sponsor one sophomore student to attend the HOBY Leadership Conference and represent our school community. The leadership conference will be held at Neumann University from June 9th -11th. HOBY State Leadership Seminars are for Sophomores Students who want to: *Recognize their leadership talents and skills* Become effective, ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace and community *Participate in hands-on leadership activities, *Meet leaders in their state, and explore their own personal leadership skills to make a positive impact in their community* Students, our very own Mr. P is a HOBY Alumni and current Junior Max Glazer attended HOBY last summer! Reach out to Mr. P or send Max a Schoology message (or both) to learn about their HOBY experience and to get your questions answered! Students can set up an appointment with their counselor to learn more! Deadline to complete the Google form and submit your interest and short answer essay is February 17th! Visit HOBY for more information about upcoming programs/seminars.
- STEM Academy 11th Grade College Night – After a after a three year hiatus, we are bringing back our very own college night on Wed, Feb. 15th at 6pm! This is an important event for 11th grade students and parents to learn about the college search and application process from your STEM School Counseling Department. We will discuss important topics such as timelines, application types, admissions policies, standardized testing, school “fit”, and much more! Our event starts at 6:00pm with a presentation from your Counseling Department Team. At 7:00pm, we will be hosting a panel discussion with admission counselors from several colleges. This panel will represent several different types of colleges – large, small, state and state-related, public, private, and research-based – including Penn State, Drexel, Villanova, West Chester, Quinnipiac, University of South Carolina and UC Riverside. We look forward to seeing our 11th grade families on Feb. 15th.
College in the UK Interest Meeting
2023 Summer Programs
Internships and Partnerships
Professor from Drexel University Explains Encryptions Methods and how encryption is used in the Bitcoin Blockchain!
There has been an interest in understanding topics in computer science—specifically “encryptions and blockchain”. Tara Woomer, gifted support, reached out supporting this request. STEM Advisory Board member and Drexel University Teaching Professor Chris Caroll, answered the call and shared his expertise in this subject.
This session covered 3 different fundamental encryption methods- symmetric, asymmetric and hash algorithms. Some background about Bitcoin followed by how the Bitcoin blockchain works including the encryption used on the blockchain.
Pictured below: STEM Advisory Board Member/Drexel University Professor speaks about the Bitcoin Block chain.
Additional IB Updates
Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) Updates
Senior CAS/Graduation Project Spotlight:
Zora Farnum and Brendan Schmalenberger created donation boxes for students to donate lightly used books, as they partnered with an organization called “Books Through Bars” who collect needed books for incarcerated individuals.
Class of 2023 [Seniors]:
CAS Portfolios must be complete by March 1st (nothing new after this date)!
CAS Portfolios must be complete by March 1st (nothing new after this date)!
The questions for Interview #3 are posted on Schoology for students to make a copy, and responses may be sent to Mrs. Sherlock in advance of the meeting. Students may email Mrs. Sherlock to schedule their final CAS meeting.
IB Course Candidate students may send Mrs. Sherlock their finished Graduation Project presentations before the March 1st deadline!
Class of 2024 [Juniors]:
Students may submit CAS Project Proposals to Mrs. Sherlock once they have a group and an idea established. Otherwise, they can continue to add CAS experiences in ManageBac.
Extended Essay (EE)
Class of 2023 [Seniors]:
RPPF #3 and Viva Voce Interview #3 were due by January 31st! RPPFs are sent to the IB for assessment along with EE documents.
Students should schedule final meetings with Advisors if needed.
Class of 2024 [Juniors]:
Students are now working on creating a Research Question (Module due 2/28), and starting research on their chosen topic.
Students have until 2/28 to enter their narrowed-down topic into ManageBac.
Yes, they may make changes after this date, but this is a good place to start.
Juniors will receive more information about IB candidacies and expectations to prepare for Senior year during Advisory on Monday, so it is important that your child attend.
Student Life
Ms. Katherine Cole,Dean of Academics & Student Life
Ms. Cory Butler, Admin. Asst
Next week is Kindness Week. Key Club has created themes for each day that can be found on the flier below.
Reminder for those with Senior Privileges
- You MUST sign in at the main office when you arrive to school, and out prior to leaving for the day.
- You should enter through the main office.
- You must have completed the Early Dismissal/Late Arrival Permission form for Seniors
- Once approved, you will receive a message to see Ms. Sokso in the main office.
Black History Month at STEM
The BSU has been very busy working on creating activities for students to engage in during Black History Month. Below is a recap of the trivia event that took place during seminar. Bingo has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 15 in the Auditorium during Lunch & Learn.
Student Life: Kindness Week February 10-14, 2023
STEM Service for Animals Club is collecting unwanted t-shirts through February 17.
Save the date: Friday, March 3: Student Entrepeneur Expo at DHSE
DASD Athletics
All students at STEM are encouraged to participate in athletic programs offered at their home schools.
An activity bus is available for students heading to East to participate daily, and is located in the bus loop at dismissal.
To find more information about what sports are offered at your students’ homeschool, please choose one of the following that links directly to the correct Athletics page:
Downingtown East High School Athletics
Downingtown East High School Athletics Schedule
AND
STEM Academy HSA presents, the 12th Annual "Fore the Kids" Golf Outing - Registration is now open!
The 12th Annual Downingtown STEM Academy HSA
“FORE the KIDS” Golf Outing will be held Monday, April 24, 2023 at Whitford Country Club, Downingtown, PA.
Registration is now open for the 12th Annual STEM Academy “Fore the Kids” Golf Outing on Monday April 24, 2023 at the Whitford Country Club in Downingtown. We are looking for sponsors and golfers. Take advantage of our “Early Birdie” special (until 2/28) — register for a Hole Sponsorship and get one free golfer. Visit the STEM Golf Outing registration page to sign up to sponsor and/or golf. Questions? Email stemgolfouting@gmail.com.
The “FORE the KIDS” fund provides business-critical soft skills training for all STEM Academy students, delivered by the Mid-Atlantic Employers Association (MEA), scholarship funding for students in financial need to cover fees associated with the International Baccalaureate diploma and HSA Book Scholarships awarded at the Senior Awards Ceremony.
Please email Kathy Cattell for more information about sponsorship for the 2023 Golf Outing.
Home and School Association
2022-2023
STEM HSA Board
- Mark your calendars: The next HSA meeting will be held on Monday, February 13th via Zoom.
Upcoming HSA Post-Prom Fundraiser: Trivia Night @ Estrella see the detailed flyer below)
Think you know your trivia? Prove it! Gather up a team of your friends (up to 8) and compete for awesome prizes!
This event sold out quickly last year so don’t delay…reserve your space TODAY!
Cash and Venmo accepted for 50/50 raffle. All proceeds will go toward STEM Academy’s Post-Prom.
Ongoing Fundraiser
A great way you can contribute to all our activities is to Shop Amazon Smile and have *free* money donated to the STEM Academy with every qualified purchase! Every little bit adds up! Amazon donates a percentage of sales back to the school if you place your order from the 'smile' page. The page looks and acts exactly the same and there is NO COST! Just free money donated to the school!
Use this link to auto-select STEM Academy Home & School as your supported organization.
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/45-2446765
If you use the Amazon App on your phone, you can turn on Amazon Smile in Settings and select ‘Stem Academy Home & School Association’ or your school. Thank you for your support!
From the Nurse
- Online Registration: Please remember to complete the Online Registration for your child(ren). This will provide me with updated health information as well as give permission for over the counter medication this school year. Go to Infinite Campus Parent Portal to complete the process.
- Medication: Students are only permitted to carry emergency medication (Epinephrine, Asthma inhalers, and diabetes medication). Any medication to be administered during the school day, should follow our current medication policy (attach board policy) and complete the authorization for medication administration
- Please contact Ms. Jennifer Mikulich with any questions or concerns.
Important Attendance information
Ms. Dana Sokso: Attendance Secretary DASD STEM Academy
Please help us in reminding your student of the following:
- Whether your student is arriving late to school, has Senior Privileges, or has a parent note to leave early, they must sign in/out of the main office for attendance.
- All attendance inquiries throughout the school year can be directed to stemattendance@dasd.org
- Students should scan the QR Codes located outside the main office, and then upload their notes for Absence, Tardiness, and Trips.
- Please review the attendance policy in the Student Code of Conduct: Upon 3 unlawful offenses a written notification will be sent to parent; upon 6 unlawful absences, a 2nd notification will be sent, and a School Attendance improvement plan meeting will be required.
- If you are planning a family trip, please be sure to turn in the Request Form for Educational and Family Trips, no less than 2 weeks prior to the request.
Downingtown STEM Academy
The Downingtown STEM Academy is the third high school in the Downingtown Area School District. The STEM Academy opened in the fall of 2011 at 335 Manor Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335.
The Academy is an IB World School offering every student the opportunity to earn an IB Diploma. The curriculum offers Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Pathways. Students are engaged in rigorous, challenging academic work that requires a mindset of growth and effort.
Email: stinfo@dasd.org
Website: https://st.dasd.org/
Location: 335 Manor Avenue, Downingtown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-269-2420