STEM Updates
Back to School Edition, July 2019
Mission
The UT Permian Basin STEM Academy prepares students to be STEM college and career ready, with a shared focus on collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.
Vision
The UT Permian Basin STEM Academy seeks to be a regional model for STEM education, grounded in authentic learning experiences preparing students for future STEM careers.
Upcoming Events
July
29 Coffee with Administrators 8-9:30am
August
05 MS Water Balloon Welcome 7pm @STEM
05-06 Summer Bridge (TSI prep for 9th grade up, email coming soon)
06 PTO/VIPS Meet & Greet 6pm
06 Family Garden/Library Night after PTO
07 TSI Testing (9-11 graders, must sign up with miller_ja@utpb.edu)
09 Fish Camp Luau 7pm @UTPB pool
14 Secondary Orientation/Watermelon Feed 6pm
15 Elementary Meet the Teacher 6pm
19 First Day of School
19 Kinder Kick Off (breakfast at 8:15am)
24 Fall Dual Credit Start Date
30 MS/HS StuCo/NJHS Elections
31 StuCo Dog/Car Wash
September
02 Labor Day (Student/Staff Holiday)
03 Family Garden/Library Night 6pm
09-13 STEM Book Fair
10 Open Maker Space 6pm
12 Parent Workshop #1 Technology Troubleshooting 6pm
12 Book Swap 6pm
09-13 Freedom Week
21 Super Science Saturday
23-27 Campus Based Assessments
24 Fall Pictures
25 SPE Fair 7th-10th grades
26 Secondary Game Night
27 Professional Development/Student Holiday
27 Parent Teacher Conferences
30 UTPB Volleyball Game 1pm
30-Oct 4 STOMP Out Bullying Week
30-Oct 4 Smelly Pencil Fundraiser
Back to School FAQ's
1. When will elementary students find out what class they are in?
Beginning August 12th, rosters will be posted on the main office building.
2. When will secondary (6-11) students see their class schedule?
All secondary students will have access to their Fall semester schedule in parent portal on August 2nd at 8am. Some students did not complete their course requests and may be short a course or courses. All students should have 7 courses plus a lunch period.
3. How do secondary students request a schedule change?
All students requesting a schedule change will need to submit through a google form provided by Ms. Miller, miller_ja@utpb.edu.
4. Will there be a school breakfast this year?
Yes. We will have a grab and go breakfast for $1, from 7:30 - 7:45 am in the large multipurpose room.
5. Will there be after school care this year?
Yes, STEM has partnered with The Boys and Girls Club of Odessa. BGC's after school program is for students in grades K-8 and runs from 3:10 to 5:45pm. The membership fee is $100 per month. If you are interested in learning more about their program please email utpbacademy@baskinkids.org or online information at www.baskinkids.org.
6. When will devices be issued?
We are hoping to issue devices within the first week of school. Any devices that are damaged will require parents to file with insurance or pay for the device.
7. Will we be required to purchase insurance for our device?
Insurance is strongly recommended as the cost to replace a device is between $220 - $300. We are happy to announce for the 2019-2020 school year we were able to form a group policy with a lower out-of-pocket rate that will allow the school to maintain the policy and file claims on the students' behalf making the process much easier for parents. The insurance will be available for purchase starting the week of August 19th.
8. Are all kids required to have a case on their device?
Device covers are strongly encouraged. Covers can be purchased at any retailer and provide an extra layer of protection for the student's school issued device.
9. Will there be a student/parent orientation?
Secondary student orientation will be August 14th. Grades 6-8 will start a rotation at exactly at 6pm. High school students should report at 7:30pm.
10. Will there be workshops or classes to help parents learn all the online programs STEM uses?
Our first Parent Workshop is scheduled for September 12, 2019.
11. How does the school communicate information to parents?
UTPB STEM Academy is committed to open communication with parents and stakeholders. UTPB STEM Academy will send out school wide monthly newsletters, emails and texts through School Mint. UTPB STEM Academy also posts exciting news and upcoming information on social media (facebook, twitter, and instagram). Teachers will update grades in the parent portal and will communicate assignments in either google classroom (K-3) or Powerschool (4-11). We encourage all parents to log in to the parent portal weekly to check student's grades and to email teachers directly if you have any questions or concerns about your student's progress.
12. How do I get in touch with the school to report a student absence?
All absences will be reported via email to stemattendance@utpb.edu. A PDF will be available on the school website and the Parent Portal login page.
13. Will there be Chick-Fil-A and other food options available this year for Lunch?
Yes. Currently we are planning on having lunch options available for purchase through the MCM Elegante, Chick-fil-A, and Bubba's. As soon as the ordering links become available, they will be emailed out, posted on social media, and posted on our website.
14.What is the Dress Code for students?
All STEM students are required to wear a STEM shirt. The shirts can be purchased through www.cuttingedgead.com. Don't forget to wear UTPB spirit shirts or tie die shirts each Friday to celebrate Falcon Friday!
15. When do we drop off school supplies?
Elementary students can drop off supplies at MEET THE TEACHER on August 15th.
Secondary students will bring supplies to the Secondary Orientation/Watermelon Feed on August 14th.
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Welcome from the Superintendent
Dear STEM Family,
As the 2019-2020 school year quickly approaches, it is my pleasure to welcome everyone back for another great year at UTPB STEM Academy. The upcoming 2019-2020 school year provides the perfect opportunity to renew our goals and strengthen our purpose. This year our campus initiatives will be to enhance parent partnerships, strengthen curriculum & instruction, and provide a student-centered community. The campus will make these initiatives our top priority to ensure student academic growth and success. The 2019-2020 school year will be a year of collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking. We are excited and ready to serve the UTPB STEM Academy family. It is truly a privilege to be a part of a community where parents, teachers, and students strive to support high quality education.
Shannon Davidson
Superintendent
UT Permian Basin STEM Academy
Office 432.552.2586
Fax 432.552.2581
Welcome from the Secondary Principal
Dear Parents/Students,
I want to welcome each of you to the 2019-2020 school year. It seems like such a short time ago I sent our first welcome newsletter. We are excited to welcome back some students and to see new faces join our family this year. My hope is that each of our returning students will welcome in the new students for the coming year. We will also be welcoming new teachers to our staff. A little about each new teacher is posted on our Facebook page. If you see them please welcome them to our journey as well.
As we ramp up to the start of school I want to highlight three events upcoming during August. On August 5th we will have our first “Fish Camp.” This is a high school welcome event hosted by our student council. Student Council wants to make sure and welcome our incoming new students, and especially our freshmen class, to the high school. Student Council will also be hosting a welcome event for our incoming new middle school students and sixth-grade class. It will be a water balloon fight on the blacktop on August 9th. The last event I wanted to highlight in the newsletter is our orientation. Secondary Orientation is scheduled for August 14th. All students in grades 6th – 11th will need to be present. New student parents should be present for these important information sessions.
My last request for all parents and students is to join my (Mr. Griffin's) Bloomz class for Secondary. It’s a messaging program similar to Remind, but without the pay for a large class. If you have the Bloomz app the class code is JRQJA5. If you do not have the app, then you can simply get the text message sent. Text @JRQJA5 to 1-858-BLOOMZ1 (1-858-256-6691).
I cannot wait to see everyone at orientation.
In Service to others,
Mr. Cody Griffin
Secondary Principal
UT Permian Basin STEM Academy
432-552-2580
Welcome from the Elementary Principal
Welcome Back STEM Scholars and STEM Parents!
We are so excited to begin another year of great learning at STEM. As you are well aware, STEM is renowned for the hands-on authentic learning experiences that we provide to our students through a multitude of activities and Project-Based Learning (PBL). We will continue to build upon these innovative learning experiences in the 2019-2020 school year. Our focus will be to strengthen curriculum and instruction, enhance our student-centered community, and enhance our parent partnerships. You will see a few changes on campus this year that will help us hone our focus: Kinder Kick-Off (August 19, see flyer), K-2 classrooms will be self-contained, 5th grade has expanded to four teachers, interactive furniture to enhance/support our PBL model, a day set aside for parent-teacher conferences (September 27), 5th grade Science Saturdays, and a National Elementary Honor Society (inducted last Spring). Also new to elementary is Alexis Negron, who will teach 1st grade. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Negron to our STEM family.
Throughout the school year, we will continue to have numerous opportunities for parent involvement. In fact, we have added a new group, Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS), which will be working alongside our fabulous returning Parent Teacher Organization. Look for our leaders of these groups, Grace Rodriguez (VIPS) and Sharwanda Fuentes (PTO) at Meet the Teacher on August 15 at 6 pm to learn more about these organizations. We look forward to partnering with you in your child's education. Thank you for sharing your child with us and choosing STEM. We love our STEM Family!
Best Regards,
Monica Elizondo, M.Ed.
Elementary Principal
UT Permian Basin STEM Academy
July 23rd Town Hall Meeting Notes
Announcements
Sonya Ayers
After serving ten years in the military, Ms. Ayers went straight into social services, teaching at the secondary level, and eventual transitioning into teaching within the public school system. Though Ms. Ayers comes from a long line of teachers, she also has a professional background in IT ( Informational Technology) placement, business development, marketing, and media. In her spare time, Ms. Ayers likes to write short stories.
WELCOME Sonya!
Craig Goodson
Craig Goodson holds a B.A. in Art with a minor in History. Before joining STEM, Mr. Goodson served as a peace officer for the last 21 years with four years at Odessa College and 17 years with the Odessa Police Department. A former Marine, Mr. Goodson says “I’m still going to be serving. It’s just under a different capacity.” He has been involved in a diverse art background which includes traditional fine art, computer graphics, 3D modeling, texturing and rendering. He is a wood worker and currently apply my love of art to building stringed instruments.
WELCOME Craig!
Alexis Negron
The UTPB STEM Academy would like to welcome Ms. Alexis Negron. Alexis is joining STEM for the 2019-2020 school year as one of our 1st grade teachers.
"Hello! My name is Alexis Negron, but you can call me Mrs. N! My family and I have been in Midland for almost 7 years now. My husband is in the Army National Guard here in Midland. I graduated from Purdue University, where I first learned about STEM education. I love teaching inside and outside of the classroom. My boys are 4 and 6 so I am constantly looking for games and activities that help them play and learn at the same time. This is my first-year teaching 1st grade. I couldn’t be more excited to teach at the STEM Academy and put my skills to work!"
WELCOME Alexis!
2019-2020 Approved School Calendar
UTPB STEM Academy
Email: stemacad@utpb.edu
Website: www.utpbstemacademy.org
Location: 4901 East University Boulevard, Odessa, TX, USA
Phone: (432) 552-2580
Facebook: www.facebook.com/utpbstemacademy
Twitter: @utpbstemacademy