Alief STEM Newsletter
August 30, 2018
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Alief STEM & PBL Professional Development Conference 2018
Our 1/2 day training will feature educators from Alief STEM Academies and from the Houston area. Our goal is to provide participants with the basic knowledge and skills needed to design, assess, and manage a rigorous, standards-based project. Come experience hands-on work, resource sharing, peer collaboration and feedback. Leave with the tools and ideas needed to use PBL in your classroom.
Click here for more information about the conference:
Click here to register as an attendee for the conference:
https://goo.gl/forms/l2DEOcKKwWc1Ko0A2
Click here for more information and to register as a presenter:
Jason Learning Houston Area Mini-Conference 9/26 & 9/27
This conference offers something for everyone, whether you are new to JASON or have been using JASON for years. These sessions will allow you to go deeper into curriculum and
implementation, and explore new programs and features. To register, click on the link below:
http://bit.ly/2018HoustonSessions
September 26: Berry Center, 8877 Barker Cypress Rd, Cypress, TX 77433
September 27: Dr. Wanda Bamberg Professional Development and Resource Center,
9999 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77038
Alief STEM and Region 4 ESC partner to present @ Houston Maker Faire 2018 on Sunday, 10/14/18 from 2-5 PM.
Alief STEM will represent the Region 4 ESC @ the Houston Maker Faire 2018 to provide examples of activities our students do and information about our programs. The idea is to better inform the greater Houston community about the wonderful things going on for students in R4 districts.
The Houston Maker Faire will occur Saturday & Sunday October 13-14, 2018, 10AM-6PM at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Hall C.
For more information about the Houston Maker Faire, click here:
PBL & STEM professional development is available at your campus PLC or content planning
STUDENT EXPERIENCES
Houston Energy Day is a FREE STEM Field Trip including admission and transportation
Click here to sign up for this event:
https://goo.gl/forms/1eWVXgfnnixB8HVA3
Who: All Alief Students & Chaperones
What: Energy Day
When: Saturday, 10/20/17 @ 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Where: Sam Houston Park, 1000 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Why: Houston's Energy Day is a FREE STEM Field Trip including admission and transportation
District STEM Competition this fall is Wind Power
Click here to register and order materials:
CITGO and Alief STEM Academies host the National STEM Day Celebration from 5-8 PM on 11/8/18 @ Alief's Center for Advanced Careers
CITGO Petroleum Corporation will host its second annual National STEM Day Celebration on November 8, 2018, from 5-8 PM to honor the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community and draw attention to the progress made in the advancement of STEM education.
The event will take place at Alief's Center for Advanced Careers and is in celebration of National STEM Day, which was established to encourage children to explore and pursue their interests in STEM. Activities will include a keynote speaker, interactive STEM stations with activities for all ages, and the announcement of CITGO's STEM Teacher of the Year. Registration for that event will be announced next week.
Young Women Energized STEM Career Fair on 11/13/18 from 5-9 PM @ HBU
YWE offers students, parents and educators a jump start to college and career planning with its signature mentoring circle format and interactive sessions for all attendees.
Click here to sign up for this event:
https://mailchi.mp/womensenergynetwork/ywe-hou-2018
Who: Female High School students interested in STEM
What: Young Women Energized STEM Career Fair
When: Tuesday, 11/13/17 @ 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Where: HBU Morris Cultural Arts Center, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX 77074
Why: Professional networking and career guidance for women interested in STEM
SCHOLARSHIPS
CITGO Innovation 2019 Academic Scholarships available
CITGO Petroleum Corporation has established a scholarship program to assist students who plan to continue their education in college.
The application opens on August 15, 2018 and will close at noon on Friday, September 28.
Up to twenty (20) $2,000 scholarship awards for undergraduate study will be granted. Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance in a full-time course of study, in an eligible field of study, enrollment at an eligible school and continuation of the program by CITGO Petroleum Corporation.
For complete guidelines and application, please visit https://www.scholarsapply.org/citgo/
The Women’s Energy Network of Houston 2019 Academic Scholarships available
Click here to apply:
Hispanic Heritage Foundation Student Scholarship
Established by the White House in 1987, HHF is an award-winning nonprofit that identifies, inspires, prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community, and workforce to meet America’s priorities.
This is a very special year at HHF; it marks the 20th Anniversary of the national Youth Awards program! Our 20th Annual Youth Awards will award students who are the graduating Class of 2019 with up to $3,500 in educational grants to fund their higher education or to fund a community-based project.
The deadline to apply is Monday, October 15th, 2018.
ACADEMY NEWS
District STEM Walk and Talk is 9/6/18
Olle STEM Academy is named a CITGO Innovation Academy
Olle STEM Academy has been officially designated as a CITGO Innovation Academy and will be honored at the 9/18/18 school board meeting. CITGO partners with local schools to support STEM programming, curriculum, professional development and outreach. As a CITGO Innovation Academy, Olle students will have access to CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline Resources—including scholarships. Alief STEM thanks CITGO for their continued support of our programs.
CITGO Innovation Academy at Olle Middle School welcomes Raul Yzaguirre School for Success principal Rosa Cruz
Principal Rosa Cruz from Raul Yzaguirre School for Success will be visiting the CITGO Innovation Academy at Olle Middle School this month on a recommendation from our T-STEM coach June Giddings. Campus tours are available to those in and outside of Alief ISD. Please contact me for more details.
To add your campus STEM news and events to this newsletter
CURRICULUM
Database of pre-written project-based learning (PBL) lesson plans sorted by TEKS
In response to a significant increase in PBL interest, elementary & secondary science have joined forces to provide the district with access to tools educators need to implement and assess engaging PBL.
Defined STEM is a K-12 project-based learning solution that provides engaging, authentic lessons built around careers. Their cross-curricular projects provide opportunities for students to deepen understanding and apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios. To prepare students for the future, they need to be engaged with lessons that are RELEVANT, encourage CRITICAL THINKING and COLLABORATION, and provide an AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT of their understanding.
Click here to access the website:
https://app.definedstem.com/login
When you reach the teacher login page, DO NOT CREATE A USERNAME OR PASSWORD. Instead, use the button that says "GOOGLE LOGIN." Follow the prompts and when the website asks for your campus, choose one of our STEM campuses as your campus:
Smith Elementary
Horn Elementary
Hicks Elementary
Alexander Elementary
Klentzman Intermediate
Youngblood Intermediate
Killough Middle School
Olle Middle School
AECHS
Fall PBL's taking shape for Elementary and Intermediate STEM Academies
At our four elementary campuses, we are using the district STEM challenge of building a wind turbine to address the driving question: "How can we develop a wind turbine that can withstand weather events and generate electricity as a renewable resource?"
Stay tuned for PBL showcase dates!
Set a bookmark in your web browser for Alief STEM Resources
The Alief STEM website has links to a number of excellent STEM resources, including articles, competitions, conferences, curriculum, field trips, research, grants, and student scholarships.
Click here to see what is available:
Bob Fulbright
District STEM Facilitator
Email: robert.fulbright@aliefisd.net
Website: https://www.aliefisd.net/Domain/148
Location: 4250 Cook Road, Houston, TX, USA
Phone: 281-498-8110
Twitter: @aliefstem