May 2014
|
|
Clear STEM mandate for Chatham schools
In a voice loud and clear Chatham has proclaimed:
'We support more Science and Technology education in our Schools'.
With the highest approval rate in recent memory - education budget 72% - and highest ever approval of a second question (67%), Chatham residents have sent a strong message of support for an ambitious and bold STEM program in our schools.
Parent-funded summer camps, enrichment classes and vocal representation at Board of Ed meetings have contributed to rapid progress: Last year 20 students (all boys) took computer science in the high school. Next year there are 200 students enrolled, including more than 60 girls. The school has also added K-5 Technology positions and a brand new STEM curriculum will be offered to our Middle School students. In a swift and efficient move, the school administration has already filled in many of those positions.
While the board and school administration have now secured the funds necessary to run a quality program: they need the continued involvement of the community to help chart the future of our education system and to support programs outside of the classroom.
There are many ways members of our community can contribute - with talent, time, money or resources - to ensure that we continue to head in the right direction. Click here to find out how you can get involved.
|
|
Research
|
In support of our school district's bold investment in STEM education, ChathamSTEM parents are currently conducting research on best practices in the following areas:
- Science Research: A unique educational experience to build 21st century critical thinking and evidence-based decision making
- Computational Sciences: Where models can be used to enhance the educational experience in the Sciences and what comes after you've learned how to code.
- Engineering Space / Maker Space: Because learning does not stop when the bell rings ... and our basements are crowded
If you would like to be involved and contribute your professional skills to help, please click here
New Research project: Middle School and High School Students needed
ChathamSTEM has committed to the school administration to conduct a community survey regarding after-school programs and to select STEM competitions that will most appeal appeal to students. Volunteering students will learn about Survey design, Data Analytics and reporting and will be recognized for their contribution. If you would like to be involved in this research project, please click here
____________________________
|
|
Information
|
|
New Ranking Out
This month US News Report recognized CHS as a gold medalist for academic achievement. Based on the 2011/2012 academic year, Chatham ranks #9 in the State and #209 in the US.
Board of Education Business
The Board of Ed. met twice this past month. At the April 28th meeting, a new president (Jill Weber) and vice president (Matt Gilfillan) were elected. New committees were also formed. Of interest to STEM, a curriculum committee, to be chaired by Kim Cronin with Lata Kenney, Michelle Clark, Jill Weber and Phil Franz (as alternate) was established. ChathamSTEM has requested to meet with the new committee.
2013 School Year STEM Review
Last year many indicators for our school performance remained good or improving. There are areas that have room for improvement and ChathamSTEM is working with the school district to see how the community can help to consolidate the good progress and address gaps where they exist. Full report here. |
US News Report School Ranking ('11- '12 data)  |
|
|
News from the Chatham Board of Education
ChathamSTEM will regularly report on STEM-related topics that are discussed during the School Board of Education meetings (biweekly on Mondays 7:30pm at the Meyersville Road Township Municipal Building. The meeting is open to the public, has time alloted for public comment and is an excellent forum to demonstrate support for STEM learning for our children.
In the April 28 reorganization meeting and May 12 regular meeting, the following was discussed:
- Jill Weber (formerly Vice President and Music and Theater booster liaison) is the new President of the Board of Education. Matthew Gilfillan is the new Vice President
- Update on Computer Science Curriculum for CHS: The Curriculum Committee of the Board of Education has indicated that those students who have signed up for the original Computer Science classes 1 and 2 will indeed be able to take them. A communication has been sent to parents.
- New STEM teachers have been recruited. Please join us in welcoming them to our Schools and make sure to help them in any ways that you can.
| Name | Location | Position | | Samantha Stojanov | SBS | STEM | | Erica Toto | CMS | STEM | | Jessica Liatys | CMS | STEM | | Ruth Elisabeth Long | CHS | Biology | | John Hajdu | CHS | Computer Science | | Julianna Ryan | CHS | Technology |
For full details on the board meetings, you can review the meeting minutes here. The agenda for the n ext meeting, Monday June 2nd, 2014 at 7:30pm, will be posted soon.
____________________________________________________
|
|
Intel Science Talent Prize Awarded to CHS
Congratulations to CHS senior Parth Shah's. Following his success at the Intel Science Talent Search, the High School was recognized with a monetary prize of $1,000.
While Parth pursued this initiative independently, a number of schools have a formal science research curriculum, sometimes in coordination with local research centers and universities, or leveraging scientists in their local communities. ChathamSTEM is actively promoting this model, starting this summer with a Science Research Primer offered to students grade 8-12. Further details on www.chathamstem.org
|
|
Chatham Robotics meeting a great success
150 attend kick-off meeting April 23rd at CHS for Robotics Chatham, 2014-2015.
Parents and eager students crowded into a classroom where Nabil Mouline, founder of ChathamSTEM presented the various opportunities available to get involved in Robotics programs in Chatham.
Mr Mariano hosted the event in his technology classroom where the Fear the Gear team presented their robot and talked about their excitement for the upcoming season. Many opportunities exist for students and parents alike to become involved. Check out the Fear the Gear facebook page or chathamSTEM.org
|
|
Advocacy
|
ChathamSTEM is currently reaching out to the Board of Education to propose a Liaison position on the board. This position will improve the alignment of strategies and coordination between the actions of the ChathamSTEM community and the school/board.
ChathamSTEM has also reached out to the candidates for the incoming township elections. Municipalities can have a positive influence on the educational opportunities for residents (including school age kids) in support of the lifelong learning requirements facing our students. Many towns around the country are investing brain power to serve the educational needs of their communities: Whether through the promotion of integrative learning centers in their communities such as Maker Spaces / Innovation Centers or the participation in urban planning competitions such as Future City competitions, forward looking communities promote ubiquitous and diverse forms of learning - beyond the traditional school building or library. How do you think our towns can help build Chatham's learning community ? Participate here
____________________________
|
|
Programs
|
CALENDAR: Upcoming STEM Programs
05|30|14 STEMTrip: Google , NYC (rescheduled)
- Visit the world-famous West Chelsea headquarters of Google.
- Get a close-up look at Google's 3D maps and even zoom in on Mars!.Time and location
- PLEASE NOTE: THIS TRIP IS CURRENTLY FULLY SUBSCRIBED
05|30|14 STEMTrip: The World of Science @ NYU, NYC
- ChathamSTEM presents a field trip to the World of Science @ NYU. All invited. Focused Grades 3-9
- Courtesy of Chatham Parent Keith Blanchard
- Exclusive session for Chatham students
- Meet 3.00 at train station or 4.45 at Gould Plaza, Manhattan (Cross streets: Greene Street and West 4th Street). NYC. Details and Register here
05|31|14 Flashback - Robotics Scrimmage at CHS
- Come support 'Fear the Gear' CHS' robotics team at a 20-team scrimmage at CHS
- Learn more about the robotics program at CHS
- High School Gym at 9.30am
06|06|14 STEMTalk: Dr. Chris Volinsky, Exec. Dir. of Statistics Research, AT&T
- What do Baseball, Netflix and Traffic management have in common?
- 4.30 at Chatham Library. Free admission. Register here
06|13|14 STEMTrip: The World of Science @ NYU, NYC
- ChathamSTEM presents a field trip to the World of Science @ NYU. All invited. Focused Grades 3-9
- Courtesy of Chatham Parent Keith Blanchard
- Exclusive session for Chatham students
-
Meet 3.00 at train station or 4.45 at Gould Plaza, Manhattan (Cross streets: Greene Street and West 4th Street). NYC. Details and Register here
06|14|14 Fishawack Festival
- Join the ChathamSTEM STEM Fest @ ECLC
- Featuring Robotics team challenge, STEM clubs in Chatham
- 11am -1pm
06|18/14 STEMTalk: Global Climate Modeling in Chatham
- Join Linda Sohl (NASA Goddard research center) and Missy Holzer f(CHS) to explore climate modeling.
- Go back to the Ice Age and discuss global warming.
- 4:30PM-6:00pm @ CHS
|
Spring Festival
A celebration of Science and Technology in Chatham, thru June 14
Final touches for the preparation of the June 14 STEM Festival at ECLC 11am-1pm. Make sure to save the date. Teams continue to prepare, we'll send you information about the program of the day soon or contact chathamstem@gmail.com
|
ChathamSTEM Summer Classes
The much anticipated summer camps are now available for registration
With more than 30 sessions offered, there's something for everyone! Click here to visit and register.
|
Tribute to our Teachers, Volunteers and Partners
|
|
ChathamSTEM's Featured Teachers
|
Sarah Gutierrez
 | | "The Lego Robotics classes have opened doors to teaching and engaging students in real-life building and programming experiences. |
When Sarah Gutierrez and Andrea Trivelli from the Washington Avenue School were offered the opportunity to teach Lego Robotics back in September, they did not shy away from the after-school commitment it represented. They knew the program would provide a unique opportunity to a number of kids to explore Robotics, Engineering, Team work, Problem solving. They knew it was also good for alternative learners and a good introduction to problem-based learning.
Certainly there were lots of unknowns accompanying the launch of an 'experimental' program: the lesson plans were not readily available, the software was new to the school and even the kits were on loan from ChathamSTEM.
|
 | | "It's so exciting to see the expressions of the young engineers as I point out that they just programmed their first robots!" |
Gutierrez and Trivelli did not know how many kids would join but within hours the classes were fully signed up, and in the following weeks the program proved to be a resounding success.
Key to the program was help that the teachers received from the 'STEMSquads', a group of Middle and High School volunteers who help teachers to offer technology-based classes to their students.
Says Sarah, "It's so much more than physical gears, motor and pulleys. They're actually using robotics systems to bring these components to life according to how they have programmed it. It's been an exciting learning experience as much for myself, as for the children"
|
____________________________
|
 | | Rick Hull, Chatham Parent |
Parent Volunteer Spotlight: Rick Hull
We are living in a fascinating era - a period of rapid change in society, in business, and in politics - because of the on-going revolution in IT. And this is having a profound effect on the global, national, and even local economies. Without doubt it will impact the job and career opportunities for our children here in Chatham. This is a primary reason that I am so gratified that our Chatham voters have enabled the Chatham School District to substantially expand their offerings in technology, engineering, and Computer Science, to complement the existing strengths in the other aspects of "STEM".
As a Computer Science researcher, both in universities and industrial research labs (including Bell Labs and now IBM Research), I have been able to participate first-hand in the technology revolution - from the days of programming a mainframe computer using punch cards to the highly intuitive and interactive styles of programming available today. Advances in Computer Science and technology are incredibly empowering: More and more of our world is becoming computer-enabled, and as ordinary people learn to tell computers what they want, they gain new opportunities for enhancing both their jobs and their lives. Further, computational thinking is emerging as a new, fundamentally different way of thinking, which has intellectual depth to rival traditional math and sciences. Particularly, the marriage of computational thinking and engineering design methods can be very engaging for most students - they can create things that are fun and personally relevant - from robots to fashion-sharing sites to social movements.
Through ChathamSTEM I have been able to help in the effort to strengthen technology, engineering and Computer Science in our district. Along with ChathamSTEM there are other opportunities for parents and professionals to help out, both within and beyond the schools. This includes work with the PTO, with Education Counts, and with the Scouts and other community organizations, to name a few. Attending the School Board meetings and helping the Board and District to understand the importance and urgency of continuing to grow its STEM offerings is especially important. So whether you're an engineer interested in bringing engineering competitions to Chatham, a biologist looking to inspire our students' interest in gene therapy, or a statistician trying to expose more of our high school students to Big Data analytics, just step up. It's not often you get the chance to make a lasting difference in our children's lives, with minimal time commitment and in an area that you love!
Rick Hull
Chatham resident.
To learn about ways that you can help Chatham Students excel in STEM areas please contact ChathamSTEM. We are actively seeking Engineering, IT, Startup / Entrepreneurship, Aerospace, Nanotech and Science Research professionals to help promote those fields in our schools. ChathamSTEM is also focused on closing the gender Gap in STEM (yes, it's still out there!) and is looking for a parent with interest in this topic to help mobilize resources and attention to develop proactive strategies to address it.
|
Community Partner: Fishawack Run For more than 30 years, The Jaycees, have been organizing the Fishawack festival, a community event that has become a focal point of the Chatham social and cultural calendar.
 | |
Brian Hart, Chatham Parent
|
The organization of the actual race is critical to the day's success and it provided a great opportunity for ChathamSTEM to leverage 21st century tech applications that they had learned, in a real-world setting; publicizing the race, registering participants and tracking runner's times. You can sign up for the race at chathamfishawackrun.org
Says Brian Hart, lead organizer of the Fishawack Run, "What kids learn at school is a great foundation, but consolidating that learning through real life application will give them an edge for their college application and into their careers. We were happy to provide them with that opportunity and look forward to more collaborations with ChathamSTEM"
The ChathamSTEM team was comprised of Seth Leyens (web design), Eric Liotta and Jack Lynch (electronics), Alex Metrocavich (Cloud), Catherine Irwin (Race Director), Amira Mouline (RunSignUp), Stephanie Mahon (Operations),
Prisha Vyas (App). Volunteer parents included Doug Leyens and Kash Vyas. The project is continuing, if your Grade 6-12 student would like to be involved, email: chathamsetm@gmail.com
|
Student Volunteer of the Month: Colton Taylor
 | | Colton Taylor, CHS Senior |
My name is Colton Taylor. I'm a senior at CHS, have been a member of the Fear the Gear Robotics team for the past two years and I've volunteered for ChathamSTEM since it was founded; I have worked as a counselor for the Lego Wedo and Mindstorms Robotics Camps over the summer, taught after-school enrichment at Southern Boulevard, and helped with miscellaneous other projects.
I volunteer because I enjoy technology and because it helped me get a job last year - it was a great thing to put on my resume. ChathamSTEM also helped me get my senior year internship, which will help me to meet my goal of majoring in computer engineering.
|
|
If you would like to continue to receive ChathamSTEM updates, help us to deliver information best tailored to you and your child's needs. Click on 'Update Profile' below. You can also email us here .
ChathamSTEM: Grassroots Advocacy for Excellence in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education
| |
STAY CONNECTED  
|
|
|
|
|
