Hello STEM Families! We are now in the final week of March, with Spring Recess around the corner. Please read below for upcoming events, such as the annual Oratorical Contest. Additionally, please take a few minutes to complete the annual Parent/Family Survey which is found below. Also, remember that Third Marking Period Report Cards will be posted on Friday. Finally, check out the report on the Career and Scholarship Visit from Monroe Energy from last week.

The annual Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest will take place at STEM on Wednesday, March 29 at 5:00 PM. The event will feature speeches from students across all CUSD schools.

On the same evening, the Andrew Turner Art Competition will be taking place. We have already received artwork from many schools throughout the District. Guests will have the opportunity to view pieces created by our students, and meet those who put them on display.

Each Spring, STEM Academy leadership begins the process of setting goals and making plans for the upcoming school year. An important part of that process is gathering feedback from students, teachers and families. Please take a few minutes to provide your input by completing this survey.

Parent Survey English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/STEMShowalterParentEnglish

Parent Survey Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/STEMShowalterParentSpanish

Students and Teachers will be on Spring Recess next week, returning to school on Tuesday, April 11.

STEM Academy Offices will be open between the hours of 9:00 and 2:00 Monday-Thursday next week (April 3-6). The Office will be closed on Friday, April 7 and Monday, April 10. Due to light staffing, please call or email if you plan to come in so we are able to receive you.

We are wishing all Students, Staff and Families an excellent break!

The Third Marking Period closed on Friday, March 24.

Report Cards will be posted to Home Access Center on Friday, March 31.

For all students in Grades 9-12, Marking Period Two Report Cards include the student's updated Grade Point Average (GPA). All High School Students should know their GPA. Ask your student today for their GPA!

Students who finished the first semester with failing grades in one or more Core Content area (Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies) have been placed on Academic Probation. Additionally, they will either have to re-take the course(s) they failed, or complete Summer School.

Students on Academic Probation will be provided with extra supports designed to help them improve their grades, such as tutoring, mentoring and remediation. Academic Goals will be established which must be achieved by the conclusion of the School Year. Students on Academic Probation who do not meet those goals may not be permitted to return to STEM for the 2023-24 School Year.

If you have received notice that your student is on Probation, please take a close look at their Quarter 3 Report Card.

The Home Access Center (HAC) allows families to view their students' grades and attendance in real time. By logging into the HAC, you can stay up to date on your student's progress and know immediately if they miss class or assignments.

If you do not have your HAC set up yet, email Ms. Chanel Turner-Wright (cturnerwright@chesteruplandsd.org). She will reply with your username, password and a link to the log in page.

We encourage All Students and Families to check HAC every day!

This past Tuesday, Representatives from Monroe Energy joined us at STEM Academy to speak with students about a variety of career opportunities in the STEM field.

Students learned about jobs in skilled trades and engineering, as well as accounting, finance and community relations.

Finally, Seniors learned about the Monroe Scholarship, which three of our Class of '22 Graduates received last year. In addition to vital money toward tuition, recipients of this Scholarship are paired with a Mentor who helps guide the student through college and into their career.

We are happy to report that our Daily Attendance this year continues to be improved over last year's numbers. Our improved student grades and academic growth reflect the importance of being present in school. Nearly all students who earned Perfect Attendance are on the Honor Roll.

This month, we would like to turn our focus to On-Time Attendance. We have a number of students who are consistently arriving at 7:50 or later. First Period begins at 7:50, so students who arrive on campus at that time or after will be late by the time they get to their classroom. While it may just be a few minutes, 5 minutes of class time per day adds up to 15 hours of missed instruction during the year.

In addition to reducing missed class time, we are also attempting to build productive habits and career readiness in our students. This starts with instilling the importance of being on time. Please help us in ensuring your student is in their classroom ready to learn each day at 7:50 AM.

On March 3, we began accepting New Student Applications for the upcoming 2023-24 School Year. Please share the link below with those who would like to apply. The application can be found in the "I'm Looking For..." section of our school website.

Students in the Chester Upland School District school community AND their families, can come to Tyler Arboretum and enjoy FREE admission (for children and adults) for the rest of the 2022-23 school year, ending June 30, 2023. Please present the following code at the Visitor Center: PECO2022

Email Program and Tours Coordinator, Terry Mallon at: tmallon@tylerarboretum.org for more information.

Chronic Early Dismissals have begun to affect the academic achievement of some of our students. Early Dismissals should be reserved for instances in which a student has a medical appointment that cannot be scheduled outside the school day. Early Dismissals may also be taken in cases of urgent family need.

Early Dismissals should not be taken as a matter of convenience for students and/or families. Frequent Early Dismissals result in extensive missed class time, and seriously impact learning and academic performance.

Over the next several weeks, we will be taking measures to restrict permissions for Early Dismissals. Recognizing that this is a shift, we will allow a period of adjustment. However, please note the following guidelines for Early Dismissals are now in effect:

1. A Phone Call to the STEM Office must be placed thirty minutes in advance of an Early Dismissal.

2. Early Dismissals without written documentation from a health care provider will be marked Unexcused until such documentation is provided.

3. Students will not be dismissed for an Early Dismissal due to illness without first being seen by the School Nurse.

Unfortunately, many of our students have been found using or in possession of vapes. Families, please check the resources below, and be aware that vaping is becoming increasingly common among teens here in Chester and throughout the region. We advise you to ask them about vaping and monitor their behavior.

Also, be aware that we will continue to enforce our School Code of Conduct which includes suspensions for possessing or using vapes while on school property. Repeat offenders will be placed on Academic Probation as well. We are prepared to take increasingly proactive measures to deter this behavior, including more frequent and thorough searches of students who are suspected of possessing prohibited items.

The After School Program at STEM is off and running. We encourage all families to sign their students up for the program.

Academic support and tutoring is available daily, and is extremely beneficial to students who need extra help, as well as those who just need a good setting for doing homework and studying.

Please be aware that students who were assigned to After-School as part of their Academic Probation must attend their scheduled tutoring.

The following programs are currently offered in the After School Program, and we hope to add more as the year progresses:

• Reading Olympics
• Gymnastics
• Drama
• Robotics Team
• Physical Fitness
• Choral Group
• Hi-Q Team
• School Newspaper
• Art Workshop

Additionally, daily tutoring is available in Math, ELA and Science, as well as College & Career Planning.

Please consider joining the PTSA this year to help support our students, teachers and families at STEM! We are looking for all those who are willing to share their time, energy and talents to help make our school even better!

If you're interested in helping out, please be in contact with Ms. Anita Littleton (alittleton341@msn.com) and/or Ms. Karla Beaver (beaverkarla66@gmail.com).

Be sure to check in regarding upcoming meeting dates in February!

We continue to celebrate our Girls Track Team took home the gold in the 4X200 Relay. Congratulations to Coach Shake and the Team!

Da'Mira Allen

Da'Leeah Alexander

A'Lasia Mosley

Janaisa Dearry

We are looking forward to even more accomplishments in the Spring Season!

Email: bbell@chesteruplandsd.org
Website: https://www.chesteruplandsd.org/sas
Location: 1100 West 10th Street, Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 610-447-3650