Sunshine STEM Academy Newsletter

Dear Sunshine Community,

I would like to congratulate our Robotics team GreenBots for their achievement. Our FLL robotics team has received Presentation Award last weekend at Walton FLL Regional Robotics competition. Congratulations!

MAP Testing Winter Term is now completed and reports are shared with parents. MAP Assessment is posted online to our Portal. We have added a new data to Student Dashboard which is Growth Percentile. Please see details below about the Growth Percentile.

I would like to remind Donut with Dads and Muffin with Moms events which we will have this week on December 15th and December 16th. I look forward to seeing you!

Please mark your calendar for 1st Semester Award Ceremony! All students in grades 3-5 will attend an awards ceremony on Friday, January 18th in the cafeteria.

I wish you a wonderful winter break and happy holidays!

Sincerely,

Murat Cetin, Head of School

mcetin@SunshineSTEMacademy.org

We are excited to share many wonderful aspects that make Sunshine STEM Academy an exceptional choice. Families will meet our team and learn about the school’s mission and philosophy, as well as, our academic and extra-curricular programs.

• December 1: Begins accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school-year.
• January 30: 2pm – 4pm: Open House
• March 15: Application Deadline
• April 30: Enrollment Deadline
  

School Tour Schedule: Tuesdays;

1:00 PM: School Tour
1:30 PM: School Presentation by the Administration

Please visit our Application Process page to learn more about Admission.

Sunshine STEM Academy Robotics Team GreenBots receives Presentation Award at the Regional FLL Robotics Competition in Marietta on December 12, 2015!

Congratulations to our FLL Robotics Team!

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics.

Sunshine STEM Academy students in grades 3-5 participated in this one hour fun and informative event during Computer Class on Thursday, December 10th.

We have completed MAP Winter Term testing on Monday. You should have received individual student progress reports by now. We would like to inform you that MAP scores have been uploaded to our portal. You can now access your child’s MAP assessment data thru our Portal anytime, anywhere.

Beginning Winter 2016 term, we have added Growth Percentile data for each subject. This percentile helps monitoring and understanding students’ academic growth from previous term to current term. This percentile is located next to student’s ranking percentile on Student Dashboard page on portal. (Please see screenshot below)

How to use Growth Percentile data?

MAP testing system calculates each student’s growth from previous term to current testing term. After calculation, system compares all students’ growth against each other. After comparison, system gives a Growth Percentile which shows each specific student’s growth. In example, if student receives 38% growth in Science subject, student has performed growth as much as 38% of students who have taken the MAP test in Fall 2015 term and Winter 2016 term. This means 62% of the students made higher growth than this specific student.

Using growth percentile data, we can identify how students’ academic level grows from term to term. You will see 4 different color codes in the background of this percentile cell on student dashboard page. Colors represent student’s growth level:

· Red - Growth Percentile 1%-25%

· Yellow - Growth Percentile 26%-50%

· Green - Growth Percentile 51%-75%

· Blue - Growth Percentile 76%-99%

We will be using this data to modify instruction and individualized learning plan of each student at Sunshine STEM Academy.

Please contact Mr. Duzyol at tduzyol@sunshineSTEMacademy.org if you have any questions regarding Growth Percentile data listed on Student Dashboard page on your child’s Portal account.

We would like to host our parents at our annual Donut with Dads and Muffin with Moms event. Please see schedule below. We would like to see at this special event. Please RSVP if you would like to attend.

• Donut with Dads December 15 - 7:00 AM to 7:45 AM
  
• Muffin with Moms December 16 - 7:00 AM to 7:45 AM
  

Kindergarten students have been studying measurement for math the past two weeks. All last week, to apply what we have been learning about measurement, students were placed with a partner.

They were given different classroom objects, for example a pointer, cup, book, etc., to measure with cubes. Students have been working on the vocabulary word of measurement and prediction. This activity required them to predict, using prior knowledge by comparing sizes of other measured objects, then measure their
given objects. Here are a few pictures of them successfully working as a team and measuring!

Our School-wide Spelling Bee competition will be held on Friday, January 15th.

Sunshine STEM Academy is exciting to host the 2016 National Geographic GeoBee preliminary competition on January 22. The National Geographic GeoBee is a school, state, and nation-wide competition created by the National Geographic Society. Each year, thousands of students throughout the United States participate in this exciting contest, which is designed to motivate students to learn about the world and how it works.

Students in grades four through eight are eligible for this entertaining and challenging competition. With a top prize of a $50,000 college scholarship—plus other prizes—the contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.

Sunshine STEM Academy students in fourth and fifth grade will participate in the preliminary competition on January 22. Students will be presented with a variety of geography related trivia questions. The top-performing student from the preliminary competition will be presented with a medal and certificate. As the school-wide champion, this student will represent Sunshine STEM Academy in the state-level competition, April 1.

For more information on the 2016 National Geographic GeoBee, including practice questions, please visit www.NatGeoBee.com or check out the app at www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/apps

If you have any concerns regarding participation in the 2016 National Geographic GeoBee, please contact our GeoBee coordinator, Ms. Hewett at ahewett@sunshinestemacademy.org

Please mark your calendar for 1st Semester Award Ceremony! All students in grades 3-5 will attend awards ceremony in the cafeteria on Friday, December 18th from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM.

Award certificates will be issued for Principal's Honor Roll (all A's), Honor Roll (A's & B's) and Perfect Attendance. Parents are invited to attend.

2nd Round MOEMS Math Competition will be held on December 15th at 8:00 AM.

There will be no Clubs-Tutoring-Academic Team Meetings on the week of December 14-18. There will be only one carpool from 3:20 PM to 3:45 PM every day on the last week of 1st semester.

Holiday class parties will be held on December 17 and December 18. Your homeroom teacher will contact parents on which day students will have the holiday party.

Sunshine STEM Academy offers College Mentorship Program for our 5th grade students.

Administration invites all 5th grade parents to the parent meeting. We will provide information about the College Mentorship Program, structure, and expectations.

5th grade parents, please join us on December 15th to discuss about our College Mentorship Program.

Sunshine STEM Academy will offer middle school grade starting 2016-17 school year. We would like to invite our 5th grade parents to Middle School Presentation which will be held on January 14th, 2016.

APOOGEE is now accepting tax credit applications for 2016. Please take a moment to re-direct your tax dollars in order to provide much-needed scholarship funds to help academically qualified, mission-compatible students afford a Sunshine STEM Academy education.

Please watch the video below to get a quick overview of the Apogee Tax Credit Program.

You are already paying income taxes – why not direct those funds to Sunshine STEM Academy. By contributing to APOGEE for a tax credit, you will provide opportunities for Georgia families desiring to attend Sunshine STEM Academy. Our school is then able to:

• increase the amount of tuition assistance that can be offered to new students
• preserve more of our existing tuition assistance to help families already enrolled
• increase enrollment
• increase tuition income
• increase the funds available to improve educational offerings
• enable the school to further its mission by reaching more families desiring a STEM education

What is the Maximum Amount I Can Contribute?

• Single individual or head of household – up to $1,000
• Married couple filing joint return – up to $2,500
• Married couple filing separate return – up to $1,250
• C Corporation – 75% of Georgia income tax liability
• S Corporation shareholder, LLC member, or partnership partner – up to $10,000

We all have an opportunity to redirect a portion of our Georgia State Tax dollars, (money we are already paying), to Sunshine STEM Academy.

How Do I Participate?

• Go to apogeebase.com/donate
• Please select new donor and provide the information requested after selecting “filing type”
• Hit submit and you will receive an email confirmation Apogee that your request has been received and will be submitted to the DOR on Jan 1, 2016 for approval.
• Click here to complete APOGEE’S Online Paperless Process, or
• Click here for the APOGEE Contribution Form; print the form and mail or bring to Sunshine STEM Academy.

Once you receive notification of your approval, please make a check payable to “Apogee Scholarship Fund” in the amount of your contribution and mail to Apogee Scholarship Fund, 3330 Cumberland Blvd, Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30339, or simply Click here to pay online.

APOGEE will send you the required paperwork to claim the credit on your tax return.

As we are getting into that time of year when wintery precipitation can cause school cancellations or delayed school openings, we’d like to remind you to listen to local radio or TV stations for any advisements. Sunshine STEM Academy will communicate school closing information via Sangha App about the school closing due to inclement weather. Parents, please download Sangha App to follow up our announcements and school events.

Please see upcoming important days below. Please mark your calendar for our upcoming events.

• December 15: Apogee Tax Credit Application Deadline
• December 15: MOEMS Math Competition - 2nd Round
• December 15: College Mentorship Program Introduction - Presentation for 5th Grade Parents
• December 18: Last Day of First Semester
• January 5: First Day of Second Semester
• January 14: Middle School Presentation
• January 15: Schoolwide Spelling Bee Competition
• January 22: Schoolwide National Geography Bee Competition

The ‪#‎HourofCode‬ is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics.

We update our social media channels frequently with the news and happenings at our school. You may follow/like/subscribe us to stay connected. Please share our social media channels with your friends.

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunshine-STEM-Academy/683495445106457
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sunshinestem
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6upaG6AO7KCueMm_4hfbIw

Sunshine STEM Academy strives for success and continued desire to provide a quality education to all students. With a strong administration, passionate teachers, and enthusiastic support staff, Sunshine STEM Academy as one of the top private schools in Atlanta is pleased to continue offering exciting learning environments to foster the growth and development of young scholars.

Email: info@sunshinestemacademy.org
Website: http://sunshinestemacademy.org/
Location: 1675 Hembree Rd, Alpharetta, GA 30009
Phone: 770-674-0010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunshine-STEM-Academy/683495445106457
Twitter: @SunshineSTEM

Our doors are open! Sunshine STEM Academy Open House information.