STEM Academy News

November is a month of many celebrations. One of the things that STEM Academy is glad to be able to celebrate is National STEM Day. November 8th marked our 2nd Annual National STEM Day celebration. We hosted many different STEM activities on both of our campuses, even hosting a friendly competition between our 7th and 11th grade students. On the high school campus, the 8th grade students joined in the festivities by participating in STEM experiences on the 3rd floor. We had guest speakers, drones, SAPD, and even a mock crime scene clean-up for students to explore. All of our STEM MS and STEM HS teachers did a fantastic job of coming up with the activities for our students. Please check out what went on at the high school by clicking this link, put together for us by our very own videographer, Maya Kluger. We can't wait to do this again next year! And we hope to be able to invite our families to participate!

More than anything, November is a time to reflect and be thankful. As we embark upon the holiday season, I hope that you and your family will take a few minutes to think of all of the things that you have to be thankful for this season. I know that as I reflect upon my many blessings, I count it an honor to be able to serve all of our STEM families. Each one of you is a blessing to me.

As I am certain you are aware, we are deep in to recruitment season. If you know of someone who should consider being part of our STEM family, would you please encourage them to come and see us at one of our upcoming Magnet Nights or during one of our Shadowing events? As a reminder, for students who are already enrolled with us, there is no need to reapply. If you have a younger child who is coming of age to be in our program, please remember that we will honor their legacy status, but an application must be submitted. Applications are open through January 20th @ 11:59pm.

Thank you for allowing our STEM family to serve your familly.

Warmly,

Jennifer Jensen, M.Ed.

Director

Mark your calendars- our 6th Grade STEM Natural Disasters PBL Showcase will take place at 12:30 on December 10th, 2024 in the Nimitz Auditorium. Every student will have a part in this showcase. Parts range from greeters and pre-show set up to narrators, skits, and other heavy speaking parts. The show is almost completely run by the students! No roles have been selected yet and more information will come soon, but this is a show that you don't want to miss if you can make it!

Mentors (scientists, engineers, designers, etc) met with the students for several hours to help them navigate their STEM Flood Prevention Design ideas!

7th grade has just completed their Exploration PBL! On Wednesday, student groups presented their mission briefings in the Nimitz PAC in order to convince a panel of judges that their mission deserved funding. With mission locations ranging from Jupiter’s moon to the Challenger Deeps and from the Son Doong Caves of Vietnam to the Yucatan Cenotes, students used research and ingenuity to devise ways to reach their locations and carry out their missions. After presenting, student groups took part in a short q&a session where they answered questions about their mission briefing from 8th grade students. Our warmest congratulations to all our student presenters!

7th grade also recently celebrated National STEM day by competing with STEM juniors in a ballon car building challenge. Students had a blast competing getting to talk to and compete with the junior students! Their cars were evaluated for distance and accuracy of travel and were also judged on aesthetics by our STEM art teacher Mr. Sanchez.

Our Plastic Pollution PBL has officially kicked off! During the November 1 kick off day, students were able to listen to San Antonio's Waste Management about plastic in our city, where plastic waste goes. They also explained how our trash system works. Students had many questions, including whether used paper towels are recyclable, if pizza boxes can be composted, and what happens to juice boxes. This helped them start to think about ways in which the plastic pollution crisis is affecting us here in our community, and begin to brainstorm for the problem in which they will try to answer in the next few weeks. As part of the kickoff, students made bouncing polymers. Plastic is made through the process of Polymerization and are considered Polymers, long chains of Hydrogen and Carbon. Students learned about the different process through which plastic is made and made the bouncing polymers which are a version of slime.

Science Mill Field Trip: Visiting the Science Mill in Johnson City felt like stepping into a playground for curious minds. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by a towering robotic hand that could mimic movements we programmed—it was like something out of a sci-fi movie! The kids loved creating their own avatars, which guided them through each exhibit, explaining how everything worked in a fun, interactive way. The BioLab was a favorite, with its colorful poison dart frogs and a fascinating Mexican salamander. Outside, we explored the fossil dig site, admired the aquaponics greenhouse, and even tested our engineering skills with some of the larger-than-life exhibits in the Science and Art Park.

Contact Information:

Ms. Melissa Perez

Email: mperez4@neisd.net

Office Phone: 210-356-5503

STEM Office Phone: 210-356-5501

12/17 - 4th & 6th Period

12/18 - 2nd & 5th Period

12/19 - 1st & 7th Period

12/20 - 3rd & 8th Period

November 8th is National STEM Day! We were excited to celebrate our community and our students. We welcomed fantastic guest speakers to campus, flew some drones with NEISD Instructional Technology, and played with all kinds of “N-O-V-eight”-tions: titration races in the chemistry lab, bacteria art in biomedical science, building robot hands and bridges, and much more! Our 8th graders came up to play with us, and a contingent of juniors went to the middle school to build cars with the 7th graders!

This week in AP Human Geography we have been learning about the political organization of space. students are using study strategies we have learned over the year. Additionally, we've been working on our PBL where students are solving problems in the areas of degenerative diseases and diseases caused by human-environment interaction. On the 19th we had a PDL pull-out day where students worked and their collaborative groups throughout the day developing their presentations and doing research. There are a wide variety of student projects going on some focusing on dementia and treatments for lung cancer others on adult education. We're looking forward to seeing what the students will produce and how they'll use their AP human geography skills to present this information to the public. Our PBL showcase we'll be on January 9th in the evening and the exact times will be released later. However, we look forward to y'all attending and seeing the amazing work your students are doing.

In Honors Biology, students created games to showcase their knowledge of DNA replication and the cell cycle. We have moved on to studying protein synthesis and students will be challenged to explain the connections between our topics in biology with their particular PBL topic. Students will use their new knowledge of protein synthesis to explore the connections between genetic mutations and diseases and disorders that can arise as a result.

In English 1 Honors and Gifted and Talented (GT) classes, students have been engaging in a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, analytical writing, and research skills. A significant focus has been on writing informational essays, where students have learned to gather and synthesize information from various sources. This process involves identifying credible resources, evaluating the relevance of content, and integrating evidence effectively into their writing. Importantly, these research essays are closely tied to their Project-Based Learning (PBL) initiatives, allowing students to explore real-world problems and solutions while developing their academic skills. Through this practice, students have developed a deeper understanding of how to construct a well-organized essay that not only informs but also engages their readers by presenting facts in a coherent manner.

Additionally, students have been honing their ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and concisely. The content of their essays directly informs their presentation skills, as they prepare for their upcoming networking fair, where they will showcase their PBL City Solutions. They have explored various formats for presenting their research, including the use of graphic organizers to outline their essays and the Jane Schaffer writing method to ensure their arguments are well-supported. In the upcoming self and peer review sessions, students will be provided and receive constructive feedback, allowing them to refine their writing skills further. This collaborative learning environment has fostered a sense of community among students, encouraging them to share insights and perspectives while enhancing their analytical abilities. Overall, these experiences have equipped students with the tools they need to succeed in both academic and real-world contexts, particularly as they prepare for meaningful interactions at the networking fair.

In Geometry, students have been diving into hands-on learning by tackling the real-world challenge of building stairs. Using their math skills, they explored the relationships between parallel and perpendicular lines, slopes, and angles to ensure the stairs are both functional and structurally sound. By connecting these geometric concepts to practical applications, students not only deepened their understanding of the material but also gained valuable insight into how math plays a critical role in everyday life and engineering.

Our robotics team conducted its annual Mock Kick-Off where the students were given the challenge of designing and prototyping a robot that could successfully navigate a deep space environment. We used a previous year’s FRC rules to help our newest members learn how to create a robot.

2019 FIRST Robotics Competition Destination: Deep Space Game Animation - YouTube

New members, previous members, mentors, and officers were combined into strategy teams and asked to devise a plan on how to score max points in this particular robotics competition. Then they were tasked with designing a robot with mechanisms that could achieve the plan and overcome the field challenges.

Finally, students were asked to Mock-Up and prototype different parts of their robot’s design to provide a proof of concept and test whether their ideas would really work. We are growing great problem solvers!

English II/GT- In November, students showcased their creativity and critical thinking through The House on Mango Street projects which blended writing skills with meaningful personal connections to the text. After Thanksgiving break, they will focus on finalizing their Expository Essays. To close out the semester, students will read choice chapters from The Disappearing Spoon, select a novel from our classroom library for independent reading, and delve into Persuasive Essay writing. It’s been exciting to see their growth as readers, writers, and thinkers!

Algebra II/GT - In November, students learned about the characteristics and equations of quadratic functions. In December, we will solve quadratic equations with three different methods – factoring, the quadratic formula, and by completing the square. We will also learn how to fully simplify radical answers and properly express imaginary solutions.

AP World History- In AP World History, students have been participating in valuable simulations that showcase the types of trade conducted along the Silk Road. Students then did a simulation about the spread of the Black Plague and are exploring the negative and positive consequences of trade. We are beginning our unit on the Columbian Exchange and Land-Based Empires, so be sure to discuss with your student about whether your diets consist of food mostly from the Old World or New World and why!

Computer Science - In Computer Science I, we are finishing up Unit 4, Repetition & Loops. This type of Python coding is used to execute the same code multiple times. In a repetition statement, this is executed multiple times, such as writing "hello" a certain number of times. A loop is a control structure that repeats a block of code until a condition is met.

Computer Science II - Students are discussing the ethical and social implications of computing systems. This includes the professional computing code of ethics, system reliability, legal issues and intellectual property concerns, and bias in computing.

Computer Science III - Students will be focusing on GMetrix platform as they hone their Java skills on practice test questions for the JAVA IT Specialist industry-based certification exam that will be done in the Spring semester.

Chemistry Honors - This month in Honors Chemistry, we are diving into the fascinating world of the periodic table! Students are discovering how elements are organized based on their atomic structure and properties, and how periodic trends like atomic radius, ionization energy, and electronegativity influence their behavior. We're also learning the ins and outs of electron configurations, unlocking the secrets behind how electrons are arranged in atoms and how this affects chemical reactions. It's an exciting time as we connect these concepts to real-world chemistry and deepen our understanding of the elements that make up the world around us!

Juniors are ready to trot on into the Thanksgiving break…some students finished writing their process papers for English and submitted it early for bonus points…but most are going to submit it on December 2nd…maybe check in with your junior to see what their plan is.

We’re ending November with a Mini-PBL in physics where their team had to attract fictitious characters-represented by the junior team-to invest in their specific aerospace company. Students created and launched their team water/air propelled bottle rockets for height, completed a set of Rocket Science Problems, printed a pamphlet, and ultimately presented it to the investors. Ask them about our local billionaires: Kirsten Tells (book publisher), Jimmy Riviera (music producer), Jarvis McDuster (shoe polish entrepreneur), and Dr. Francis Smallhouse (reality tv

Seniors are celebrating the end of another successful PBL! They presented to students and visitors on National STEM Day, and got excellent feedback! We are very proud of their hard work.

Technical Writing is digging into task directions, and they’re excited to explain to Ms. Muire how to complete various tasks or activities. Sounds like she’s going to learn to pirouette, change a transmission, and perform specimen analysis in a microbiology lab, among other things. AP Literature is about halfway through Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and they’re enjoying the melodrama of fictional characters’ petty rivalries.

AP Environmental Science made mud pies last week! They were looking the textural and compositional characteristics of a soil sample, as well as chemical characteristics, like pH and atomic makeup.

AP Statistics just finished up learning how to design surveys and experiments. They learned how to avoid bias in data and the importance of ethics in Statistics.

AP Calculus finished up a unit on differentiation by learning how to apply the chain rule, implicit differentiation and the properties of inverse trig functions.

Contact Information:

Ms. Stacey Hernandez

Email: sherna5@neisd.net

Office Phone: 210-356-1002

STEM Office Phone: 210-356-1001

Email: ysarab@neisd.net
Website: www.neisd.net/stem
Location: STEM Academy - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Academy, Jackson Keller Road, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: (210) 356-1001
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMAcademyNEISD
Twitter: @neisd_stem

Email: svalle2@neisd.net
Website: www.neisd.net/stem
Location: STEM Academy - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Academy, Blanco Road, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-356-5501
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMAcademyNEISD
Twitter: @neisd_stem