Head of School Update

Mr. Art Campbell, Head of School

Ms. Kelly Stauffer, Admin. Asst. to the Head of School

We hope everyone is having a great start to their summer and enjoying the beautiful weather we are having thus far!

Please be reminded that summer office hours will begin next week should you need assistance. Offices will be open between the hours of 7:00 am - 4:00 pm and all visitors should come to the front office to check in to the building.

School will resume on Monday, August 26, 2024. Please take a moment to review the 2024-2025 District Calendar which was board approved on January 10, 2024. If you are planning a family trip, please be sure to turn in the Request Form for Educational and Family Trips, no less than 2 weeks prior to the request.

STEM Academy Counseling Office will be open throughout the summer. The link to the counselor availability is listed below.

2024 Summer Counseling Office Hours STEM Academy

If your student is in need of immediate assistance please contact Ms. Stephanie Rockowitz and she will connect you with someone that can assist you. If you are in need of a work permit, please find the application location in the STEM Back Pack at the bottom of the page under Work Permits. Permits can be obtained in the counseling office. Please be sure to review and provide the necessary documentation listed on the website.

Course Change Requests should be entered through the Course Change Request form. That information will be processed in a timely manner and the form should be completed by the student using their student DASD email address.

Class of 2025 Senior Portraits are currently under way this week in the STEM Academy Gym. Once this session closes, the second session will open for anyone that was not able to make their appointment this week. There are still a few sessions that are available for tomorrow, June 13:

• Direct Link to Book an Appointment

Scheduling for the next session dates below will not open until after the first session has been completed. Upcoming dates are listed below and are the only sessions available for senior portraits:

• July 15-18, 2024 (9:00 am - 3:00 pm)
• September 3-5, 2024 (These sessions will be held from 3:00 pm-9:00 pm.)

If there are any questions, please email kstauffer@dasd.org. All information for the Class of 2025 can be found on our website throughout the year: STEM Academy Class of 2025 Important Reminders.

Below you will find summer assignments for all students in grades 9-12 for the 2024/2025 school year.

Additional Summer Assigments for STEM Students Grades 9-12

Ms. Katherine Cole, Dean of Academics & Student Life

Ms. Kaitlin Brinker, Admin. Asst.

Information for Clubs for the 24-25 School Year will be shared in mid September. Stay tuned!

Please take a moment to view the Student Life Year in Review created by Ms. Cole....have a great summer!

Ms. Susan Boardman, Internships and Partnerships Leader

Ms. Kaitlin Brinker, Admin. Asst. to the Head of School

Class of 2025: Have questions or concerns related to your summer career explorations? Please reach out with any questions to both Ms. Boardman and Ms. Brinker and they will be able to assist you. We look forward to hearing what you have learned!

As the school year is winding down, it is that time of year that the district asks all families to complete the student contact information confirmation process for your child. This process asks families to check and update student and parent information. It also serves as a way to communicate important policies to our families.

Ensuring that we have accurate demographic, health and contact information for your child directly impacts our ability to best serve our students. Additionally, it is an essential piece to ensuring student safety.

**Please complete the “2024-2025 School Year” for Existing Student Registration as circled in the image ; detailed instructions are also listed below.

This process takes place in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal (www.dasd.org/parentportal) and should be completed on either a computer or tablet as it does not function best on the app.

We are asking families to complete this process by Friday, September 20th for the 2024/2025 school year. All families that have a student attending a DASD school or the Downingtown Cyber Academy must complete this process. Changes you make may not be visible right away in the parent portal as we work to process the information.

Families New to DASD: The confirmation process will be very similar to the new student registration application you completed to enroll your child. We ask that complete the confirmation process through the Parent Portal so that we have the most update to date information for your child.

If there are any questions regarding this process, please contact Ms. Rockowitz in the STEM Counseling office.

• Technology related questions – Enter a ticket at https://servicedesk.dasd.org/support/home

Ms. Stephanie Rockowitz, Counseling Secretary/Registrar

• To schedule an appt. to visit your school counselor, please complete the following form: Counseling Appointment Request Form
• Additional Resources from the STEM Counseling Department

Ms. Jennifer Stull, Prevention Specialist

Guide to Districtwide Mental Health Resources

Mrs. Hewitt: Last Names A-L

Mrs. Glowik: Last Names M-Z

If you have any difficulty signing up for an appointment, please contact Stephanie Rockowitz .

Summer Opportunities

Looking for a summer program or opportunity? Be sure to check out our updated Summer and Pre-College Programs list featuring opportunities in the fields of STEM, communications, law, the military, and more! As a courtesy, we ask that students give counselors and/or teachers at least 10 school days as notice prior to a deadline when asking for any required letters of recommendation or transcripts.

Additional Resources

College App Workshop presentation

Common Date Set Overview

US Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Thank you to the 2023-2024 STEM HSA Board and all of the volunteers that were able to make this year a success.

President: Michelle Smith

Co-Vice Presidents: Mary Gasser and Heather Steiger

Co-Treasurers: Darah Fildore and Christa Midgett

Secretary: Kerri Roberts

Below are the incoming members for the 2024-2025 HSA Board:

President: Kerri Roberts

Co-Vice Presidents: Mary Gasser and Heather Steiger

Secretary - Marcie Epstein

Treasurer - Kousalya Alapati

Thank you to all of our Post Prom Sponsors and Donors! We are truly grateful for your help and support in making the Post Prom event possible for the 2024 Seniors. They had a wonderful and safe time thanks to you!

Bing Bang Benefactors
Advocates Outreach, Inc.
Christine Meyer, MD & Associates

Shooting Star Supporters
Al Pastor
TRU North Heating and Air

Planetary Partners
Eagle Family & Implant Dentistry PC
James J. Terry Funeral Homes
Malvern Collision Service

Cosmic Collaborators
Bruce A Colley, D.O. Family Practice
Concordville Dental office, Dr. Doug Filidore
Morey's Piers & Water Parks
Palace Bowling and Entertainment Center
Smedley Orthodontics
Spatola's Pizza

Wegmans Downingtown

Additional Donors that supported our food, activities, and/or prizes
Acme Thorndale
Board and Brush Downingtown
Brady Orthodontics PC
Brickside Grille
Crop's Fresh Marketplace Downingtown
Giant Lionville
Giant Thorndale
Herr's
Lione's Pizza
Lionville Beverage
MaGerk’s Pub & Grill Restaurant
Philadelphia Union
Wawa
XGolf - Chester Springs

A huge thank you to all of the parents who also made monetary, food, and/or prize donations!!

Sincerely,

The Post Prom Committee

Big Announcement! The STEM Choir will be participating in a Disney performance trip next year 2/12/25 to 2/16/25! Congratulations!!

East Marching Band will be going to Honolulu, HI December 7, 2024 to perform in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade representing Pennsylvania.

Registration is still open for our Pearl Harbor Parade trip. DHSE 2024 Hawaii Trip Information & Registration Packet click here for packet.

Save the Date: Sunday, May 19, East Marching Band will be hosting a mattress fundraiser. More details to follow soon!

Many thanks to the volunteers that made the Fall and Spring Concession Stand seasons a success! The Concession Stand at Kottmeyer Stadium is one of the MPA's top fundraisers each year and we could not do it without our outstanding volunteers!

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart.” – Elizabeth Andrew

WaWa Shorti Hoagie Coupons - ONLY $5 EACH! Get your favorite WaWa Hoagies at a discount! These are great gifts for the kids, gifts for bus drivers, teachers, quick meals on the go, etc. Be sure to get yours today!
STEM Representative Tina Ayala can be reached at 908-591-7646 or tayala12@gmail.com

Proceeds benefit all of the Downingtown Music Programs through the Music Parents Association.

All students at STEM are encouraged to participate in athletic programs offered at their home schools.

An activity bus is available for students heading to East to participate daily, and is located in the bus loop at dismissal.

To find more information about what sports are offered at your students’ homeschool, please choose one of the following that links directly to the correct Athletics page:

Downingtown East High School Athletics

Downingtown East High School Athletics Schedule

AND

Downingtown West High School Athletics

Downingtown West High School Athletics Schedule

Student Drop Off

Please be reminded that students are to be dropped off behind the school. No students should be dropped off on Manor Ave. We appreciate your cooperation. Safety is always our first priority.

Also for the safety of all students and staff crossing back and forth during lunch time, the entrance to the STEM Academy on Campbell Drive will be closed during all lunch times for the remainder of the school year. Please use the West entrance to access the campus during that time.

Parking Permit Update: Due to the ongoing construction on the West Campus, parking permits this year are limited at both West and STEM. Currently any student that applied for a parking permit, and that were placed on the waitlist, are still on the waitlist, as we have reached the maximum number of parking permits we are able to distribute. Should more spaces become available we will begin to process applications in the order they were received.

Traffic: Please review the student pick up and drop off procedures located under School Day on our Website.

Bus Passes are for Emergency use only. All bus rosters are full and only in the event of an emergency will a student be allowed to ride a different bus home. The request for a bus pass should come to the main office and will need approval from Mr. Campbell.

• Online Registration: Please remember to complete the Online Registration for your child(ren). This will provide me with updated health information as well as give permission for over the counter medication this school year. Go to Infinite Campus Parent Portal to complete the process.
• Medication: Students are only permitted to carry emergency medication (Epinephrine, Asthma inhalers, and diabetes medication). Any medication to be administered during the school day, should follow our current medication policy (attach board policy) and complete the authorization for medication administration
• Please contact Ms. Jennifer Mikulich with any questions or concerns.

• 2024-2025 School Year

  The DASD 2024-2025 Calendar was board approved on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Please note the change in school start times as shared on the district website and noted below:

  The schedule for the 2024-25 school year is as follows:

  
  

  • Elementary (Grades K-6): 9:00 a.m.-3:35 p.m.
  • Secondary (Grades 7-12): 8:00 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
  
  
• Infinite Campus: Student schedules, report cards, and access to updating the annual registration verification can be accessed here.
• Payschools: All Activity, Technology and Food services fees can be paid quickly and easily in this portal. (All parking permit fees should now be showing in student accounts.)
• Schoology: Many courses and classes are updated daily. This is a very important tool for communicating!
• Service Desk: Technology support can be accessed here. Please review the directions for the new platform for service desk request for the 23-24 school year.

The Downingtown STEM Academy is the third high school in the Downingtown Area School District. The STEM Academy opened in the fall of 2011 at 335 Manor Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335.

The Academy is an IB World School offering every student the opportunity to earn an IB Diploma. The curriculum offers Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Pathways. Students are engaged in rigorous, challenging academic work that requires a mindset of growth and effort.

Email: stinfo@dasd.org
Website: https://st.dasd.org/
Location: 335 Manor Avenue, Downingtown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-269-2420