Hello STEM Families. As we approach the end of the school year, be sure to mark your calendars with Important Dates. In the next two weeks, we have the 8th Grade Washington Trip, Track State Championships, CUSD Spring Concert, and Decision Day! For returning Families, please read the Academic Updates and ensure your Student finishes strong - there are still four weeks remaining to improve grades!

Let's congratulate our Students of the Month!

8th Grade: Saaniya Madison & Alonte Smith

9th Grade: Joseph Pollard & Yaxiel Rodriguez-Pinero

10th Grade: Yuriza Coronado & Andy Lopez

12th Grade: Zionna Stansbury & Angel Lawson

On Thursday, May 16, STEM hosted the CUSD Math 24 Competition. Our 8th Grade competitors, Kali Byrd, Princess Jones, Saaniya Madison, and Khymir Brown performed well.

Special thanks to Ms. Skelly for leading our participants, as well as STEM Juniors Shamaad Cottman, Armand Phillips, and Nyseem Dawson who served as Proctors.

Keystone Exams and the Spring Testing Season will come to and end this week! Tomorrow is the final day of regularly scheduled exams, then the remainder of the week will be make-ups for those who missed their tests. Thank you to Parents and Families who ensured their Students were on time and present on testing days.

When your Student is testing, please ensure that:

• They Arrive to School on Time
• Their Chromebook is Charged
• They get a Good Night of Sleep

PSSA Exams (All 8th Grade Students) - COMPLETE

April 23-25 & April 30-May 2

NOCTI Exams (12th Grade CTE Students) - COMPLETE

April 23-25

AP Exams (Students in AP Classes) - COMPLETE

May 7: AP Geography

May 8: AP Literature

May 9: AP Psychology

Keystone Literature (All 10th Grade Students) - COMPLETE

May 14-15

Keystone Algebra & Biology (All 9th Grade Students)

May 16-17: Algebra - COMPLETE

May 20-21: Biology

All 9th, 10th and 11th Grade Students should complete Course Selection by this Wednesday, May 22. Counselors met with Students in their English classes over the past three school days to inform Students of the process. Families, you can ask your Student to show you the courses they selected on their Chromebooks.

We are fast approaching the conclusion of the 2023-24 School Year. While the Spring is an exciting time, it is important to remember there is a great deal of important school work that still must be done.

Families of Students who are in danger of failing have received a second round of Academic Warning Letters. Earlier in the Winter, Students who had failed one or more Core Academic Classes were advised to attend the After School Program for extra help.

All STEM Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to remain enrolled. Support for struggling Students continues to be available.

Students who receive failing grades in more than one Core Academic Class for the year will be assigned to mandatory Summer Credit Recovery. Those Students who do not successfully complete their Credit Recovery courses will not return to STEM for the 2024-25 School Year.

If you have received an Academic Warning Letter, please reach out to your Student's Counselor for more information.

Save the Following Important Dates:

Monday, May 27: Memorial Day Holiday - No School

Friday, May 31: Final Grades Due for Seniors

Thursday, June 6: Half-Day for Students

Friday, June 7: Final Grades Due for Grades 8-11; Half-Day for Students

Wednesday, June 12: 8th Grade Promotion

Thursday, June 13: Graduation; No School for Students in Grades 8-11

Friday, June 14: Final Day of School for Students

We are getting closer to celebrating our newest class of CUSD Graduates. Families of Seniors, your Student received the 2024 Graduation Information Sheet. This sheet contains critical details about Graduation and other year-end events. Be sure to ask your Student to see the sheet if you haven't already, or email Principal Bell to receive a copy.

This year, the Decision Day ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 30. Please contact Mr. Franklin (efranklin@chesteruplandsd.org) for more information.

The annual CUSD Spring Concert will be held next Wednesday, May 29 at 5:30 in the Auditorium at CHS. There will be many performers by CUSD Students of all ages. We hope to see you there!

The Admissions Period for the 2024-25 School Year is now open. Use the link below to begin an application. All Students who reside within the boundaries of the Chester Upland School District and are entering Grades 9-12 next year are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Additional information regarding the application and Admissions Process are available at the link below.

2024-25 New Student Application

Hello Parents,

Allergy season is here, and I want to give a few suggestions and reminders for everyone who suffers from allergies. Due to high pollen count this time of year, allergy symptoms are high. Remember, some classrooms will have windows open when the classroom temperatures allow. I am not able to give allergy medicine so here are a few things that can help minimize your child's discomfort:

1. PLEASE GIVE ALLERGY MEDICINE AT HOME!

1. Allergy medication should be taken daily, once a day. Taking medication (Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra, etc.) in the evenings will cause less drowsiness while in school and help with the discomfort of symptoms such as sneezing, itchy throat, itchy eyes, watery eyes, stuffy or runny nose, dry cough, etc.

2. If your child requires eye drops or nasal spray to be given in school, even over-the-counter medication, a written prescription from your physician is required, along with medication in its original unopened package.

3. If your child's allergies trigger Asthma symptoms and your child requires an as-needed inhaler, please make sure that I am aware, and that your child has their prescribed inhaler on them.

4. Benadryl is not given for allergies.

1. Benadryl is given for an allergy reaction (respiratory distress, hives, rash, etc.), not for allergy symptoms. If a student is given Benadryl, that student MUST be picked up within 25-30 minutes.

Also, please remind students to carry bottles of water. The building can get hot as the temperature outside rise. Staying hydrated is key.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank You,

Nurse Dale

Vaping carries short and long term health risks for adolescents and we are committed to reducing our Students exposure to these dangers. Over the past few weeks, we have had an increasing number of Students in possession of, and using vapes. Possessing a vape is a violation of the School Code of Conduct, and we will continue to issue consequences for Students who break the rules. Even greater consequences are in place for those who are found to be distributing these devices to other Students. Heightened security measures are in place at this time in order for us to reduce Student use of vapes.

We are also asking for assistance from Parents. Often when we catch a Student with a vape, Parents are surprised to learn their Student has been engaged in this activity. The reality is that young people across this area can easily obtain these items, and are using them far more frequently than Parents often realize. Speaking with your Child about this can prevent them from finding themselves in trouble, and more importantly reduce the likelihood they engage in this unhealthy activity.

It is critical that our Office have the most up to date contact information for you and your Student, and we are only aware of changes if we are notified. If any of the below information has changed since your Student enrolled at STEM, please reach out to Ms. Jones (yjones@chesteruplandsd.org) and Ms. Dixon (ldixon@chesteruplandsd.org) as soon as possible.

Phone Number

Address

Email Address

Emergency Contacts

The Spring Sports Season will conclude this week with the Track & Field State Championships at Shippensburg University. Once again the Clippers will be representing. Good luck to our Competitors:

A'Lasia Mosley

Ja'Naisa Dearry

Daleeah Alexander

Da'Mira Allen

Niya Jeffers

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