STEAM Academy Family Newsletter

STEAM Families,

We've had a very busy week as we welcomed close to 90 visitors in the building on Tuesday. I was very proud of our school community as we embraced the disruption to our normal day and shared what makes our program so special. We often take for granted what we have here, but the feedback we received from the visitors was overwhelmingly positive. I will share more insights and pictures below.

Next Thursday is Halloween and we will allow our students to wear school appropriate costumes.

Please help us ensure that students follow these specific guidelines when it comes to costumes, or we will have to call home to request a change of clothing.

* No masks or head coverings that cover the entire face or head. We have to be able to identify the student.

* No weapons or look alike weapons of any kind. When in doubt, don't!

* No liquids (fake blood, hair dye, silly string, etc.)

* No inflatable costumes that will prevent students from sitting in class or others from maneuvering around class.

* All costumes must be school appropriate.

We want students to enjoy the day and have fun, but we have to make sure we follow expectations. Our STEAM Staff has decided to go with a country music singer theme so get ready to see the adults having fun as well.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Dr. Flores

• November 5: Election Day - No School
• November 15: STEAM Picture Day
• November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break

Our weekly Goal for Average Daily Attendance is 95%. Please help us reach this goal weekly by encouraging your students to come to school and be on time. Students who are excessively late to school will also factor into truancy referrals, so signing in late to school in the mornings does impact student attendance.

If your student is out for any reason, you have three school days after the absence to turn in an excuse note or a doctor's note. After three days, the absence will remain unexcused. To log an excuse note, please see the following link or email our attendance specialist, Erin Grupe.

Report an Absence

Please remember to make use of the student drop off loop in the morning. It is easiest to enter the campus at the light on Georgetown Rd. and follow the loop all the way around to the front (Green arrow in the photo below). We still have drivers pulling in spots and forcing their students to walk across traffic which is very unsafe. We have also had some concerned drivers express frustration over drivers who enter campus using the bus entrance and driving over the curb to get into the flow of traffic (Do not use the red arrow bus entrance pictured below to come onto campus). This forces those who are using the loop properly to stop and have to allow others who are not using the proper road to enter the flow of traffic. Please do not drive over the curb that is located near the Success Academy entrance and do not expect those who are using the correct flow of traffic to stop and let you into the car line. You may notice barriers there at that curb next week so please do not move them as that side of the building is monitored by cameras.

Please visit the following link to download the information on how to become a parent/guardian observer on your student's Canvas Account. Canvas is where all live grades will be housed and where you can keep up with all STEAM Assignments. If your student will not share their password with you, never fear....just email Ashley Rosen with any questions or to reset a student password. If you have any issues setting up your Canvas account, please call the FCPS Tech Help Desk at 859-422-5555.

Please make sure all students are bringing their Chromebooks fully charged each day to school. We do not many devices to loan to students for daily use and if students are needing to use a loaner Chromebook, we will ask for collateral by asking students to trade their cell phones for the Chromebook to ensure that students return the loaner at the end of the block/day.

ESS is now under way for those students who feel like they need extra support in their classes. ESS is a time to work with content teachers, catch up on missed work, or complete re-assessments. It is not a time to stay and socialize. Students will be required to sign up outside the teacher's door they plan to stay with so we can have an accurate accounting of who is staying. Students must be picked up promptly at 4pm when they stay. If you have any questions, please email our ESS coordinator, Mrs. Rose. The weekly ESS schedule is attached.

Every year, STEAM students present a Defense of Learning. This is a formal presentation where students explain and provide evidence of the ways in which they demonstrate the STEAM Habits.

Each grade-level has specific requirements for the format and delivery of the Defense, and students will learn more about those requirements in Advisory next week, along with the criteria and rubric that will be used to evaluate their Defenses. While students will receive guidance in their Advising sessions, students will most likely also need to work on, practice, and revise their Defenses outside of school to be successful.

Timeline:

* Freshmen will present their defenses in April.

* Sophomores will present their defenses the first week of December. A successful defense is required for participation in Dual Credit their junior year.

*Juniors will present their defenses in March.

*Seniors will present their defenses in February. Seniors who successfully defend at the highest level on the rubric will graduate with distinction.

We will provide additional details about dates and times, expectations, and resources soon. In the meantime, you can help your student prepare by: Asking questions about how they are going to defend their habits, providing feedback on the materials they prepare for their defense, and having them practice their defense presentation for you.

For those students enrolled in Dual Credit with BCTC or UK, please check the live document that is updated frequently with all information related to Dual Credit. If you have specific questions, please contact Mr. Ridd or Mrs. Strange.

Information Page for ordering a cap and gown: Cap and Gown Information

Google form link to submit height, weight, home high school to order cap and gown.

https://forms.gle/g7GJ6fX5GCapWh8z8

Do NOT order a cap and gown from your home school. The same cap and gown ordered through STEAM will be used at both the STEAM graduation and the home high school graduations at Rupp.

If you have any needs, please reach out to Ms. Bell.

Lexington Sister Cities is now accepting applications for our 2025 Youth Exchange Programs. Lexington has four sister cities; Shinhidaka, Japan; Newmarket, England; County Kildare, Ireland; and Deauville, France. The deadline for applications is Friday, November 15, 2024. Please see information below on how to apply!

The STEAM PTSA would love for all students and families to join the Parent, Teacher, Student Association. The goal is to get at least 110 members this year so please help us in reaching that goal. We are currently at 103 members!! We are so close! JOIN PTSA

Email PTSA President Sarah Barrett with any questions.

The Unity, Belonging & Student Efficacy team of FCPS, along with STEAM Academy, have chosen to celebrate a student each month that exemplifies a "Unity Champion". A Unity Champion ensures and promotes unity, belonging and student efficacy at their school or in the community. Teachers and staff nominate these students monthly, and they will receive recognition from the district for their efforts. Our first Unity Champion is Gift Amuguni.

Each year, schools have the opportunity to earn Bronze, Silver, or Gold Staus based on their PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) efforts. PBIS refers to a systems change process in which a school district and/or individual school teaches and rewards behavioral expectations in the same way core curriculum subjects are traditionally taught and rewarded. We work very hard to ensure that our STEAM Habits are a core focus and that our discipline incidents remain one of the lowest in the district. Most schools do not earn any status level, and it is an honor to be selected as a Bronze Level School for the 23-24 school year. For the current school year, we will continue to work with and support our students to maintain that bronze level status or higher. See linked for our congratulatory letter from the Commissioner of Education.

Each week we will try to spotlight staff members, students, community partners, a school event, a school club, etc. that adds value to our school community. This week we are spotlighting our STEAM NGLC (Next Generation Learning Challenges) Visit.

As mentioned previously, this past Tuesday we welcomed participants from the NGLC Learning Excursion. The participants visited classrooms, listened to teacher and student panels, and were able to participate in workshops related to advisory, grading, administration, defenses of learning, and design challenges. It was a tiring day for our students and staff, but the participants were so appreciative of us opening our doors for them to learn. Here are some of the initial quotes that were sent to me from some of the guests:

"Dual enrollment instead of AP - what an amazing and obvious idea to help get kids to where they'd like to be. I also loved how clearly the habits were central to do that. I keep on being interested in the concept of semester-based learning and I think that, if designed well, it could work nicely at Gateway."

"One take away is how student-centered Steam Academy is."

"Takeaway: advisory rotations allow teachers to become experts in one aspect and not somewhat knowledgeable in 3 or more. This could be an effective way to bring Advisory back to my district in a way to support the students as a whole."

"Habits driving educational vision and instruction."

"The defense of learning is a rigorous “proof” of mastery, which enables students to own their own learning."

Linked below is a Google Folder with some pictures from the day and also linked is the story of the visit on the FCPS Website. I am so thankful to all our staff and students for making the day such a success.

NGLC Photos

NGLC Summary on FCPS Website

Email: christopher.flores@fayette.kyschools.us
Website: www.steam.fcps.net
Location: 1555 Georgetown Road, Lexington, KY, USA
Phone: (859) 422-0048
Facebook: facebook.com/steamacademyfcps
X: @STEAMhigh