Director's Cut November 2023 |
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“Each time we steal a student’s struggle; we steal the opportunity for them to build self-confidence. They must learn to do hard things to feel good about themselves. Self-confidence comes from being successful at something we perceive as difficult” Susan Windebrenner |
Everything we do, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is important. The same thing can be said for academics. No matter where you stand academically, what you do today in each task is what’s important. When we help a child understand that they are in control of their own success, it matters. Let’s not get so overwhelmed by things we cannot control, that we forget to take care of the things we can. On a personal level, how much does a smile matter? When we see yours in the parking lot, it makes our day better!! We hope ours makes yours better too! Thank you for staying positive and working with us to make our corner of the world a better place for our children and each other. We may not make a difference to the whole world…But we can make a difference for each other right here!!!
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Speaking of making a difference, The STEM National Honor Society is sponsoring a coin drive again this year. STEM is donating the proceeds of this years’ coin drive to SAFE PASSAGE. You may drop coins, cash, or checks to the office or have your children bring them to the coin drive buckets in their classrooms. ALL donations are tax deductible and the classroom with the most money donated will win a prize! |
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Top District in the State: |
While National scores in math, reading and science all went down, STEM Charter Academy student scores stayed atop the state standings!! WHY? Because we don’t follow national trends. We teach and our students learn!!! This is another example of what we mean when we say that WE are in control of our futures, not the news media, not the talking heads, not the politicians, and certainly not the status quo in education. We can, and do, have an elite education for our students right here in Rathdrum, Idaho!!!
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People can talk all they want, but it is results that matter. Thank you all for supporting what we do. Not just when it’s easy, but when it is difficult. Kindly revisit the quote at the beginning of the newsletter for reinforcement. |
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We also want to thank those of you that have taken the time to share your personal success stories about your children overcoming their challenges. Are we happy about academic success? Of course we are, but in the end we all know that it is really about teaching independence and persistence because those skills will follow them throughout their life journey. For those of you that are new to STEM, this is what a better education feels like. You’ve already made it through the adjustment period. Now just lean into it and trust the process. As you can see, IT WORKS!! As I said before, the beauty of success is that there is plenty of credit to go around. Thank you all again for your support and YOUR persistence. It is paying off BIG TIME!!
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Here Comes the 2nd Quarter!! |
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Conferences:
First quarter Parent/ Teacher/Student conferences will be held throughout this week including the evening of November 9th and all day on November 10th. We have done our best to make sure siblings have conferences that are close together. Secondary conferences (Grades 7-12) will be held in the new STEM building. This is an opportunity to work with your child’s teacher(s) to help implement some strategies to help improve their performance or just to help keep them going in the right direction. Parents, teachers, and students actively participating and working together are an unbeatable team!!! TRUST THE PROCESS. It is vitally important that your child be at the conference. Teachers and parents can talk all they want, but it is always the student’s understanding and actions that will make the difference. Please have them there. We would ask that you don’t bring other siblings to the conference if possible. Thank you.
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School Closures for snow, power outages, etc.:
We will post school closures on our website and Facebook as well as notify the 3 local news stations, KHQ- 6, KREM-2, KXLY-4. We will also send out an email to the same email address that receives this mailing. Please remember that we are our own district. There may be times when other districts close and we do not, we also may need to close when others don’t. |
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| Thank you Mr. Gill:
Keeping 7 acres of grounds and 65,000 square feet of facilities running safe and smoothly is a lot of work, and takes a vast skill set. We are very fortunate to have Mr. Gill taking care of all that! If you see him around campus, let him know how much you appreciate all he does for our school! |
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Changing weather:
Please remind your children to wear appropriate clothing for weather. Fresh air is important and children will be playing outside! Bring jackets, etc. for outside play. Please also note the difference between a sweatshirt and a jacket in the dress code. Thank you. |
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Online Grades:
You can keep up on your child’s progress by using our online grading program Power School Parent portal on the left side of our website. |
FLL Tournament at STEM Next Week:
Students in 4th through 8th grades have been working on their First Lego League notebooks, presentations, designs, builds and programming since the first weeks of school. Now it is time to compete!! Parents may come on Wednesday and Thursday mornings (November 15th and 16th) to watch the robot games in the gym!!! The top teams will advance to the regional competition! |
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Student Research Paper Published!!: Roman Guthrie McNerney has had his work published in The Journal of Student Research! CLICK HERE to go directly to his abstract. The page will offer the option to open the PDF of his 14-page report. |
Idaho Science & Aerospace Scholars:
Congratulations to Nic Gronlund and Jaren Knopp who have been selected for the ISAS program this year. Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars (ISAS) is a competitive program that allows high school juniors to take an engaging online NASA-developed course on Space Exploration through Idaho Digital Learning that teaches a broad range of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills. This graded course consists of eight online units and a semester project allowing students to build their knowledge of space exploration and its relationship to Idaho STEM. Master educators will work with students online throughout the course. Based on their performance in this course, students will be invited to participate in a week-long, all expenses paid, summer academy at Boise State University and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California!
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North Idaho Regional Scholastics Tournament:
The STEM Quiz bowl team scored 4th place in the Jr Division of the University of Washington Husky Fall Classic over the weekend. 11 schools from around the region competed to answer questions from all areas of knowledge, including history, literature, fine arts, science, current events, etc. Out of every 8th-12th grader in attendance, STEM's Cohen Macleod was top scorer, Ryan Liu second highest scorer, and Karalie Potter Best Bonus Support. Other STEM participants: Rush Gustafson, Luken Equsquiza, Emerson Schwartz and Dan Gourley also did a great job. Congratulations STEM students and Mrs. Carlson!!
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Student Leadership Council: |
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| Ava Keppner; Nathaniel Torrieri |
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| Maria Tiffany; Amelia Freeman |
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| Tess Fallquist; Cohen MacLeod |
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| Marley Bilski; Micah Collins |
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Morning Drop-Off:
For the safety of your children, please do not have them on campus prior to 7:40 AM. We do not have supervision on the playground prior to that time. Thank you for your help in this area. |
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Yearbook Photos:
We will be accepting submissions for yearbook photos throughout the year. If you take pictures of any STEM activities for classroom projects, stargazing, or any community activities your child may be involved in, please email to stemyearbook@northidahostem.org at the highest resolution possible. |
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Student Planners:
Students planners are still available in the main office for $3 each. These are an excellent way to help your child stay organized! |
IXL:
PLEASE utilize this valuable part of our math & ELA curriculum at home to either fill some gaps or challenge them!! --> https://www.ixl.com/signin/northidahostem |
Thanks for a great first quarter!!
Until next time, we'll see you in the parking lot!!! |
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Scott Thomson Executive Director STEM Charter Academy |
| Travis Swick Principal STEM Charter Academy |
| Cyndi Cook Vice Principal STEM Charter Academy |
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15633 N Meyer Rd. Rathdrum, ID 83858
(208) 687-8002 |
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