Okaloosa STEMM Academy 379 Edge Avenue Valparaiso, FL 32580 (P) 850-833-4120 OSA Bi-Monthly Update July 7, 2017 Another incredibly successful season for Okaloosa STEMM Academy FIRST LEGO League Robotics!! L-R: Dylan Chen, Matthew VandenBoom, Kevin Reece, Conrad Kiel, Devin Hall, William Harter, Emilio Salvador. Swarm team members in red shirts, Stingers in blue Both STEMM Academy FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics teams, the STEMM Stingers (veteran team), and STEMM Swarm (rookie team), advanced through the season to compete in one of the highest levels of competition in the FLL world! The Stingers and the Swarm engineered, core valued and innovated their way through qualifying, regional, and state competitions, to cap off an amazing season at the University of Arkansas s FLL Razorback Invitational. Their experience at the international invitational afforded them the opportunity to learn from and share with teams from all over the world! This is the second year that the 1
STEMM Academy FLL teams have advanced to this impressive level. A huge thank you goes out to our school, district, and community sponsors!! With High 5s and Admiration, STEMM Stingers & STEMM Swarm P.S. This year s rookies will become next year s veterans, so if your student is interested in becoming a STEMM Swarm team member please do not hesitate to contact our FLL lead coach, Jennifer Kiel at stemmfll@gmail.com for more information. 2
Come one! Come All! 2017-2018 School Year Orientation Save the Date: Tuesday August 8 th 1:30 pm 3:00 pm OR 5:30 pm 7:00 pm At Orientation, pick up your schedule, see your classroom, and meet your teacher. Dear Parents, Lockers are now available for payment ($5.00) through the districts Online School Payments Portal for your convenience. The weblink for sign-in/registration is https://osp.osmsinc.com/okaloosa/login.aspx. There is an 18 cent fee for online payment. If your child is playing sports at Lewis or their zoned school where they will need to bring their equipment during the school day please email Ms. Calhoun at Neely.Calhoun@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us and let her know what sport they are playing, equipment being brought to school and which school they will be representing. 3
Parents of incoming 6 th grade students, In order to provide you with a more efficient and convenient method for purchasing the specific school supplies needed for your child s classes here at STEMM, we are offering an online ordering process for 6 th grade school supplies. The exact supplies your child needs this year for all 6 th grade classes, with the exception of any elective other than Research I and any technology such as a flash drive, calculator, or mouse, has been included in this school supply packet. The supplies are being purchased at the school s contracted discount rate and provides you with a substantial savings. You will be able to go to https://osp.osmsinc.com/okaloosa/login.aspx to log in/register and order a 6 th grade supply packet for your child at a reduced price of $30 which includes sales tax. There is a small convenience fee of $1.05 for ordering online. Normally, the retail price for ordering these supplies averages about $77. This opportunity saves you approximately $47 plus time and gas driving around town to get the correct supplies. In addition to the online ordering process, we are also offering a prepaid option for anyone that does not want to order online. If you would like to pre-order a 6 th grade school supply packet without utilizing the online option, there will be forms available at the STEMM office for you to complete. Please fill out a 6 th grade school supply pre-order form and include your payment (check or cash) in the attached envelope. Sales tax is still included in the $30 cost for the supplies but there is no convenience fee for the prepaid option. The deadline for all prepaid orders is Wednesday, July 26. Orders will be placed at the close of the business day on Wednesday, July 26 to allow time to the supplies to arrive and get sorted for the students. No late orders will be accepted. Anyone missing the deadline to order supplies either online or through the prepaid option will be responsible for purchasing the required school supplies on their own. The supplies will be distributed by the time school starts. 4
7 th and 8 th Grade Core Supply Lists Students may use the attached 7 th or 8 th Grade Core Supply list to purchase the supplies that are needed for the upcoming year. Both math classes are listed; therefore, the student will need to look at the correct math class that applies to him or her. Mrs. Matheson has the same supply list for both of her classes. It is listed below in Notes From Your Teachers. Required supply lists for elective classes should be available when students pick up their schedule at Open House. ATTENTION ALL UPCOMING STUDENTS 7th Grade Vaccination Requirements Students who will be entering the 7th grade for the 2017-2018 school year are required to have one dose of the Tdap vaccine. They must have the vaccine administered before entering classes on the first day of school. You can drop off the shot record at the STEMM office Monday Friday, 7:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. 5
Notes From Your Teachers Information from Mrs. Matheson (Algebra 1 and Geometry) I post weekly lesson plans every Sunday afternoon on REMIND. I also send out NOTES TO BE COPIED prior to coming to class. You may send me messages through the system as well. Please register today at www.remind.com and for convenience, download the free app. Students, please use the name you use in the classroom (first name and initial of last name) not gamer names, etc. when registering. Geometry Parents and Students class code: hh2afk Algebra Parents and Students class code: hbb39 Student supplies: In a pencil bag brought to class every day: PENCILS, PENCILS, and more PENCILS! Glue sticks, Highlighters, 6 inch ruler 180 page spiral notebook for math notes Notebook paper for classroom/homework assignments Graph paper (1/4 inch, NOT engineering graph paper the squares are too small) TI 30Xa scientific calculator Students may use a calculator from the class set if desired (This gives students familiarity with the functions of the calculator that is allowable to use on the EOC/FSA). 3 ring binder for consumable book pages (keep at home) 6
Mrs. W. Avery would like you to join STEMM Parents! To receive messages via text, Text @79eebk to 81010. You can opt-out of messages at anytime by replying, 'unsubscribe @79eebk'. Trouble using 81010? Try texting @79eebk to (850) 200-0790 instead. Or to receive messages via email, send an email to 79eebk@mail.remind.com To unsubscribe, reply with unsubscribe in the subject line. WHAT IS REMIND AND WHY IS IT SAFE? Remind is a free, safe, and simple messaging tool that helps teachers and administrators share important updates and reminders with students & parents. Subscribe by text, email or using the Remind app. All personal information is kept private. Teachers will never see your phone number, nor will you see theirs. 7
SAC Committee The SAC Committee will meet on four Tuesday afternoons during the year. First meeting will be on September 19 th at 3:00 pm in CSI. If you are interested in serving on the Okaloosa STEMM Academy School Advisory Council for the 2017-2018 school year, please email me at averyw@mail.okaloosa.k12.fl.us Transportation Hub Stops 2017-2018 Morning Afternoon Pryor Middle School (AM pickup) Choctaw High School (PM drop off) Bus 00-7 6:30 am 2:15 pm Eglin AFB Youth Center Bus 00-7 6:45 am 2:00 pm Destin Middle School (front parking lot) Bus 04-14 6:40 am 2:10 pm Bluewater Elementary (sidewalk front of school) Bus 04-14 6:55 am 1:55 pm Shoal River Middle School (front parking lot Bus 02-19 nearest Redstone) 6:30 am 2:25 pm OSA 7:00 7:10 am 1:45 pm Uniforms Stitch FX at 176-B Eglin Parkway NE (850-664-0200) is our uniform provider. Eagles Nest in Niceville also provides some uniform pieces. Plain Front Khaki or Navy Pants, shorts, skort, or skirt. (Minimum length is no less than 3 above top of knee) Short or long sleeve Royal Blue or Red Polo with STEMM Logo. (May wear white long sleeve shirt under short sleeve polo) Shoes (closed toed) should be black, brown, or navy. (White tennis shoes are also acceptable) Red or royal blue polar fleece; red or the royal blue cardigan or sweater vest, red sweatshirt with STEMM logo (NO Hoodies) For PE- navy shorts or sweat pants, long or short sleeve heather gray t-shirt or sweatshirt 8
A Message from The best schools in America include parent participation through organizations such as PTO. You too can help toward making this year the best it can be for your child by participating in PTO sponsored events. Can you commit to as little as four hours a year volunteering? We hope so! There are many events that are available for you to choose from. We ask for your participation. Please join our organization to help make this school year the best it can be. To learn more about the PTO by click this link PTO Web Page. will be held during the school year on the first Wednesday of every month at 4:00 p.m. in the MPR at STEMM. Please join our organization to help make this school year the best it can be. 9
Need reminders for our school events? Signup for REMIND for STEMMPTO 2017-18 https://www.remind.com/join/osapto2017 or text: 81010 with the message: @osapto2017 We are reaching out to volunteers to help support the upcoming summer events. Please click on this signupgenius link to view and select an event where you can help. Help sell items from the school store or serve up some food. Thank you!! 10
The PTO is sponsoring a Tears and Cheers & Welcome event for all parents and guardians on the first day of school in the STEMM CSI building beginning at 7:00 a.m. and ending at 8:30 a.m. Breakfast treats will be served! REQUEST FOR UNIFORMS SUBMISSION If your student has any gently used uniforms they ve outgrown, please consider donating them to our school store. All proceeds benefit our PTO which in turn supports student functions. Please only submit clothing that adheres to the school uniform requirements and clothing that has been washed. 11
Mark Your Calendar 2017 July 18 th Summer Social All are welcome 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. July 25 th 27 th Science Fair Boot Camp 9:00 a.m. noon August 2 nd PTO Meeting August 3 rd Hive Event August 7 th 9 th Teachers Only - Pre-School Planning August 8 th STEMM Orientation 1:30 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 7:00 p.m. August 10 th First Day of school for students August 10 th Tears and Cheers for parents 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the CSI Sept 4 th Labor Day Holiday September 6 th PTO Meeting at STEMM in the MPR 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. September 19 th SAC Meeting in CSI at 3:00 p.m. September 29 th Back-to-School Dance 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. October 4 th PTO Meeting at STEMM in the MPR 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. October 4 th Teacher & Staff Luncheon 11:00 12:00 October 6 th End: 1 st Grading Period October 9 th Teacher Work Day / Student Holiday October 23 rd 27 th Sell Candy grams during lunch October 31 st Delivery of Candy Grams November 1 st PTO Meeting at STEMM in the MPR 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. November 6 th 9 th Penny Wars between Advisories November 10 th Veterans Day Holiday November 20-24 th Thanksgiving Holidays December 3 rd PTO Meeting at STEMM in the MPR 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. December 11 th 15 th Sell Candy Grams during lunch 11:00 a.m. to noon December 13 th Teacher & Staff Luncheon 11:00 a.m. to noon December 19 th End of First Semester December 20 th - Jan 2 nd Winter Break Holidays 12
Mark Your Calendar 2018 January 3 rd January 10 th January 15 th January 26 th February 5 th 9 th February 7 th February 14 th February 19 th March 7 th March 15 th March 15 th March 16 th March 19 th 23 rd April 4 th April 20 th May 2 nd May 7 th 11 th May 9 th May 24 th May 25 th May 25 th May 28 th June 1 st Teacher Work Day / Student Holiday PTO Meeting at STEMM in the MPR 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Winter Dance 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Sell Candy Grams during lunch 11:00 a.m. - noon PTO Meeting at STEMM in MPR 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Delivery of Candy Grams President s Day Holiday PTO Meeting at STEMM in MPR 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Campus Beautification Teacher & Staff Luncheon End: 3rd Grading Period Teacher Work Day / Student Holiday Spring Break Holidays PTO Meeting & Elections for New Board Spring Dance 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. PTO Meeting at STEMM in MPR 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Teacher & Staff Appreciation week Teacher & Staff Luncheon 11:00 a.m. noon Field Day for students and staff 7:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. End of Semester / Last Day for Students Awards ceremony at STEMM Academy Memorial Day Holiday Last Day for Teachers Click the link to see the official Okaloosa Calendar 2017-2018. Okaloosa STEMM Academy (OSA) website http://www.okaloosaschools.com/stemm/ Prior newsletters can be found on the STEMM website on the PTO/SAC /Newsletters tab. 13