A STEM West Christmas Wish
From mountains high to valleys low,
Where bright minds let ideas grow,
STEM West sends a joyful cheer,
To wish you love this time of year.
May science spark and math inspire,
And dreams take flight, your hearts on fire.
Together we’ll build, explore, and play—
Merry Christmas to all in a brilliant way!
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Edcamp STEM West 2025
February 1st, 2025
NC School of Science and Math- Morganton Campus
901 Burkemont Ave
Morganton, NC 28655
The Edcamp STEMWest organizing team is excited to share with you plans for an Edcamp with a STEM focus. This Edcamp has everything that you expect from an Edcamp: dynamic conversations with dedicated educators, relevant sessions created by and led by the participants, cutting edge pedagogy that will inspire you and motivate your students, and over $1000 in door prizes. Join us for a morning filled with learning focused on science, technology, engineering and math. Breakfast and snacks will be provided!
Reading, English, Arts, Language, Social Studies, Physical Education teachers ==> We Want YOU!
Edcamp STEMWest is for all educators interested in learning and motivating our young people in this ever changing, technology-rich world.
Please join us.
Edcamps are best when everyone attends.
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SAVE THE DATE!
STEM Job Fair and Family Fun Event is coming to
Hickory Metro Convention Center on
April 16, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
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We invite you and your colleagues to participate in the 16th annual K-12 Carolinas STEM Teaching & Learning Conference to be held Friday, January 3, 2025 on the campus of UNC Charlotte. This exciting event will offer over 25 sessions of STEM content focused on science and engineering practices, AI in the classroom, literacy and math integrations, robotics, teacher resources, assessment, data science, and much more. Time is allocated for participants to learn about K-12 STEM programs, activities, materials, and demonstrations provided by STEM exhibitors. Refreshments and coffee are served at 7:30 am, lunch is provided, all participants receive a certificate with contact hours, and parking is covered. Information is at this link. If you have questions, contact Alisa Wickliff at [email protected].
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Calling All STEM Reviewers!!
Your Support is Greatly Appreciated
The 2024-2025 North Carolina STEM Schools of Distinction Recognition Program is underway. With nearly 20 schools across the state having communicated their Intent to be recognized as a leading STEM program in North Carolina, we are asking for STEM educational leaders, who have familiarity with the STEM Schools of Distinction process, to assist with the Peer Review of this year’s applications.
Individuals presently leading within a NC recognized STEM school, or any individuals who have served as past SSoD reviewers, are asked to provide updated contact information by completing this Reviewer Application by December 20th.
There will be a required Reviewer training. More information on this training will be available soon. This year’s application submissions will be shared by January 13th and reviewers will have through January 24th to complete their individual review and share feedback. The number of reviewers assigned will be dependent upon the final number of submitted applications.
Thank you for continuing to drive quality STEM education in North Carolina!
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K-12 Science Canvas Hub
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The North Carolina K-12 Science Standards Canvas Hub is a repository to provide all Science stakeholders a variety of resources for supporting school leaders, administrators, educators, and parents/caregivers.
Did you know…
- The K-12 Science Standards have been translated into Spanish. You can find them in the K-12 Science Standards button on the K-12 Science Standards Canvas Hub.
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K-12 Math Standards Resource Hub
The NCDPI K-12 Mathematics team has created a repository to provide a variety of resources for supporting school leaders, administrators, educators, and parents/caregivers. The NC K-12 Math Standards Resource Hub houses the standards, communications, and recommended resources related to the implementation of the North Carolina K-12 Math Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS).
The hub includes:
- K-12 standards and unpacking documents
- Previous PD presentations, recordings, and resources
- At Home Resource Guides for parent/guardians
- Math Options Chart aligned to post graduation plans
- STEM Content Integration
Math educators are encouraged to browse, reference, download, share, discuss, and adapt resources.
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Clubs Fund: Last Chance for 2024
Don’t miss your last chance to unlock the Clubs Fund before spring 2025! Eligible 3rd-12th grade Clubs in your community can use the Clubs Fund to purchase snacks and supplies like STEAM activity kits and programmable robots. Clubs unlock access to the Clubs Fund once they submit a Clubs Application and enroll 3+ members on Girls Who Code HQ. After that, we’ll email instructions for customizing an Amazon Wish List and scoring exclusive swag!
 Get Ready for 2025
The 2025 Summer Programs Application is launching in January! Complete our interest form to be the first to know when the application opens. Girls Who Code’s free Summer Programs provide high school girls and non-binary students with the opportunity to develop valuable skills, foster community, and build professional networks. Share this flyer to spread the word!
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Want to learn more about PAEMST?
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7th Grade AQ-IQ Contest
Each year the North Carolina Division of Air Quality invites 7th grade students to participate in the AQ-IQ Contest which combines S.T.E.A.M. education and project-based learning with student creativity to teach air pollution science to students across the state. The contest gives these students an opportunity to learn about air quality and think about solutions to air pollution and put THEM in charge of creating a project to educate others about an air quality problem.
The AQ-IQ contest allows students to explore their interests and strengths while engaging with the material and learning about air quality. Students are asked to think creatively while designing their projects. Past projects have been posters, videos, Minecraft creations, games, and artistic projects off all sorts!
Winners will be recognized during the summer of 2025 at a REGIONAL and STATEWIDE level and will receive AWESOME prizes!
For details about how to enter, deadlines, general information and past project examples, please visit the NC Environmental Education webpage.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Keith Bamberger at [email protected], or Janina Millis at [email protected].
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 December Highlights from the Asset Package
Please help us spread the word about our STEM Learning Journeys Powered by Verizon™ and STEM Next! These hands-on, themed lesson bundles make it easy for programs to engage students in critical STEM topics like climate action, coding, and AI. Help us engage more programs by sharing the details included in the special opportunities section of the asset package
 Celebrate Computer Science Week (Dec. 9-15)
Engage students with hands-on coding activities and algorithmic thinking challenges, perfect for OST programs.
 Festive STEM Activities for the Holidays
Incorporate seasonal STEM projects to keep learning fun and interactive during December.
 Training and Transformative Practices
Explore professional development opportunities and transformative practices to enhance STEM learning and create meaningful experiences for youth.
Access these and more in the latest Asset package!
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Sphero Power Up Program applications are open through January 12, 2025
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As part of our ongoing CSForAll commitment, we’re excited to offer the Sphero Power Up Program for a second year! This year’s initiative invites Title I schools, non-profit youth organizations, and others to apply to borrow a BOLT+ Power Pack or indi Class Pack (8 robots) for up to six weeks. Applications close January 12, 2025.
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Supporting the Implementation of Modeling Instruction in Rural Schools
A NSF DRK-12 Project
The Science House in the College of Sciences and the STEM Education Department in the College of Education are excited to offer this professional development opportunity to high school science teachers in North Carolina. Supporting the Implementation of Modeling Instruction in Rural Schools (SIMIRS) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) project (Project Number 2101590). This program focuses on Modeling Instruction in High School Biology and Chemistry while producing new educational research in the area of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Please visit the American Modeling Teachers Association to learn more about Modeling Instruction.
2025 Modeling Courses:
Modeling Biology and Modeling Chemistry. These are two-week summer-only courses. Attendance is required in both weeks.
Who is eligible to apply?
North Carolina High School Biology and Chemistry Teachers. High School Physical Science teachers are eligible to apply and will be considered for the Chemistry course, though Chemistry teachers will have priority.
2025 Summer Dates: July 14-18, 2025 (week #1) & July 21-25, 2025 (week #2)
2025 Workshop Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC.
Hours and Credits: The workshops will include 60 hours of instruction for 6.0 CEU credits.
Cost: There is no cost to participating teachers. Teachers will be eligible for a daily stipend of $150. Full attendance at both weeks is required, which would pay a total stipend of $1,500.
Travel: Participating teachers are responsible for their transportation to the workshop location and their meals. The project will provide on-campus housing at no cost in apartment-style dorms for teachers not within commuting distance. More housing information will be provided later.
Education Research Component: Participating teachers will be asked to participate in educational research activities. Agreeing to participate in the research is a prerequisite for selection.
Participating Districts: The following districts and schools provided a letter of collaboration and are grant partners. Teachers from these districts will have priority registration; however, all North Carolina teachers are eligible to apply.
Alleghany County Schools, Asheville City Schools, Avery County Schools, Buncombe County Schools, Caldwell County Schools, Catawba County Schools, Cherokee County Schools, Cleveland County Schools, Davie County Schools, Graham County Schools, Haywood County Schools, Henderson County Public Schools, Highland School of Technology (Gaston County), Iredell-Statesville Schools, Jackson County Schools, Macon County Schools, McDowell County Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, Mountain Heritage High (Yancey County), Newton-Conover City Schools, Rowan-Salisbury School System, Rutherford County Schools, Surry County Schools, Watauga High School, Wilkes County Schools, Yadkin County Schools.
Below are the application links for both courses. Please note that applying does not confirm your participation. Applications will be collected through February 15, 2025, and then reviewed. Priority selection goes to our grant partner districts. Accepted applicants will be notified no later than March 1, 2025. Applications are collected using NC State University’s REPORTER system. The system is free to use but does require you to register.
Contact: For more project information, please contact Scott Ragan by email ([email protected]) or phone (919-515-5610).
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Collaborate with K-12 teachers from around the country to create leveled, inquiry-based educator resources utilizing Mount Vernon’s collections and historic site.
Applications are now open. Click the link below to start the application process.
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Digital Resources Dashboard
Click here: Digital Resources Dashboard
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| Watch for more STEM opportunities in the STEM West Newsletter! |
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