Edcamp STEM West 2024
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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SMT Center Awards
This is your chance to recognize individuals (professionals and students) and organizations whose extraordinary contributions to STEM education in North Carolina are helping to advance the mission of the SMT Center by submitting a nomination for the 2025 SMT Awards. (Deadlines are approaching, but differ per award.) Recipients will be honored in the spring at the Celebration of Science, Mathematics, and Technology.
Applications also are open for next year’s North Carolina International Science Challenge (NCISC), which is a yearly competition connecting North Carolina high school students with their peers from all over the world in order to share scientific discoveries on an international stage. The application deadline is December 16, 2024.
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SAVE THE DATE!
STEM Job Fair is coming to
Hickory Metro Convention Center on
April 16 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
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There are less than two weeks left to apply to have a scientist visit your middle school classroom in April! To overview the SciMatch program, where we connect amazing scientists with middle school teachers to help inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. This program is an initiative of the North Carolina Science Festival and produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
What is SciMatch?
The SciMatch program accepts applications from middle school teachers in North Carolina who would like to have a scientist visit with their class. NCSciFest staff then works to find STEM professionals passionate about outreach to pair up with teachers. These scientists receive specialized communication training before the visit.
This year, scientists will visit classes in April to speak with students about their backgrounds and research and answer questions about their careers. Like last year, we will maintain the hybrid model of in-person and virtual visits. The goal of each visit is to inspire students to consider science as a career and to understand how science impacts our lives.
2025 Program Timeline (All deadlines 11:59 p.m. Eastern)
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October 2: Applications open
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November 30: Deadline to apply – APPLY NOW
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December: Applications are reviewed, and teachers/scientists are selected.
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Early January: Scientist and teacher orientation webinars.
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Late January: Pairings are made. Teachers and scientists are notified of their match and begin communicating.
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February and March: Professional development webinars for teachers and scientists.
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April: Classroom visits take place
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Post-visit survey completed within one week of visit
Please reach out with any questions and do not wait until the last minute to apply!
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| Wherever you are in your teaching journey, we invite you to join our professional learning community. Watch the video to learn about the fellowship experience. |
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Priority Deadline Extended
Apply on or before Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, to receive priority consideration |
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| There’s still time to receive priority consideration for the 2025-26 fellowship year. The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at NC State offers this exciting opportunity for dedicated K–12 educators. This is your chance to connect with a supportive statewide network of passionate educators and partner with local industry professionals.
Here’s what you can look forward to:
Industry Immersion: Over three weeks this summer, you will shadow experts, explore facilities, and learn about career paths that can enrich your students.
Professional Development: Participate in 80 hours of world-class leadership development designed to support and inspire you.
Networking: Connect with fellow educators and industry mentors who share your commitment to innovation and excellence.
Stipend: Receive a $5,000 stipend to support your journey.
Follow the link to take the next step in your career! |
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Student Opportunity
NASA Internship Programs
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement offers paid internship opportunities for highschool and college students interested in STEM and space exploration! If you are considering a career with NASA, check out NASA’s Internship Programs for 2025
Click Here: Application deadlines and eligibility requirements!
Educator Opportunity and Resources
Click Here: Citizen Science Toolkit
The California Academy of Sciences has created a Citizen Science toolkit to help educators bring citizen science opportunities and projects into the classroom!
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The 14th Annual Nonformal Educators’ Meeting
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction is partnering with the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs to bring nonformal educators from across the state together in one place.
We hope you will join us for the 14th Annual Nonformal Educators’ Meeting on December 10, 2024, at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.
This meeting gives nonformal educators the opportunity to discuss and develop strategies for addressing the new N.C. Science Standards directly with DPI staff. This meeting will be of special interest to educators at environmental education centers as well as educators with organizations and agencies that provide science education programs and outreach to k-12 students.
Registration is now open! The deadline for registration is December 1, 2024.
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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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Launched in 2019, the Appalachian Leadership Institute is a leadership training opportunity that equips Appalachian community leaders to use economic development as a tool to drive positive change. Since its launch, ALI has trained approximately 200 Appalachian leaders.
ALI is a collaborative effort between the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Organization that serves as our curriculum partner. The selected organization will provide expertise on content and curriculum planning under the leadership and approval of ARC. More information on the breakdown of roles and responsibilities can be found in the RFP.
Proposals must describe the strategy for promoting and implementing action-oriented leadership in the Appalachian Region, to include, but not be limited to, the following major components under the ALI umbrella:
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A program aimed at 40 leaders from Appalachia’s public, private, and non-profit sectors.
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Curriculum and sessions focused on ARC’s five investment areas.
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Case study work that reflects both the opportunities and challenges in the region.
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Proposed areas of training in leadership skills development.
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Alumni Network Programming
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Curriculum and sessions that build upon the core curriculum of the program
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Proposed strategy for network building and continued growth
Key dates are outlined below. If you have any questions, please reach out to Academies & Institutes Program Manager Jessica Mosley at [email protected].
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RFP open date: November 7, 2024
Questions due: December 13, 2024
Answers posted on arc.gov: December 19, 2024
Proposal due date: January 10, 2025
Interviews: February 24-28, 2025
Selection date: March 10, 2025
Contract period: August 1, 2025 – July 31 2026
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Application for the K-12 Math Standard Course of Study Data Review Committee (DRC)
On behalf of the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), the K-12 Math Team is excited to announce the start of the review process of the NC Math K-12 Standard Course of Study. The process is guided by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) Procedures Manual, adopted by the NC State Board of Education in February 2022, emphasizing communication, transparency, engagement, and stakeholder participation in all phases of this process.
A key part of the review process is to establish a Data Review Committee (DRC). The DRC is responsible for reviewing feedback collected from interviews, focus groups, survey responses for stakeholders, and research from other states as well as national/international organizations. DRC members will collaborate to analyze the data and create recommendations for a separate Standards Writing Team (SWT) to consider and use to revise existing standards. Click here to read the full DRC Scope of Work (SOW).
NCDPI is seeking applications from a range of stakeholders with experience in reviewing and compiling data including K-12 educators from all grade levels, content areas, and resource specialists. Equally important are school/district leaders, educators from institutions of higher education, as well as business and community leaders.
All DRC members will be asked to participate in an in-person kick-off event on January 29th-31st in Asheboro, NC.
In the Spring of 2025, NCDPI will also seek applicants to participate in the revision/writing process by serving on the Standards Writing Team (SWT). If you are also interested in being a part of the SWT, a separate application will come in mid-Spring of 2025. Individuals can only serve on one of these two committees.
DRC applications are due by 8:00am EST, Monday December 2nd, 2024. All applicants will be notified of their selection status between Monday, December 16th, 2024, and January 10th, 2025.
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Remote Academy, Online, and Hybrid Educator HUBS
We are so excited to announce the launch of our Remote Academy, Virtual, and Online Educator Hubs.
- Remote Academy Resource Hub – All in one resource page with content, dashboards, professional development opportunities, and resource materials geared for new or existing remote academies and virtual or hybrid educators.
- Join our Networking Hubs! Designed to create a community of educators working in remote, virtual, or hybrid learning environments these hubs will serve:
- Administrators
- Coaches / Facilitators / ITF
- Classroom Educators
Each week we will have a “Question of the Week” designed to spark discussion as well as an ongoing problem of practice discussion thread allowing educators to reach out for support and ideas.
Managed by Office of Virtual Instruction team members, register for one or more of the hubs using this FORM!
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NC2ML / NCCAT Secondary Math Vision Retreat
December 2-5, 2024
Cullowhee, NC
Calling all 6-12 district math teams! Join this awesome partnership between NCCAT and NC Collaborative for Mathematics Learning (NC2ML) as we work together to co-create a vision for high-quality equitable mathematics instruction!!!
We only have room for 10 teams, so sign up today!
Session Title: Co-Creating a Vision for Equitable Math Instruction
Description: A shared vision of high-quality and equitable instruction is essential for large-scale instructional improvement in mathematics. This four-day retreat will assist district teams in developing a district-wide vision of high-quality and equitable secondary mathematics instruction. This retreat is open to district teams serving grades 6-12.
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NC2ML / NCCAT Elementary Math Vision Retreat
January 13-16, 2025
Cullowhee, NC
NC2ML and NCCAT are partnering for the second time to do a four day elementary math leadership retreat for district teams across NC
Session Title: Flourishing in Mathematics: Co-Creating a Vision for High Quality Equitable Mathematics Instruction.
Description: A shared vision of high-quality instruction among administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders is essential for large scale instructional improvement in mathematics. This 4-day retreat will assist school districts in the development of co-creating a vision for high-quality mathematics instruction. At the retreat, each team will: collaborate with mathematics leaders to learn more about high-quality equitable math instruction, develop and align a district-wide vision of mathematics instruction, and create a plan to implement the vision.
The NC2ML/NCCAT Visions Retreat will take place on January 13-16 at the NCCAT campus in Cullowhee, NC. This program is open to districts focused on elementary mathematics. Each district will bring a team of four people in different roles so that they can learn and plan together. Each participating district team should include:
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K-5 classroom teacher
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school-based teacher leader (coach or classroom lead teacher)
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an elementary principal (or assistant principal/principal intern)
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a district leader
NCCAT provides food and lodging. NC2ML is paying for the presenters and materials. Your district would need to pay for a sub for the participating teacher and mileage for the team.
If you are interested in attending the retreat, please complete the following form:
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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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