May 2025 Newsletter
CSinPA
Wrapping Up the School Year!
As we head into the final stretch of the school year, there are still plenty of ways to engage with CS! This month's newsletter is packed with resources and opportunities to support students and educators alike. Take a look, and don’t forget to join our Community of Practice!
Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Join ECEP-PA in celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) in May!
Explore resources and participate in virtual events throughout the month to learn more about digital accessibility, then join us for a live discussion (Zoom)
Throughout May:
Use this Padlet to share/find opportunities and capture takeaways.
Add a post to share virtual or asynchronous GAAD events for others to see.
Add a comment to a post to share your top takeaways and thoughts from the event.
Wednesday, May 28: Participate in a live discussion on Zoom with others across CSinPA!
Shout-Outs and Celebrations
Governor’s STEM Competition
The 2025 Governor’s STEM Competition was unexpectedly cut short and quickly modified after a severe storm knocked out power in State College, PA, disrupting in-person plans and forcing a shift to a virtual format. Despite the sudden change, we have no doubt students will present their innovative projects online with the same energy and creativity they would’ve brought to the original event. And while the main competition is remote, teams still had a chance to shine in person during the People’s Choice Awards on April 29th, where they shared their work face-to-face and celebrated their accomplishments together.
Looking ahead, the 2026 competition is already generating excitement with its new theme: “How to Always Be Prepared for Severe Weather”—yes, the title is a joke! But the challenge is very real. Students who participate in the PA Governor’s STEM Competition are continually tasked with inventing solutions that make the lives of those across the Commonwealth better. Whether it’s through innovative technology, resilient infrastructure, or smart planning tools, this is a chance to turn stormy challenges into bright solutions—and to make a lasting impact across the state.
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” — Alan Kay
Congratulations to Our Friend Sandy Hartman!
Sandy’s article From Clicks to Competence - Rethinking Digital Literacy in US Schools was featured in the latest issue of (Hello World), the official magazine of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Be sure to check it out!
Annie Sullivan Award
Congratulations to Giovanna Chamberlain, who won a 2025 Annie Sullivan Award! Giovanna has been an important part of our drone programs, and this award reflects the good work she is doing! Read more about the award here.
2025 CS4Philly Computer Science Teacher Awards
The 2025 CS4Philly Computer Science Teacher Awards honor two outstanding Philadelphia educators for their contributions to expanding computer science education.
Raheem Chowdhury of Olney High School received the Early Achievement Award for building a robust, multi-year CS program that helps students gain comprehensive skills, college credit, and industry credentials.
Maureen Brown, a veteran Digital Literacy teacher and Technology Integration Specialist, earned the Sustained Impact Award for her decades of work empowering K–8 students and teachers through engaging, relevant computer science instruction and coaching.
Presented by CS4Philly in partnership with CSTA Philly, the Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem, and Jumpstart Philly CS for All, the awards recognize how dedicated teachers are opening doors to lifelong opportunities for Philadelphia students. The celebration will take place June 5 at Spasso Italian Grill.
Professional Learning
Accessible Programming with Quorum Summer PD Opportunity
Join us for a 4-day in-person professional development workshop at the PaTTAN Central Office (June 9-12, 2025) focused on inclusive and accessible computer science programming using the Quorum language.
This workshop offers hands-on experience with Quorum, a language designed for accessibility and ease of learning, along with best practices and resources to help you integrate accessible programming into your classroom. Eligible participants will also receive travel assistance, ACT 48 hours, and a $250 stipend. Click here to learn more and to register for this opportunity.: https://secure.smore.com/n/1stan.
New: Cybersecurity Education Pathway for 7-12/CTE educators
Are you ready to empower your students with the skills they need to thrive in the fast-growing field of cybersecurity? We’re excited to invite you to the 7-12/CTE Cybersecurity Education Pathway, a comprehensive professional development program designed to equip you with the knowledge, tools, and resources to implement a cutting-edge cybersecurity curriculum in your school.
Program Highlights:
Live 2-day Kickoff Event: Join us for an engaging in-person kickoff on June 25-26 to launch your journey with Module A: Introduction to Cybersecurity and Module B: Cybersecurity Frameworks and Standards
Stipend & Travel Support for Live 2-day event: Participants will receive a stipend and travel expenses for the kickoff event.
Flexible Learning: After the kickoff, the remaining modules will be delivered virtually and asynchronously, with one module per month starting in August.
Industry-Aligned Curriculum: Learn how to align your teaching with industry standards, certifications, and frameworks like CSTA, NIST, and CIS.
Hands-On Labs: Gain practical experience with cybersecurity tools and techniques through interactive lab activities.
Capstone Project: Develop and present a cybersecurity unit map or lesson plan to showcase your learning.
Stipend Provided: End of pathway stipend will also be given upon completion of pathway and submission of capstone project.
If this is for you, to learn more and to register for the PD and two day Summer Kickoff on June 25-26 2025 by clicking this link.
Micro-Credential Program
Registration is now open for the final cohort of the 2024-2025 School year in our Micro-credential Program.
The following courses are available:
AI in the Classroom: Introduction (2-hour)
AI in the Classroom: Integrating AI to Support Student Learning (4- hour)
Cybersecurity in the K-8 classroom: Introduction (2-hour)
Using Music to Engage Students in CS Learning (4-hour)
Empowering all students in CS Learning through a Behavioral approach (4-hour)
NEW: Data Science in K–8 Classrooms: Connecting Concepts Through Computer Science (Registration opens May 20.)
Additionally, Introduction to CS Education (3 hours) is available on the SAS website. This is our previous foundational CSinPA: Why, What, and How, which can be accessed through the PD Center on the Standards Aligned System (SAS) website. Click the link and follow the instructions to enroll
Events
2025 CS Camp: Code Arcade
Exciting news for families attending the 2025 Bridging Knowledge to Know-How Conference!
High school students with disabilities are invited to join the 2025 CS Camp: Code Arcade from July 28-31, 2025. Campers will engage in computer science through hands-on activities, a game design project, and field experiences to explore college and career pathways.
Camp Details:
Dates: Monday, July 28 - Thursday, July 31, 2025
Location: A school in close proximity to The Penn Stater Conference Center
Eligibility: High School students with disabilities entering grades 9-12 in fall 2025 (at least one parent or guardian must attend the Bridging Knowledge to Know-How conference).
Fees: Free to attend, with limited scholarships available for parents/caregivers.
Campers will dive into computer science college and career pathways through hands-on activities, an engaging field trip, and an exciting game design project!
Registration is open now until June 15th. Space is limited, and spots will be filled in the order in which registrations are received. Check out this SMORE for more details.
For more information, contact us at CSCamp@pattan.net.
Resources & Opportunities
High School Student Spotlight at The Global Impact Forum (TGIF)
Students are invited to apply for the High School Student Spotlight at the upcoming Global Impact Forum (TGIF) 2025 on November 4th from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM in Pittsburgh, hosted by Penn State University. This is a fantastic free opportunity for students to showcase their initiatives and engage with a diverse group of influential leaders, innovators, and educators dedicated to driving positive change through education and innovation.
Why Encourage Your Students to Apply?
Engage with Visionary Organizations
Showcase Their Initiatives
Network with Change-Makers
Application Details:
For more information on the Student Spotlight and application instructions, please visit: TGIF 2025 – Student Spotlight
We believe this experience will be both inspiring and transformative for your students. Please encourage them to seize this opportunity to contribute to and learn from a community dedicated to creating lasting positive impact through education and innovation.
Showcase K-8 CS learning with CS Sparks!
K-8 educators are invited to submit a project that shows students' excitement about CS—whether it's photos, videos, drawings, poems, songs, or something else! Encourage your students' creativity and love for CS while showing the great work in your school! Submissions may appear in the CSinPA toolkits, social media, and events.
Incentives: To thank you for participating, the CSinPA team is offering these incentives:
The first 100 respondents will receive a 1-year CSTA+ membership.
Additionally, all respondents who submit projects by May 30, 2025 will be eligible to participate in one of four raffles for: one of 2 Elementary CS Book Collections, one of 2 Secondary CS Book Collections, one of 2 Classroom sets of Micro:bit, one of 2 Classroom sets of Dash Robots
PAID Opportunity for Postsecondary CS Students
We still have a few spaces left!
The CSinPA team is hosting a paid opportunity for computer science (CS) students to guest moderate our CSinPA Community of Practice.
This program is a week-long commitment requiring approximately 4 hours total, and consists of leading discussions and sharing insights with our virtual community of practice. If you know of any students who might be interested, please share the program overview and application.
Guest moderators will receive a stipend of $100 after completion.
Thank you for helping us share this opportunity!
Computing Educator Opportunities Initiative
The Computing Educator Opportunities Initiative (CEO), a National Science Foundation-funded Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP), will recruit educators who can serve as role models for students to become certified high school computer science teachers.
CEO teachers will work as a community of practice as they deepen their CS content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and equitable strategies to become certified to teach Grades 8-12 CS in Pennsylvania. Only in-service teachers who are currently certified to teach in other subjects are eligible to apply.
Applications close May 21!
Upon successful completion of the program, each participant will receive stipends totaling up to $4,100, as follows:
PD Stipend: $1500 (attends all PD sessions)
Certification Stipends: $1000 (upon completion of certification process)
Testing Fee: $200
Travel and Lodging: Up to $1400
7-12 CS Praxis peer tutoring program
We continue to offer the program to participants in any current or previous PaTTAN 7-12 CS professional learning program (7-12 PAsmart 1.0/2.0, CSinPA 7-12 CS Praxis Prep pathway).
For more information on the CSinPA 7-12 Praxis Prep pathway for the 2025-25 school year please click here
Scratch Tactile PD Program
Scratch Tactile is recruiting teachers for a free, virtual PD program that supports CS learning through unplugged activities and accessible hands-on materials.
Scratch Tactile is generally recommended for students aged 4 to 8 and students with disabilities beyond this age range.
The PD program is free and entirely virtual. Participants will receive training and six sets of Scratch Tactile materials.
Teachers, librarians, and out-of-school providers may apply. Participants must commit to using the Scratch Tactile kits with a minimum of 15 students for at least 6 hours between September 2025 and April 2026.
Applications are due May 15, 2025.
Coming Soon
CSinPA's FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Professional Learning Pathway
Attention Educators! Registration for our first FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Professional Learning Pathway is opening soon! Running from September 2025 to February 2026, this hybrid program includes asynchronous work, live check-ins to review content, and network. Participants will review all materials in our FAA Curriculum and gain insights for integrating it into their programs.
For details and to reserve your spot, check out our SMORE flyer and complete the interest form.
Contact us at csforall@pattan.net if you have any questions!
New Course in Our Micro-Credential Program!
Data Science in K–8 Classrooms: Connecting Concepts Through Computer Science
Registration opens May 20.
Launching soon, this self-paced course is designed to support K–8 educators in integrating data science concepts into their computer science (CS) instruction. Participants will identify key connections between CS and foundational data science ideas, and explore practical curricular resources to support implementation in the classroom.
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