September 22 Owl Post
I would like to celebrate that we officially have a fully staffed front office. There was an office assistant vacancy for the last two weeks. Leo Shaugnehessy, an instructional assistant in the building, offered to sub in the position while we were working to fill it. He applied, interviewed, and was offered the job lat week. Leo: Thank you for stepping up! We're excited you are part of the team.
This week, I was able to get into classrooms and see teachers and students in action. One thing that I saw several teachers use was the the mood meter.The Mood Meter is a tool that helps to recognize and understand emotions throughout the day. It categorizes feelings into four color zones—red, blue, green, and yellow—based on energy and pleasantness levels. By using the Mood Meter, we are teaching each other to identify our emotions, build emotional awareness, and develop healthy coping strategies. I have included a picture below. Versions of the mood meter can be found throughout the building. If your child says to you, "I'm in the blue," you will have an understanding of what that means. In my own house, I have told my son and husband that I am in the red and they know what that means (It means get the lady some chocolate and steer clear 😀).
We will be holding our first emergency fire drill today. Every month, we. are required to hold an emergency practice drill. To start off the year, the fire department will come by and give us feedback on how our fire drill went.
As always, I am grateful for the support everyone is sending our way. I'm looking forward to another great week.
Thank you,
Adrienne/Ms. O
One of the many things that makes Louisa Boren STEM PK8 a unique choice for our students and families is the large emphasis we place on STEM and Project Based Learning(PBL). One way we have prioritized STEM and PBL is by growing our school's Career and Technical Education(CTE) programming. Through CTE, students explore a wide array of careers and with the opportunity to deep dive into career pathways of particular interest to them!
Starting in elementary school, students have access to computer science activities, robotics, and hands-on STEM learning. In middle school, students begin envisioning life after high school with their High School and Beyond Plan with access to classes like media arts, engineering, and technology. Upon entering high school, students tailor their schedules to explore careers of specific interest to them. They gain technical skills through preparatory CTE classes in Skills Center, internships, field trips, and much more.
Currently, our school offers 7 CTE classes to our middle school students. Ms. Sawade, teaches a STEAM Innovation Lab to middle school students. Ms. Thompson is one of the only teachers to offer CTE integrated science to students. We are the last school to offer wood shop in middle school. Ms. Thompson is creating opportunities for all elementary students to have opportunities in the wood shop. We will be offering robotics to middle school students this year.
We will continue to try and grow our CTE programming to invite participation from the whole building as it aligns with our school's goals/vision:
Louisa Boren STEM K-8 Scholars:
- Grow 21st Century readiness in a community that values equity, sustainability, and the whole
- child.
- Develop rigorous STREAM skills to ask and answer audacious questions.
- Use Project Based Learning to tackle real world challenges.
Some of the people I am partnering with are SPS CTE, our school's amazing CTE teachers (Ms. Thompson and Ms. Sawade), our robotics instructors (McGavick and Sawade), and YOU! We will be creating some listening sessions to get a better sense of community needs and input. Stay tuned. Thank you!
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