NW Iowa STEM Newsletter -October 2019

October 2019

Mary Trent

NW Regional STEM Manager

Send me an email!

Northwest Regional Advisory Board Members

A special thank you to the STEM Advisory Board

of NW Iowa

John Bedward, Storm Lake

Benjamin Bouza, Hawarden

Derek Brower, Orange City

Beth Bunkers, Primghar

Eric Forseth, Sioux Center

Makenzie Reiling, Sioux City

Ginny Gunderson, Lake Park

Kiana Johnson, Primghar

Nancy McDowell, Sheldon

Jordan Menning, Rock Rapids

Teresa Putnam, Hartley

Brenda Welch, Meriden

Mark Zabawa, Spencer

Your Community -

Your Events

Learning happens inside and outside of the classroom.

Learning can happen to anyone at any age.

If you know of any STEM events happening, please submit your STEM event

learning can happen anywhere, anytime, for anyone.

Precision Agriculture Day in Sutherland

ISU Extension and Outreach hosted the annual Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Field Days for area high school students on Sept. 3-5 at the Northwest Iowa Research Farm near Sutherland.

Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days engage high school-aged youth in hands-on agricultural learning while also showcasing careers in agriculture and connecting students with college and business and industry leaders.

NW STEM Regional Manager shared information with students about STEM careers and pathways in Agriculture in NW Iowa during a lunchtime presentation.

Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days received the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council Seal of Approval in 2017 and each year, event coordinators strive to make Precision Ag and Animal Science Days bigger and better every year.

Computer Science is Elementary Institute

The 12 schools that were awarded the Computer Science is Elementary award meet at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny on September 19. Professional development was provided by Brian Aspinall, author and best-selling author and considered one of the brightest STEAM innovators in education. His books Code Breaker and Block Breaker continue to top the charts in STEAM Education with a focus on rethinking assessment and evaluation.

Governor, Kim Reynolds, Executive Director of the STEM Council, Jeff Weld, and the Department of Education Director, Ryan Wise were among the speakers. Special guest from Loess Hills Elementary join us to share their expertise as well.

It was a great collaborative day full of conversation and planning for each school to begin their journey of development computer science integrated curriculum.

Upcoming STEM Festival in NW Iowa

Advanced Manufacturing - October 4, ILCC SERT building, 9-11:15, 12-2:15 - 7th graders from around the 5 counties ILCC serves will be invited. We will have two sections - one in the morning (100 kids) and one in the afternoon (100 kids). We are going to tour GKN wheels as one of the sessions. Area businesses to have a table and a hands-on activity for kids to do. Registration is now closed.

Lawton-Bronson Preschool STEM Festival - November 7 5:30-7:30
Preschool students and their families will go from station to station in the gym exploring the many STEM Scale-up program awards Lawton-Bronson has received the past few years to boost STEM awareness with parents.

Pocahontas County STEM Festival - November 8 - 9:00-2:30 at Laurens-Marathon Elementary - Grades TK-6 from Pocahontas and Pocahontas Catholic - 481 students - 30 minute sessions - two color tracts one for younger kids - one for older. Looking for about 25 presenters local and statewide. The theme is STEM Careers.

Le Mars Preschool STEM Festival - November 14, 5-6:30pm - 76 students- Little Rascals preschool also. Located in the gym. The goal is to engage children during playtime. Sessions include: Ramps and Pathways, Light and Shadow, Pint Size Science Bee Bots, PSS Mini Meteorologist, and STEM in Action Ron's Ramp Adventure.

Siouxland Christian Christmas Light STEM Festival - December 3, 6-8 pm - K-12- 230 students. Their goal is the festival is to begin to develop a STEM culture in their school. Session will be in the gym with various businesses and organizations participating around the theme of Christmas Lights.

Cherokee (Kee to STEM) Festival - December 10- 6:00-8:00 pm - Cherokee Middle school students - 5-8 - Partnering with Public library and Sanford Museum. Sessions in classrooms- students will register for a color track and attend 4 sessions. We are looking for presenters - state and local. The theme is STEM Careers.

For more information on these and other festivals in the NW Region, please contact Mary Trent at [email protected].

NW STEM Checkout System

NW STEM Checkout system utilizes the AEA van system to make deliveries and pick ups of all our kit. You can find a complete list of our items and check out form here: https://www.iowalakes.edu/stem/stem-resources/.

Share your Scale-Up Story with Us!

Were you awarded a Scale-Up Program this year? If so, please share your story and pictures with us! We will share your story in our newsletters and social media. Invite me out to see the Scale-up Program in action!

Email: [email protected]

Check out NW STEM Website!

Northwest STEM Calendar - Stay up-to-date on all Northwest STEM regional opportunities and even a few state-wide. Use this calendar to share your STEM events with others.

NW STEM Lending Resources - Check out the STEM lending library for educators and place you order online.

Don't forget to connect with NW STEM on social media as well!