August 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  
so  
learning can happen anywhere, anytime, for  anyone. 

2019-20 STEM Scale-Up Professional Development is Underway!


Educators in the NW region convened at various locations in our region to participate in Scale-Up Professional Development training. Educators experienced hands-on training with STEM kits and materials that they were awarded this past spring.  Excitement is certainly building among these educators as they plan for STEM integration in their curriculum. 


STEM BEST Grant Application Open 

In 2014, the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council launched the first $25,000 STEM BEST grant application to help public and private schools develop authentic school-business partnerships to bridge the gap between school and career.  The STEM Advisory Council is now accepting applications for the STEM BEST® Program thru September 13, 2019.
  A total of 50 STEM BEST® Programs have been awarded throughout Iowa over the past five years. These programs are now creating new excitement around the state as roles and responsibilities for meaningful activities are created and refined in the K-12 educational area. Models feature public-private partnerships between schools and local businesses and are cost-shared enterprises that match the STEM Council's investment with local dollars. Further details on these awarded programs can be found at   http://www.IowaSTEM.gov/STEMBEST.
 
The goal of STEM BEST® Program is to unite educators and employers to expand the learning continuum from school to careers. The STEM Council has designated a portion of the state legislative funding to support the establishment of Iowa STEM BEST® Program models, preferably evenly distributed across each of Iowa's six STEM regions. Successful applicants will become an Iowa STEM BEST® Program model of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council.
 
A hallmark of Iowa STEM education is the connection of classroom learning to meaning beyond the school walls. Overarching guidelines are provided to assist proposers, though ample flexibility in design is encouraged to support organic development of STEM BEST® Programs which match local strengths, challenges and resources. STEM BEST® Program models are open to public and private K-12 schools. Past STEM BEST® Program award recipients are eligible to apply for expanding current programs.
NW STEM Checkout System is Open for Fall

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/.
Mathematics Special Scale-Up Program

For fiscal year 2020 (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020), a special pool of funds are available specifically to scale mathematics education program(s) proven to increase interest and achievement among preK-12 students across Iowa. For fiscal year 2020 (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020) a $300,000 pool of funds are available specifically to scale mathematics education program(s) proven to increase interest and achievement among preK-12 students across Iowa. The following detail outlines the timeline for this special award cycle along with the guidelines for proposers.

This is a special invitation of an established initiative of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council called STEM Scale-Up Program. It is a shortened timeframe necessitated by the additional investment late in the legislative session. Given this special circumstance, five advisories are provided to prospective proposers:

Programs that augment and support elementary or secondary mathematics education in formal and informal settings may fare more successfully than curriculum or courses requiring significant adaptation of already-determined 2019-2020 academic year activities.
An emphasis toward the goal of increased interest, which begets achievement, is likely more realistic given the timeframe of implementation.
Proposed programs targeting any grade levels preK-12 are welcome. One or more program(s) may be selected for scaling.
Proposers who compete for this special, immediate, and mathematics-specific cycle of the STEM Scale-Up Program are eligible and invited to propose programs for the standard FY2021 STEM Scale-Up Program cycle as well. The request for proposals for that round opens in September 2019.

Selected program(s) will be presented to Iowa educators as cost-free option(s) to implement from November 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020, paid for by the STEM Council. Total funds to program provider will depend on number of educators who opt to try the selected program(s).

Here is the timeline: 
  • Educator application preparation period: 1 week (Aug. 16 - Aug. 26)
  • Educator application period: 5 weeks (Aug. 27 - Oct. 1)
  • Review period: 3 weeks (Oct. 1 - Oct. 22)
  • Awardees notified: Oct. 31
  • Expenditure Period: 6 months (Nov. 1 - Apr. 30)
  • Implementation: 7 months (Nov. 1 - May 31)

More information will be delivered on this program as soon as it has been passed onto us.  Be sure to stay tuned to your email and NW STEM social media. 
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: mtrent@iowalakes.edu


 
 
 

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!

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