View the Spanish translation of our newsletter here.

I have two items to highlight this month: our summer camps and a call for help with our twice-yearly surveys. 

First off, summer camp season is quickly approaching! This summer, we’re pleased to partner again with LBCC to offer our Choose Your Own STEAM Adventure camps for area middle schoolers. This camp is designed to provide students with an immersive and hands-on learning experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). During the camp, students will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of activities that will challenge them to think critically and creatively while exploring various STEAM disciplines. Students will participate in group activities and individual projects designed to foster teamwork, problem-solving skills, and creativity. Camp will take place in our MILL (Maker Innovation and Learning Lab) Space on the LBCC campus where they will have access to state-of-the-art technology and equipment that will enable them to design and build their own projects. Learn more and sign up here. 

Finally, calling all educators, community partners, and administrators who have engaged with the Hub in the past year: we need your help. The Oregon Department of Education asks each of the 13 STEM Hubs in the state to regularly survey partners to assess the impact of their work. There are three surveys - one per participant category - and each should take fewer than five minutes to complete.

The Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub has taken the lead on using Beebots in PreK-2nd grades to integrate computer science, digital literacy, science, technology, and math. Over the course of the 2022-23 school year, Program Coordinator, Chris Singer, has trained educators, children, and STEM Hub leaders from around the state in integrating lessons and reports with

a high level of excitement and engagement for students from pre-Kindergarten to 2nd grade. 

Children love the colorful, little robots and show a high level of perseverance in solving problems with the bots. Chris developed a number of grade-appropriate Beebot lessons, seamlessly integrating math and science with coding. Students learn computational thinking skills: logical reasoning, abstractions, patterns, algorithms, and decomposition, and learn these skills through tinkering with the Beebot. Collaborating with their classmates, patience in solving problems, and learning from their mistakes are some of the key takeaways for students learning to create programs and challenges for their Beebot.

Over the course of the last six months, Chris visited 50 classrooms at least two times to demonstrate to teachers how to use the Beebot with their students. Participating teachers received a classroom set of Beebots (1 Beebot per every 4 students and a maximum of 6), a charging station, and access to many resources to help design activities for their students.

The MILL will be closing for the summer months starting June 16th. In July we will be busy running summer camps, and in August we will be preparing for another year of making and fun in the MILL for 23-24 school year!

MVSCH partners help leverage the impact made to youth in our region through equitable hands-on, quality STEAM programming. In particular, we are grateful to th school districts in our two-county region for the support they provide to integrate equitable and accessible STE(A)M programming into schools.

MVSCH is grateful for the community partners helping us build a strong ecosystem to support youth.

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities to support the Hub through partnership support, please contact the MVSCH Fund Development Manager, Janice Hardy.

Visit the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub 

website to learn more about us, see a list of our partners, and find out how YOU can get involved.

Contact email: midvalleystemctehub@linnbenton.edu