As you may be aware, at the end of the last school year we were notified that the district had received a $250,000 grant.  We are very excited about this opportunity, particularly here in the elementary building, as we will be using this grant to begin a new opportunity for our students in grades K-5, a STEAM class.  STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (and Agriculture) and Math.  Students will have the opportunity, beginning this year and into the future, to attend a STEAM class once a week where they will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning experiences that will enhance their classroom learning.  We have been talking about STEAM and ways to bring it to more students for several years, starting with our robotics kits in classrooms a few years ago and the robotics teams for the past two years.  This is a big step forward for us as a building, and we are looking forward to seeing where this adventure takes our students.  The STEAM class will be taught by Mr. Hamm, and he is very excited about the opportunities that students will have, and is already planning some outstanding lessons and interactive experiences. 

As I mentioned, the classes will meet once a week, and this has presented a new challenge for us, as we needed to find a way to incorporate STEAM into the daily schedule.  So, with that in mind, along with several other scheduling challenges, a committee of several teachers and myself met last spring to discuss how to bring this opportunity into the parameters of our days and weeks.  After looking at several possibilities, we looked at the number of specials that students miss on Mondays and Fridays (some classes have art or music as many as eight times more than other classes at the same grade level over the course of a year, for example!).  In order to balance the number of specials that classes have, as well as identify a place for STEAM in the rotation, we decided to move our specials schedule to a five day rotation, rather than a Monday-Friday model.  This allows classrooms that would have missed specials due to Monday or Friday holidays to miss fewer specials, and we have added STEAM once every five days, so that on one day out of five, every class will have two specials.  I realize this can all sound very confusing in a letter, but we are working to make sure that everything is clear for everyone.  To that end, an online calendar showing the days numbered 1-5 for the entire year is available at the elementary school website.  The entire year is mapped out, similar to the way the MS/HS has an ABCD rotation calendar.  In the event that there is a snow day, we will not make up the missed day, but will simply follow the calendar as it is laid out.  Classroom teachers will have their specials schedules available as they always have, and the online calendar will be available as a reminder as well. 

I understand this is a change, and new things take some time to get used to.  It will take time for all of us to adjust to this as well, and I thank you for your patience as we navigate this change together.  We are excited about  the opportunity to bring STEAM to our students, and this change helps us facilitate that in a way that also helps bring some balance to other areas of the schedule, which is good for everyone.  If you have any questions, please take a moment to look at the online calendar, and as always, feel free to contact me.  Thank you for your continued partnership and support in your child’s education, and enjoy the rest of the summer.