What is STEM?
STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It is an approach to teaching in which students become innovators, solving real world problems through design. As students work to create solutions, they gain skills and knowledge in all academic disciplines, and also learn effective collaboration and critical thinking skills.
Careers for women in these fields are available. Visitation Academy is committed to preparing our girls for paths that lead to success, independence, and self-confidence – now and in their future.
“Civil Engineers design and construct bridges to meet transportation needs related to traffic, commuting time and over-passing. A range of bridge design exists.” Teach Engineering
NGSS – Next Generation Science Standards
We are very proud of our students’ accomplishments. The Middle States Sustaining Excellence Protocol involves Visitation’s STEM/Build a Computer and Girls Who Code programs. All of the data we have collected on our graduates shows that our students have gone on to excel in Science and Math Classes in High School. Our students consistently score at and above proficiency on the NYS Science Test. This year Visitation offers 2 Regents in Science – Living Environment and Earth Science. Our 8th grades students are also taking the High School Algebra 1 Regents.
Accreditations
Visitation Academy is committed to advancing excellence and has been accredited as a Middle States Program of Sustaining Excellence. Sustaining Excellence award recognizes high-achieving schools for their ongoing accomplishments in all areas.
Guided by our Mission to educate our students in a supportive, challenging environment where they can learn to be citizens of a culturally diverse world, we would research what common strategies are used by teachers to develop understanding and respect of cultural and other differences? At the same time, we want to prepare our students for the future. “Increasingly, business leaders, educators, industry experts, and others are rallying around the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in education. This is a key issue for K-12 education and it’s a requirement to create the kind of workforce our country needs. The Obama administration has clearly focused on this as a major education initiative and a business imperative.”(US News and World Report) We ask what affect will a co-curricular rubric based STEM Program for elementary and middle school students have on their readiness and performance at the secondary level in STEM related math and science courses? In addition will integrating “arts” courses with science, technology, engineering and math courses enhance student awareness and appreciation for the inter dependency of these themes as suggested by the NSF and the NEA and what impact does it have overall on student performance?
Visitation has exceeded goals in our original Action Plan. Our students are taking 3 high school regents – Algebra 1, Earth Science and Environmental Science
Original Action Plan:
1. Students in 7th grade will take a NYS 9th grade Regents exam and receive a passing grade.
Development of a high school curriculum to be used in our middle school.
2. Follow guidelines from Middle States on STEM school of distinction
All 4th graders will continue to excel in the NYS Science Assessment at Level 3 and 4
85% of 8th grade students will continue to excel in the NYS Science Assessment at Level 3 and 4
Students will enroll in advanced math courses in Fontbonne Hall High School
Students will receive a passing grade in Fontbonne Hall High School Science Classes
Build a solar-powered desalination device to change saltwater into clean drinkable water.
Essential Question: Science Can we change saltwater like ocean water into drinkable water using a solar-powered desalination process?
Engineering: Students build a desalination device.
Math: Documenting dimensions of the container of yielded clean water, average yield based on conducting experiment 3 times, and the comparison of the white container and the black container
Technology: Used internet for research, photographed /videoed the experiment process. Created a power point presentation.
Religion: Explored virtue of gratitude for natural resources and availability of water.
Created models of villages and structures that could withstand erosion.
Essential Questions: How can we build to avoid effects of erosion? Which materials did you use to reduce erosion? Why did you choose those materials? Where did the greatest amount of erosion occur? Was your device successful under all conditions? How do you know? What changes did you make to your device after testing? Why did you make those changes? Group presentation
Essential Question: How to encourage people to reduce, reuse, and recycle?
The 6th graders were a part of an Earth Day reduce, reuse, recycle project and a unit on Newton’s law.
Cell City Project
Essential Question: How is a cell similar to a city?
Floating around in the cytoplasm of a cell are small structures called organelles. Like the organs in one’s own body, each one carries out a specific function necessary for the cell to survive. In order to survive, the cell must be able to interact with its surroundings, use energy, produce materials and manage waste.
You will create a poster that compares a living plant cell and its organelles to a city, school, factory, ballpark, etc. The place you choose must use energy, produce substances and manage waste. The organelles will represent the parts of your place that carry out these processes.
Using Technology for a science research, rubric based project – including bibliography.
Task: Researched a volcanos history including geographical coordinates for location. Used checklist and guidelines to focus research. Created an original Power Point presentation and either a 3-dimensional model or poster. Rubric and guidelines were available on class website.
Architectural Drawings ART
1 – Explored a variety of buildings and their purposes
2 – Learned that buildings are works of art
3 – Developed drawing skills
4 – Worked with color and mixed media
5 – Studied the importance of math and mathematical tools used in Art
Projects:
1 – City door with rectangular steps using crayons
2 – Country house with roof angles using black permanent markers
3 – Architectural elements of a
castle /designed castles with cylinders and rectangles using metallic markers
4 – City skyline with rectangles and triangles using watercolor paint
Middle States – Sustaining Excellence Protocol
The 3 r’s have been replaced by the three c’s for 21st Century competencies.
Project Based Learning
* critical thinking
* collaboration
* communication
Additional c’s – creativity (innovation), cross cultural competence.
Congratulations to our students who consistently meet and exceed Common Core Standards testing.
Year |
NYS Science 4
Percentage of students achieving and exceeding competency |
NYS Science 8
Percentage of students achieving and exceeding competency |
2016 |
100% |
100% |
2017 |
100% |
80% |
2018 |
100% |
100% |
2019 |
100% |
100% |
2020 |
No State Testing COVID |
Year |
NYS Living Environmental Regents – advanced High School curriculum
Percentage of students achieving and exceeding proficiency. |
2016 |
91.7% |
2017 |
100% |
2018 |
75% |
2019 |
88% |
2020 |
Equivalency Regents due to Covid 100%
|