learning culture Standard 5
Leaders ensure that all stakeholders have ongoing opportunities to access information and learn about STEM implementation
Narrative
Florence B. Mathis Elementary works hard to immerse our stakeholders in events and announcements of STEAM-related events to imbed STEAM into our school culture. We use a variety of platforms to communicate with our stakeholders. Our teachers use a daily communication folder and send home newsletters to parents. We keep our website updated, and our social media sites are active daily. Our social media sites, Facebook and Instagram, show stakeholders daily STEAM activities taking place in our classrooms and around campus. Additionally, our administration uses School Messenger to send announcements to parents, we send a weekly bulletin to teachers, and our broadcast team provides daily announcements to our students. We also take our publicity team to various organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Elks Lodge, and the Optimist to promote current STEAM events.
Our school has a STEAM leadership team comprised of a group of teachers and administrators.
Standard 5, Concept 1: School uses a variety of strategies and platforms to share and communicate STEAM vision, mission, goals, outcomes, responsibilities, roles, events, and activities to internal and external stakeholders.
Communication
We have a variety of platforms to share our STEAM vision and implementation. We provide every student with a STEAM agenda as a communication tool from school to home. Each planner has our student handbook printed inside, and it has STEAM facts.
Social Media
Our Publicity Team
Our Publicity Team presents current events and ongoing opportunities for community support to organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Optimist Club, and the Elks' Lodge. They also practice their social skills by eating lunch with our stakeholders.
Standard 5, Concept 2: School plans for and facilitates a variety of STEM events and activities for the school community during and beyond the regular school day.
We have a variety of ways our school community can be involved in our STEAM activities. We involved the whole school a Red Ribbon week STEAM project in making tie-dye shirts, making a peace sign for "peace out to drugs," and taking a drone picture of our students in their shirts.
We invite experts from the community to teach students in a variety of content areas. Our club activities are held either before school or after school to extend STEAM learning activities for kids. A few of our STEAM clubs are step, dance, art, robotics, and recycling. We also had a bicycle club for kids and parents that was set to meet on Saturdays at Gulf State Park. until COVID occurred.
We invite parents and our community to events such as band and dance team performances.
Peace Out to Drugs
Our whole school tie-dye project
Lemonade Day
IMG_4720 2.MOVLemonade Day is an opportunity for students to experience entrepreneurship. They learn how to make a lemonade stand, experiment with lemonade recipes, and understand expenses in owning and running their own company. On a designated day of the year, students set up their lemonade stand and sell lemonade in front of a sponsored business in our own community.
Broadcast
April 20.mp4Our morning broadcast highlights the great STEAM activities in all of our classrooms. They give a brief summary of the activity and highlight students planning their design and testing their creations. This video highlights second grade, Mrs. Ard's class in a parachute activity.