STREAM FAQS

What is the STREAM Education Initiative?

It is the diocesan investment to support the future of Catholic education in WNY which will be implemented throughout our elementary schools. The diocese has designed, will continue to help fund and implement the STREAM Education Initiative for those schools that apply and are accepted into the program.

Is STREAM anything like STEM?

STEM is a national academic movement to increase interest and proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. STREAM is an expansion of STEM; as Catholic schools our mission is to educate the whole child; therefore, we have taken the principals of STEM, infused Religion across all subjects and added the Arts to create STREAM. STREAM will provide students the creative thinking skills necessary to communicate and advance in the real world.

STREAM is also a description of flowing water. In that respect, STREAM is the flow of ideas connecting several subject areas. Equally important to the success of the STREAM program will be the continuous flow of communication, collaboration, support and planning involving the parish, school, administration, faculty, parents and students.

How does STREAM work?

STREAM is not a new curriculum, but rather a creative framework for teaching a given concept across a variety of subjects integrating traditional textbooks with technology - iPads, interactive white-boards, Chromebooks, and laptops-to access the internet to explore, process, and learn. Students will have increased exposure to relevant, hands-on activities relating to a specific topic.

For example, the sixth grade might be studying ancient Greece; in advance of the segment, teachers will meet, collaborate and plan. Students might learn about the history and architecture of Greece in social studies, make models of Greek columns in art class, or discuss and plan a mini-Olympics in gym class. Rather than learning a concept/topic in an isolated subject, teachers will work collaboratively to incorporate related materials to reinforce those concepts/topics across multiple subjects. Studies show students learn best when a concept is reinforced across several subject areas.

How are STREAM schools chosen?

Interested schools submit a detailed application providing a list of academic and financial requirements as well as a commitment of support from their parish and school administration, the faculty and the HSA representatives.

A set of criteria has been established; identifying information is removed from each application so the review team is “blind” when making their decisions. Each application is given points based on the set criteria and schools with the highest score become eligible to be part of the initiative.

Who will manage and implement the STREAM program at the school level?

Each school will have a designated STREAM coordinator. The Diocesan STREAM Coordinator will continue professional development and mentoring for STREAM coordinators and teachers throughout the school year.

Is STREAM programming available at the schools that are not STREAM Education Initiative schools?

Yes. While STREAM Academy courses are mandatory for the STREAM Education Initiative schools, all diocesan schools have the opportunity to incorporate STREAM Academy courses. This can be offered as either a club, part of an after school, evening or weekend program, or “pushed-in” to the school day.

STREAM Academy schools will have the opportunity to choose from many focus topics. These are only a few of the Academies and Courses offered:

STREAM Sprouts (Pre K – 1): Just as listening to stories and learning the alphabet introduces young children to the world of literacy, inquiry science gives children the building blocks to learn how to observe their world, ask questions, and solve problems. The program combines STREAM concepts with games and activities for our youngest learners.

PEAP (Grades 1-3): PEAP will strengthen students’ enthusiasm and knowledge of Old Testament lessons in faith, while adapting the engineering and design process to meet the needs of our favorite bible heroes.

Kitchen Chemistry (Grades PreK-8): Students will explore the science found in food prep. In this academy students will learn the origins of food, healthy food choices, food preparation and the impact of accurate measurement on a recipe’s outcome.

Arcade Academy (Grades K-8): Based on the short film Caine’s Arcade, students will engage in a simple arcade design process that develops creativity, and along the way, they will learn: physics, design thinking, math, financial literacy, engineering, social entrepreneurship, the value of recycling and social justice concepts.

Upcycled Art (Grades 6-8): Students use objects and materials that would normally be thrown away or recycled and use them to create beautiful works of art. Through this learning process, they learn about recycling and repurposing , reducing waste, and science and engineering processes needed to turn their recycled materials into the foundations of their sculptures and artworks.

Invention Convention (Grades 4-6): Students first learn how inventions and innovations historically evolved. They are then trained in creative thinking skill activities and will use a problem solving model to invent a product using everyday items. Finally, using research and communication skills, students will generate commercials to sell their products.

Robotics (Grades 6-8): Our Robotics design course offers students an exciting platform for learning about areas rich with career opportunities spanning science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The program encourages teamwork, leadership and problem-solving among student design teams.

Lego U (Grades K-5): Using LEGO brand building blocks, students build objects that solve problems or meet challenges presented by their teacher. The building process taps into each child's creativity and imagination and teaches the foundations of design and engineering.

You're the Balm! (Grades 6-8): Through this STREAM Academy, students create their own business from the ground up. Their product is lip balm made by the students themselves and the students learn about advertising, marketing, and cost/profit as well as the procedures and science behind creating the actual lip-balm. Students sell the balms they have created at the X-STREAM Games and all profits are donated to various charities.

Mock Stock Academy (Grades 6-8): Using a virtual stock market website created by TD Bank, students learn about investments, how the news and world events affect financial markets, and create their own portfolio of investments. Over the course of the Academy, the students follow the progress of their investments, do research to improve their portfolios, and compete to earn the most money.

What’s the difference between a STREAM School and STREAM Academy?

The schools participating in the STREAM Education Initiative have an ongoing, rigorous commitment from administration and faculty to STREAM programming throughout the entire school.

All schools have the opportunity to become a STREAM Academy, where STREAM focus topics will be offered as either a club, as part of an afterschool, evening or weekend program, or “pushed-in” to the school day.

Who will pay for STREAM programming?

As with any new academic undertaking, and this initiative in particular, success hinges on understanding collaboration and support on a variety of levels.

- Local businesses and individual donors have been contacted to partner with our schools to provide financial, technical and/or volunteer support. Please see our website wnycatholicschools. org for a list of the top 20 collaborative partners;

- And as part of the application process, each school has committed to provide the financial resources and the instructional framework necessary for the success of this program.

Who do I contact if my organization wants to partner, help fund or provide volunteers?

If your organization is interested in becoming a sponsor for the diocesan-wide initiative or partner with a particular school, please contact Siobhan Pawelczyk at spawelczyk@buffalodiocese.org

To partner directly with St. Mary's Elementary School, please contact Steve Hunter, SME STREAM Coordinator at hunters@smeschool.com.

As an individual, how can I become involved in this great project?

There are many ways parents, grandparents, alumni, parishioners and other supporters of Catholic education can help. Volunteers can come from many backgrounds and levels of experience. If you have an expertise or passion for any subject relating to science, technology, engineering, any form of art or math, please contact Siobhan Pawelczyk - Diocesan STREAM Coordinator at spawelczyk@buffalodiocese.org. To become involved with STREAM at St. Mary's Elementary School directly, please contact Steve Hunter, SME STREAM Coordinator at hunters@smeschool.com.

How else can I help?

If you have a skill in grant writing, fundraising, community outreach, marketing, PR and/or video technology, you can help fund or promote the STREAM initiative. Those who want to be more hands-on might volunteer to assist running an after school, evening or weekend STREAM Academy course. Email Siobhan Pawelczyk, the Diocesan STREAM Coordinator at spawelczyk@buffalodiocese.org, so she can help define a role for you.

Parent resources will be available on the WNY Catholic schools website: WNYCatholicschools.org. You can play an instrumental role in preparing our children for their future success in tomorrow’s job market.