Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School

 STEM Academy 

     Welcome to the application process for the STEM Academy at Parkland Pre-Engineering Middle School.  The application process for the 2024-2025 will open on January 22, 2024. The application link will be posted here below and can be turned in before the deadline on Friday, February 23, 2024 at 4pm MST.  The list of students accepted will be posted May 6th, 2024 on our website at https://sites.google.com/yisd.net/t-stemppems/home 

     We will be accepting late applications to review beginning Monday, February 26, 2024. You will then be placed on a waiting list and entered into the class, if space permits.  Additionally, we have set aside 5 seats per grade level for any late transfer students who register up until September 27 , 2024.  Selected late transfer students will be notified immediately. 

Elective Overview 

Upon acceptance into the STEM elective course, students will engage in problem-solving projects by enrolling in STEM elective courses.  6th grade students will be enrolled in STEM Independent Studies, which is an introductory project-based STEM course focused on applying the Engineering Design Process.

7th and 8th grade students enroll in Project Lead The Way courses.  These courses include:  

Design and Modeling

Students discover the design process and develop an understanding of the influence of creativity and innovation in their lives. They are then challenged and empowered to use and apply what they’ve learned throughout the unit to design a therapeutic toy for a child who has cerebral palsy.

Automation and Robotics

Students learn about the history and impact of automation and robotics as they explore mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation, and computer control systems. Using the VEX Robotics® platform and/or Lego EV3 platform, students apply what they know to design and program robotic arms and more. 

App Creators

This unit will expose students to computer science as a means of computationally analyzing and developing solutions to authentic problems through mobile app development, and will convey the positive impact of the application of computer science to other disciplines and to society.  Concurrent enrollment in Algebra is required for this course.  

Computer Science for Innovators and Makers

Throughout the unit, students will learn about programming for the physical world by blending hardware design and software development, allowing students to discover computer science concepts and skills by creating personally relevant, tangible, and shareable projects.  Concurrent enrollment in Algebra is required for this course.   

ONLINE APPLICATION 

Before completing the link below for the 2024-2025 online application, please read the following guidelines that must be followed if accepted into the STEM Academy.  By applying for the STEM Academy, both the parent and student agree to follow all guidelines.

Requirements of the STEM Academy:

1. Students must either enroll in Pre-AP course or join a STEM Club (E-Sports, TSA Club, etc).    

2. Students must check out a Chromebook from the school or bring a personal one. These are the sole responsibility of each student and need to be maintained.

3. Students must maintain passing grades in all their classes. Parents will need to sign up for Home Access Center (HAC) to monitor student grades.  Contact the front office to enroll in HAC. 

4. Students must exhibit respectful behavior both in and outside of the classroom. Field trips and competitions included.

5. Students must follow all classroom, campus, district, and state rules at all times throughout the year with no referrals. This also includes field trip and competition rules.

6. Students must follow safety procedures at all times. Additionally, if equipment is damaged, lost, or stolen it will be charged to the parent/guardian and will need to be paid to the PMS business office immediately to be replaced.

7. Students will participate in 2 fundraisers per school year. Examples include: Club shirt sales or online fundraisers.  Students will be responsible for turning in products/money on time.

8. Students will participate in various STEM related competitions. As such, it may be required to purchase one First Lego League shirt ($18) and/or one VEX Robotics shirt ($18) in the Fall and one Texas Student Association shirt ($40) in the Spring. TSA shirts are available to borrow but must be returned washed and ironed.  TSA requires gray slacks and black socks/dress shoes as well. Entries to these competitions are limited so we first conduct the competitions at the classroom level and then select the top entries to advance to the regional level. At that time, you will be notified so you can purchase the competition shirt.

9. Students will be expected to work well in groups since the majority of competitions require teamwork. Therefore, it will be important to notify the teacher via e-mail (within 2 days) if there is an issue within the team so that it can be resolved immediately.

10. If any of these rules are not adhered to, it will result in removal of the program. An appeal can be made within 2 days to the STEM Academy committee, which consists of an administrator, STEM Coordinator, and at least one teacher or counselor. Decisions will be made within 7 business days.

Please e-mail any questions directly to:  CWittmann1@yisd.net