Okaloosa STEMM Academy 379 Edge Avenue Valparaiso, FL 32580 (P) 850-833-4120

OSA Bi-Monthly Update October 15, 2015

OUR 2ND ANNUAL TEE UP FOR STEMM GOLF OUTING last Saturday was a huge success!

We had a great turnout and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. This year we had a special Student Division: STEMM student Jackson Freeman and his brother Zackery Freeman took 3rd place; STEMM student Riley Mountain and STEMM alumni Arianna Wittic took 2nd place; and STEMM student Ethan Conerly and friends Andrew Stewart and Luke Kennedy won 1st place. well done to all!

A special thank you to all of our parent and student volunteers. They worked hard to make it a memorable event.

Thank you once again to all of our sponsors! We're proud to have the backing of such wonderful business and community leaders: Doolittle Institute, Twin Cities Hospital and Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, Senator Don Gaetz, Marina Cove Realty, Dockside Marina, CRC Data Technologies, Society of American Military Engineers, Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin, Herman Rummelt, Ph.D., White- Wilson Medical Center, Little Caesars, Dixon Golf and Nancy Piotrowski

A very special thank you to the Society of American Military Engineers (S.A.M.E.) Emerald Coast Post who presented Mrs. Avery at the event with a sponsorship check of $1,000. What an honor to be recognized by such a noble organization!

S.A.M.E. leaders Alison Smith, Col. Dale Fox and Allen Mardis, with Mrs. Avery and our STEMM student players and volunteers. ______

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October is National Bullying Prevention Month -Someone you know may be bullied -Someone you know may be a bully Don’t do it. Don’t take it. Report it if you see it. It’s that simple. Anonymous tip line: 833-4149

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DON’T FORGET THE OKALOOSA STEMM ACADEMY TEAM BOOKFAIR AT BARNES & NOBLE, DESTIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16 & 17

***Please see the attached flyer! Visit bn.com/bookfairs to support us online from 10/17 to 10/24/15 by Entering Bookfair ID 11692233 at checkout. ______

FALL CANDYGRAMS go on sale during lunch starting Tuesday, October 20th through Friday, October 23rd. $1 donations per Candygram which will be delivered to students during their last period on Friday, October 30th. See attached Candygram order form. DONATIONS NEEDED for individually wrapped NUT-FREE candy. Please send your donations to the office by Friday October 23rd. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help, please contact Jen Merlo ([email protected]) ______

OCTOBER CANDYGRAMS

We are looking for volunteers to help create this year’s candy-grams to sell to students during lunches (11 am – noon) the week of October 19-23. We need creative minds and hands to make something special for our hardworking students and staff. If you are interested in helping please contact Tracy Lindsay ([email protected]). ______

OSA SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC)

The OSA SAC Committee held its first meeting of the school year on 23 Sept. New members were welcomed, By-laws were reviewed and all members were briefed on the Florida Sunshine laws. We reviewed interest items carried over from last year and also reviewed the updated Draft School Performance Plan. The next meeting is scheduled for December2. The SAC is composed of members from the community, teachers and staff and must be at least 51 % parents. As a group SAC provides advice to the principal and we are fortunate to have teachers/staff that go above and beyond to provide insight into academics and school activities. The SAC is neither a Board of Directors, nor Governors; but we do review standards, and allocate a limited amount of funds provided by the state. The SAC operates “in the sunshine” and any community member or parent may attend all meetings, although you must be a member to vote. – Pat Connolly ______

2 PARENT TECHNICAL

Online Gradebook, Edmodo, and the STEMM website

October 21, 2015 Pick one session Session 1: 3:00 – 3:30 Session 2: 5:00 – 5:30

Please bring a laptop computer to maximize the learning experience. Parents attending the Edmodo training should have a username or password already set up if wanting a hands on experience. Using your child’s username and password is acceptable. ______

“HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND NIGHT” AT CHOCTAW HIGH

I had the opportunity to attend this event on October 7, Emceed by Ms. Cindy Gates, Principal. Brian Barnes from College Board was a featured speaker and he provided a very dynamic and enlightening perspective on strategies to be successful in High School that help prepare students for college, plus provide strategies to select coursework, activities and disciplines that will make them irresistible to the college of their choice. Other extremely useful info: Students can study for PSAT, SAT, and almost any topic or subject they are studying in class with short, insightful videos from Khan Academy. Khan Academy is a wonderful resource and should be on everyone’s favorite list. Mr. John Strickler from Morgan Stanley also discussed strategies to afford college, and Aid/Scholarships. He pointed out there is a short tutorial that shows how to complete the FAFSA (the Federal Aid Application) at the Khan Academy website. I strongly recommend parents and students attend this presentation no later than 8th grade, and again in high school. – Pat Connolly ______

CASUAL FRIDAY OCTOBER 23 – BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Students may show their support for “Breast Cancer Awareness” month by wearing pink. Please make sure all meets district code. NO gym shorts, NO holes in jeans, and length of skirts or shorts must be no shorter than 3 inches above the top of the knee. ______

ADOPT A CLASSROOM – 2015-2016

Michelle Crocker –Microsystems ______

REMINDER: THE IN-SCHOOL FLUMIST CLINIC HEALTHY SCHOOLS, LLC

There is no cost for the immunization for your student. The STEMM Academy is scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2015, from 7:40am-9:00am. This is a great opportunity to keep your students healthy, well and in school during flu season at no cost to parents. Participation is completely optional. If parents have any questions they can refer to Healthy Schools, LLC, [email protected] or Student Intervention Services, at 850-833-5861. ______

3 SCHOOL PICTURES

School pictures are scheduled be taken on October 27. Please mark your calendars. ______

MEMORIAL WALL

In honor of our military families and emergency responders, we will create a memorial wall in our cafeteria to show our pride and appreciation. We are asking STEMM families to send in pictures of family members who serve or have served to protect our country. Please make sure your student’s name and grade level is on the back of each photo. Attach a small paper explaining the identity of the person in the photo and their military branch or emergency responder . We will post the photos during the month of November and return them to the families in December. Please send in photos to the PTO beginning the week of October 26. ______

OKALOOSA STEMM ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTATION NIGHT will be Tuesday, November 17th from 5:30pm -7pm.

STEMM will be hosting a High School Presentation night for the local high schools to present information regarding the STEMM programs offered at their schools. This is open to all grades at STEMM for students and parents. This is a great opportunity to receive information from all of the area high schools and a chance for any questions to be answered. For more information please contact our School Guidance Counselor, Ann Harris @ [email protected] ______

THE DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. ORATORICAL AND POSTER CONTESTS will be held Saturday, January 9, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Walton Beach High School. The theme for the 2016 year is “My Life Matters.” The contests are open to Okaloosa County students in the following categories: Elementary Grades KG – 5, Middle School Grades 6 – 8 High School, Grades 9 - 12 The deadline for applications is Wednesday, December 9, 2015. **Please see the attached letter and entry form for more details. ______

THE OSA ROBOTICS TEAM

The OSA robotics team, Tech Turtles is looking for sponsors or donations to help cover the expenses of travel, lodging, registration, building materials, and tools or equipment. This is our first year in this program and we are the only FTC robotics team on the panhandle. Three of our meets will require us to travel to Jacksonville or further. Please help the Tech Turtles make a splash at these events. For more information contact Amy Sheehan at [email protected].

**Please see the attached FTC sponsorship letter package.

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PARENTS

Please use the School Lunch Payment Made Easy site to check your student’s balances and purchases in the cafeteria. Make certain that your student is purchasing lunch items that you approve and be aware that ala carte items such as ice cream can be very expensive. ______

4 CHRISTMAS PARADE

We are looking for students and parents to participate in the Crestview Christmas Parade on December 5th from 8 am-noon. A Crestview parent is needed to participate in the community meeting for registering our school. Parents and students are needed to plan how we will represent our school. Last year’s float had a melting snowman with the equation of Sun + Heat= melting snow pulled by parents and students. We handed out beads and candy to local children and brochures about OSA to parents. Please contact Tracy Lindsay ([email protected]) if you are able to help. ______

SCHOOL STORE

Open every Wednesday from 11-12, during the students' lunch periods. For more information, please contact Jen @[email protected]. ______

PARENT OF OUR STUDENT ATHLETES:

We want to recognize all of our student’s achievements! Please send a picture of your student in their athletic uniform/gear with information as to what team and school. Ms. Morris would like to post these on the website under Activities, Athletics. ______

BOX TOPS, LABELS FOR , POP TOPS & COKE REWARDS

Parents! PLEASE save your Box Tops, Campbell’s Labels/Label’s for Education, Coke Reward codes and Tyson Labels. This is an easy way to earn funds and supplies for the school. We receive 10 cents for each Box Top, 24 cents for each Tyson Label and differing amounts for the Coke rewards. The Campbell's labels are accumulated and can be used to order supplies for the school. Every single one collected really helps! Please put all submissions in the collection box located in the front office. ______

OSA SHUTTERFLY GROUP

Stay connected with the OSA Shutterfly Group! This online private forum hosted by the PTO allows us to share pictures of school events, view upcoming events and receive updates on STEMM news. You should have already received an email inviting you to the group. If not, please email [email protected]. ______

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