The Science Georgia Performance Standards have been reviewed and revised over the last several months. Many of you may have participated in this process by completing one of the stakeholder surveys or by serving on one of the revision committees. Today marks the beginning of a 60-day public review period of the draft K-12 Science Georgia Standards of Excellence, and we encourage you to review the draft and provide feedback via a brief survey . To ensure that you receive important information throughout the revision process and beyond, please consider signing up for one or more of the email lists below:
 
Science K-5
join-science-k-5@list.doe.k12.ga.us
 
Science 6-8
join-science-6-8@list.doe.k12.ga.us
 
Science 9-12
join-science-9-12@list.doe.k12.ga.us
 
Click here to review the proposed science standards.  Then take the survey and provide your feedback.  They want to here what you like, don't like and suggestions for improvement.

Survey to share your feedback on the draft standards.

Check out this resource offering STEM resources.  http://www.spark101.org/

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the nation's highest honors for K-12 teachers of mathematics and science (including computer science). Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education. Since 1983, more than 4,400 teachers have been recognized for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession. If you know great teachers, nominate them to join this prestigious network of professionals. 
 
Presidential awardees receive a certificate signed by the President of the United States; a trip to Washington D.C. to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities; and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.  Please consider nominating an exceptional K-6 teacher this year. (Nominations for teachers who teach grades 7-12 will be open next year.)  The deadline for nominations is April 1, 2016 and the deadline for applications is May 1, 2016.  For more information on nominations and applications, visit www.paemst.org. For materials to help spread the word about PAEMST, please visit https://www.paemst.org/recruitment.

At a gathering of students, teachers, parents, and special guests in the school cafeteria, State School Superintendent Richard Woods presented Tritt Elementary with an official STEM certification banner. This achievement represented a five-year effort by the administration and staff to not only enhance instruction and stretch the teaching and learning process but also required individual professional development and differentiated teacher certification to implement.

“Congratulations to everyone here at Tritt for becoming one of just a handful of schools throughout the state of Georgia to receive STEM certification,” said Woods. “The students here at Tritt will have opportunities they can’t even fully understand at present.”
STEM education programs in Cobb County seek to cultivate problem solvers through problem-based learning and critical thinking engagement within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students create, design, build, discover, and collaborate while developing contextual connections among school, community, work, and the global environment.

Principal Tricia Patterson introduced the special guests which included: (below l-r) State Board of Education Member Scott Johnson, Georgia DOE Representative Kenneth Linsley, Tritt Assistant Principal Kendall Keesling, CCSD STEM & Innovation Supervisor Sally Creel, CCSD Assistant Superintendent (Elementary) Sherri Hill, CCSD Board Member David Banks, CCSD Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, and State Superintendent Woods.

- See more at: http://cobbcast.cobbk12.org/?p=12935#sthash.9yoXAzkg.dpuf

Before we enter the full swing of the holiday season, we wanted to highlight the inaugural year of the Bright Schools Competition. After success exhibiting at the fall conferences, we are on track to reach our Year-1 goal.  However, we need your help in spreading the word and encouraging teachers to submit projects for the Bright Schools Competition.
 
You may recall, this competition is a new partnership between the National Sleep Foundation and NSTA. The competition is a hands-on exploration designed especially for middle school students (grades 6-8), to better understand the link between light, sleep, and student health and performance. Bright Schools is free to enter and students have a chance to win up to $5,000.
 
The competition website helps teams get started with a robust resource section that includes information about the correlation between light and sleep, lesson plans and much more.   The competition teams of two to four students, plus an adult coach/teacher, are asked to identify and investigate an issue within the realm of light and sleep as it pertains to their community and/or young adolescents. After teams choose a topic, they must select one of three exploration options:
·         Developing a prototype;
·         Creating an awareness campaign; or
·         Writing a research proposal.
 
If you are looking for a new STEM learning experience for your students, please join us in encouraging your teachers and students to participate. Project submissions will be accepted until January 29, 2016 at http://brightschoolscompetition.org/. If you have any questions, please contact the Bright Schools Competition Program Manager, Sarah Beistel, at sbeistel@nsta.org.
 
As always, thank you for helping to support NSTA and its programs, your participation is key to our success.
 
Sincerely,
 
Sarah Beistel
Program Manager, Bright Schools Competition
National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22201-3000
Email: sbeistel@nsta.org
P: 703-312-9282
F: 703-243-3952
http://brightschoolscompetition.org/