Facility Update

Construction at the new facility continues to progress. Below are some pictures showing some of the work that has been completed.

Parents should have also received an email last week concerning RTA service to the new location. If you are considering this as an option for your child, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Knowing how many students may use this service will help us in working with the Greater Dayton RTA.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

Dr. Boyd

The lobby area entrance. Soon you will see Mrs. Johnson seated behind those windows!

 

Looking back through the same windows to the front entrance and lobby.

Looking through a large conference room to the art room.

From the middle of the building looking back to the front entrance. Drywall is starting to be added to the light monitors.

One of light monitors that is mostly finished.

Looking to the back of the building along a row of light monitors. The wellness and fitness space will be on the right side of this picture. Also notice some of the lights have been installed in the ceiling grid on the right side of the photo.

Looking back another row of light monitors. The cafeteria will be on the left side of this picture.

A view of the light monitors from the roof.

DRSS Board Member highlight

Below is a link to a recent story about one of our DRSS Board members, Michael Bridges. Mr. Bridges is the President of Peerless Technologies, a company headquartered here in the Dayton region that does defense contracting work across the country. The article highlights Mr. Bridges and his family's connections to Wright State University.

http://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/community/2011/family-affair/

We are fortunate to have Mr. Bridges as one of our board members.

Dr. Boyd

Summer move

The Dayton Regional STEM School has now moved out of the second floor of the Clark State Community College building. It is a little eerie to see the space that housed us for two years completely empty (see a couple of pictures below). All of the furniture and equipment has been moved into the permanent facility, separate from where the construction is happening.

We are now located in 250 University Hall on the campus of Wright State University. For the summer, you can continue to reach us by the same email addresses and the same school number, 937-431-1837. If you plan to visit in person, please be sure to call ahead of time to check that someone will be in the office. Our second move this summer will be in mid- or late-August to the permanent facility on Woodman Drive.

Dr. Boyd

New Facility Construction

The construction on the new facility is moving quickly. Roof monitors have been installed to let more natural light into the building, and the roof is nearly all replaced. Below are some pictures from the Brick Breaking ceremony earlier this month, followed by some pictures of what it currently looks like (as of May 31) inside the building- a long way to go still, but it is exciting to see some progress!

Dr. Boyd

A view from the entry way looking into the office area.

A view from the entry way looking into the science classrooms.

A view from the main hallway looking to the back of the building. Notice the roof monitors and the light coming in through the ceiling.

A view from the Art and STEM Foundations rooms looking to the back of the facility.

The multipurpose area that will serve a space for wellness and fitness.

From the south side of the building looking north down what will be a hallway.

One of six roof monitors being installed to let in natural light.

Looking from the hallway/front commons area toward the cafeteria.

A view from the Art and STEM Foundations rooms looking toward the office area and front entrance.

Kings Island Trip

DRSS Parents,

Just a reminder that students must have the money and permission slips turned in by the morning of Friday, May 27 in order to secure a spot on the Kings Island trip on June 3.

Dr. Boyd

Brick Breaking

Check out the link below for some WSU coverage of the "Brick Breaking" event at the new facility from Monday, May 9.

http://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2011/05/09/bricks-broken-at-dayton-regional-stem-school-event/

Dr. Boyd

Dragons Game

On Friday night, DRSS students, staff, and families took advantage of the nice weather and enjoyed a Dayton Dragons game. Thanks to everyone that came out for the game, and congratulations to Gabe Loranger on a successful first pitch!

Dinner Party

Below are pictures from the Dinner Party event. Thanks to everyone that came out for the event!

Summer opportunity

See the link below for a summer opportunity from Central State University!

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B29hCVV9xmV5ZDEwNDQ0ZTEtM2Y2OS00ZGMyLTliMjItYzRiOTEyMjYzODdm&hl=en&authkey=CKbR-ooL

Dr. Boyd

Dinner Party

On April 28, the Dayton Regional STEM School is hosting a "Dinner Party." This event serves as a culmination of the “Struggle for Equality” theme in our ninth grade US History class.  Utilizing The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago as inspiration, this “Dinner Party” project celebrates the accomplishments of individuals from the greater Dayton area who represent a specific marginalized group.  Each student will create a place setting that includes a dinner plate crafted from clay, as well as additional components such as silverware, cups, and napkins. Students will create these place settings to represent a specific Dayton area person's struggle for equality.

This event is open to the public. The price for the meal is $8, and includes chicken, macaroni and cheese, and green beans, and a drink. A silent auction for the dinner plates will also be held, with proceeds going to a non-profit chosen by the ninth grade students. 

We hope you can attend on April 28.

Dr. Boyd

DRSS parents meeting

DRSS Parents,

Thanks for attending the parents meeting tonight, and for your participation in the meeting. For those of you online, I'm sorry if you were not able to hear the discussion as well. I was trying to listen and be reflective, and was not able to type or summarize others' thoughts at the same time. I've put a link below for the elluminate session if you are interested and were unable to attend.

Dr. Boyd


https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2011-04-12.1611.M.39B578BDF141122ED64A6C2904B0F2.vcr&sid=1126

Parents meeting, facility

DRSS Parents,


Just a reminder that we have our next parents meeting on April 12. The time is LATER that originally planned, 6:30-7:30, so that anyone who wants to attend the event at the International Peace Museum can do so before the meeting. Molly sent the link to the Elluminate session if you are unable to attend in person.


We had a good meeting yesterday with all the entities concerning the purchase of the permanent facility. Everything looks good to finalize the purchase on Tuesday, and I hope to have more official news for you at the parents meeting Tuesday night.


Dr. Boyd

Graduation Requirements

DRSS Parents,

Below is a summary of the current graduation requirements that we have for students at DRSS, as well as the changes we are proposing. Some of these have been discussed informally at parents meetings, but we are working more formally now to adopt these as our requirements. These initial requirements were part of the original proposal for the school 2008, long before our first class was even offered. Now that we have almost two years behind us and are beginning to clarify some of the expectations of the school, we want those expectations reflected in our graduation requirements. Our governing board discussed these changes at their recent work session, and plans to vote on these at their meeting on April 13. I’ve tried to put some of the changes or comments in bold to clarify some of our thoughts. If you have feedback, please contact Mrs. Fisher or Dr. Boyd, or consider attending the April Board meeting.

Dr. Boyd

Current GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students are required to earn 24 credits to graduate from the Dayton Regional STEM School, including credits in the following areas:

4  credits of mathematics

4  credits of laboratory sciences

4  credits of language arts

4  credits of social studies

3  credits of foreign language

2  credits of arts and music

½ credit of health

½ credit of physical education

2 credits of electives

24 credits Total

Proposed GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students are required to earn 24 credits to graduate from the Dayton Regional STEM School, including credits in the following areas:

4  credits of mathematics

4  credits of science

Since all 9^th and 10^th grade students must take Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Biomedical Sciences, respectively, these both count toward their graduation requirement in the sciences.

All students must take Conceptual Physics, Biology, and Chemistry in their first three years at DRSS.

4  credits of language arts

All students must take a Technical Writing Course. This will be a course that 11^th or 12^th grade students can take

4  credits of social studies

All students must take a ½ credit of Government (Ohio reqmt)

3  credits of foreign language

All students must have two years of Chinese before taking another language.

1  credit of art

½  credit of health

½  credit of physical education

½ credit of Internship

This accounts for a total of 21 and ½ credits. The other 2 and ½  credits may be earned through elective courses in the 11^th and 12^th grade.

Boonshoft Photos

If you would like to see some photos from our students' exhibit and special event at the Boonshoft Museum on March 19, you can see a series of photos from the Dayton Daily News by clicking on the link below.

Dr. Boyd


http://projects.daytondailynews.com/cache/galleries/Entertainment/Events/031911outofbody/

DRSS on TV and event at the Boonshoft

A news crew from ABC 22(WKEF) and FOX 45(WRGT) was at the school last week to record a short commercial that will start airing this weekend on those two stations. Below are some of the times that we have been told it will be on the air.

WKEF ABC
3/19 11P
3/20 623P NEWS
3/21 623P NEWS
3/22 515A NEWS
3/22 613P NEWS


WRGT FOX
3/20 10P
3/21 7A NEWS
3/21 653P NEWS
3/21 1025P NEWS
3/22 852A NEWS
3/22  638P NEWS
3/22 1058P NEWS

Also, we hope many of you can join us Sunday, March 20, from 3:00-5:00 at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery to see the "Bodies" exhibit. The exhibit showcases some of our ninth and tenth grade students' work.

Dr. Boyd

Dayton Dragons Game

Please join The Dayton Regional STEM School for a fun evening at the Dayton Dragons game on Friday, April 29, 2011 at 7:00 pm. Tickets for the event are $15.00 each and include a lawn seat to the Dragons game, a Dayton Dragons hat, and a voucher for a free extra value meal to McDonalds!  Please see the ticket order form in the link below.  Order forms and checks can be turned in to Ms. Johnson or Ms. Russell no later than April 15, 2011.

Hope to see you at the Dragons game.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B29hCVV9xmV5ODQ4OWNmMjgtYmY4OS00YmNjLTkwYjYtODhiZGZjMzkxNzVj&hl=en&authkey=CMj1ttEJ

CSU Summer camps

Below is a link to two summer camps being held at Central State University this summer. Some of our students have participating in these camps over the last few summers, and they are great opportunities for middle school and high school students.

Dr. Boyd

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B29hCVV9xmV5ZGI1OWI2MDctNTEyMi00ZmU2LWE1YTMtM2ZjZjlkY2JjM2M0&hl=en&authkey=CIyk46YG

ShamROCK Event

The Boonshoft Museum is hosting its annual ShamROCK event on March 12, from 7:30-11:00. This is an event that draws other students from around the Dayton region. The event will have live bands and many activities such as laser light shows, hip hop dance music, Sumo wrestling, video and other games, Bouncy Twister, and tons of great prizes.

For more information, go to the museum's website (link below).

http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/programs-events/special-events/shamrock

Dr. Boyd

Parents meeting, Internship document

Below are two links. One is a PowerPoint presentation that served as an agenda for our parents meeting on February 28, 2011. The second link is to a one-page document about the Internship that will be required of all students prior to graduation. We plan for students to complete this during the Intersession time in their Junior or Senior year, or to complete it over the summer.

Dr. Boyd

PowerPoint
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B29hCVV9xmV5MTY0NWU1OGQtNTViZi00ZmU1LThlZTEtODgzMzhmOWNmOGFl&hl=en&authkey=CMXWnOQM

Internship one-page document
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B29hCVV9xmV5NzJiMWIyMGEtOGQzMC00Njc5LTgwMWMtZWYyOGRhMTU3MWQw&hl=en&authkey=CMvNoIEK

Pics from Science Olympiad, VRC

Below are some pictures from events February 26. Students from DRSS competed in their first Science Olympiad competition. The event was held at Wright State University, and our students made a good showing for their first ever competition.

In the evening, students enjoyed the Vandalia Recreation Center - spending time on the climbing wall, in the gymnasium, and in the swimming pool.

Dr. Boyd