Dear Parents of students in grades 8-11,
I am writing to alert you to some upcoming PSAT testing opportunities that will be available at the Dayton Regional STEM School.
The following statement describes what the PSAT assessment measures:
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT®. It also gives you (Juniors only) a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.
The PSAT/NMSQT measures:
Critical reading skills
Math problem-solving skills
Writing skills
So, here are the options:
FREE PRACTICE TEST
On Saturday, September 21, the Princeton Review will be offering a "FREE" practice PSAT at the Dayton Regional STEM School. The free practice test on September 21will allow current juniors the chance to experience the testing format of the PSAT before they take the actual assessment in October. The practice PSAT may also be useful to underclassmen who want additional opportunities to practice college admission type assessments for no charge. The test will begin at 9am and should end around 11:30am. Please have your student arrive by 8:45 that day to allow time for registration and announcements. Please click on the following link to register for this testing date:
PSAT Practice Test
REAL PSAT - OFFERED THROUGH COLLEGE BOARD
The REAL PSAT will be given on October 16 at DRSS. Each year, the school gives the College Board PSAT to all Juniors free of charge. At that time, students in grades 8-10 may also choose to take the assessment as long as they pay a testing fee of $20. If you have a student in grade 8th, 9th or 10th that will be taking the real PSAT on October 16, please email me at robin.fisher@wright.edu. You simply need to supply the students name and grade level. Return payment of $20 in the form of check (made out to Dayton Regional STEM School) or cash to the front office by Friday, October 4.
Please remember that NMSC scholarship opportunities are only available to juniors who test on the October 16 testing date.
Please contact me if you have any questions at robin.fisher@wright.edu.
Sincerely,
Robin Fisher
Assistant Principal/Director of Counseling
OSLN/WSU STEM Network Liaison
Monday, September 9, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
JCOWA Membership forms due Friday!
A quick reminder to students who are
interested in Junior Council On World Affairs- please bring your money
to Mr. Lydy or Mr. Grieve ($10 fee) by Friday morning (9/6/13). They will also
need your JCOWA membership form at that time (see below).
Please email them with any questions at kevin.lydy@wright.edu or arch.grieve@wright.edu.
For more information on JCOWA, you can find their FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dayton-Junior-Council-on-World-Affairs/314955711855888
For details on their first event at Stivers School For the Arts, go to this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/220411021449102/
Please email them with any questions at kevin.lydy@wright.edu or arch.grieve@wright.edu.
For more information on JCOWA, you can find their FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dayton-Junior-Council-on-World-Affairs/314955711855888
For details on their first event at Stivers School For the Arts, go to this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/220411021449102/
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Muse Machine-Not too late to sign up!
Its NOT TOO LATE Sign-up NOW for Muse Machine
https://sites.google.com/site/stemmuse/home
Check out the website for all details regarding MUSE
September 11 is the deadline for Muse Machine Sign-ups.
PARENT meeting on Sept. 5 at 7 (if your parent came to the Kick-off meeting they do not have to come to this one).
NO MEETING September 4th.
Guest Speaker for meeting on September 18 at 3:30 -more details to come but this will be a VERY FUN meeting so we look forward to seeing everyone!
https://sites.google.com/site/stemmuse/home
Check out the website for all details regarding MUSE
September 11 is the deadline for Muse Machine Sign-ups.
PARENT meeting on Sept. 5 at 7 (if your parent came to the Kick-off meeting they do not have to come to this one).
NO MEETING September 4th.
Guest Speaker for meeting on September 18 at 3:30 -more details to come but this will be a VERY FUN meeting so we look forward to seeing everyone!
Monday, August 26, 2013
New System for ProgressBook
Parents, ProgressBook is now up and running. ProgressBook has recently undergone a major transition to their website, but you can now find a link on the DRSS homepage along the left-hand column or on the Parent Page on the website. You can also bookmark the new ProgressBook login URL: https://gb.mdeca.org/parentaccess/
The Parent Registration Key, which you will need in order to log in to ProgressBook, is in the mail and should be arriving in the next couple of days. Once you have your personal registration key, you will be able to log in.
Also for those of you who are new to ProgressBook, there are directions on the Parent Page (http://www.daytonstemschool.org/#!parents-students/c1aoj) for how to set up alerts to go directly to your personal email or cell phone letting you know if you students have missed assignments or if they are falling behind in their classwork. Please follow the instructions for setting this up, as this can be a valuable tool for making sure your son or daughter does not fall behind in his or her classes.
The Parent Registration Key, which you will need in order to log in to ProgressBook, is in the mail and should be arriving in the next couple of days. Once you have your personal registration key, you will be able to log in.
Also for those of you who are new to ProgressBook, there are directions on the Parent Page (http://www.daytonstemschool.org/#!parents-students/c1aoj) for how to set up alerts to go directly to your personal email or cell phone letting you know if you students have missed assignments or if they are falling behind in their classwork. Please follow the instructions for setting this up, as this can be a valuable tool for making sure your son or daughter does not fall behind in his or her classes.
New State Report Card is Out
Hello DRSS parents:
You may have seen in recent news reports that the Ohio Department of Education on Wednesday released the new School Report Cards issuing A-F letter grades in up to nine performance areas. Previously, school Report Cards assessed schools and districts mostly on achievement test results and rated them using descriptors such as "Excellent" or "Academic Watch."
Here is a link to our Dayton Regional STEM School Report Card: http://media.wix.com/ugd/d3564a_500c438bcf44758b7a399d8c2d10bda4.pdf
As you will see, the format is different from previous years and reflects some gaps since we do not yet have the data or because our number of students is too small. A strength that is evident in the report is that we met 100% of the State Indicators. These indicators measure how many students have passed the state standardized tests (OGTs and OAAs). Test results are reported for each student in a grade and subject. At least 75 percent of students must pass to get credit for the indicator. The report also shows areas marked for improvement, particularly Progress, or Value Added, where a grade of F was reported. At this point we are unclear as to the calculation method to assess this grade. We are currently looking into the data utilized, the sample size and the calculation method to gauge our response.
Please know that we remain committed to providing your children - our students - with a rigorous, relevant and meaningful STEM-focused education; and are dedicated to the mission to ensure that they will be well prepared for their pursuits once they graduate from the Dayton Regional STEM School. While report cards, based mainly on state mandated testing, provide one method of evaluating effectiveness, we believe that there are other measures that may more accurately predict the future success of our students.
We will report back to all of our stakeholders once we have a better understanding of the new format of the 2012-2013 School Report Card. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Dr. Jeff Lewis
Principal/CAO
Dayton Regional STEM School
You may have seen in recent news reports that the Ohio Department of Education on Wednesday released the new School Report Cards issuing A-F letter grades in up to nine performance areas. Previously, school Report Cards assessed schools and districts mostly on achievement test results and rated them using descriptors such as "Excellent" or "Academic Watch."
Here is a link to our Dayton Regional STEM School Report Card: http://media.wix.com/ugd/d3564a_500c438bcf44758b7a399d8c2d10bda4.pdf
As you will see, the format is different from previous years and reflects some gaps since we do not yet have the data or because our number of students is too small. A strength that is evident in the report is that we met 100% of the State Indicators. These indicators measure how many students have passed the state standardized tests (OGTs and OAAs). Test results are reported for each student in a grade and subject. At least 75 percent of students must pass to get credit for the indicator. The report also shows areas marked for improvement, particularly Progress, or Value Added, where a grade of F was reported. At this point we are unclear as to the calculation method to assess this grade. We are currently looking into the data utilized, the sample size and the calculation method to gauge our response.
Please know that we remain committed to providing your children - our students - with a rigorous, relevant and meaningful STEM-focused education; and are dedicated to the mission to ensure that they will be well prepared for their pursuits once they graduate from the Dayton Regional STEM School. While report cards, based mainly on state mandated testing, provide one method of evaluating effectiveness, we believe that there are other measures that may more accurately predict the future success of our students.
We will report back to all of our stakeholders once we have a better understanding of the new format of the 2012-2013 School Report Card. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Dr. Jeff Lewis
Principal/CAO
Dayton Regional STEM School
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Science Olympiad Parent Meeting
A meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 4th, at 5:00pm in the school cafeteria for the purposes of sharing information about the upcoming season, tournament dates, and finding any interested parents who might wish to coach an event. Please contact Steve Anticoli (steve.anticoli@wright.edu) for more information.
First LEGO League Robotics Parent Meeting
A meeting is scheduled for August 28th at 5:00pm in the school cafeteria. The agenda will include sharing information about teams and the upcoming season. The meeting is open to all middle school FLL participants. Please contact Steve Anticoli (steve.anticoli@wright.edu) for more information.
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