Active Partnering in Fall

At the STEM Partnership School, we are committed to building and sustaining partnerships. We partner with Aurora University, various corporate and nonprofit partners, as well as diverse educational organizations to provide valuable and unique learning experiences for our students, our local school districts, students across the state and students across the country.

University Partnerships

University faculty have led several professional learning opportunities at the STEM Partnership School. Faculty have also collaborated with STEM School teachers to bring engaging experiences for middle school students in the classroom.

Dr. Sebastian Wyman, AU Mathematics, and Dr. Scott Zinzer, AU Mathematics, discussed with STEM School teachers with strategies to use probability to demonstrate how variability in supply chain processes can increase cost. Dr. Julie Adams, AU Biology, provided insights on how to utilize microcosms (small artificial environments) to gather data regarding life science concepts ranging from inheritance patterns to ecosystems. Dr. Aubrey Southall, AU Education, presented on Taking Informed Action. She provided ideas to bring informed decision in classroom and provided elementary reading books that highlighted immigration and diversity.

The STEM School students have had experiential learning opportunities inside and outside classroom. Eight grade STEM School students presented Senator Linda Holmes with the George Peters Community Partnership award at the Founders Convocation for her work on the state legislation that allowed for the establishment of the STEM Partnership School. Dr. Jerry Butters, AU History faculty, visited the 8th grade ELA classroom to have a dialog on constitution. Dr. Alma Rodriguez Estrada, AU Biology faculty, and Ms. Kaleta, 8th grade STEM teacher, coordinated a lab on bacterial genetic transformation for students’ Structures and Functions unit. The students transformed bacteria with pGLO plasmid for the expression of a green fluorescence protein.

Corporate and Nonprofit Partnerships

The Conservation Foundation

The Conservation Foundation (TCF) has provided great support to STEM Partnership School students across the grades so far this year. They worked with 5th grade students to understand the meaning of conservation as part of their Mighty Acorns program. Students were provided with lab experiences and then given the opportunity to use what they learned at one of the Forest Preserves in the Forest Preserve District of Kane County.

In mid-October, STEM Partnership School teachers had the opportunity to visit The Conservation Foundation headquarters in Naperville. They learned about the wide variety of projects in which TCF is involved.

A representative from The Conservation Foundation discussed organic farming practices with 8th grade students who are reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma in English language arts. This book investigates how the choices about what we eat can affect our health and, ultimately, our specie’s survival.

Friends of the Fox River

7th grade STEM Partnership School students had the opportunity to work with the Friends of the Fox River. They used different data gathering techniques to determine the health of the Fox River in Oswego. Due to the rainy fall, students gathered data from a creek that feeds into the river.

Waste Management

Waste Management invited our 6th grade students to learn more about a unique ecosystem on a visit to their Wilmington Landfill. Students were able to examine how Waste Management and Caterpillar have a symbiotic relationship.

DuPage Children’s Museum

DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM) brought their Simple Machines Learning Lab to the STEM Partnership School. Our elementary students had the opportunity to work with wheels, levers, and pulleys to build and better understand simple machines and how they function.

Fermilab

The architect that works on projects for Fermilab National Laboratory showed 6th grade students how decisions are made before building on Fermilab’s property. The goal is to have the least possible impact on the environment.

Cabot Microelectronics

A representative from Cabot Microelectronics talked with 8th grade students regarding careers. They discussed different career paths and how interests can guide career choices.

Professional Learning Partnerships

Earlier this fall, we had the opportunity to learn with colleagues from central Illinois and Texas. We were able to engage in dialogue with partners from Monroe School District 70 and CAST regarding the trajectory of STEM education, innovative technology and resources, and building partnerships in local communities.

If you are interested in learning more about partnerships in school, contact us to learn more:
Twitter: @jcdsps
Email: stem@aurora.edu
Request a visit: https://forms.gle/79L2qH9CGWmfttTBA