Dear Terrell STEM Academy Community,

It is my pleasure to welcome each of you into 2019! We had a very busy first half of this inaugural year with building our STEM programs with a rich academic foundation and engaging our apprentices in unique experiences that build on our mission: To create a learning environment that will develop and nurture creative thinkers, artistic talent, and innovative problem solvers that will change the global landscape for generations to come. We believe that an academically rigorous STEM education rooted in the humanities will propel our apprentices into a world they will see as full of opportunities.

Already, we have seen high achievement and great academic growth from this first ninth grade class. From having the highest average Lexile reading level for 9th graders in the district to having the highest average PSAT scores, our apprentices are already getting city-wide recognition. But greater still, we are impressed by what’s happening in the classroom.

Specifically, the 9th-grade engineering classes have been immersed in the Engineering Your World curriculum developed by professors at UT Austin.  Our apprentices in these classes are currently taking a deep dive into designing buildings to withstand earthquakes using advanced mathematics and physics to guide the problem-finding and engineering design process. Our apprentices with high interest in computer science have been learning to use block-coding in the new Scratch application developed from MIT. If you haven’t seen them already, have them share with you their Julius Cesar inspired games. In robotics, apprentices are exploring in and learning to use SolidWorks and will soon begin to create their own parts for 3D printing as they build Vex robots. The physics classes have wrapped up a unit on the conservation of energy and will begin a unit on harmonic motion and waves next where students will see cross-over concepts with their Algebra II and Engineering courses.

All of the STEM students have been invited to attend a field trip on Friday, February 8 from 12- 3:30 PM at the Trinity River Vision Authority education center. A follow-up field trip will occur on Friday, February 22 from 12-3:30 PM to see the three bridges currently under construction in the city as part of the Trinity River Project. More STEM field trips, such as EarthX at the end of April,  are being planned, so stay tuned to our campus calendar on the main campus page for all of our campus events.

Highlights from our after-school clubs:

Apprentices from both the VPA and STEM academies participated last fall in Facebook’s Engineer for the Week (EFTW) design challenge. Each year they choose a central theme and this year the students are working to solve social problems in their local communities by creating a “game for impact“ or a “chatbot for change.” The experts at the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History partnered with us after school to guide us through the project cycle. They also asked each of the teams to present their projects to the community at the museum. This was a first for everyone involved and the kids had a blast. We were excited to learn last December that one of the teams from our school was selected as a top finalist team and will attend the achievement summit at the Facebook headquarters in California in May for their Texting and Driving simulation game!  Another spring EFTW project cycle will begin February 11 after school from 3:30-5:30p, Monday-Thursday for three weeks for those students interested in getting a second shot at the achievement summit. 

Additionally, our first Robotics team, the Terrell Iron Panthers officially participated in their first FTC robotics competition in January. It was a joy to see our students as they passed each inspection, collaborated with other teams, and put our first match wins on the record! More competition excitement will take place this May so don’t miss out on traveling with the team. Staff and families are all invited to come and support our apprentices as they put their skills to the test and have fun while they’re at it!

Lastly, registration for the 2019-2020 school year begins on the evening of February 26 from 6:30-8p for those that receive their FWISD Gold Seal School of Choice letter of acceptance for the incoming class of ninth graders. These parent letters are sent via email during the week of February 4 from the Office of Advanced Academics. Please help spread the word about our school with your family and friends. We are happy to give tours, answer questions and meet with all families that desire to give their child a unique STEM experience at I.M. Terrell. If you or someone you know has questions, please have them call the school office at 817-815-2100.

I want to partner with you to create educational success for your child. Your feedback and involvement is extremely important to me in this partnership. To best meet the needs of our community, we will continue to use our campus webpage, our campus Facebook page, the marquee, and email for communication. Thank you again for your continued support. We look forward to partnering with you for another successful year at I.M. Terrell Academy!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lynsey Charles

Associate Principal for STEM & Academics