The mission of Sherman Thomas STEM Academy is to prepare students, through rigorous and relevant content, to be productive and successful citizens by developing a strong work ethic and the higher-level critical thinking skills needed to solve problems in the real world.
Sherman Thomas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Academy is a high-achieving middle school that is dedicated to academic excellence. Our goal is to develop academically and socially successful students in preparation for high school and post-secondary education, to be competitive, contributing, and productive members of the 21st century global economy.
In 2017, Sherman Thomas Charter Schools took another bold step forward with the establishment of the Sherman Thomas STEM Academy. Catering to students in grades 6th-8th, this academy focused on providing a specialized curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The goal was to ignite a passion for these critical fields, preparing students for the growing demands of the STEM-centric job market.
The addition of the STEM Academy further enhanced Sherman Thomas Charter Schools’ reputation for innovation and responsiveness to emerging educational trends. The schools continued to evolve, adapting to the changing landscape of education while maintaining their core values of academic excellence, student empowerment, and community engagement.
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STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Many careers involve work in these specific fields, and students today are facing a competitive job market where problem solvers have the upper hand.
At Sherman Thomas STEM Academy, we integrate a problem solving mindset in all areas of study. An inquiry approach to learning puts students in control of their own critical thinking development. Collaboration with peers encourages communication and project management skills. Learning habits of professionalism enhances the presentation of student work. All of these are talents highly sought after in today’s work force.
Sherman Thomas STEM Academy sets students up for success throughout and beyond high school. We recognize that technological advances are driving our community, touching all of our lives at home and in the workplace. Students entering high school today learn far beyond “the basics” and find that literacy is not limited to ABC’s and 123’s. Becoming “literate” in today’s world means not only reading about it, but connecting what you read to other subjects and circumstances.
The function of education is to teach one to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.
The Sherman Thomas STEM Academy founders believe that an educated person in the 21st century must be prepared to understand and solve complex and novel problems. The world is changing at an unprecedented rate due to technology and the increasingly global nature of our society. STA aims to develop three central attributes in our students, necessary to adapt and thrive in this time of change. To be educated in the 21st century, one needs to be:
To prepare for high school, college and careers, students need to cover academic content areas, but also develop mastery over key academic concepts. Aligned with the California Common Core Standards, curriculum at STA is structured so students can delve deeply into core subject areas with a focus on inquiry, exploration, and understanding. In addition to content knowledge, our students will have the metacognitive skills to understand their own learning processes. They will strive to learn because they are self-directed, inquisitive, and in charge of their own learning. They will not only learn how to read, write, and do arithmetic, but also how to learn.
To build upon academic and intellectual foundations, learners in the 21st century must be able to collaborate with others and engage in different relationships and ideas among an increasingly diverse global community. STA will focus on developing these social and emotional competencies. Students will be working with peers on a regular basis and specific units will be taught focusing on etiquette and professionalism. In addition, students will see acceptable professional behaviors modeled on a daily basis by instructors as well as special guests from STEM fields. The STA graduate will be able to work collaboratively, identify and respond to emotions in oneself and others, and be compassionate, self-confident learners.
A lifelong learner is a problem solver; he/she needs the critical thinking and reasoning skills to gather information from a variety of sources and the creativity and divergent thinking skills to come up with novel ideas. In addition, strong communication skills are vital, as are questioning, reflection and perseverance. Academic and emotional intelligence together create the foundation for children to recognize challenges in and out of school and to have the confidence, resourcefulness and optimism to not only confront those challenges but to know that change is possible. By the time they leave STA, students will have developed the problem solving skills and confidence to succeed in high school and college and the intrinsic motivation to be lifelong learners.
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