STEM / STREAM Program
At the School of Saint Elizabeth, we are proud to provide integrated STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) for all students from Pre-K to 8th-grade. It is evident that integrating STREAM empowers success in all areas of development: social-emotional and academic.
We nurture 21st-century learners by revolutionizing our technology infrastructure and education. Our school is Future Ready certified which requires a robust infrastructure and fluid integration of technology for teaching and learning. Technology enables students to produce new and original work thereby engaging higher order thinking skills. Teachers are trained through Personal Learning Networks and frequent professional development applications.
Our STREAM program fosters a students’ ability to have grit through a problem. By practicing grit and persistence, we are empowering students to confidently tackle real-world problems with a growth mindset. Students learn how to evaluate solutions with empathy, research, and with applicable resources. This methodology allows students to practice a solution-based approach to solving problems. Students who otherwise might struggle in academic areas obtain confidence by experiencing small victories over challenges through our STREAM program. For this reason, teachers stress the importance of improving your initial design rather than competing against others. Teamwork and collaboraton is an integral part of STREAM education. Social interaction teaches students to work as a team by effectively communicating and compromising in order to achieve a common goal.
All staff have been trained in STREAM integration by our certified STREAM coordinators. A STREAM coordinator conducts a weekly STREAM class for our K- 5 students. Classes meet in our school’s Innovation Center: a makerspace. Students are taught how to use the engineering design process to creatively solve problems. Classroom teachers accompany their students to STREAM class. Collaboration between STREAM coordinators and classroom teachers empowers them to break down the silos between subjects which facilitates problem-based learning for even our youngest learners.
In grades 6 to 8, students apply these skills through more in-depth thematic cross-curricular problem-based learning projects. The middle school team collaborates to integrate STREAM between subjects. Our 8th-grade year-long Capstone project gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to independently solve real-world problems. Students identify a pressing issue in the local or global community. They conduct in-depth research, generate possible solutions, and produce one solution’s prototype. Students present their creations to their peers, parents, and the school community. Through the Capstone project, our graduating students showcase all social, emotional and academic skills they have gained through our STREAM program. Our 8th graders graduate as highly-skilled problem solvers ready to tackle 21st Century problems.