DECEMBER NEWSLETTER  

Next DE CSTA Meeting
MOT Charter School
1275 Cedar Lane Road, Middletown, DE 19709
6-8pm
School Contact: Patti Ann Mooney (302-696-2000)
 
Additional Dates to Remember
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Helpful Links
November Meeting Recap
At our November meeting, members discussed many options for holding Hour of Code activities at the elementary, middle and high school levels. In addition, Ashley Chance and Morgan Franklin from JP Morgan Chase & Co. joined us and shared the company’s focus on partnering with schools: The vision of DE Youth Technology Pathways is “to guide students through key stages of computer science education, including introduction and safety, guidance, and ultimately inspiration to choose a career in technology.” Some of their offerings include Cyberkidz, LEGO Challenge, and GenTech. 
 
Luke Rhine, Director of Career & Technical Education STEM Initiatives in the Delaware Department of Education, joined us to provide updates on the many changes coming soon to Delaware’s CTE programs specifically in terms of program funding with a new state plan. Highlights include expanding funding to 6th grade CTE programs (currently/historically only 7th and 8th grade received funding for middle school programs) and a plan to expand post-secondary opportunities for students wanting to pursue a career in technology. Luke also shared that there is a push at UD to expand their 4-year computer science program offerings, and that ZipCode Wilmington’s program is NOT going to replace the current state model CS Pathway, but rather is a supplement to CS education in some Delaware high schools. Finally, there has been no movement in terms of training for high school teachers for the 3rd CS Pathway course: AP CSA, but Luke is very interested in working with the DE CSTA chapter to diligently work on this. 
 
Many more details can be found recorded on the slide deck for this meeting - AVAILABLE HERE
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Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code, the international non-profit working to close the gender gap in tech, invites you to participate in the #1000ClubChallenge during CS ED Week, December 9 - 13th!

 

The #1000ClubChallenge is an effort to promote middle and high school computer science education, as well as college and career readiness. Our goal is to start 1,000 6-12th grade Girls Who Code Clubs in 7 days! We know it’s ambitious, but we believe in taking risks and being brave in order to make a profound impact. Join us in this challenge as we work together to end the gender gap in tech!

 

Girls Who Code Clubs are about coding--and so much more. 6th-12th grade girls join our sisterhood of supportive peers and role models while using computer science to change the world. Our interactive curriculum introduces computer science concepts while encouraging girls to hone skills (like bravery and resilience) that they will use to pursue their careers. Plus, our curriculum is flexible. Even if you already have STEM programming, our plug-and-play model allows you to supplement your current initiatives with our activities and resources. 

 

Show your commitment to CS education and CS college and career readiness by pledging to launch 5, 10, 15 or 20 Clubs in January 2020!

 

Ready to join the movement? 

Apply to start a 6-12th grade Club, attend a webinar or our Facebook Live application party.

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Girls Go CyberStart: Cybersecurity competition for high school girls!
 Girls Go CyberStart - Advisors can now register and set up their club (registration deadline: Jan. 31, 2020).
You can get notified when registration opens by going here. According to their website, "Girls Go CyberStart is a fun and interactive online program composed of digital challenges to introduce high school girls to cybersecurity. Over 10,000 high school girls have taken part in the Girls Go CyberStart program so far and loved it!" If you have questions, please contact Fred Stinchcombe as he has been involved for many years and may be able to provide you with some feedback. 
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