from Pasadena Unified School District
With the high demand for graduates with an expertise in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) in California, the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) is introducing a new STEAM magnet middle school that is set to open for the 2013-2014 school year. Prospective students and families can preview the new academic curriculum at the STEAM Family Night on Thursday, December 13 from 3:30 – 5:30 PM at Washington Middle School in Pasadena.
Washington Middle School will transform into an application-only magnet in 2013-2014, with admission granted to entering sixth-eighth grade students who have demonstrated an interest or aptitude in STEAM, meet academic requirements and whose parents/guardians commit to staying involved and completing campus service hours. Additional consideration will be provided for students who reside within the school’s attendance zone. Applications for the Washington Middle School STEAM Magnet Academy will be accepted during the district’s annual 2013-2014 Open Enrollment process which runs from January 23-February 12, 2013.
“The end goal of the Washington Middle School STEAM Magnet is to prepare students with the knowledge and skills to be successful in college and the 21st century workplace,” said Superintendent Jon R. Gundry, who has made STEAM instruction a district priority. “Students in STEAM education learn to work collaboratively through projects that fuse reading, writing and math with critical thinking, problem solving, communication, creativity and innovation. This school will create a strong foundation for students to succeed in high school and beyond.”
Central to all coursework and instruction will be the development of students’ mastery of the five-part engineering design cycle: to imagine, plan, create, improve and ask. Student learning in the new STEAM magnet will be accelerated through standards-based coursework in English language arts, math, science, history/social studies, physical education and the arts. Teachers will use Project Lead Way: Gateway to Technology (GTT), the project-based curriculum designed to engage the natural curiosity and imagination of middle school students while creating a strong foundation for further STEM learning in high school. Students will also learn mechanical and computer control systems through robotics and animation projects and explore new ways to reduce, conserve and produce energy using solar, thermal and wind power.
To effectively integrate STEAM into the overall curriculum, Washington Middle School teachers and staff will begin rigorous professional development in January provided through a partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Caltech, UCLA’s Center X and the L.A. County Office of Education. The professional development plan utilizes a comprehensive approach that includes content, integration and industry partnerships.
Current Washington Middle School sixth and seventh grade students must apply for admission in order to continue to grades seven and eight in 2013-2014. Support for these students and their families during the application and transitional process will be provided by College Access Plan, the Pasadena organization that prepares underserved students to succeed in college.
The five elementary schools that traditionally feed into Washington Middle School (Cleveland, Franklin, Jackson, Madison and Washington Accelerated) have introduced science based programs into to their regular academic curriculum to prepare students for the new STEAM middle school. In turn, Washington Middle School will prepare students for PUSD’s science, engineering and technology-themed high school academies such as the Engineering & Environmental Science Academy at John Muir High School, the App Academy and the Creative Art and Design Academy at Pasadena High School and the Health Careers Academy at Blair High School. Studies in the high school academies are linked to real-world experiences with partner organizations such as JPL, Huntington Memorial Hospital and Caltech.
Prospective students are invited to attend the STEAM Family Night on Thursday, December 13 from 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. in the Washington Middle School cafeteria, located at 1505 N. Marengo Ave., Pasadena. Presenting hands-on projects and experiments will be STEAM magnet partners Caltech and their Classroom Connections program, Kidspace Children’s Museum, the Art Center College of Design, the Armory Center for the Arts and the Pasadena Educational Foundation’s robotics program.
For more information about the Washington STEAM Magnet and the student admissions process, visit
www.steam-academy.pasadenausd.org or call (626) 396-3600 ext. 88471.
