STEAM Newsletters

As the summer sun starts to bid us farewell and the leaves begin to change, we are thrilled to join you for another incredible school year that inspires curiosity and creativity! CAN is here to continue to provide STEAM events, professional learning opportunities, activities, and much more. Cheers to enhancing STEAM in Out of School Time (OST) and Expanded Learning Programs throughout our communities and beyond! 

It’s the beginning of summer! The month held summer solstice, Juneteenth, Pride, and brain awareness month. There is much to celebrate as the school year ends and out-of-school activities move outdoors!

This month we celebrate Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day, also known as Juneteenth. This marks the anniversary of Union troops landing at Galveston, Texas, with the news that the Civil War ended and enslaved people were now free.

April 25th was National DNA Day! Every year since 2003, scientists, biologists, and genetics enthusiasts come together to observe National DNA Day, celebrating the discovery and research into DNA and the scientific advancements that helped make progress possible. National DNA Day encourages people to learn more about the science that makes them genetically unique. Help youth feel unique and special with the following resources to use all month long! 

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first installment of the CAN STEAM newsletter for 2023! This January, we are celebrating National Mentoring Month, a national celebration of the role models and mentors that have made monumental differences in the lives of so many.

Listed as one of Moonshot’s four transformative practices, role models and mentors play a significant role in showing young women what is possible for them in STEM. 

November is a busy month full of celebration. It is National Native American Heritage month and November 8th was National STEM Day. As a partner of Million Girls Moonshot, the California AfterSchool Network is helping close the gap to make STEAM learning more equitable and accessible to marginalized and all youth. All month long we honor the contributions of Indigenous peoples past and present to STEM.

It is Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15)! Representation is crucial to helping students feel like they belong. To help students see themselves with a future in STEM and to broaden their understanding of science history, Million Girls Moonshot has compiled a multitude of resources that focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

It was exactly 53 years ago astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin made history when they became the first human beings to set foot on the moon.  This month the Million Girls Moonshot and all of its parters commemorate that “giant leap for mankind” as it remains one of humanity’s greatest achievements. We look to the future, to the next generation of engineers and scientists. What will be their “giant leap”? And most importantly, how do we support young people on their journey in STEM?

This month the Million Girls Moonshot and all of its partners celebrate Earth Day, Math Awareness Month and Environmental Education Week! Now is the time for all of us — education, business, and civic leaders — to take action on climate in order to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods. To do this, we need to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers to design the solutions that will get us there. This Earth Day, let us act boldly, innovate broadly, and implement equitably.

Welcome to this month’s installment of our STEAM Newsletter! This February, we are celebrating Black History Month, Engineer Week – Reimagining the Possible (February 20-26), and Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (February 24)!