CODE 4 STEM Academy

Date: 6/22/2021          COVID-19 Pandemic Update for Parents 

Our Summer Courses are cancelled again this year as we focus on reopening the University for the Fall.  

In the meantime, thank you again for your patience and understanding. We hope you are staying healthy and safe, and if you’d like to enjoy coding and robotics activities this summer, you can check out our recommended coding and robotics learning resources here.    The resource list has been growing thanks to recommendations from individuals and organizations who have been in contact with me with over the past several months.

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Date: 7/2/2020

COVID-19 Pandemic Update for Parents

This week, the University of Pittsburgh Chancellor shared details regarding operations within its schools and campuses during the pandemic which are effective immediately.  As a result, with the overarching goal to keep the Pitt community as safe and healthy as possible, there are many changes underway at Pitt-Johnstown to prepare for the Fall 2020 term when our college students return.   These changes impact our ability to run our CODE 4 STEM Academy summer program this year on campus in any capacity and we are announcing the very difficult decision to cancel our CODE 4 STEM Academy program for the summer of 2020.

As always, we remain grateful for our CODE 4 STEM Academy families and partners and your patience and understanding.  When the time is right, we will meet again and continue our work to inspire and develop an interest in coding, robotics and engineering with your children and the youth within our schools and community.    

Until we meet again, we’ve compiled a list of recommended coding, engineering and robotics learning resources that you can explore at home.   We’ve used or plan to use a majority of these resources in our CODE classes and courses and we recommend them to both parents and educators.  They are web-based and cost-effective.   And many of the providers are offering discounts and special support for parents and educators during the school shutdown.   

Check them out here: 

If you have questions on any of these resources or others that you find, please contact me.

Stay safe and have a great summer!

Roxanne Jenner

(814) 233-7894  or  roxanne.jenner@pitt.edu

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COVID-19 Pandemic Update for Parents  (4/24/2020)

Registration for 2020 Summer Courses is currently on hold until we have greater certainty on how COVID-19 will continue to unfold in our community.  We hope to have more information to share with you early in May.  In the meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding. We hope you are staying healthy and safe, and if you’d like to enjoy coding and robotics activities while at home, you can check out our recommended coding and robotics learning resources.

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• Enrollment for the 2020 CODE 4 STEM Academy is on hold due to COVID-19 »  

• 2019 Sample Schedule »
• Parents' FAQs »

The CODE 4 STEM Academy offers courses during the summer school break for students in grades 2 – 5 and 6 – 9+.

Each course includes 30 hours of stimulating activities that build on the power of computational thinking as a problem-solving methodology. 

Our hands-on summer curriculum provides for hours of exploring new concepts while also learning to make new technology and innovating solutions to real world situations in a coding and design thinking environment.  

Students will be challenged to apply their skills and knowledge to scenarios presented to them within each course as they learn to work collaboratively, think critically and communicate effectively.

Pitt-Johnstown’s CODE 4 STEM Academy offers the following types of summer courses:

• Explorer Course (Grades 2-5) – In this course, exciting course themes and daily topics and activities will promote STEM awareness, exploration and learning. Students will learn to ask questions and explore the world through simple activities that are coherent and meaningful to their lives. Skill development priorities include computational and design thinking, coding, creative play and collaboration. Classes include challenge-based activities that students solve using LEGOs, coding and robotics and other materials as tools for learning and self-expression.
• Science & Technology Course (Grades 6-9+) – In this course, projects and activities are designed to develop computational thinking, coding and engineering design skills and to build bridges between those skills and how and when to apply them in core academic STEM classes and the real world. Students will learn how to use and make new technology with the practice they get in the variety of projects in each course. Challenge-based learning is also used to develop teamwork and connect to students’ interests and community priorities.

2019 Summer Course Overview

Schedule

• 8 weeks of courses from week of June 17 through week of August 12
  • There is a break week for July 4 holiday
• All courses run for 1 week, from Monday through Friday (9 AM – 4 PM)
  • Includes a lunch break from 12 – 1 PM daily

Courses and Themes

• Explorer Courses (Grades 2-5)
  • Oceanic Exploration
  • Sports Science
  • Science of the Human Body
  • Science of Super Powers
• Science & Technology Courses (Grades 6-9+)
  • Robotics Space Challenge
  • Video Game Development with GameMaker
  • Learn Computer Science with Raspberry Pi
  • Storytelling with Video and Animation

Fees:

• (E) Explorer Courses: $200 per course
• (ST) Science & Technology Courses: $250 per course

Registration

Students may sign up for 1 or more courses

Location

Held at Pitt-Johnstown’s Campus

Summer Term Schedule