Hall STEM Academy

⭐ The FINAL Hall Star Spotlight of the 2025-2026 school year is here! ⭐

As we close another amazing year at Hall STEM Academy, this edition is filled with celebrations, special traditions, student adventures, summer learning opportunities, and heartfelt gratitude.

Inside you'll find:
🎓 Pre-K, Kindergarten & 5th Grade Rising Up Celebrations
🏃 Track & Field Day information
☀️ Camp North Stars & Juneteenth Celebration details
⛵ Hall Stars sailing on Bde Maka Ska
🔬 STEM Capstone highlights
🌱 Student engineering projects in our outdoor garden
💙 Recognition of retiring and departing staff members

Thank you to our students, families, staff, and community partners for making this year one to remember. We are proud of all our Hall Stars and grateful for your partnership.

Read the newsletter here:
https://app.smore.com/n/34wf9

⭐ Hall Stars Shine Bright! ⭐

Hall Star Shine Weekly Hall Star Shine Weekly

Starting the day with a little moon magic 🌙✨

Today, our Hall Stars kicked off their morning reaching for the moon - literally - reminding us that learning doesn’t wait for a schedule… it begins with wonder. 💫

✨🎪 STEM-a-Palooza is Almost Here, Hall Stars! 🎪✨

Join us for our Annual Outdoor STEM-tastic Carnival filled with:
🎶 Music
🎯 Games
🍿 Food
🎁 Prizes
📅 Thursday, May 21st
⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM
📍 Blacktop behind the school (indoors if rain)

This is one of those moments where our community really shines with students laughing, families connecting, and all of us celebrating an incredible year together. 💙💛

👉 We need your RSVP!
Please take a quick moment to register using the QR code or link on the flyer so we can plan for food, fun, and festivities for everyone.
[https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2g-zNb-yK2PvUxKJ5Tqks-iTLIQTX8to-ulURkAUPGUDCmA/viewform]

Let’s pack the blacktop with Hall Star energy and make this a night to remember. 🌟

At Hall STEM Academy, Physical Education is more than just movement, it’s where STEM meets motor skills! ⚙️

Our students are building strong bodies and strong minds through:
🔹 Hands-on movement experiences
🔹 Skill development and coordination
🔹 Fitness challenges
🔹 Health and wellness lessons

From understanding how the body moves to staying active for life, our Hall Stars are learning, growing, and having fun every step of the way! ⭐

We are the Hall Stars! ✨

🌟 Camp North Stars Family Reminder 🌟

Hello Camp North Stars Families,

This is a reminder that our Mandatory Family Information Meeting is coming up! Attendance is required for your child to participate in the program.

Meeting Details
Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: Hall STEM Academy
(1601 Aldrich Ave N, Minneapolis, MN)

Mandatory Action Item
Please bring a swimsuit and towel for your child. These will be kept on-site for swim lessons and returned at the end of the program.

What to Expect:
• Meet your child’s teacher
• Tour the building
• Complete permission slips, swim waivers & media forms
• Confirm transportation & get program details

Program Overview:
• June 15 – July 24, 2026
• Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• No camp June 19 & July 3
• FREE breakfast & lunch daily

If your child can no longer attend, please let us know so we can offer the spot to another student.

We look forward to seeing you on May 7!

Rachel Stewart
Camp North Stars Coordinator
[email protected]

Yesterday, our Hall Stars celebrated National Poetry Month with our 2nd annual Poem in My Pocket Open Mic. 💫

Students and staff shared poems they found and poems they’ve written, and it took real courage to step up and share.

This is a good example that literacy is more than reading....it’s voice, confidence, and connection.

We are so grateful for our Library Media Specialist, Ms. Parker, who leads this work and creates space for students to experience the joy of reading and writing in meaningful ways. Every school should have a someone like Ms. Parker!

There’s something powerful that happens in the smallest moments at school.

A student reaches out with something they’ve found… something they’re proud of… something they want to share.

It might be a dandelion.

Not something you’d find in a bouquet.
Not something most adults would stop to admire.

But to a child?
It’s bright. It’s beautiful. It’s worth sharing.

And that’s the moment that matters.
Dandelion season has begun.
And if you have the privilege of knowing a child, you know what that means.

Because every day, our students bring us pieces of their world....their ideas, their discoveries, their questions, their joy.

And how we respond teaches them everything.
The difference between celebrating the wonder together and affirm that what our students see, think, and feel has value.

Because when students feel seen, they keep sharing.
They keep wondering.
They keep shining.

And that’s where real learning begins.

✨

✨ A Hall Star Moment Worth Celebrating! ✨

Today, we had the joy of surprising one of our very own, Sarah Wicklund, our extraordinary Family & Community Liaison, who has been named a Minneapolis Educator Leadership Award (MELA) winner! 🎉

Sarah is one of just 10 educators across Minneapolis to receive this honor, and we couldn’t be more proud.

What makes this moment even more special?
Hall STEM Academy had FOUR educators recognized as finalists this year. That’s not by chance. That’s the result of a staff that shows up every day with heart, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to our students and families. These educators all submitted innovative proposals for funding that will strengthen the instruction and educational programming at Hall. Sarah's winning grant proposal, Hall Stars Stronger in Community, awards $10K to the Hall Star Nation.

Sarah embodies what it means to lead with love, build authentic relationships, and create bridges between school and community. The impact she has on our Hall Star families is felt deeply and widely.

We are also incredibly grateful to Achieve Twin Cities and the John & Denise Graves Foundation for creating opportunities like the MELA awards, which recognize and uplift educators who are making a real difference for Minneapolis students.

Moments like today remind us:
When you invest in people, you elevate entire communities. 💙

Please join us in celebrating Sarah and all of our Hall Star finalists!

✨ From Building… to Discovering the World Around Us ☀️🌦️ ✨

Our Kindergarten Hall Stars have been BUSY doing the real work of engineers and scientists!

At the end of March, they proudly celebrated their Quarter 3 Capstone from their PLTW - Project Lead The Way unit Structure & Function: Exploring Design. From carefully stacked structures to thoughtful design choices, students showed what it means to plan, create, test, and improve. 🛠️

And just like that… they’re already onto their next adventure.

Now in Quarter 4: Sunlight and Weather, our youngest learners are:
☀️ Observing how sunlight warms the Earth
🌤️ Noticing patterns in weather
🌎 Making connections between the world around them and their everyday lives
🔍 Asking big questions like scientists do

We are so proud of our Kindergarten Hall Stars for the way they shine through discovery, design, and joy. 💫