March 21, 2012
From: Ector County
        Independent School DistrictE-news logo
In This Issue
STAAR test debut
Junior Leadership graduates
Pilot Club patriots
Team N.A.S.A rockets to success
Engineering students fly high
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STAAR test debut

STAARThe new era of state testing begins next week when the STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) tests debut across Texas. The schedule for next week looks like this:

 

Monday, March 26 - English I End-of-Course exams for 9th-graders

Tuesday, March 27 - English I End-of-Course exams for 9th-graders, Writing exams for grades 4 & 7, Math exams for grades 5 & 8

Wednesday, March 28 - Writing exams for grades 4 & 7, Reading exams for grades 5 & 8

 

A second round of state testing will take place from April 23-27 and a third round from May 7-10.

 

There is a wide variety of information about the new STAAR testing system on the ECISD home page. There is also a story offering parents tips on how to help prepare their student(s) to perform their best in the classroom.

Junior Leadership graduates

 

JLO
Photo courtesy of Odessa Chamber of Commerce

 

An outstanding group of 35 students recently graduated from the 2012 Junior Leadership Odessa program. These students (pictured) from Odessa High School and Permian High School spent five weeks learning about and visiting various industries and agencies in Odessa. Each weekly session shed light on how important it is to become involved in our community and to appreciate what Odessa has to offer. Junior Leadership Odessa is sponsored each year by the Odessa Chamber of Commerce.

 

"We are very proud of all the participants as they exhibited dedication, commitment, and hard work," said Odessa Chamber of Commerce Director of Operations Lynn Van Amburgh.

Pilot Club patriots
PILOT CLUB
Congratulations to these six ECISD 8th-graders, winners of the Odessa Pilot Club's 2011-12 Patriotic Essay contest. They are:
 

* Bonham Junior High - Katy Bailey from Mrs. Swinney's Class

* Bowie Junior High - Tyler Lambdin from Ms. Husband's Class

* Crockett Junior High - Matthew Alvarez from Mrs. Patterson's Class

* Ector Junior High - Grayson Armstrong from Ms. Morris' Class

* Hood Junior High - Joshua Rubalcaba from Ms. Sheller's Class

* Nimitz Junior High - Jeri Brownlee from Mrs. Roth's Class

 

The students were honored by the Pilot Club at a luncheon on February 22. The students read their essays to the crowd and each received a $50 gift certificate to Best Buy as a prize.

 

"All of the essays were great examples of the heart and minds of our ECISD youth and selecting one winner per campus was not an easy job," said Rita Norman of the Pilot Club. "Please extend our true appreciation to all of the students for their wonderful submissions and to their teachers for enabling us to do this project."

Team N.A.S.A rockets to success

 

In February, Noel's Advanced Science and Arithmetic (N.A.S.A.) team competed at the South Plains Math and Science Competition in Lubbock. It is the fourth time that 6th-grade science teacher Jeffery Vann has taken a team from Noel Elementary to this annual competition. His squad this year had fifteen 6th graders and one 7th grader and they did quite well.

    • Karissa Cortez placed 6th & Adan Contreras placed 2nd in 6th grade math.
    • Diane Marquez-Venegas placed 5th & Jasmine Lopez placed 4th in 6th grade science.
    • In the Engineering challenge Brittney Madrid and Kaila Maldonado were on the 3rd place team and Leah Coleman was on the first place team.

 

Just before Spring Break, Mr. Vann and his crew received notice they had been invited to compete at the Texas State Math and Science Competition in College Station in April as part of the team from the Midland chapter of TAME (Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering).

 

NASA 

Engineering students fly high

Mike Schlueter and his Aerospace Engineering class got quite a treat recently when they were given a tour of the Control Tower at Midland International Airport by local air traffic controllers.

As you can see in the picture, the group was also allowed to view the inside of a World War II submarine hunter at the Air Power Museum.

 

Last April the engineering programs in ECISD reached an important milestone by gaining national certification through Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the nation's leading curriculum, instruction, and training organization in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. The certification came less than two years after the program was first introduced, which is rare for any program of this type.

 

Specifically, the evaluation included instructional quality, availability of equipment for students to complete projects, usage of activity logs and project journals throughout the year, and on-going professional development opportunities for the instructors. In addition to national prestige, certification has tangible benefits for students as it now allows ECISD to offer courses that will grant college credit. There are currently 38 students enrolled in Project Lead the Way.

  AERO CLASS        

Next year the course is moving to Odessa High School and will go to single blocks, as opposed to double blocks this year, allowing more students to enroll, since many students do not have enough room in their day for a double-blocked course. In addition, two OHS feeder schools, Zavala Elementary and Ector Junior High are Gateway to Technology campuses, meaning they offer introduction to engineering courses that can seamlessly transition to the high school level. The plan is to grow interest in the program and expand it to Permian High School and two of its feeder schools in next couple of years.

           

Also, next year students can earn up to six (6) weighted GPA points for all classes in the Project Lead the Way program.  Additionally, scoring an 85 or better on the PLTW assessment at the end of each course, allows a student to earn college credit.

Belated Happy St. Patrick's Day!
MR. CIMICS
 Austin Librarian John Cimics, dressed as a leprechaun, greeted students on the Friday before Spring Break.
 
Phone: 432-456-0000
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3912, Odessa, Texas 79760
Physical Address: 802 N. Sam Houston, Odessa, Texas 79761

 

Ector County ISD does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, race, nationality, religion, disability, socioeconomic standing or non-proficiency in English language skills in providing educational services for students' benefits.

 

WORLD CLASS LEADER IN EDUCATION.