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Help us design the new elementary |
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ECISD administrators are busy with preliminary work on the upcoming bond construction. To that end, the District is looking for your help in identifying the concepts you think are most important in the design of the new elementary schools.
This link will take you to a survey of the elements you feel are vital. The survey only takes a couple of minutes to complete and will be open through December 21. Thanks in advance for helping us with this! |
Mr. Rasura goes to Hollywood! |
ECISD harp teacher Ricky Rasura is part of popular rock band called Polyphonic Spree, and the group just played a gig on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno! Read more about Mr. Rasura and watch their appearance on the show by visiting this link. |
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The Great Family Turkey Project |
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Just before Thanksgiving some of our littlest learners at Lamar Early Education Center pulled off The Great Family Turkey Project. It is a home-to-school connection and a lot of fun for parents and students to work on together - the kids are given a "plain, old" turkey with the assignment of giving it a disguise so it won't end up as part of a Thanksgiving meal! The montage shows just a few of students' efforts. At the school, you'll see this clever poem:
We are turkeys in disguise. Don't you think that we are wise?
We've dressed up as best we're able, to keep us off your kitchen table!
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Student-directed play delivers message & donation |
"Same Difference: A Disability Awareness Play" brought forward unanswered questions and misconceptions about people with disabilities. Jocelyn Mosman, a senior at Odessa High School adapted and directed the play to be presented as her senior International Baccalaureate theater project. Jocelyn also used the play as a fundraiser and donated half of the proceeds to the Permian Basin Rehabilitation Center.
Jocelyn said the play was originally written by Melissa Ann Santora but having previously met her, Santora knew she would do wonderful things with the play and gave Jocelyn full rights to adapt the show in whatever way was necessary to meet the strengths of those students with disabilities.
Jocelyn's mother who is a special education music therapist inspired her in the development of the play and Jocelyn said the most important thing she learned was how everyone will pull together in the end and join together as a team.
"The attitudes of those students taught me so much. They made my days better and brighter every time I saw them. And that taught me so much about love, life, and how to overcome obstacles and stereotypes," said Jocelyn.
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Jocelyn Mosman(left) presents a check of more than $300 to Kathy Hollmann and Risse Rogers from the Permian Basin Rehabilitation Center. |
The play received quite a bit of media coverage, too. Stories are available at the links below.
http://www.oaoa.com/news/education/ecisd/article_73ba72ec-2933-11e2-9fc5-001a4bcf6878.html
http://www.cbs7.com/video/index.asp?vid=16391 |
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Best Buy delivers the goods! |
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What do you do with left over back-to-school supplies when the calendar is turning to December? For Best Buy in Odessa the answer is to give the supplies away!
On November 16, representatives from Best Buy delivered several boxes of crayons, markers, spiral notebooks, and other supplies to Ireland Elementary then sent several more boxes of the spiral notebooks to Nimitz Junior High. Thanks Best Buy!
 Pictured: Ireland students David, Haiden, Hailey, and Janyce join principal Pam Walker (back left) and counselor Renee' Fulton (front right) and Best Buy employees Jeremy Lunsford, Anaiza Fraire, and Kandace Martinez as the school accepts the donation from the store. |
