ESC TODAY
Timely Information and Resources for Region 11 Schools
March 29, 2017
ESC TODAY is published twice a month on the first and third Wednesdays throughout the school year except during holidays.
Take Alternate Route to ESC Parking
Please use Downe Drive to the north of ESC Region 11 or Lockheed Boulevard to the east to get to our parking lot. Due to construction at our next-door neighbor's building, the street at Cherry Lane and the Texaco station will be closed for several days. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Are You an Assistant Principal, Administrative Assistant or Teaching Assistant?
NOTICE: Administrative assistants and paraprofessionals
Be sure to register for this edition of RECHARGE. In previous years, there has been a stand-alone Administrative Assistants Conference. This year, that conference has been rolled into RECHARGE on April 18-19.
Your Choice. Your Learning. Your Experience.
More information is available on the RECHARGE flyer.
Technology Vendor Fair Offers Free Day of Learning, Fun
This one-day expo is free, and lunch will be provided. Join us for the day to see new, innovative products and software to use in and around the classroom.
Registration is on the Tech Vendor Fair website.
Real Video Challenge: Win an iPad for Your Classroom or a 30-day Coaching Contract for Your School!
ESC Region 11 is sponsoring the Real Video Challenge powered by IRIS Connect and is accepting classroom videos until April 15 to help us build a video library of real teaching examples for everyone to use. You may win an iPad for your classroom or a 30-day coaching contract for your school by submitting a classroom video that exemplifies effective teaching practices.
You do not need fancy equipment or video editing skills. Just use your phone, your tablet, your computer, or any other device you have to record your classroom and submit the video for an opportunity to win.
More information is available at Real Video Challenge, or you may contact Tracie Cain.
Connect2Texas: FREE Spotlight Session
Did you know that every month Connect2Texas providers offer two free spotlight sessions? The spotlight sessions range in topics and grade levels, and will provide teachers with a look at what Connect2Texas is all about.
Some of the free spotlight programs we've offered are:
- The Bill of Rights (Grades 3-5)
- A Hero at Sea - JFK (Grades 6-12)
- Careers in an Art Museum (Grades 2-8)
- Animal Encounters: Fox Facts (Grades 1-6)
- Baking with Science (Grades 4-7)
- Behind the Scenes at the Nutcracker Ballet (Grades 1-12)
- Texas Wild (Grades K-6)
- African American History (Grades 3-6)
- Singin’ the Blues in Texas (Grades 2-8)
You may register for spotlight sessions up to a month before the session. Find out more about upcoming spotlight sessions on the Connect2Texas website, or by joining the Connect2Texas listserv. What do you have to lose? It’s FREE!
Cybersecurity Summit to be held at ESC Region 11 on May 8
This free event is limited to the first 200 participants who register.
Download a flyer for more information.
School Safety and Security Audit Training
The current three-year school district safety and security audit cycle began on September 1, 2014, and will end on August 31, 2017. School district safety and security audits required by TEC 37.108 must be completed during that cycle. To assist districts with this audit, ESC Region 11 is offering a free School Safety and Security Audit Training on April 12-13, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. This training is designed to focus on the model safety and security audit procedures that were developed by the TxSSC for compliance with Texas Education Code 37.108.
This is the last School Safety and Security Audit Training opportunity scheduled for the 2014-2017 audit cycle.
Seating is limited to 30 participants, and teams are encouraged to attend.
Region 11 Students Virtually Connect with Distant Students for Sharing, Learning
Region Eleven Telecommunications Network (RETN), established by ESC Region 11 in 1997, offers videoconferencing services to all the districts, private, and charter schools in the region. Students use RETN to virtually connect with classrooms in other cities, states, and countries, enhancing the learning process and creating exciting connections.
Recently, Glen Rose ISD students from the intermediate school and junior high virtually "traveled" more than 2,215 miles to visit with other students in North America during Read Around the Planet (sponsored by TWICE). Using teleconferencing equipment, Zoom desktop software, and ESC Region 11 RETN connections, they joined students as near as Houston and as far away as Juniper Ridge Elementar in Kamloops, BC, Canada, sharing information about Pecos Bill and Texas Tall Tales.
During another RETN connection, students taught other students from Alberta, Canada, about Texas rodeos, demonstrated bull riding, steer roping, barrel racing, knot tying, and introduced them to the town of Glen Rose.
Videoconferencing provides students with an amazing opportunity to share, learn, and discover how they are different and similar to other students in other places. For more information, please contact Pat Schmuck, Distance Learning technician, (817) 740-7616.
"Zip Line" Challenge Accepted Set for April 20
The next Challenge Accepted is "Zip Line" on April 20, 9 a.m. Challenge Accepted is a series of free videoconferencing/networking events designed to spark creativity, imagination, and problem solving in your students. This is the last Challenge Accepted for the school year, and it's a great way to build excitement and collaboration among your students and others.
Supplies needed per group for this challenge:
- 15 feet of string or yarn
- 4 pipe cleaners
- 2 paper clips
- masking tape
- a small rubber bouncy ball
- up to three other supplies from the group members (must be okayed by the teacher)
Learn more about Challenge Accepted.
Math4Texas.org Provides Parent-Friendly Help for Math Concepts
Math4Texas.org is a FREE K-8 website that provides parent-friendly explanations, example problems, digital tools, and videos by grade level to help parents understand the math concepts and skills that their children are learning.
The website was created as a component of ESC Region 11's Math Initiative, and developed through the collaborative efforts of the ESC Region 11 Board of DIrectors and Region 11 superintendents. The site was created to help parents understand the content and conceptual changes of the revised Math Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) and their impact on students' everyday learning and thinking.
Please add the Math4Texas.org link to your website and include it in communications to parents.
Uplifting Educator Stories: Share Your Education Success Story with TEA
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has launched a statewide social media campaign to tell the remarkable stories of Texas educators. Uplifting Educator Stories are those that demonstrate rigorous and rewarding classroom experiences, student achievement, and student human interest going beyond success in a typical class or on a test.
If you have ideas for this project, email the story and photo to Lauren Callahan. A new story will be selected each week and shared statewide via TEA social media accounts using the hashtag #IAmTxEd.
Join Our Social Community
Stay connected to ESC Region 11 through our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, as well as our blogs, and email lists/listservs. Join the ESC Region 11 pages, and/or find the specific group that meets your needs. Browse through the list and click on the one you are interested in joining.
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ESC Region 11
Email: communications@esc11.net
Website: esc11.net
Location: 1451 Cherry Lane, White Settlement, TX 76108, United States
Phone: (817)740-3600
Facebook: facebook.com/ESCRegion11
Twitter: @ESCRegion11