Titan eNews
Weekly Campus Update
Mission: To create a community of learners empowered to collaborate and compete in a rapidly changing world.
Picture Retakes and LAST on-campus opportunity for Senior Pictures MONDAY 9/24
Learners who did not sit for the photographer on Friday, August 17, must have their picture taken on Monday.
If they purchased photos but are unhappy with their package, they can sit for a reshoot. If their trust card is a really poor image, they can get a reshoot.
Seniors who did not have a summer portrait session must also sit for their senior series of images.
Counselors' Corner
Upcoming Colleges on Campus
September 26 Purdue University
October 1 Columbia University
October 2 Kansas State
October 12 University of Connecticut
The full list of universities on campus can be found in Naviance and is updated regularly.
Juniors and Seniors have access to small group meetings with certain schools.
The sign up is located in Naviance-see your counselor if you need help.
PSAT
On October 10th sophomores and juniors will be taking the PSAT.
Plano ISD pays for all sophomores to test, juniors may test for $16.00
Payment can be made online or in person to Mrs. Madding in the counseling office.
We strongly encourage all juniors to take the PSAT as this is the best practice for the SAT and is the National Merit Qualifying Exam.
Questions? Please contact the counseling office.
University of Oklahoma Prospective Student Information Night
Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas
221 E. Las Colinas Blvd.
Irving, TX 75039
register for the event by Monday, Oct. 1, and if you have any questions, please contact us at (405) 325-2151 or email admissions@ou.edu.
Northeastern University Prospective Student Information Night
Thursday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m.
AC Hotel Dallas by the Galleria
1st Years
1st Years Project Parent Letter: Farm to Table
Dear First Year Parent,
We are looking forward to seeing you at Open House to participate in our learner-led tours! The first years have already started honing the skills that will be crucial in the second project of the year, Farm to Table. In this project, learners will create a plan to produce and market a food or beverage product featuring fruits and vegetables found in regions across the United States. After making a detailed plan to get their product from farm to market, learners will create a formal pitch to present to a boardroom panel of business professionals on November 1st. If you have experience in product logistics, marketing and/or product development, we would love your help in this project! Please see below for more details on how to help.
Anchor Document:
Farm to Table
What capital and operations are needed to bring food from farm to table?
National Beverage Company’s juice brand has great success with its line of tropical fruit-flavored orange juice inspired by the flavors of the islands where those fruits thrive. They would like to develop a new line of food or beverage products that celebrates America’s diverse regional heritage.
The product will launch regionally within the United States next summer and then expand to a new global market once the logistics are worked out.
National Beverage Company has a protocol for product development and would like to see a plan for the regional launch. Your team will:
Create a food or beverage product concept that features a regional fruit or vegetable and pitch the product to industry professionals using persuasive, professional arguments.
Apply research-based evidence to create a persuasive argument and a marketing strategy using multiple medias, tailored for a specific audience.
Develop a launch plan for this new product involving every aspect of the business including financials.
Be prepared to present your business plan to a panel of professionals on November 1st.
Major Assignments & Checkpoints:
9/13 Select region Identify target region (American region, demographics)
9/18 Select regional fruit or vegetable Determine product (food/beverage, recipe, suppliers)
9/20 Select demographic Determine target demographic
9/27 Select location Determine location (describe ideal location based on needs)
10/4 Plan transport routes Transportation Map
10/18 Financial Spreadsheet
10/22 Marketing Branding (brand identity, logo design, marketing narrative, global expansion)
10/24 Practice Panel with upperclassmen Practice Presentation
11/1 Final Presentation Presentation (includes explanation of regional character, branding, production, transportation, budgeting and international expansion of their product)
Presentation Day (11/1) The attire is business professional.
How can you help?
We are looking for individuals to serve as boardroom panelists on Thursday, November 1, 2018, from 9:00am - 12:30pm. We are seeking volunteers from the professional community with experience regarding product logistics, nutrition, marketing and/or product development. If you can serve as a panelist judge, please contact Lynn Ojeda (lynn.ojeda@pisd.edu).
Questions for the dinner table:
What are the various regions in the United States? Where are the lines drawn?
How are each of these regions different?
In which region of the US is Texas located?
Can you show evidence of the engineering design process in your engineering notebook?
Why is the engineering design process important?
What are healthy food choices?
How much does the food we eat cost? How does that price get set?
How did the food on our table get here? What are all the things that need to happen for this to be possible?
What makes a commercial or ad campaign stand out to you?
What makes ad campaigns effective?
In what ways might an ad campaign be misleading or manipulative?
Thank you for all your support! Please let any of us know if you have questions about or ideas for this project.
Sincerely,
The 1st Year Facilitator Team
The first year facilitator team is looking for volunteers to be panel judges for “Farm to Table” Register with the tinyurl below!
During Project Time, First Year Learners are pitching product ideas to demonstrate their understanding of how advertising and marketing applies in their current project “Farm to Table”.
2nd Years
2nd Year Project Parent Letter: Titan Thinker
Dear Second Year Parent, Your 10th grade learner has begun learning experiences for the second project of the year called The Titan Thinker. During the course of this project, learners will answer the driving question “How can data be used to make generalizations, inferences, and predictions?” To further refine and develop their goal, learners will work in teams to author a peer-reviewed paper that will be published in the second issue of The Titan Thinker, a highly anticipated scientific journal. The paper should answer the question “How can we use evidence to inform our communities of the impacts of...__________.” Learners will share their research through a poster presentation at the second annual Titan Thinker Symposium on Tuesday, November 13th from 5:30 - 7:00 pm at 1701 Alma Drive, Plano, TX, 75075. Each courses content will support the learner’s individual growth and development. Here is what you can expect during this project for each of the courses: Algebra-The learner will be able to analyze how data behaves and make predictions based off of this behavior. English/Debate-Learners will analyze and produce informational text. Students will use the peer review process to further their texts. Learners will identify their audience and make adaptations to the audience to help deliver a message. Art- Learners will develop observational skills as they document their environment. Learners will be able to render subjects with accuracy in size, proportion, and detail. Tech-Learners will develop an understanding of html and design a web presence for a specific audience. Engineering-Learner will be able to communicate research appropriately to different audiences. Learner will be able to create visual models and representations in various forms. Biology-Learners will be able to analyze scientific evidence and make valid conclusions. Learners will be able to determine how matter, energy, systems and processes impact homeostasis of the environment. WH-The basis of political and economic power, how it has evolved, how technology drives human development, and how environment played into early civs. Sourcing skills, and contextualization will be used throughout. LOTE-Learners will continue building interpretive (reading and listening), presentational (writing and speaking), and interpersonal communication skills answering the project's driving question. The Titan Thinker Important Project Dates: 9/19/18 Literature Review: Research prior work in the field. 9/21/18 Thesis/Hypothesis: . You will formulate a thesis or hypothesis statement. A thesis states the intentions of the researcher. A hypothesis can be proved or disproved. Title: Succinctly describes the contents of the paper. 9/25/18 Introduction: Must answer the questions, "What was I studying? Why was it an important question? What did we know about it before I did this study? How will this study advance our knowledge?" 9/28/18 Methods: In this section you explain clearly how you carried out your study. 10/4/18 Results: Objectively presents your key results,without interpretation, in an orderly and logical sequence using both text and illustrative materials. 10/16/18 Discussion: Interprets your results in light of what was already known about the subject of the investigation, and to explain our new understanding of the problem after taking your results into consideration. 10/18/18 Abstract: Summarizes, in one paragraph (usually), the major aspects of the entire paper. 10/18/18 Works Cited: Gives an alphabetical listing (by first author's last name) of the references that you actually cited in the body of your paper. 10/25/18 Appendices: Contains information that is non-essential to understanding of the paper, but may present information that further clarifies a point without burdening the body of the presentation. 10/30/18: Conclusion: Should be a discussion of the results and the implications on the field, as well as other fields. The hypothesis should be answered and validated by the interpretation of the results. This section should also discuss how the results relate to previous research mentioned in the literature review, any cautions about the findings, and potential for future research. 11/5/18: Paper Complete 11/8/18: Presentation Poster Complete 11/13/18: Symposium 5:30-7:00 pm @ Academy HS Questions for the dinner table: How has political power evolved? How has technology driven the development of society? How can I predict and make critical judgements from a set of data? How does the peer review process improve a piece of writing? How strong is the scientific evidence? How do I use engineering thinking to deeply understand a topic? How does coding create a web page? How do I communicate the same idea to different audiences? How can I use my observation skills to understand and interpret information?
3rd Years
Many 3rd years attended a field trip to UNT this past Tuesday as a launch to their dual enrollment class. They picked up textbooks, toured the campus, and many had their first class on the UNT campus.
Final newspaper layouts are almost ready to head to the printer. Jim Jarvis, of Greater Dallas Press was on campus today going over the final drafts of layouts and approving formats for printing. He was very impressed that learners with no experience before in printmaking were able to crank out a four sixteen page broadsheet layouts in just over four weeks time. Final prints of the newspaper will be distributed next Friday.
3rd-year learners have also spent the week prepping to argue their positions in next weeks Most Influential Decade debates in front of a panel of judges made up of facilitators and 4th-year learners. This event will serve as the closeout for Stop the Presses and next week will see the launch of our next project, K'Ching.
Dual Enrollment Learners on the University of North Texas Campus this week!
4th Years
Last week 4th Year learners launched their new project, Project Runway. Learners had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Richardson Radio Control Club and discuss their club, build process, and flying the crafts. It was a hands-on experience that left the learners excited about not only the club, but also the objectives of their new project. Their interest continued as they had a field trip to Southwest Airlines. During the trip, learners were able to tour the headquarters, the hanger, and meet with their project mentors. The mentors engaged the learners in a round robin session that allowed them to learn about various departments at Southwest, not just the department they selected to work in for the project.
In Government, learners studied colonial history leading up to the Revolution. Relationships were carried over into Computer Science where they used conditional statements and event handling in Java Script. In math they studied graphs of polynomials, average rates of change to use limits to find the instantaneous rate of change, and finding derivatives using the definition. While in English, learners began to analyze essays for the stylistic and rhetorical choices an author makes in a text. This information will help them understand how to craft a text that attends to the needs of their audience and purpose. These skills will be utilized as they begin to craft a response to the RFP provided by their Southwest Airlines mentor.
Finally, in SRD learners reviewed the feedback they received from their panelists feedback during the Pitch to Panelist event. From this information, they have begun revising their Statement of Intention. Learners were also introduced to Scope, Risk Factors, Risk Strategies and Risk Management Processes. This knowledge will be applied in Capstone as well as the Project Charter they are crafting with their team to respond to an identified problem from Southwest Airlines.
4th Years Project Runway Parent Letter
Dear Senior Parent,
We are so excited for the learner to begin their first team project of the year. Project Runway is a great opportunity for learners to gain experience working directly with professionals in a specific industry and providing them with viable solutions to real world problems. We are happy to partner with Southwest Airlines on this dynamic project. Learners will experience the corporate culture by touring their headquarters and hangar, meeting with experts, and formally presenting their solution.
Project Runway Anchor Document
Project Runway
“How does understanding who I am and who my customer is help me to propose an appropriate and viable solution?”
Learners will tour Southwest Airlines Headquarters and work with a mentor to craft a response to a request for proposal (RRFP) that includes findings/ideas for the future of the airline industry. The ultimate goal of this project is to understand how solutions to problems need to be adapted based on the needs of the customer. The response to the RFP will need to include the following sections:
Detailed summary/background, guidelines, purpose and description, scope, timeline and evaluation criteria (RRFP)
Project Charter
Proof-of-concept of solution
Prototype of solution (optional)
Checkpoint 1 (Sept 21)
Identification of Problem to be Solved
Checkpoint 2 (due Sept 25)
Group Charter
Checkpoint 3 (due Sept 27
Bidder Qualifications
Summary/Background Section
Checkpoint 4 (due Oct 5)
Purpose and Description Section
1st Draft of Scope & Timeline
Checkpoint 5 (due Oct 12 )
Scope & Timeline Document
Checkpoint 6 (due Oct 17)
Rough Draft
Practice Presentations begin October 22th
Milestones:
Final draft of the Response to RFP due October 24th
Presentation October 25th
Questions for the dinner table:
Tell me about the department in Southwest Airlines will you be working with on this project.
What are the specific questions you have asked/will ask your facilitators or SWA experts?
What problems or issues will your team work to solve for Southwest Airlines?
What categories or subjects inside the library database will be useful to your research (for any course or project)?
How do you think corporations should impact society?
How do you persuade others to listen to your ideas?
Sincerely,
The 4th Year Facilitator Team
Senior Open House Seminar - Click on the slide below to access the presentation slides.
PTSA Presents: Empower Hour!
PTSA Principal's Coffee
Lynn Ojeda, Principal at Academy High School will host a Principal's Coffee on Wednesday, October 3rd 8:15am-9:15am. Please sign up so we can ensure there is enough seating and coffee and snacks for everyone. RSVP Here!
Time: 8:15am - 9:15am EDT
Created by: Plano ISD Academy HS
From Titan Robotics Club:
NASA High School Aerospace Program - applications open!
Engineering Internship Opportunity for 3rd and 4th Years!!
ACE Mentorship Program of Plano/Frisco.
ACE is free after school program for juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in Architecture, Construction, and Engineering. Students learn about various A-C-E industries each week and are mentored by local A-C-E professionals.
The ACE Mentor Program of Plano/Frisco meets each fall semester here in Plano (Legacy and the Dallas North Tollway). The mission ofACE Mentor Program of America, Inc. (ACE) is to engage, excite and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction through mentoring and to support their continued advancement in the industry.
Our ACE Plano/Frisco Program begins Thursday, October 4th and ends Thursday, January 31 with our ACE Awards and Presentation Night. We will meet every Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 pm (most of the time in Plano). The program will last about 15 weeks (minus holiday weeks) and cover all topics you see in the attached schedule.
Students do have to apply to be part of the program, but the program is absolutely free. We even have scholarship opportunities for the seniors at the end of the program (This past fall we gave away $20,000 in scholarships).
You may learn more about the application and program here: https://www.acementordfw.org/
Save the Date!
9/24 School Picture Make Up Day
9/25 PTSA Empower Hour
9/27 PTSA Empower Hour
10/3 Principal's Coffee
10/8 Learner/Facilitator Holiday
10/9 Parent/Teacher Conference Day Learner Holiday
10/10 CoGAT Testing 1st Years
10/10 PSAT 2nd and 3rd Years
10/12 End of the 1st 9 Weeks
10/18 Jostens Senior Ring Orders for 3rd and 4th Years
10/12 Titan Talk 3rd Years Jostens Senior Rings presentation
10/25 Project Runway Presentation Day
10/26 Homecoming Game
10/27 Homecoming Dance
11/2 Seniors Cap and Gown presentation by Jostens
11/9 Senior Cap and Gown orders
11/15 Senior Capstone Proposals Due
12/17-19 Senior Capstone TED Talks