Science Newsletter
January 29, 2021
FREE MILKWEED FOR SCHOOLS GRANT
CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
The Education team at the San Antonio River Authority is launching a Service Learning Pilot Program, and they need your help!
They have designed two service learning programs that are intended to be led and implemented by the teacher (with lesson plans supplied by the San Antonio River Authority):
- Campus Cleanup: This program educates students about the ways in which litter harms the environment and culminates in a litter pickup on your campus. Teachers are asked to weigh the litter removed and report that weight to the San Antonio River Authority. We will determine the total amount of litter removed during the pilot program and report back to you so you are aware of the difference you and your students have made!
- Campus BioBlitz: In this program, students will learn about the importance of documenting biodiversity and will record their observations of wildlife on your school grounds using the Seek or iNaturalist apps. Digital cameras can also be used for classrooms without student devices. Teachers are asked to report the number of organisms documented to the San Antonio River Authority. We will share the total number of organisms observed during the pilot program with you!
Their goal is to encourage teachers to join the pilot program and provide them with valuable feedback that they will use to adjust the programs before their full implementation during the 2021-2022 school year.
On Saturday, February 6th from 9:00-10:00 AM, they will be discussing the Service Learning Pilot Program and the two options for participation. If you think you and your students would enjoy this opportunity to learn about and help the San Antonio River, please sign up for the one-hour teacher workshop here. You will receive one hour of CPE credit for your participation in this workshop (along with our gratitude)! They need your help in making this program a success.
STEMSCOPES LOOKING FOR HS WRITERS
If interested, the application for writing can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpFGljttCkeyX2vqOWfkObL9GmA5jUAPCGZ3nYF1qs2Ygr1Q/viewform
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
For anyone who was unable to attend, we will be offering the PD session again at the February EPIC Saturday along with a STAAR extension session that will expand on the resources provided. Further details around the sessions will be released in February.
FEEDBACK FOR DRAFT 6TH - 8TH TEKS NOW OPEN
The SBOE review process for the TEKS calls for multiple, separate work groups. Work Group C convened in Fall 2020 to develop recommendations to revise the science TEKS for middle school, grades 6–8. The draft recommendations for science grades 6–8 are currently available for review and feedback on the Science TEKS Review Work Group Drafts web page under the heading Work Group C.
REVISIONS TO HIGH SCHOOL TEKS ADOPTED
The new TEKS for Biology, Chemistry, IPC, and Physics are scheduled for implementation beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.
NEW TO ZOOM - LIVE TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE
Zoom is now offering the ability to provide live automatic speech recognition (ASR) transcripts in real time for meetings & webinars. By default, the option is not enabled, so zoom users will need to enable the feature.
Click the link for instructions on how to enable live ASR transcription and how to start live transcriptions during a meeting/webinar: https://it.cornell.edu/zoom/zoom-live-transcription-service.
ANNUAL MAYOR'S K-12 SMART CITY CHALLENGE
Many San Antonio residents watched as 120,000 people sought food assistance after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many residents were in those food assistance lines. Many were shocked to learn that 60,000 people required food assistance before the pandemic.
So how can San Antonio drastically reduce food insecurity among residents? Join the 2021 SA Smart Challenge!
To register a team or get further details, visit the sa-smart.org website.
SCOBEE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS & FREE TEACHER MISSION
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, January 23: SEAD Self-Care Saturday
Tuesday, January 26: Middle School Dept Chair Meeting
Saturday, January 30: Siempre Bilingüe Summit
Tuesday, February 9: High School Dept Chair Meeting
Thursday, February 11: Academic Coordinating Teacher (ACT) Meeting
Saturday, February 20: EPIC Saturday
Tuesday, February 23: Middle School Dept Chair Meeting
Angela Paskell, Director of Science
Email: apaskell1@saisd.net
Website: www.saisd.net/science
Location: 406 Barrera Street, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-554-2525
Twitter: @SAISD_Science