Titan eNews
Weekly Campus Update
Mission: To create a community of learners empowered to collaborate and compete in a rapidly changing world.
2015-2016 Solar Car Team Members Present At Titan Talk
By David Yang
On Friday, September 9th, Learners participating in the 2015-2016 Solar Car Challenge representing the Plano Academy High School showcased their challenge and success led by Henry Howard, George Schaefer, and Emma Martinez. Henry gave a warm welcome to Titans ranging from 1st Years to 4th Years. In the presentation to the learner body, the innovative learners part of the challenge described their experience and showcased several videos documenting their problems and solutions throughout the 10-day race. Learners entered in the Electric-Solar Powered Division and drove away as champions.
The presentation was split between experience during the build season, starting around the end of the school year to July 14, and race week, July 14 to July 23rd from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This year, the team is excited to build a new car and to track race at Texas Motor Speedway! Follow our progress by checking out our weekly blog posts from various members of the group including the mechanical, electrical and administrative departments. See all these and more on our site at: http://www.titansolarcar.com!!
Find out more about the challenge at http://www.solarcarchallenge.org/challenge/ and the team information/results at http://www.solarcarchallenge.org/challenge/results2016.shtml!
Jostens Class Rings
Wednesday, 9/21 from 12 – 4:30 our Ring Committee (6 - 3rd years) will go on a Jostens plant tour in Denton.
Friday, 9/23 – Jostens & the ring committee will present to the 3rd years during Titan Time. Information about purchasing a class ring will go home with your learner.
Monday, 9/26 – Our ring committee will have a table set up at open house to answer questions about class rings.
Friday, 9/30 – Jostens will be on campus (in the cafeteria) taking ring orders from 8:30 – 10am. Take advantage of the ease of ordering in person. If you are unable to make it, there is an online order option as well.
3rd & 4th years can order rings at this time.
Save the date for our 3rd annual 3rd year Class Ring Ceremony - Thursday, February 2nd!
PTSA Volunteers ~ We need you!
Our PTSA would like your help! PTSA communicates with everyone who may be interested in volunteering through the Volunteer Interest Form on Membership Tool Kit. Since we are a smaller high school compared to our counterparts in PISD, our PTSA really depends on our volunteers. You do not have to be a member of the PTSA and you can even encourage grandparents to sign up! We even have one grandma proctoring the SAT/ACT on Saturday.
On September 26th, we are having an Open House and there are a plenty of opportunities where we could use your support.
Please take a few minutes to fill out the Volunteer Interest Form and then fill out the PISD background check designating “Academy High School” as your school.
Interest Form: https://planoacademyptsa.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/6462
Background Check: http://www.pisd.edu/about.us/partners.volunteers/volunteer.application.shtml (select Academy High School)
Current Opportunities: https://planoacademyptsa.membershiptoolkit.com/Volunteer (click the orange volunteer opportunities image)
4th Years Update:
Learners are flying high in Project Runway. Many have made contact with their mentor from Southwest Airlines and are crafting detailed problem statements to address a specific need. While learners have worked with mentors for years, this project takes the relationship to new levels as they make time in their day for conference calls and Skyping. Meanwhile, they are also considering how the founding fathers and philosopher's ideologies influenced our current government, graphing their life as a piecewise function, working with the coded language, Processing and reviewing the fundamentals of research for their Capstone.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YNK3tOXgLkp2-ps8o1vmLx-_jNECl42jsNfYx7Vtlvo/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1P9HcdG2J9x5Gdf65xBgUngSJW6hIN9io5MCXNcMgwiE/edit?usp=sharing
2nd Years Update:
This week 2nd Year learners have gotten close to achieving their goals as this project is starting to reach its final days, and learners have begun to move up to Camp 4, one step closer to the “summit” of this project next week. This week 2nd years have put their knowledge of the book Into Thin Air to the test with the task of writing an essay, as well as completing a challenge to create a structure that can cross a crevasse and support the weight of a golf ball while documenting it with the Engineering Process. Learners have also launched on two new assignments: the True Grit Spreadsheet and the Infographic, both very important and fun assignments. With a week left, the summit of this project is now within sight as this project is reaching its climax.
Submitted by Alex Gonzalez
Alex working on his goal
Bridge engineering
Collaboration Station
Hirsch demonstrating VR
Learners making flowcharts
Precision Measuring
Principal's Coffee
Counselors' Corner
Upcoming PSAT & CogAT
On October 19th, our first year learners will be taking the CogAT test.
Students across the district in grades 3,5,7 and 9 complete the CogAT.
Our second and third year learners will be participating in PSAT testing.
The PSAT is just that-a practice SAT.
Plano ISD provides all second years the opportunity to take the PSAT at no charge.
For our third years, there is a $15.00 charge.
We are asking that the fee be paid for through Parent Portat at: https://parentportal.pisd.edu/Login.aspx
The deadline for payment is October 3.
This is the official PSAT testing day for CollegeBoard and the National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test
Colleges on Campus
Monday, September 19-Baylor University
Tuesday, September 20-Purdue University
Wednesday, September 21-Arizona State University
These visits are for juniors and seniors who are interested in hearing more about these institutions.
We ask that learners sign up to attend these sessions through Naviance: https://connection.naviance.com/academyhs
Click on the Colleges Tab, click on upcoming visits, and sign up to attend any or all of these information sessions.
Questions?? See your counselor.
In October we will be hosting a lunch time College Fair with twenty universities participating.
All learners on campus will have access to the college representatives at that time.
SAT &ACT
October 1 and November 5 are the two upcoming dates for the SAT.
Registration for the October 1 date has closed, but you can still register by paying the late registration fee.
October 22 and December 10 are the two upcoming dates for the ACT.
Registration for the October testing closes September 16.
Seniors
If you missed the College Boot Camp, the presentation has been posted to the Counseling page
of our school’s website-check it out!
Juniors
Don’t forget to turn in your completed Math Placement Choice sheet.
You can drop it off in the counseling office.