Bronco Blast
October 9th Weekly Staff Newsletter: by Kimberly Kindred
Staff Member of the Month - October
Siohauh Tang!!!!
Mr. Tang has been so helpful and kind to everyone. He always has a positive attitude. He is willing to help out and does his best to fix any and every problem. We honor his dedication to our school and assisting all of us each and every day.
When I first arrived, Mr. Tang worked endlessly to get me connected on every device as quick as possible. He was truly a life saver for me.
A little about Mr. Tang:
- He has been in the computer field since 2004.
- He loves to take things apart and fixing computers gives him plenty of opportunities to do that.
- He met his wife in fourth grade. They are best of friends and at times he refers to her as the "Boss" or the "Queen".
- They have two sons. 14 and 5 years old.
- His other hobby is discus fish keeping.
- He loves to eat and would like to learn how to cook Italian dishes someday.
AWESOME JOB Mr. Tang. We are so fortunate to have you here.
A note from Kimberly
Monday is a professional development day for us. It will be regular school attire (business casual) - absolutely no jeans. We will begin at 8am with a light breakfast.
Our first Parent Learning Walk will be October 19th at 9am and October 22nd at 1pm. We will focus on the question: What does learning look like here at West? It will be held just like a formal tour and parents will be able to get a glimpse into the school day. Each tour will be 40 minutes.
We have a new allocation and have posted a position for a LA/SS teacher. If you know of someone looking for a teaching spot at a wonderful school, please encourage them to apply.
Hope you have time to enjoy the parade today! It is sure to be a good time for all.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Kimberly
Richardson READS - THANK YOU!
LGBTQIA
Engineer Girl Essay Contest
The NAE is pleased to announce the annual EngineerGirl Essay Contest on theEngineerGirl website.
The National Academy of Engineering invites students (both boys and girls) in grades 3-12 to submit an essay about how they would protect the environment and the safety, health, and well-being of the public as a responsible engineer.
Cash prizes of $500, $250, and $100 are available for the best essays in each of 3 age categories.
We want to hear from you! Submit your essay by February 1, 2016 at 6:00 pm EST. (Note the deadline for 2016 has changed from previous years.)
Find out more atwww.engineergirl.org/2016contest.aspx
Who's Working at West? Get to know - Edward Woolcock
Hi West Family!
This week I was chosen to tell a little bit about myself and share some things you may or may not know. Originally, I am from Mt. Vernon, New York where I lived for the first three to four years of my life. After moving from New York, my family settled in the Garland/Mesquite area. I attended North Mesquite High School and graduated in the best year ever… 1999. After graduating High School I went on to Oakwood University, a private University in Huntsville, Alabama, to study Computer Information Systems.
I graduated from Oakwood in 2005, but instead of moving back home, I stayed to continue working for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center. So, I always get this question: how did you get to work for NASA? OK, here it goes. During my senior year in college, NASA wanted to integrate more “NASA Ready” employees coming straight out of college in order to enhance their environment. You’ll understand why I used the term environment later. They wanted to choose two students from four major Universities for this initiative. One day while I was sitting in class calculating binary and hexadecimal equations, my professor came up and told me I should apply for this special position at NASA. I was like, “NASA, hmmm….”. So the next day I put together a resume and profile and submitted it to the head director. Not thinking about really working for NASA, I left it to God and went about my business as usual because the chances of being chosen were almost astronomical.
About two weeks later, my professor said that the Director of Network Engineering wanted to interview me for the position. At that moment I was shocked. I quickly started preparing for my interview. After sweating like crazy on a hot Texas day during my interview, I went home and relaxed because the biggest part of the process was over. Two weeks later my professor notified me that they had selected me for one of the two positions available. Needless to say, I was shocked!
My time spent at NASA was beyond my greatest expectations. I was given the opportunity to see and work on inventions that still haven’t come out yet. The environment there is one of perfection. You absolutely cannot make mistakes. It requires you to actually use the information you learned in school that you said you’d never use in life… until your boss asks you for that calculus quadratic equation that he knows by heart (and knows how to apply it). I can honestly say I used every part of my brain and then some working there.
I knew it was time for me to pursue my passion for education when I forgot my shirt twice going to work and when I began waking up to rush off to work when it was… THE WEEKEND. I will say, you’ll never look at life the same after working there. Upon moving back to Texas to pursue education, I worked at Texans Can! Academy for two years and have worked at RWJH for the past seven. I also have a passion for helping people maintain a healthy lifestyle after losing over 100 lbs. As a personal meal planner and trainer I usually donate my time to those that cannot afford one, changing one life at a time. I present wellness seminars in the DFW area to different social groups. One of my other passions, to no surprise, is media. As the Media Director at church in Plano, I often present workshops on the effects of media on the mind and the power media has to reach people. If you ever want any quick links or information on any of these topics, you know where to reach me.
Bonus Question: Android or iOS?
“Hah, both. I literally just got the IPHONE 6S PLUS yesterday. If we’re talking about operating system, Android. Hardware Apple. My ultimate choice if I had to: APPLE.”
Edward Woolcock
His favorite!
Personal trainer and meal planner
Upcoming Dates - October
October 12—District Wide Day
October 13 - ILT Meeting
October 14—PSAT (8th grade) and Writing Camp (7th Grade)
October 15-AVID Workshop Day
October 19—FLU SHOTS for STAFF
October 19 - Parent Learning Walks 9am
October 21 - Staff Meeting
October 21—Hearing and Vision Screening (through ELA classes)
October 22 - Parent Learning Walks 1pm
October 23—Pay Day
October 26- Hispanic Heritage Night and Parent Technology Night
October 27- Pep rally and Tailgate
October 26-30—Red Ribbon Week