ESC TODAY
Timely Information and Resources for Region 11 Schools
February 15, 2017
ESC TODAY is published twice a month on the first and third Wednesdays throughout the school year except during holidays.
Real Video Challenge: Win an iPad for Your Classroom or a 30-day Coaching Contract for Your School!
You can 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. ESC Region 11 is sponsoring the Real Video Challenge powered by IRIS Connect, and will accept classroom videos from February 15-April 15.
Why? ESC Region 11 is committed to creating an extensive database of video examples that come from our very own teachers, authentically showcasing their skills. We’re building a video library that will house real teaching examples of everything from differentiation and objective-driven instruction to classroom management. The completed video library will be offered free of charge to all districts in ESC Region 11.
For each video submission, the campus will be entered into a drawing for a 30-day Coaching Contract valued at $20,000. 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.
Child Nutrition Summer Conference Set for June
A ServSafe workshop will be offered in August rather than during the summer conference so that participants have an opportunity to attend other sessions.
Meal Appeal University will be held on July 25-26 in Mansfield ISD and is hosted by ESC Region 11 Child Nutrition department.
More information on all three events is available here.
Citizen Bee Registration Open for Students (Grades 9-12)
Students in grades 9-12 are invited to register for the Region 11 2017 Citizen Bee set for Saturday, March 4, 9 a.m.-12 noon, at ESC Region 11. The Citizen Bee is based on civics education, giving students an exciting opportunity to show their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and current events through a multiple-choice test and an oral competition. The winning student at the regional competition will be eligible to compete in the Texas Citizen Bee on April 29 at the Texas Law Center in Austin.
More information is available on the ESC Region 11 website.
Registration for the Regional Citizen Bee is here.
Connect2Texas: Delivering Content Enhancement
The Connect2Texas content enhancement programs can help you teach complex concepts and help students gain a deeper understanding through various instructional methods, including:
- introducing new vocabulary,
- utilizing resources not readily available to classroom teachers,
- providing dialogue with experts in the field,
- doing hands-on activities and/or experiments,
- allowing instruction to evolve through student collaboration,
- promoting problem-solving and critical-thinking skills for all students,
- integrating cross-curriculum instruction, and
- developing and providing customized topics aligned to state standards.
Please watch our short sample video from Fort Worth Museum of Science and History’s "All About Matter" program for grades K-8.
Program Description: Combine bubbles, eyedroppers, and air in different states and you have an incredibly interactive program with staff from the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. We will focus on the unusual characteristics of water, use process skills to observe and ask questions using bubbles, and play with components of air in solid, liquid, and gaseous states. Your students actively participate with staff throughout the program as they learn more about the interaction between different states of matter.
More information is available on the Connect2Texas website or from Lori Hamm-Neckar , (817) 740-7516.
Challenge Accepted: Register for the February 16 Man Overboard Challenge
You still have time to join ESC Region 11's Distance Learning team on February 16, at 9 a.m., for the Man Overboard Challenge, part of the Challenge Accepted series of free videoconferencing/networking events designed to spark creativity, imagination, and problem solving in your students as they connect with other students. With a new challenge planned for each month, this event is a great way to build excitement and collaboration among your students and others.
Registration and additional information are available here.
Educators Have Two Opportunities to Attend Drug Impairment Classes
Drug Impairment Training for Education Professionals will be held on March 23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at ESC Region 11. The training is designed to enable the secondary educational professional to recognize the signs and symptoms of drug and alcohol impairment. Registration and additional information are available here.
Registration and additional information are available here.
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.
National Public Health Week Poster Contest for Tarrant County High School Students
Tarrant County students in grades 9-12 are invited to participate in the National Public Health Week poster contest. Entries will be displayed in the lobby of the Tarrant County Public Health building during National Public Health Week, April 3-9, and throughout the month of April to increase community awareness related to current public health issues. Posters should address one of the following topics: Tobacco Prevention, Alcohol or Drug Prevention, Healthy Eating for Kids, or Physical Activity for Seniors (65+).
Additional information and registration details are available on the Be A Local Hero website or by emailing mrc@tarrantcounty.com.
School Emergency Planning Interactive Workshop Set for March
The Texas School Safety Center will present School Emergency Operations Planning at ESC Region 11, March 29-30, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. This interactive workshop is designed to help schools develop and refine comprehensive, high-quality emergency operations plans and processes and strengthen preparedness to respond efficiently and effectively to emergency situations.
Download a flier for additional information about the workshop and registration.
STEAM PLC Network for Teachers in February and April
You are invited to join a community of STEAM/STEM teachers in Region 11 to network and learn through a series of face-to-face collaboration times, with continued partnership and learning through Canvas. The two remaining STEAM PLC dates are February 21 and April 11. The February STEAM PLC Network will focus on STEAM through the lens of architecture.
The STEAM PLC Network is free. For questions, please contact Alison Lentz, (817) 740-3636, Thais Mitchell, (817) 740-3679, or visit the STEAM website.
Register here for the sessions: February 21 April 11.
TEA - Student Growth Waiver Template Available
Districts may apply to the Commissioner of Education for a waiver from the requirements to implement student growth in T-TESS and T-PESS in 2017-2018. Waiver requests should be submitted to James Golsan at TEA. Questions about student growth should be directed to Linda Johnson at TEA.
Download the Waiver request form.
TEKS Resource System Conference Seeking Presenters
The Presenter Proposal Application for the 2017 TEKS Resource System Curriculum Conference is now open. Space is limited, so submit your application by March 31. Join our keynote speaker Aric Bostick and 3,000 educators from across the state of Texas in San Antonio, August 1-3, to help our teachers and administrators leave the conference "FIRED UP!" for the new school year.
Presenter Proposal Application
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.
What's Happening in Our Schools?
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD Board of Directors and Northwest ISD were named finalists in H-E-B's annual Excellence in Education awards. Winners will be announced at the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards ceremony on May 7 at the Hilton Hotel in Austin, and will receive cash awards. Read more here.
Four students from Granbury High School, Granbury ISD, recently practiced their bus safety speeches at ESC Region 11. The four students will represent Region 11 in the 16th Annual Transportation Association for Pupil Transportation (TAPT) School Bus Safety Speech Contest in April. Read more and view a photo of the students.
Blind and Visually-impaired Readers Participate in Braille Challenge
Seventeen students from North Texas school districts participated in the North Texas Regional Braille Challenge at ESC Region 11 on February 1. The event is held to increase community awareness about the importance of braille literacy while rewarding individual successes of local school-age braille readers.
In its 17th year nationally, the Braille Challenge is the only reading and writing contest in braille for school-age students who are legally blind or visually impaired. Fifty students with the highest scores per age category compete in the national challenge in June.
View a slide slow of photos from the Braille Challenge here.
Join Our Social Community and Get Some ESC Region 11 Swag
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.
SPECIAL FEBRUARY PROMOTION
Go to our Facebook page, then "Like" our page. From the page "Likes" we receive on Facebook during the month of February, one lucky person will be selected to receive an ESC Region 11 water bottle. The QR code to the right will take you directly to the FB page.
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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