Titan eNews
Weekly Campus Update
Mission: to create a community of learners empowered to collaborate and compete in a rapidly changing world.
Counselor's Corner
School Day SAT
On Wednesday, March 4, all juniors will be taking the SAT.
This is a great opportunity provided to our juniors as there is no fee to test and no pre-registration is necessary.
It is important that each junior bring their own calculator and pencils, mechanical pencils are not permitted.
As testing will run until almost 2pm, juniors will not have access to off campus lunch.
Those wanting to purchase lunch on campus, will preorder a lunch through their facilitators.
As always, learners are welcome to bring their lunch as well.
All juniors will enjoy lunch in the cafeteria at the conclusion of testing.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO ARRIVE TO SCHOOL ON TIME, THOSE WHO ARRIVE LATE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TEST.
If you have questions, please contact Pam Conner at pam.conner@pisd.edu
All Plano Rotary Four Way Test Speech Contest
· Registration: http://bit.ly/4WayTestSpeechContest
· Who: Plano High School Students (Speech, Debate, Theatre, AVID, NHS, STUCO)
· What: All Plano Rotary Four Way Test Speech Contest (detailed information)
· When: Wednesday, March 18th, 2020 @6pm
· Where: Plano Senior High School at 2200 Independence Parkway, Plano, TX 75075
· Why: Expose students to ethics, award 15 Plano scholarships with the opportunity to compete for 4 North Texas scholarships from $500 to $1,000.
· How: Students develop speeches on Rotary 4-Way Test & Rotary Clubs award scholarships to top 15 speakers.
· What else: Plano student planned, free food by Raising Canes, Toastmasters are guest judges, and free registration.
Plano West Rotary Club Scholarship Program (This is not tied to Plano West Senior High School – available for all Plano Seniors).
· Application: http://bit.ly/PWRC-Scholarship
· Who: Graduating Seniors (2019 – 2020)
· What: Plano West Rotary Club Scholarship Program
· Deadline: May 1, 2020
· Why: Assist Plano seniors in continuing their education.
· How: Awarding multiple (3 – 5) $2,000 scholarships for technical or collegiate education.
· What else: Additional Information
- These are not need-based scholarships
- Selection is based on Leadership and Community Service.
- A premium is placed on students with a strong involvement in Rotary & Interact activities.
- Relatives of Rotarians are not excluded.
SENIORS:
Now that your college applications are complete, it’s time to be applying for scholarships.
There is a scholarship list in Naviance and a list of online scholarship resources in the back of your academic conference book which is posted on our website:
https://www.pisd.edu/Page/20057
This article/video clip might be of interest as well:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/12/heres-how-to-break-down-your-college-financial-aid-award-letter.html
Plano Youth Leadership is looking for current 9th graders to be a part of next year’s class. PYL is a nine-month leadership learning experience for sophomores who reside in the Plano city limits or live in the Plano ISD attendance zone, regardless of the school they attend. PYL participants build their own capacity as leaders while learning how to make an impact on their school and community. Visit planoyouthleadership.org for more information about how to apply to be a part of PYL Class 26. Applications must be received by April 15.
SECOND YEARS
Research, research, research! The Second Years have been digging through scientific journals and articles this week in an effort to inform themselves about current research in their chosen area. The choices of focus for Titan Thinker are: Life on Land, Life under Water, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Clean and Affordable Energy, and Clean Water and Sanitation. Titan Thinker will culminate in a Scientific Symposium, where the learners will share and present the meta-analysis of their research toward their specific focus area. Join us to celebrate the Second Year’s progress, on March 31st from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Please see the attached parent letter for more information about Titan Thinker.
I sat down with one of our Second Year Learners, Reiley Taitel to get a pulse on how her research and work towards the introduction section has gone this week.
What successes have you experienced?
RT: A big success would be that I’m learning so much about neurosciences this week. Specifically stem cell research, and technological advances in that area. There are so many questions and possibilities, but not enough answers. The area is so new that there is so much room for growth, but there is a lot more research out there on the topic than I’d expected.
What struggles have you experienced?
RT: Research has been hard, because of time. There’s a lot to read and try to understand. A lot of the studies are new, so there are very few absolute answers in general. There are lots of different directions that the research takes us, and my partner and I are apt to going down rabbit holes.
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?” 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, March 31st 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:
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. Learners 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- Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and the Age of Revolutions will be the focus of the content in History. 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:
2/13/20 Annotated Bibliography: Research prior work in the field.
2/18/20 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..
2/21/20 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?"
2/28/20 Methods: In this section you explain clearly how you carried out your study.
3/6/20 Results: Objectively presents your key results,without interpretation, in an orderly and logical sequence using both text and illustrative materials.
3/20/20 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.
3/24/20: 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.
3/26/20 Abstract: Summarizes, in one paragraph (usually), the major aspects of the entire paper.
3/27/20: Paper Complete
3/27/20: Presentation Poster Complete
3/31/20: 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 do I communicate the same idea to different audiences?
How can I use my observation skills to understand and interpret information?
FOURTH YEARS
The final 4th Year group project is well underway. On Wednesday, Tammy Hooker and Mary Jacobs from Plano Podcast kicked off the launch by inspiring the learners to make sure their voice is heard in the city of Plano. Her words echoed the driving question of the project, “How can my voice impact change in my community?” For the project, learners are tasked with supporting the goals of the Neighborhood Services Department of the City of Plano by working on a plan for the South Central area of the City. They must identify a portion of the South Central area to research, collect data, and to make a plan that further meets the needs of the residents.
Over the duration of the project, learners will consider the following questions:
· Does the need to sustain and cultivate life run counter to the need to consume, or are they one and the same?
· Can we enhance our city in a sustainable way, a way that incorporates all cultures, and contributes to the overall culture of our city?
· As the demographics have changed, have the needs of our city changed?
· Does the next generation desire the same things as the past?
At Friday’s Titan Talk , learners had the opportunity to have a Q and A with former council member, Sally Magnuson, current council member, Rick Grady, and City Planner, Kala Krishnan.
We are thankful for all of the guests who took time to make the launch of this final project a rewarding and authentic one for our seniors.