School Times Now!

	OTHER STORIES

	Mighty Ram Band
	Superintendent Search
	Lunch With Loved Ones
	Nature Walk
	Lady Rams Garage Sale
	Pearce Pacesetter Bazaar
	National HS Activities Week
	Recognized Flag
	Partners Corner

RISD LANDS 11 CAMPUSES ON TBEC HONOR ROLL

Eleven Richardson ISD schools have been named by the non-profit Texas Business and Education Coalition to the 2006 TBEC Honor Roll, the most in Region 10, and second-most in Texas.

"Schools get on our Honor Roll the old fashioned way," said Jack Lowe, Chairman of TDIndustries in Dallas and TBEC's Business Co-Chair, "they earn it. For us, the bottom line is results. These schools help all students do well in all subjects."

The schools include:

Brentfield Elementary, Canyon Creek Elementary, Forestridge Elementary, Math/Science/Technology Magnet, Mohawk Elementary, Northrich Elementary, Parkhill Junior High, Pearce High School, Prairie Creek Elementary, Prestonwood Elementary and Yale Elementary.

"These 11 campuses deserve our congratulations for their consistent, outstanding efforts," said RISD Interim Superintendent Patti Kieker. "They are representative of the overall educational excellence we value so highly in RISD."

TBEC identifies the Honor Roll schools by analyzing three years of performance data for all Texas public schools. A school must have a high percentage of students meeting state standards on the TAKS tests in all subjects for three consecutive years, with an emphasis on how many students score at the state’s highest standard – commended – on all tests. Selection criteria account also for each school’s student demographics, the number of subjects tested and the grades served.

COMMUNICATION TEAM NOMINATED FOR TWO KATIE AWARDS


RISD's internal newsletter Tuesday Notes and the District's external website, www.risd.org, have been named finalists in the prestigious Katie Awards -- "the Golden Girl of the Southwest communications industry... the nationally recognized symbol of excellence in the fields of journalism, advertising and public relations." The annual competition is open to professional communicators in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arkansas and New Mexico. Three finalists are chosen for each category, and RISD is the only school district to have been named a finalist. The Katie Awards will be presented at a dinner at the Hyatt Regency on Nov. 18. >Top

	CHILD NUTRITION CHOOSES A LOGO


		RISD's Child Nutrition office asked the students at Arapaho Classical Magnet to help choose a department logo. They gave them ballots and told them their votes would help decide which logo would be put on shirts, signs and other items in the cafeteria. The winning logo is shown below. >Top

	FAMILY MATH NIGHT AT RICHLAND ELEMENTARY


Teachers and parents enjoyed participating in Family Math Night at Richland Elementary. First grade teachers Stacie Lilly and Catherine Watson demonstrate how a game is played so that students and their parents can work together. >Top

	INSIDE RISD

Community members of the 2006 Inside RISD class met this morning at Richardson High School to learn about district athletics and extracurricular activities offered at many schools. Renderings of the proposed press box renovations were shown, and the class toured the boys locker room and walked on the field turf in Eagle/Mustang Stadium.

"Ladies and Germs", the Parkhill Junior High Destination Imagination team that won the Global competition for their age group, discussed their program and how it has made an impact on them. Three young inventors brought their inventions and explanations, including a security robot, a toilet paper protector (protecting the roll from pets), and the "no splash" dog wash, last year's most patentable invention.


Inside RISD class members then took a quick Super Quiz to better understand Academic Decathlon and Lone Star Challenge competitions. Letters of invitation have gone out for the 2007 Inside RISD class which begins in January. If you are interested in the once-a-month year-long class, please talk with your local principal. >Top

	AWARD WINNING MIGHTY RAM BAND


Congratulations to Berkner High School's Mighty Ram Band! The band competed at the 25th Annual Plano East Senior High (PESH) Marching Invitational on Saturday, October 14, 2006. Competing in the 5A preliminary competition against 11 other bands, the Mighty Ram Band won the following Class 5A Caption and Placement Awards: Best Winds, Best Marching, and Best Drum Major. They also won Best in Class. Twenty-nine bands competed in prelims for the 10 spots in the Finals Competition. In Finals Competition, the Berkner Mighty Ram Band won Outstanding Musical Performance as well as Grand Champion of the Marching Invitational. Pictured with the trophies won at PESH are, left to right: ColorGuard Co-Captain Margaret Brady, Assistant Drum Major Christine Orth, Head Drum Major Casey Salinas, Assistant Drum Major Eric Shu, and ColorGuard Co-Captain Randi Derrick. >Top

	UPDATE FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON THE SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH

The search firm has forwarded the pool of candidates to the Board of Trustees along with its recommendations. The Board has reviewed all applications and invitations for first round interviews have been extended. Board Vice President Karen Ellis said, "We are extremely pleased with the quality of the candidates the search attracted and feel confident that we will find the right person for the position." Second and third interview sessions will be scheduled as necessary. The Board is expected to name the lone finalist in early November. >Top

	LUNCH WITH LOVED ONES AT PRAIRIE CREEK ELEMENTARY


		October 6th was Lunch with Loved Ones at Prairie Creek Elementary. Students invited aunts and uncles and grandparents, lots of grandparents, to eat lunch. Overall they had almost 400 guests. >Top

	NATURE WALK AT SKYVIEW ELEMENTARY


To kick off the Houghton Mifflin reading theme of "Nature Walk," the Skyview Elementary second graders held a campout. They went to the planetarium and had a visit from Sam the Australian Outback Man (Librarian Doug Valentine). The students learned about how to see nature in the world around them. As in any good campout, they also heard ghost stories. Later they will build a nature mobile with the natural artifacts they found. >Top

	LADY RAMS BASKETBALL GARAGE SALE


		Garage Sale to support Lady Rams Basketball Saturday, October 21st 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. West Parking Lot Money raised will help fund the Berkner girls' basketball program. >Top

	J.J. PEARCE PACESETTER BAZAAR


		The J.J. Pearce Pacesetter Drill Team will sponsor their Annual Holiday Bazaar Saturday and Sunday, October 28 & 29, at the high school, 1600 N. Coit Road in Richardson. Hours are 9am to 5pm on Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. The Bazaar has free admission and features more than 100 artists and vendors offering handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items, just in time for holiday gift-giving! The bake sale and café will offer delicious food, both homemade and donated from local eateries. Sweepstakes drawing tickets will be available at the Bazaar and are currently available from any Pacesetter team member. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Don't miss your chance for some great gifts, prizes, food and fun! For more information, contact Marcia Otte, Pacesetter Publicity Chairman at 972-702-0627. >Top

	NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES WEEK

The week of October 15-21 marks this year’s celebration of National High School Activities Week. Now in its third decade, National High School Activities Week seeks to increase public awareness of the value of interscholastic activity programs. During this week, the UIL encourages its member schools to promote the values inherent in interscholastic athletics, fine arts and academic programs.

“We have fundamental, empirical evidence that interscholastic activities provide a successful way in which to create healthy and successful citizens,” said Robert Kanaby, National Federation of State High School Associations Executive Director. “Through National High School Activities Week, we have an opportunity to reflect on our participation as well as the participation of our children. Our nation must continue to support these programs and the life skills they provide America’s youth,” said Kanaby.

National High School Activities Week was created in 1980 as a means to promote the need for interscholastic activity programs across the country. In 1983, President Reagan and the US Congress officially set aside one week to recognize the importance of these activities, and the UIL continues to support that designation.

Every UIL member school is encouraged to publicize and participate in National High School Activities Week.

The specific days for this year’s Activities Week celebration include:

Sunday, Oct. 15—National Be A Sport Day: to encourage awareness and discussion about the
importance of sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity to the conduct of interscholastic programs.
Monday, Oct. 16—National Fine Arts Activities Day: to focus on the students, coaches, and sponsors
involved in fine arts programs.
Tuesday, Oct. 17—National Officials Day: to salute the approximately 500,000 individuals who
serve as contest officials and judges.
Wednesday, Oct. 18—National Youth Health Awareness Day: to promote education and prevention
efforts that encourage healthy lifestyles.
Thursday, Oct. 19—National Coaches/Sponsors/Advisors Day: to recognize the contributions of
high school coaches, sponsors and advisors.
Friday, Oct. 20—National Fan Appreciation Day: to thank the spectators who support
activity programs throughout the year.
Saturday, Oct. 21—National Community Service/Participation Day: to give back to your
community and show your appreciation for their support of your programs.

For more information, visit the NFHS website. >Top

	RECOGNIZED FLAG


At the RISD Administration Building on Greenville Ave, a newly designed Recognized flag proudly flies just below the US and Texas flags. >Top

	PARTNERS CORNER

Girls Scouts don’t just sell cookies…
The Girls Scouts of Tejas Council doesn’t just sell cookies; they are an organization involved in guiding young ladies of all ages through the obstacles of life. One way in which the United Way - funded organization mentors our youth is through a junior high program called Girls Scouts in the School Day. Certified group leaders provided by the Girls Scouts go into junior high gym classes along with the P.E. teacher and work with girls once a week on how to deal with social issues and/or difficult obstacles in their lives. Through a variety of methods including role playing, personal assessments, and games, the program helps girls to avoid high-risk behaviors and develop self-esteem. Students also learn how to set goals for themselves, define healthy friendships and how to become involved in community service.

Lake Highlands Junior High, featured in the picture alone is one of four RISD junior highs involved in the program. The others are Liberty, Forest Meadow, and West. >Top


Richardson High School Interact and Richardson Rotary Team Richardson High School’s Interact Club hosted a luncheon to meet and greet with Richardson Rotary members. Rotary members were updated on all the service the world’s largest Interact Club has done here and abroad. Rotary members were eager to congratulate the club on its recent article in The Dallas Morning News. Interact sponsor Henry Hall and his Interact members have much to be proud of and are thankful for all the support the Richardson Rotary has given to them. >Top


		Texas Instruments Richardson FAB Welcomes Hamilton Park Elementary The Texas Instruments Richardson FAB, short for fabrication, is set to be the world’s first environmentally friendly, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) -certified semiconductor manufacturing facility, and the largest certified building in the North Texas region. Hamilton Park Pacesetters REACH* students discovered what TI’s definition is of being “green,” or environmentally friendly, on their annual field trip. RISD Board member and TI’s Director of Public Affairs Kim Quirk guided curious HPPM 4th graders through the facility. Students learned that being a “green” fabrication takes a lot of work. Native prairie grassland and vegetation that require little or no water and waterless urinals saving about 40,000 gallons per year per unit were a couple of the many things explored at the compound. Fab may be short for fabrication, but RISD defines it as fabulous! Many thanks to TI for their continued support. *For more information about the RISD REACH program please visit their website. >Top

	SCHOOL TIMES NOW! ARCHIVE

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