School Times Now!

	IN THIS ISSUE

	Partners Corner - Top Story
	Yumm! - RHS Culinary Arts
	Dallas Bar Association brings real court proceeding to LHHS
	Mighty Ram Band
	Holiday Reminder
	Skyview Students Read with Family Members
	TAP Bonus Checks
	Inside RISD
	Garage Sale to Benefit Destination Imagination
	Texas Teaching Fellows

PARTNERS CORNER

Mentoring in RISD comes in
all different shapes and forms!
Many RISD schools have experienced great results with one-on-one mentoring programs on their campus. From "lunch buddies" to after school tutoring, community members have discovered there are a variety of ways to help a child. Recently, Lake Highlands High School and Berkner High School have built programs that allows community members to serve as motivational speakers for their students.

Berkner’s organization is called the Berkner Girls Service Society, and meetings will be held monthly beginning in January during the lunch periods. Lake Highland’s has built a co-ed organization, E=MC^, that is student-run and held after school every Wednesday. Both organizations give students a chance to talk about their challenges in life and brainstorm with guest speakers on how to get through the obstacles they face.

Many thanks to all the community members involved in the RISD mentoring programs - your time and efforts truly make a difference!


Where There's a Will There's a Way The University of Texas at Dallas has partnered up with many RISD schools this past year, from one-on-one mentoring to providing schools supplies to after-school tutors. These college students and their professors have gone above and beyond to help RISD schools while simultaneously learning from RISD students and the value of community service. Recently, UTD discovered a need for 700 lanyards at Liberty Junior High to hold ID badges. The new "Fearless Engineering" program at UTD stepped up to the plate and donated all 700 lanyards for the new ID badges that had been ordered by the school. UTD did not stop there - the tennis team partnered up with the PE classes at Richardson Terrace Elementary to teach techniques even the pros would wish for! UTD tennis players and their coach Bryan Whitt volunteered their time and their tennis expertise to teach all grades about the basic techniques. Coach Whitt went over their agenda, he got the kids up and moving!


		Lennox International and RNJH Lunch Buddies Fourteen years is a long time for a partnership, but 14 years is just what Lennox International of Richardson is celebrating with Richardson North Junior High. Lennox Volunteer Coordinator Stacy Dodson, with the help of the junior high staff, has built a “lunch buddies” program where Lennox employees set aside time once a week to visit with seventh- and eighth-grade students during their lunch periods. North Junior High executive assistant Dawn Selbo, who assists with coordination of the program said, “It is an incredible mentoring opportunity for the students, they look forward to the Lennox lunch visits. They feel honored to be selected for this.” In addition, the junior high lunch buddies will take a field trip to the Richardson Lennox offices at the end of the school year. >Top

	YUMM! - RHS CULINARY ARTS


Three students in the Culinary Arts Magnet program at Richardson High School competed in the 2006 Chile Pepperama Festival on Nov. 12 at Old Town Shopping Center in Dallas. The event included arts and crafts booths, live music, the Texas Chef's Association Chili Confrontation, junior chef's pumpkin ice cream crank off and the Medical City Heart healthy contest for high schools. The three students who competed were Jonathan Meek, Morgan Mathews, and Julie Manheim. The winner for the heart healthy chili was the White Chili prepared by Morgan Mathews. She won $500 cash and the RHS Culinary Arts program won $1000. Think they will share their delicious recipes??! Pictured from left; Culinary Art teacher Karen Hill, Jonathan Meek, Julie Manheim, Morgan Mathews. >Top

	DALLAS BAR ASSOCIATION BRINGS REAL COURT PROCEEDING TO LHHS


		There was nothing "mock" about a Fifth District Court of Appeals case last week, in which the court heard oral arguments in an appeal of a civil wrongful death suit. The proceeding featured attorneys from both sides presenting their cases and often being peppered with questions from the three judge panel. The event occurred in a typical courtroom atmosphere, with one small variation: the case was heard on the stage of the Lake Highlands High School auditorium, while more than 500 RISD students watched with intense interest. The Dallas Bar Association's "Appealing to the Public" program brought the actual case out of the traditional courtroom and into a school for just the second time in Texas history. The audience of students from all four RISD high schools, Berkner, Pearce, Richardson and LHHS, included social studies and advanced placement classes and mock trial teams.

The program was initiated through a partnership of the DBA, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Richardson ISD and Dallas ISD in an effort to raise more awareness of our judicial system among students and the public. >Top

	MIGHTY RAM BAND


Congratulations to the Berkner High School Mighty Ram Band as they advanced in the State UIL Marching Competition this month and came away as the ninth-place finisher in Texas. A great show for all who attended the competition in San Antonio. >Top

	HOLIDAY REMINDER

Next week, students should be in attendance on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday through Sunday, students and staff will be enjoying the Thanksgiving holidays. All buildings will open again on Monday, Nov 27 at the regularly scheduled times. Wishing you all have a safe holiday. >Top

	SKYVIEW STUDENTS READ WITH FAMILY MEMBERS


Kindergarten students at Skyview Elementary kicked off the reading theme of “families” by having students invite members of their family to come to class and introduce themselves to students. Each family member shared something about their life and then read a story to classmates. Pictures of each student with their special visitor were displayed in the hall. Here is grandmother Barbara Braswell and granddaughter Daisy. >Top

	TAP BONUS CHECKS


		Prior to the October Board of Trustees meeting, a reception was held for all staff who have participated in the TAP program at Forest Meadow Junior High, Audelia Creek Elementary and Thurgood Marshall Elementary. The Teacher Advancement Program is funded in part by the Milliken Foundation. TAP teachers had fatter paychecks in October thanks to their hard work and their students' achievements. >Top

	INSIDE RISD


Inside RISD, the community group that meets monthly for a behind-the-scenes look at the district, met on Thursday at Dobie Primary for discussions on Accountability and Professional Development. Dr. Paul Cruz and Dr. Janice Guerrero from Austin ISD participated in the session and then debriefed with Communications personnel about the possibility of developing a similar program for the Austin ISD community. If you are interested in being a part of the next class beginning in January 2007, please call Communications at 469-593-0301. >Top

	GARAGE SALE TO BENEFIT DESTINATION IMAGINATION

It’s time to clean out your garage and drop off your donations to the region-wide garage sale benefiting DAL-RICH CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING ORGANIZATION, INC.

Drop off will be at 3:00-6:00pm in the circle of the Brentfield Elementary Intermediate building at 6767 Brentfield Drive on Friday Nov. 17, 2006.

Come shop the REGION-WIDE GARAGE SALE
Saturday, Nov. 18, 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Brentfield Elementary, 6767 Brentfield Drive, Dallas

www.dalrichdi.org >Top

	TEXAS TEACHING FELLOWS

Enthusiastic, dedicated, knowledgeable teachers make a world of difference to students. As a member of the school community, you have seen firsthand the impact a teacher can make.

The Texas Teaching Fellows (TTF) is an alternative certification program placing outstanding teachers in our area’s highest-need classrooms. This school year, 34 new Fellows and 29 returning Fellows began the year in math, science, special education, English/Language Arts, elementary and bilingual classrooms across RISD. Their goals match those of the district – that every child receive an excellent education.

As these teachers continue their work in the classroom, TTF has begun recruiting for the 2007 cohort of Fellows. We are currently recruiting goal-oriented individuals who are interested in teaching math, science, bilingual education, or special education.

Please forward this information to those who maybe interested in becoming a teacher in RISD. Our priority deadline is December 18th, and our first information session will be held Monday, November 20.

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.75 GPA and demonstrate a record of achievement. After a rigorous selection process, selected candidates receive the following benefits:

An intensive summer training institute. Our training includes a student teaching component, during which Fellows receive hands-on training and coaching on effective teaching strategies.
Streamlined certification program. Following the summer training institute, Fellows are eligible to begin teaching full-time in the fall. During the first year in the classroom, Fellows participate in a comprehensive professional development program and become eligible for standard teacher certification in as little as one year.
Timely and relevant professional development. Fellows participate in a 50-hour professional development program focused on building teaching skills in their content area.
Support network. Our program offers the opportunity for Fellows to forge connections with peers, faculty, staff, and district personnel. This support network is cited by our Fellows as one of the most helpful resources for them as new teachers.
Assistance in securing a teaching position. One hundred percent of our 2006 Fellows were successful in securing a teaching position this fall. Our partnerships with local school districts help ensure that qualified Fellows get hired.

Interested candidates can apply now at www.texasteachingfellows.org. >Top

	SVE STUDENTS LEAD BOARD IN PLEDGES


		The Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge were led by fifth grader Cathy Garcia, and sixth grader Kevin Moreno-Garcia, from Spring Valley Elementary School at the November Board of Trustees meeting in the Administration Building. >Top

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