Students take on the STAARThere was a lot of shaking, screaming, and gyrating going on across the District before the STAAR tests this past week – but that was coming from the teachers as they performed at pep rallies meant to motivate the students to do well on the exams. Here are two examples of how teachers and campus administrators motivated their students.Oak Hills Terrace ESAt Oak Hills Terrace ES, the students were treated to a “Rock the STAAR” Rally. Kindergartners through fifth grade students were entertained by the school’s very own, Run DMC, Punk Rockers, and the Flyin’ Elvises.

Pictured are (from l-r, front row) Vince Rodriguez, MC; Chris Galloway, Elvis’ manager; Alyson Abelow, Run DMC; Principal Joanne Clyne; and Punk Rockers Kristin Frye and Vice Principal Kelly Hobizal; (back row) Krista Kimball, KeiLin YIn; JoAnn Moxin, Flyin’ Elvises: Tommy Kogg, Bill Gollihar, Mark Yarber, and Pam Ewald.Powell ESAt Powell ES, third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers performed the “STARRlem Shake” to get their students excited about taking the STAAR. The school held their annual pep rally to encourage students to do their best and “Shake the STAAR!”

Pictured are (from l-r, front row) Bethany Bishop, Stacey Klumm, Fred Wulffe, Paula Orozco, Virginia Cortes, Krista Rivera-Torres, Stacey Garner, Rebekah

Castillo, and Christina McGowen; and (back row) Deann Upright, Tawny Wagner, Georgina Hernandez, Lisa Daniel, Sandra Guillen, Cindy Rodriguez, Christopher Kenroy, Jessica Mares, and Jennifer Yun-DeLaRosa.

Northside Independent School District, San Antonio TX 78238-1606

inside.nisd.net/weekly

April 10, 2013

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Woods’ KudosJay students recognized by SenateStudents from Jay Science & Engineering Academy recently met with State Senator Leticia Van de Putte in Austin as part of the ACE Mentor Program of Greater San Antonio. The ACE Mentor Program introduces high school students to architecture, construction, and engineering. Senator Van de Putte recognized the efforts of the ACE students and mentors from the floor of the Senate, and hosted a special exhibit at the Capitol South Central Gallery showcasing student projects, both past and present. Luis Rivera is ACE advisor.

Grant funds college readiness effortsHolmes HS has been awarded the competitive College for All Pilot grant from the Texas Education Agency. Beginning in 2013-14, the $100,000 grant will fund Texas Success Initiative (TSI) exams for all sophomore students, qualifying them to take dual-credit courses for college credit. It will also fund several other activities focused on expanding college-credit opportunities for students, including tutoring, AP exams fees, a summer college camp, sets of graphing calculators for AP math courses, and professional development for staff.

Grant brings history to Martin ESMonica L. Sanchez, a librarian at Martin ES, was awarded a $250 grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts. The grant will help support a campus performance for third graders by Bill Perryman from History in Person Theater. Perryman is known throughout Texas for his historical portrayals of pivotal people in American History. If you are interested in learning more about grant opportunities, contact the Grants and Recognitions Department at 397-8563.

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Knowlton goes HollywoodAfter weeks of hard work dreaming and drafting, pruning and publishing, students at Knowlton ES were ready to go public with their literary masterpieces.

Parents were invited to a “Hollywoodesque” evening as the student authors were given their moment in the spotlight to read their published pieces.

The event was a formal event, complete with lights, cameras, and even red carpet interviews.

Pictured in their evening finery are second grade authors (from l-r) Elianna Maldonado, Joshua Barragan, and Maylee Madrid as they posed for the paparazzi.

IA stands for Incredibly AwesomeThroughout the District, teachers and staff depend on the hard work of Instructional Assistants (or IA’s) both in and out of the classroom.

At Wanke ES, Rosa Contreras and Maria Rodriguez (pictured), both IA’s at the school, spent the first day of Spring Break at school painting a mural that will be used by staff to post pictures of students practicing the “7 Habits of Happy Kids.”

At Wanke ES, IA stands for “Incredibly Awesome!”

Wear purple on April 15 in honor of military childrenApril marks the nation’s Month of the Military Child. As a way to honor youth affected by deployment, school district employees and students across the state are encouraged to wear purple on Monday, April 15, as part of “Purple Up! For Military Kids.”Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, because it is the combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red, and Navy blue. The program is organized by Texas Operation: Military Kids (OMK) as part of the 4-H Youth Development program of Texas AgriLife Extension to show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifice.

NISD Aquatics Summer Jobs AvailableAre you looking for an exciting and rewarding summer job? The NISD Aquatics Department is hiring teachers and instructional assistants to teach swimming lessons for the summer. They will train you in the techniques and skills necessary to teach swimming. Flexible work hours are available with up to 40 hours per week. Starting pay is $14.00 per hour. To apply, call 397-7523 or contact gregory.treadway@nisd.net.

NISD bus drivers and assistants drive 830 buses transporting 65,000 students each day!

WOW!

OF THE WEEKLooking for some laughs?Come out to ComedySportz, San Antonio’s weekly live, competitive improv comedy show. It’s 100 percent clean and family-friendly, and 100 percent hilarious! All Northside ISD employees will receive $2 off the general admission price for up to four people. ComedySportz performs every Saturday at 7:30 pm at 12002 Bandera Rd., Suite 104, in Helotes. For more information, visit http://www.nisd.net/partners/perk/19653.

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Pounds of pennies collected at Northwest CrossingNorthwest Crossing ES held their annual penny parade in celebration of the Jack C. Jordan Scholarship Fund to benefit NISD seniors.

The top ten classes were chosen to decorate wagons based on the number of pounds of pennies collected. Julianita Chapa’s second grade class collected the most with 33 pounds of pennies and was part of the parade. Overall, Northwest Crossing collected $821 at the parade, bringing their annual total collected for the Jack C. Jordan Scholarship Fund to $1,067.

Pictured are some of the parade participants (from l-r) Lindsey Saldana, Eric Flores, Holly Kolpak, Carlos Sandoval, Vanessa Linero and Michael Luna. Costume characters included M & M, Statue of Liberty, HEB Buddy, Angry Bird, NWC Grandma, Rainforest Café Frog, Apple Eddie, Apple Annie and Apple Eddie Jr., Chick-fil-A Cow, SpongeBob SquarePants, Texas Troll, and Box Top Lady.

Students jump rope for heart Martin ES hosted its first-ever Family Fun Fitness Jump Rope for Heart celebration.

Throughout the month of February, students and staff members worked hard raising donations for the American Heart Association.

In celebration of their efforts, students and parents were invited to an evening of fitness activities, such as jump rope, dancing, and an Army Push Up Challenge.

Pictured are Paige and Tye Ruiz competing in the push up challenge with SSG Hawkins and SPC Daniel from the Army National Guard.

Mental illness can be life threatening“Mental illness is like any other disease. It needs to be treated,” says Dr. Deborah Healy, NISD’s Director of Guidance & Counseling. “It truly is life threatening,” she adds. If children are not treated, their illness can spiral downward and get worse. It also becomes a high cost to our community and families. Support children who have a mental illness by advocating for better, more, and well-funded mental health services, by contacting elected officials, by calling the 211 Helpline for assistance, and by contacting your school’s counselor. “Early intervention leads to better treatment,” says Healy. “Don’t ignore children’s mental health issues just as you would not ignore any illness.” Please take four minutes and watch this video: http://bit.ly/XMBsvw