THE GREEN PAGES WEB DIRECTORY - PROUD SUPPORTERS OF THE CARROLL DRAGONS

Posted July 2, 2008

 

Graduation 2008 DVDs Now Available

Carroll ISD's Communications & Marketing Department produced a DVD of the Class of 2008 Graduation Ceremony held June 5 at Dragon Stadium.

For parents who submitted an order form, DVDs are now available for pick up in the Carroll Senior High School front office, 1501 W. Southlake Boulevard. Summer office hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Susan Rawlins at 817-949-5800.

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LEGO Education Unveils New Robotics Product

Students in Debra Heath's class at Durham Elementary demonstrate their skills with LEGO robotics as an audience of classmates and parents watch.

LEGO Education, The LEGO Group's educational division, recently announced LEGO Education WeDo, a new product that redefines classroom robotics, making it possible for primary school students 7-11 years of age to build and program their own solutions. Bridging the physical world, represented by LEGO models, and the virtual world, represented by computers and programming software, LEGO Education WeDo provides a hands-on, minds-on learning experience that actively involves young students in their own learning process and promotes children's creative thinking, teamwork and problem solving skills - skills that are essential in the workplace of the 21st century. The new product is on display at the National Educational Computing Conference in San Antonio and will be available in the United States and Brazil beginning January 1, 2009.

LEGO Education WeDo encourages teachers to issue curriculum-based challenges for students to solve. Working in teams, children invent their own solution by building a LEGO model and programming it to perform a certain task. Cause and effect learning is enhanced by the models remaining tethered to a computer; similar to scientists in working labs, children can test and adjust their programming in real time. After reflecting on what did and did not work, students can consult with peers, adapt programming, adjust models or begin again. Newly-designed software developed by National Instruments, makes programming easy and intuitive and students quickly learn that they can solve real-world challenges by tinkering with building and programming.

Developed to cover a broad range of curriculum areas, WeDo sample topics include Language and Literacy: narrative and journalistic writing, storytelling, interviewing and interpreting; Mathematics: measuring time and distance, adding, multiplying, estimating, using variables; Science: transmission of motion, working with simple machines, gears, levers and pulleys; Technology: programming, using software media and creating a working model.

"Building upon our successful 10-year history of bringing educational robotics to middle, high school and university classrooms with the award-winning LEGO MINDSTORMS toolset, we are excited to extend this expertise to benefit an even younger audience," said Jens Maibom, vice president of LEGO Education. "With a progressively competitive global economy, we know it is imperative to provide even younger children and their teachers with curricular-relevant, easy-to-implement educational materials to spark children's interest in all manner of subjects. After
observing classroom tests conducted in Brazil and the United States, we are confident that WeDo, the first product from LEGO Education designed to serve the classroom needs of emerging markets, will inspire teachers and motivate students in classrooms around the world."

Durham Elementary School was chosen to pilot the products last spring with the help and expertise of Dragon staff members Judy Leddy and Debra Heath.

"While still meeting state curriculum standards, the LEGO WeDo platform enabled me to start facilitating a new but natural process where my students had an opportunity to direct their own learning," said Debra Heath, science lab teacher for Durham Elementary School. "All of my students were so engaged in the lessons that they didn't realize they were learning; even the students who struggle in every subject were able to excel during LEGO WeDo projects."

To read more of this article, click here.

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Board Holds Special Meeting

Trustees called a special meeting Monday at the Carroll ISD Administration Center. During the meeting, the Board:

  • heard a presentation by SPACE (Southlake Parents for Academic Excellence) presenting itself as an official CISD Booster Club;
  • approved teacher contract recommendations and personnel other than teachers, including the hiring of Lisa Young as the District's new Language Arts/Social Studies Coordinator, Trish McKeel as Assistant Principal for Eubanks Intermediate and Tobie Self as a Carroll Elementary nurse;
  • heard a presentation regarding a possible transportation service co-op with Dallas County Schools; Dallas County Schools plans to prepare a cost analysis for Trustees to review prior to the next School Board meeting;
  • approved a contract in the amount of $170,000, which includes $70,000 funded from storm damage insurance recovery and a $25,000 contingency, with Pro-Tech Track to replace the Dawson Middle School stadium track;
  • approved a contract with Tucker Mechanical in the amount of $47,894 and a $7,000 contingency for the installation of HVAC units at Eubanks Intermediate School and the CISD Administration Center; Trustees also agreed to reject proposals for HVAC work at Carroll Senior High School and re-advertise for competitive sealed proposals;
  • approved a contract with Swaim Construction in the amount of $136,585 for construction services and painting projects at Carroll High School and Durham Elementary/Intermediate.

The Board meets next Monday, July 14 in the Cabinet Meeting Room of the CISD Administration Center, 3051 Dove Road in Grapevine.

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Carroll Education Foundation Announces Scholarship Recipients

The Carroll Education Foundation is proud to announce its 2008 scholarship recipients. These students were recently selected and honored from among the graduating Class of 2008.

Stephanie Metzger, sponsored by Fidelity Investments
Kelsey Long, sponsored by the Fort Worth Star Telegram
Rachael Howell, sponsored by Hugh Cunningham, Inc.
Matthew Swinton, sponsored by Hyatt Regency DFW
Allison Mrasek, sponsored by Park Place Lexus
Adam Lucas, sponsored by RM Communications
Caitlin Baran, sponsored by The Greater Southlake Women's Society
Olumurejiwa Fatunde, sponsored by Grayson Allen Jewelers
Carla Upperman, sponsored by the CEF Board of Directors
Lauren Brooks, sponsored by the CEF Board of Directors

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Dragon Graduate Signs With University

Congratulations to Class of 2008 Carroll graduate Shaun McPeters. Shaun recently signed a letter of intent to play Division I baseball with the University of Central Arkansas.

Larry Hughes coaches the Dragon baseball team.

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Summer Edition Of The Carroll Connection Hitting Mailboxes

Carroll ISD's printed newsletter, The Carroll Connection, is hitting mailboxes in the coming days. The Summer 2008 issue is also available on the district's website. The newsletter is expected to arrive in the mailboxes of all residential and commercial taxpayers next week.

Click here to read the The Carroll Connection: Summer 2008 Edition

 

 

 

 

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Community Survey Online

Parents and taxpayers of Carroll ISD are invited to participate in an online end-of-year survey. Visit the district's website at www.southlakecarroll.edu and click on the Breaking News link to find the survey. A separate employee climate survey has also been conducted.

The survey is anonymous and will be used by the Administration for strategic planning and program evaluation. Community members are asked to complete the survey by August 1.

For a direct link, visit the following: 2008 Community Survey.

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Visit The Back To School Website

Carroll ISD's Back to School website includes all the important information parents and students need to be ready for the first day of school. Information includes New Student Registrations, Meet the Teacher events, Curriculum Nights, School Supply Lists and more. Additional information will be posted to the Back to School page as August approaches.

Visit the Back to School 2008 web link below for details.

Back To School 2008 Website

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Project Graduation 2008 Deemed A Success

The Carroll High/Carroll Senior High School PTO would like to thank the following individuals who, together with their time, energy and talents, made Project Graduation 2008 a successful event. Project Graduation is important to many parents and their graduating seniors - providing a safe and fun environment for students.

Craft Fair – Donna Lackey, Gwen Lindsey and Stacie Gloyeske, Smoothie Sales – Cathy Hinzman, Theater Boosters, Sponsorship – Adele Claeson, Susan Stanek, Susan Mayer, Cathy Hinzman, Prizes – Donna Bosworth, Lisa Balkman, Margie Pankhurst, Gift Baskets – Anna Klosterman and Janet Knipp, Tickets – Catherine Singley, Bottled Water Sales – Amy Sparks and Adele Claeson , Activities – Kathie Boitmann, Decorations – BJ Landers and Pat Rogers, Goody Bags – Darla Reed, Appreciation – Karen Wald, Treasurer – Donna Friedel, Volunteers – Debra Piland, Indispensable – Adele Claeson and Priscilla Danner.

Project Graduation also had a very large and committed “in-kind” committee. Thank you to: Kathy Alexander, Coleen Baran, Judy Bryan, Julie Blair, Susan Dwyer, Sherri Howell, Susan Mayer, Tina Meisner, Martha Looft, Shelley Martin, Brenda McClanahan, Margie Pankhurst, Vikki Presmyk, Carol Robison, Linda Rector, Sally Simpson and Susan Stanek. Many parent volunteers also gave of their time and sleep by staying up to work the event.

Project Graduation Facts –

  • The annual fall Craft Fair is Project Graduation's largest source of funding. It generates over 30% of revenue for the event;
  • 559 tickets were sold for this year's event and 539 students attended;
  • Project Graduation awarded over $22,000 in purchased prizes and $18,000 in gift baskets to the Class of 2008. 167 winners were drawn. 532 graduates stayed to the end of the party and were awarded with $75 when they departed.

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Posted To The Website

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Dragons Qualify To Compete In National Rock Climbing Competition

Five Dragon students have qualified and been invited to compete in the Youth National Championships for indoor rock climbing. This competition takes place in the coming weeks in Sunnyvale, California. Congratulations to the following students:

  • Emerson Nairon
  • Christopher Grupe
  • Tori Lambeth
  • Mickey Noetzel
  • JD Schmid

For more information about the sport of rock climbing, visit the following link: www.scsnationals.org

Carroll Student Selected To Attend LeadAmerica's Leadership University

Dawson MIddle School student Trevor Walter has been selected to attend the 2008 Leadership University, sponsored by LeadAmerica, at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. The Leadership University is a leadership program for young leaders from across the United States and internationally.
Leadership University is an intensive leadership development conference for teens who want to challenge themselves to excel and realize their full potential. In a hands-on learning environment, Trevor and fellow students will face real-life situations in which they will learn specific and tangible leadership skills, such as team building, collaboration, negotiation, creative thinking and problem solving.

"Leadership can make important differences in the lives of teenagers - in their academic and personal performance, in their acceptance to the college of their choice, and in their level of focus, passion and purpose,” says Chris M. Salamone, Esq., Founder and Executive Director of LeadAmerica. “Leadership University helps young leaders to uncover their natural leadership abilities and inspires in them a new sense of personal responsibility. Since 1989 I have had the privilege of seeing more than 60,000 exceptional students from over 51 countries learn first-hand about leadership and explore its role in a variety of educational disciplines. It’s my sincere hope that LeadAmerica will give young leaders the skills to help them along the road toward a successful and rewarding life of leadership.”

LeadAmerica is the nation's premier youth leadership organization. With a commitment to providing quality leadership education, LeadAmerica empowers teenage leaders and instills in them ethical and principled leadership values, attitudes and skills. Each of its high school conferences is college-accredited and its programs are approved activities of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. LeadAmerica sponsors the Congressional Student
Leadership Conference for high school students, the National Junior Leaders Conference for middle and junior high school students, Ambassadors Abroad international study programs in China, Australia and Europe, and Washington Summer Scholars, a college-level academic program held in partnership with American University. Further information on LeadAmerica and Leadership University can be found at www.lead-america.org or by calling 1-866-FYI-LEAD (394-5323).


Barnes & Noble To Host Breaking Dawn Party

Barnes & Noble Bookstore of Southlake is hosting a Breaking Dawn Party Friday August 1. The store will remain open late and sell the fourth and final book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, at the stroke of midnight, when it officially goes on sale. Barnes & Noble welcomes fans of the Twilight Saga to come in costume for a thrilling night with a costume contest, ballroom and modern rock dancing, chess games, mic readings and professional photography provided by Stepping Stones Photography Studio.

On Barnes & Noble.com at www.bn.com/breakingdawn you’ll find special interactive content including an exclusive video interview with Stephenie Meyer about her adult novel, The Host, and book recommendations for fans of the Twilight Saga and Stephenie Meyer. Fans are encouraged to discuss the Twilight Saga all summer long in the Teen Reads Book Club online at www.bn.com/bookclubs.

In anticipation of the release of Breaking Dawn, the Eclipse Special Edition, a deluxe hardcover edition of the third book in the Twilight Saga is on sale now. The deluxe edition of Eclipse is extra special for Meyer fans as it will reveal for the first time both the cover art for Breaking Dawn as well as its first chapter. Customers can purchase both books at any Barnes & Noble store or online at www.bn.com. Join fans nationwide for the chance to be a part of the excitement at Barnes & Noble’s Breaking Dawn party and be among the first to read the final installment of the Twilight Saga.

Flier: Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn Event

Barnes & Noble is located at 1430 Plaza Place in Southlake.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 800 bookstores in 50 states. For the fourth year in a row, the company is the nation’s top bookseller brand, as determined by a brand’s overall strength based on its combination of familiarity, quality and purchase intent, according to the EquiTrend® Brand Study by Harris Interactive®. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites. General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

Teen Court Welcomes New Coordinator

The City of Southlake's Finance Department is pleased to announce the promotion of Kristin White to the position of Metroport Teen Court Coordinator. Kristin has worked for the City of Southlake since 2003 as a Recreation Specialist focusing on special events management and helping manage the instructional events and camps offered by the Community Services Department. Kristin will start her new role as Metroport Teen Court Coordinator Monday, July 7.

Kristin's contact information is listed below.

kwhite@ci.southlake.tx.us
Phone: 817-748-8346
Fax: 817-748-8060

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. . .LEGO Robotics Story Continued

The complete LEGO WeDo package includes:

  • 158 brightly colored LEGO elements, including gears, and levers;
  • One LEGO USB Hub connects directly to a Mac/PC laptop,desktop, OLPC XO or Intel Classmate computer to allow control of hardware input (tilt and motion sensors) and output (motor), thereby bringing models to life;
  • One motor, one motion sensor and one tilt sensor;
  • Drag-and-drop icon-based software that provides an intuitive and easy-to-use programming environment suitable for beginners and experienced users alike, developed by a leading provider of engineering hardware and software, National Instruments;
  • Activity pack CD-Rom provides up to 24 hours of instruction and includes 12 activities based on four themes: Amazing Mechanisms, Wild Animals, Play Soccer and Adventure Stories. Running alongside programming software, activities are introduced via animations. Teacher notes and glossary are also included.

"The LEGO Group and National Instruments share a vision of inspiring design and creativity in children through hands-on, interactive learning," said Ray Almgren, vice president of academic relations at National Instruments. "Through our joint development of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT and now LEGO Education WeDo, we are helping build an educational robotics platform, Powered by NI LabVIEW, that enhances science and engineering education for students in all age groups."

About The LEGO Group
The LEGO Group (www.LEGO.com) is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials for children, employing approximately 4,500 people globally. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities through its products, which can be purchased in more than 130 countries.

LEGO, MINDSTORMS and their respective logos are trademarks of the LEGO Group. (c) 2008 The LEGO Group.

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