Students Advance to State UIL Academics

Irving ISD high school students competed at regional University Interscholastic League (UIL) Academic Competition, with teams from MacArthur High School advancing to state UIL May 6-8 at University of Texas at Austin.

Three teams will advance from MacArthur. Winning first place was the Social Studies team comprised of Jin Ae Sakai, who won second place overall in the category, as well as Jenny Bachand, Ishrat Durdana, Grecia Higareda, and Coach Cody Dollar. Winning second place was the Spelling & Vocabulary team, comprised of Stephanie Akpunku, who won fifth place overall, as well as Jenny Bachand, Natalie Bradford, Marielle Ngoue, and Coach Blaine Mountain. Winning second place as the Ready Writing team comprised of Pearl Choi, Kaitlyn Hal, and Coach Janice Battles.

Learn more about UIL Academic Competition at www.uil.utexas.edu/academics/index.html.

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Earth Day Events

Several schools in Irving ISD observed Earth Day April 22 with student activities focused toward improving the environment both at school and in the community.

At Clifton Early Childhood School, Keep Irving Beautiful presented information about reducing litter, recycling and community beautification. Students also worked with parents to create 67 recycling art masterpieces. Students were taught about the environment and the importance of keeping the community clean and reducing waste.

In observance of Earth Day, Clifton students worked together with their parents to create recycling art using recyclable materials April 22.

At Barton Elementary School, students learned about “going green” during Earth Day and beyond. Teachers at Barton, who also live in the City of Irving, volunteered to collect plastic, glass, aluminum and paper in blue bags purchased by the school. Each Friday as classes fill their recycling bags, each Irving-resident teacher will take the bags home for their regular trash pick-up. Though city officials said they cannot pick up recycling bags at just one school on a weekly basis without the program being adopted district-wide, the city allowed for a special recycling pick-up at Barton on April 22 in recognition of Earth Day activities.

Lamar Middle School instituted the Green Teacher Award, pledged to “go paperless” for a day, and sponsored a recycling contest among grade levels. Blue bags, as described for Barton, were distributed to students to take home, fill with recyclables, and bring back to school April 22. Included with the bags were information letters for parents describing how the city recycling program operates. Irving Mayor Herbert Gears and City Council Candidate Roy Santoscoy visited Lamar to observe the recycling efforts. In total, the sixth, seventh and eighth grades at Lamar collected 18 truckloads of recyclable materials.

Sixth graders at Lamar Middle School stack recyclable materials they collected to be loaded onto a City of Irving garbage truck April 22.

Nimtiz High School ninth grade students participated in a “staycation” field trip at the school April 22. Students conducted a scavenger hunt for litter at the school, and planting trees around campus. Keep Irving Beautiful donated gloves and “grabbers” for picking up litter, and local poet Will Richey worked with students to compose written verse about their activities. The day was concluded with hands-on outside science activities and a picnic.

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Middle School Band Results

IISD middle school bands competed at Region 20 University Interscholastic League Concert & Sightreading Contests at Midlothian High School and Cedar Hill High School April 13-15 and 22-23.

De Zavala Middle School varsity band earned a sweepstakes trophy for superior ratings in concert and sightreading. Earning plaques were Crockett Middle School and Travis Middle School varsity for superior ratings in concert performance, and Lamar Middle School varsity for superior rating in sightreading performance.

Earning second division ratings were Austin Middle School varsity band, Bowie Middle School varsity band and Houston Middle School varsity band. Earning third division ratings were Bowie non-varsity band and Lamar non-varsity band.

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Applications Now Accepted for DigiGirlz

Microsoft Corporation has opened the application period for its annual DigiGirlz High Tech Camp, scheduled for August 10-12 at the Microsoft office in Las Colinas.

The DigiGirlz High Tech Camp was developed to provide girls with a better understanding of what is involved in a technology career. During the camp, girls learn about different technology careers, talk with Microsoft employees about their experiences, and enjoy hands-on computer and technology workshops.

Applicants must be in grades 8-11 in the current (2009-2010) school year, and must be at least 13 years old at the time of application. Participants are selected on a first-come, first-served basis, and essay questions will be evaluated.

DigiGirlz is free of charge and is scheduled for 8 a.m.-5 p.m., August 10-12. For more information, access www.microsoft.com/DigiGirlz.

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Graduates Are Only Ingredient Needed for Fair

Exhibit spaces for the Graduate Summer Job & Volunteer Fair scheduled for May 6 at Lively Pointe Youth Center have sold out, with 35 companies and agencies registered to attend.

Organizers anticipate that more than 400 job seekers will attend the third annual event. Though the event is open to the public, it was designed to help graduating IISD high school students locate part-time summer opportunities for employment or volunteerism. Job seekers attending the fair are encouraged to bring a resume and dress professionally.

For more information, access www.irvingisd.net/ppage/GraduateJobFair.htm.

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IISD K-5 New Student Registration

Registration for students new to IISD who will be entering grades kindergarten through five will be from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m, May 10 - May 21 and August 10-August 18.

Registration will take place at the neighborhood schools. To register a student, the following student information must be provided: updated immunization records, birth certificate, Social Security card, and proof of residency (lease or utility bill).

All students who are entering school for the first time and speak a language other than English must be given an oral language test to evaluate their language skills. The test is mandated by law and is a necessary part of the student’s school record. Oral language testing will be available by appointment from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, May 11 - June 5. Language testing will resume starting August 10. For more information or to set an appointment, call 972-600-6115.

For more information about new student registration, access www.irvingisd.net/ppage/registration_elementary.htm.

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Deadline for Teachers to Apply for Certificates

IISD teachers who wish to obtain certificates scheduled for deletion in fall 2011 - regardless of the route to certification - must meet all certification requirements by August 31, 2011.

Candidates who complete all requirements on or before August 31, 2011, must apply online and be recommended by a Texas educator preparation program, if appropriate, no later than October 30, 2011. These deadlines will be strictly enforced by TEA.

The certificates scheduled for deletion are based on completion of the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES), Examinations for the Certification of Educators in Texas, or Texas Oral Proficiency Test. These certificates have been replaced with new certificates that are based on new standards and TExES tests.

Certificates scheduled for deletion in fall 2011 include:

·   Bilingual Education Supplemental: EC – 4

·   Bilingual Education Supplemental: 4 – 8

·   Bilingual Generalist: EC – 4

·   English as a Second Language Generalist: EC – 4

·   Generalist: EC – 4

·   Secondary French Grades 6-12

·   Secondary German Grades 6-12

·   Secondary Spanish Grades 6-12

Individuals applying or being recommended after October 30, 2011, will not be eligible for these certificates, and will need to meet all requirements for an appropriate new certificate.   

For additional information contact Kay Riggs, certification officer, at kriggs@irvingisd.net or 972-600-5224.

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This Week on ISTV

Irving Schools Television (ISTV) is currently featuring video highlights from recent district events including Week of the Young Child at Clifton Early Childhood School; Research in Motion partnership signing at Townley Elementary School; and high school athletes of the month for April. Board of Trustees Meet the Candidate profiles are shown as part of the district information loop at 1‑7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 8 p.m., and 11 p.m. Also, the April 19 Board of Trustees Meeting is replayed each day at 7 p.m.

Watch ISTV on Time Warner Cable Channel 98, Verizon FiOS Channel 33, and view the complete schedule of ISTV programming online at www.irvingisd.net/ISTV.

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Keep up with the latest Irving ISD news and events with three Tweets per day, Monday through Friday. Follow Irving ISD on Twitter with your cell phone or online. http://twitter.com/IrvingISD. 

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