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ESC-20 Curriculum Communiqué: February 6, 2004
Volume #2
We are continuing the Curriculum Communiqué series as requested. Please continue to share the
information with your staff. If there is additional information that you think would be helpful, please
don’t hesitate to let me know.
ESC Contact: Ed Vara, ed.vara@esc20.net or (210) 370-5465
TEA Correspondence
New TEA Correspondence has been posted at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/taa/sortf.cgi?command=bydate
Date: 01/30/2004
Subject: Standard Application System (SAS-A309-04) Career and Technology Education Program
Additional Allocation of Perkins Federal Vocational Funds
From: Planning, Grants & Evaluation
Administrators' Midwinter Conference on Education
The 2004 Administrators' Midwinter Conference on Education took place January 26-28, 2004
at the Austin Convention Center. The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA)
coordinated both the conference agenda and the Education Expo (exhibits) for the 2004
Conference. For information, contact TASA at (512) 477-6361 (local), 800-725-8272 (toll free),
tasa@tasanet.org, or their website www.tasanet.org.
The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) Midwinter Conference web page
TEA Staff retained a vital role in the presentation of information at the conference.
Linked below are some important "handouts" from a presentation by Dr. Nora Hancock and
Dan Arrigona...
Results Based Investment (Power Point slideshow)
Letter Regarding TEA SE ("Secure Environment")
January 2004 TEA Organizational Chart
The 2003-2004 Texas School Directory is currently available. This publication is only available on this
website and in a CD format. Texas school districts will receive CD copies for their campuses in February.
Additional CD copies may be purchased from the TEA Publications Distribution Office for $10 (Texas
educational institutions) and $18.
Texas Education Agency -- State-Funded Discretionary Grants 2003-2004
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Student Success Initiative
RFA Published – December 1, 2003
Applications Due to TEA – February 24, 2004
Total Funding Available – $5,000,000
Anticipated Number of Grants to be Awarded – 20 grants
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Announce Awards – March 10, 2004
Grant Start Date/Funds Available – March 15, 2004
TETN has already occurred
Investment Capital Fund (Rider 66)
RFA Published –January 9, 2004
Applications Due to TEA – February 19, 2004
Total Funding Available – $4,650,000
Anticipated Number of Grants to be Awarded – 93 grants
Announce Awards – April 2, 2004
Grant Start Date/Funds Available – May 1, 2004
TETN will not take place
UPDATE: The TEA Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP) Request for Applications (RFA) is now available
on the TEA website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/grant/. You will also find the "Letter to Administrators"
advising them of this grant opportunity.
Questions about the pilot should be sent to the TIP mailbox - tip@tea.state.tx.us.
FGBNMS Down Under, Out Yonder Education Workshop
The annual "Down Under, Out Yonder" education workshops to the Flower Garden Banks National
Marine Sanctuary applications are now available on-line at http://www.gulfmex.org/duoy.htm or you may
use the attached Adobe PDF files (announcement and application are available from
Sarah.Bernhardt@noaa.gov)
K-12 educators are invited to participate in a two-part workshop that concludes with a field experience in
SCUBA diving in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). Located
approximately 110 miles south of the Texas/Louisiana border, the sanctuary harbors the northernmost
coral reefs in the continental United States and is a regional reservoir of shallow-water Caribbean fish and
invertebrates in the Gulf of Mexico. Space is limited. You must be an experienced certified SCUBA
diver to participate in the offshore portion of the workshop. The land-based portion of the workshop
includes lectures on basic coral biology, the National Marine Sanctuary Program, the FGBNMS and its
current issues and an introduction to reef fish identification. Hands-on activities and many cool materials
to take back to your educational arena will be provided.
Who may apply? Anyone who actively educates students in kindergarten through grade 12 is eligible.
You need not be a classroom teacher. You may, for example, conduct education in an aquarium or nature
center. You must, however, commit to doing a specific amount of education about the Flower Garden
Banks National Marine Sanctuary in whatever field you educate. Selection is based on how you plan to
use the experience to enhance K-12 education. You must be an experienced certified SCUBA diver to
participate in the full workshop. No water experience is required for the land based portion only. Twothirds of participants must come from Gulf of Mexico bordering states.
Dates: Saturday, July 10, 2004 through Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Land component: Saturday and Sunday July 10 & 11
Offshore SCUBA component: Sunday (depart at 9pm) through Wednesday, July 14
Location: Lectures and activities Saturday and Sunday will be in Galveston, Texas. The offshore portion
will depart from, and return to, Freeport, Texas. This is a 100 ft. live-aboard, dive charter vessel. The
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boat will depart Freeport on Sunday at approximately 9 PM, after a day of classroom lectures. The trip to
the sanctuary takes approximately 7 hours from port, in sometimes rough seas.
How do I apply? Applications are due March 29, 2004, and selection determined by April 5th.
Applications will be available January 2004. Contact the sanctuary if you would like to receive an
application. Applications are also available as MS Word documents which can be emailed to you.
Applications for 2004 are also available online at: http://www.gulfmex.org/duoy.htm
Cost: There will be a tuition fee of $250 for the full workshop, $100 for the land-only participants.
Contact: Sarah Bernhardt at 979-846-5942 ext. 103 or email sarah.bernhardt@noaa.gov
The Texas Association for Educational Technology will host its third Spring Institute at Baylor
University in Waco, Texas, April 2nd and 3rd.
Registration is $250 and includes 10 hours of focused, hands-on technology training in one interest
workshop, 1-year TAET membership, and lunch on Saturday in conjunction with the TAET Technology
Fair awards and presentations. Links to all information are available from
http://www.taet.org/. Group rates are available for registrations of 10 or more.
Please visit http://www.taet.org/2004Spring_Inst_announce.html for up-to-date information, schedules
and outlines for each workshop session. Hotel information is also available from this page.
WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:
Digital Video
http://www.taet.org/DigVid%20MultiMedia.pdf (using iMovie and iDVD) - Mac
Multimedia Authoring
http://www.taet.org/DigVid%20MultiMedia.pdf (using eZedia) - Mac
Dreamweaver Beginner/Intermediate
http://www.taet.org/DW%20Flash%20Fireworks.p - PC
Fireworks and Flash Beginner
http://www.taet.org/DW%20Flash%20Fireworks.p - PC
To register online, please go to http://soe.baylor.edu/taet04/. If your school(s) would be interested in
participating in the TAET Technology Fair, please visit this URL: http://www.taet.org/ for more
information.
Contact: Shannon Edwards, TAET President, TAET Spring Institute 2004 Co-Chair
voice: 254-710-1599
APPROVED BY THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS
This school year Carranza Puppets is presenting their highly acclaimed marionette presentation
"Pinocchio" for elementary schools assemblies. This presentation strongly promotes, to the children, the
value of staying in school and receiving a good education. As an approved Texas Commission on the
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Arts artist, there is the opportunity for schools to receive a partial grant from the State to help defray the
fee involved in bringing this presentation into your schools.
You will find photos and more information about this program and grant information on our web site.
Please visit us at: www.CarranzaPuppets.com.
In addition, we offer "The TEKS Science Puppet Show" to the elementary schools. This presentation
covers many of the TEKS science objectives that the children will encounter on the State exam.
Information on this presentation can also be found on our web site.
Contact: Carol Carranza, Carranza Puppets, 281-890-5210
Staff Development Opportunity
Teachers are invited to a unique summer program that will explore the interface between the
mathematical and biological sciences in the high schools. The program will:
* Provide background and materials on topics in mathematics and computer science that connect to the
modern biological sciences and can be brought into the high school mathematics classroom
* Offer opportunities to write your own classroom materials
* Offer opportunities to experience research in "bioinformatics" and "computational biology" and bring
them back to your classroom
* Provide graduate credit (3 credits at Rutgers University)
* Cover your hotel and meals and provide a stipend
Modern biology has changed dramatically and, increasingly, partnerships between mathematical and
biological scientists are playing crucial roles in major scientific developments such as the human genome
project and defense against emerging diseases, like SARS. This has begun to lead to major changes in
undergraduate and graduate education and it can be expected to come to the high schools.
The program will introduce you to the excitement of modern interdisciplinary science and to career
opportunities for your students at the interface between the mathematical and biological sciences.
Exposure to topics at the interface will open new horizons for those who find mathematics interesting but
wonder how it might be useful.
Topics covered will include algorithms for finding a DNA sequence from its fragments, ways to
reconstruct evolutionary trees, and ways to predict the structure of RNA molecules. Computer lab
sessions will introduce participants to the key software tools of bioinformatics. The program will also
address the uses of mathematics in protecting us from bioterrorism and responding to public health crises
from emerging diseases, like SARS.
For further details about the program and application materials, see URL
http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/dci/2004/ or contact Christine Spassione, Program Coordinator, at
spassion@dimacs.rutgers.edu.
Application deadline is April 1, 2004 (or until all slots are filled).
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Christine Spassione
Tel: (732) 445-4304
Visitor Coordinator
Fax: (732) 445-5932
DCI Program Coordinator spassion@dimacs.rutgers.edu
DIMACS Center
Rutgers University
96 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8018
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FYI
The federal, state and private education leaders launched a web site Thursday that promises
unprecedented access to information about public school performance. The site, www.schoolresults.org,
will serve as a clearinghouse for new state report cards on education, including data broken down to the
school district and school building.
Informal Science Education Association Conference
The annual ISEA conference will be coming this way soon. The event will be March 3-5, 2004 in Port
Aransas, Texas. The deadline for submitting your registration form and fee to attend the conference has
been extended to Feb. 15, 2004.
Registration fees before the 15th of February is $150/registration after the 15th of February will be $200.
ISEA will accept a P.O. for fees. Dorm spaces are limited for conference participants. This year's
conference will feature three keynote speakers, a national project from the TERC/ASTC, and other
workshops that focus on issues involving informal science education.
Please visit the ISEA website: www.statweb.org/ISEA for details, logistics, and description of sessions.
Important Dates…
February 1-7 – Counselors’ Appreciation Week
February 2-6 – Texas Computer Education Association Annual Conference – Austin Convention Center
February 7 – Navigating the Course of Change for Elementary Lead Teachers
February 8–14 – National Career and Technology Education Week
February 26-27 –State Board of Education Meeting – William B. Travis Building, Austin