Summer Science Camp Draws 300

What do you get when you mix dirt, water, and plastic animal figurines?

For the students attending MISD Science Camp, the answer is a lesson in water conservation in a simulated ecosystem!

The second annual MISD Science Camp is being held at Mary Jo Sheppard this week. Enrollment tripled in size from last year, reaching a total of 300 students, ranging from kindergarten to 4th grade. 

The camp is taught by a group of 30 Gifted/Talented Specialists from across the district, who worked together to create engaging and hands-on curriculum.

The focus of this year’s camp is the importance of water conservation and the concept of “going blue.” Over the course of the week, students complete 10 activities, including:

• Properties of Water (Surface Tension)
• Make Your Own Cloud and Rain
• Watch the Clouds Grow - Cloud Investigator
• Make a Rain Stick
• Build a Dam
• Hydroelectric Energy - Water Wheel
• Model Rivers/Lakes - Build a Watershed (See how pollution spreads)
• Water on a String
• Product Design (Create and test water-based products)
• Create a Conservation of Water Presentation

We asked some students to tell us something they learned at camp:

"It's really important to save water. Every living thing needs it." - Mia, 3rd Grade

"I've learned the different uses for a dam. At first, I thought it was for blocking water, but now I know it can be used for energy and electricity." - Aydan, 3rd Grade

"My favorite thing at science camp is painting because you get to make the paint! We made purple, orange, yellow, green, blue, and dark pink." - Elyssa, Kindergarten

The camp concludes Friday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m. with a spectacular student showcase in the cafeteria at Sheppard Elementary. Parents and friends are welcome!

We made a cloud yesterday - something my kiddo learned at @mansfieldisd Science Camp! #STEM pic.twitter.com/kpUCgZjg8u
— carrollburney (@carrollburney) June 20, 2013

Thank you to the 2013 MISD Science Camp Staff: Lacye Redmond (Camp Administrator), April Morrison (Camp Secretary), Angela England, Brooke Bryan, Sara Mata, Melanie Jefferis, Diane Nelson, Karen Mullins, Jennifer Burke, Terri Burris, Shari Bingham, Bianca Gholston, Joelene Prust, Lauren Longoria, Kate Walker, Athena Johnson, Carol McKenna, Natalie Toomey, Amy Krueger, Dwayne Wyatt, Amanda Ekeland, Chelsea Polasek, Kassi Mehler, Joanna Baylis, Kathy Neal, Rob Austin, Beth Hughes, Afua Konadu, Kristen Johnson, Stefanie Slack, Amanda Wells, Michelle Gery.

Superintendent Update - June 2013

Dr. Jim Vaszauskas shares the latest on The Big Move involving three elementary campuses that will start school in new locations next year, last week's summer curriculum conference, a legislative update, the recent high school graduations in the MISD Center for the Performing Arts in this month's Superintendent Update video:

More information on The Big Move: A 2011 bond election was called and approved to completely rebuild the following schools to provide equity across the district.

• Tarver-Rendon Elementary
• J.L. Boren Elementary
• Alice Ponder Elementary
• Glenn Harmon Elementary
• Charlotte Anderson Elementary

Summer 2013

• Tarver-Rendon Elementary students and staff will move into their new building located at 6065 Retta Mansfield Road, Burleson, TX 76028.
• Alice Ponder Elementary students and staff will move into the old Tarver-Rendon building while their new facility is being demolished and rebuilt.
• J.L. Boren Elementary students and staff will move into Judy K. Miller Elementary (403 N. Holland Road, Mansfield, TX 76063) while their new facility is being demolished and rebuilt.

2nd Grader Throws First Pitch at Rangers Game

Walker Shaw, 2nd grader at Nancy Neal Elementary, received the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers game on Tuesday, June 11, 2013. The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation held a fundraising auction recently to win the first pitch opportunity. Even though the Rangers ended up losing the game against the Indians, Shaw was all smiles after this winning pitch to start his summer. Way to go, Walker!

4th Grader Wins @methodistmans Surgical Robot Naming Contest

A Mansfield ISD 4th grader gave the winning name for a surgical robot. “Ross” the robot has officially joined Methodist Mansfield Medical Center’s minimally invasive robotic surgery team.  R.O.S.S. stands for "Robotically Operated Surgical Specialist" and was named by Alice Ponder Elementary 4th grader, Emily Holland.

This ended up being a fun campaign and we hope it inspired the imaginations of the elementary students that submitted the entries. Over 1,000 name entries were submitted.

4th grader wins @methodistmans da Vinci surgical robot naming contest (tours hospital and uses robot) bit.ly/16mMYTd​​​​​
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) June 1, 2013

For providing the winning name, Emily and a few friends and family members took at tour of Methodist Mansfield including time using the surgical robot.

 

The ad below also appeared in the Mansfield News-Mirror on Wednesday, June 5, 2013:

Related Links:

• Elementary students to name surgical robot
• Alice Ponder 4th grade student wins da Vinci Robot naming contest
• Alice Ponder 4th Grade Student Wins da Vinci Robot Naming Contest (MMMC)
• 4th Grader Wins Robot Naming Contest (Photos)

Author and former NFL star Tim Green visits Mansfield ISD

Tim Green visited four MISD schools this past week, sharing an inspiring message of hard work and the importance of education and reading. Students at TA Howard Middle, James Coble Middle, Danny Jones Middle, and Donna Shepard Intermediate participated in the author visit organized by MISD Librarians.

A little background on the multi-talented Mr. Green: After studying writing at Syracuse University where he was an All American football player, Tim was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons where he was a top defensive player for eight years.

While Tim played in the NFL, he also studied law and began his writing career. By the time he retired from football in 1994, Tim had already published his first book and became a lawyer. In addition to those two jobs, he began working as a television broadcaster for FOX NFL Sunday and other shows, including Battlebots, Good Morning America, Court TV, A Current Affair, and most recently, Find My Family.

After writing more than a dozen books for adults, Tim Green began writing a series of novels for young readers set in a world of sports taken from his own experiences as an athlete and a coach. In the meantime, Tim has visited over 600 schools and spoken to more than 300,000 students across the United States about the importance of education and character, in addition to the joys and benefits of reading.

In addition to his visit, Mr. Green donated hundreds of copies of his newest young adult novel, Force Out, to MISD Title I schools. His generosity and commitment to Mansfield ISD’s young people are greatly appreciated by teachers and students alike.

Tim Green’s Mansfield ISD visit certainly starts the summer right; with a good book!

Tim Green with TA Howard Middle School students

Tim Green with Librarians (L-R) Suzonne Evans (Shepard), Lorrie Wallace (Jones),
Amy Toombs (Howard), Karen Swanson (Wester), and Amy Herford (Coble)

Tim Green signing books at TA Howard Middle School

Tim Green and TA Howard student Allan Njomo

Guest post by Amy Toombs, MLIS, Library Information Technology Educator at T.A. Howard Middle School

Senior Citizens Take a Closer Look at Mansfield ISD Schools

Remember the excitement that surrounded “show-and-tell” days in elementary school? It was a chance to take the stage and share something really cool with your classmates. In a way, the MISD Senior Tour is like a mega show-and-tell session for Mansfield ISD. It is an opportunity to give senior citizens from our community a closer look at some of the awesome things taking place in our schools.

Thirty-five senior citizens joined the second annual Senior Tour on Wednesday, May 22. The event covered a full school day, with scheduled visits to Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, Mansfield High School, Mary Orr Intermediate and Erma Nash Elementary.

Each stop on the tour featured an action-packed program, organized by MISD staff and students. The campuses rolled out the red carpet (literally) for the guests, and greeted them VIP-style with orchestras, cheerleaders, drum lines and lots of fanfare.

Throughout the day, the seniors had the opportunity to check out dozens of academic and extracurricular programs, including band and choir performances, science labs, math pentathlon games, tech apps, and even a Whiz Quiz “Challenge of the Decades” against the campus champs at Mary Orr.

On behalf of the Mansfield ISD Administration, thank you those who attended and helped coordinate this wonderful district event. The third annual Senior Tour will take place in 2014, featuring visits to several other district campuses. Stay tuned for details next spring!

Battle of the Books District Champion Teams

Congratulations to the Mansfield ISD Battle of the Books Champion Teams representing middle, intermediate, and elementary schools. Battle of the Books is a school-wide competition where teams vie for the title of Best Readers on their campus held each Spring. Each team reads 10 pre-selected books and answers questions in a Whiz Quiz style round; the team with the most correct answers at the end of the round wins. The winners of first round battle on until only one team is standing. The final team competes against the best readers at their grade level in Mansfield ISD. The competition is intense, and preparation takes months.

This year’s teams have made an incredible effort, reading and practicing under the watchful eyes of their coaches. Congratulations to this year’s winning teams:

Middle School: TA Howard Middle School

Congratulations to the Howard Middle School Battle of the Books District Champion Team members Nathan Haslam, Allan Njomo, Brandon Martin, Jake Stacks, Jared Jeffries, and Lilly Ray

Intermediate School: Donna Shepard Intermediate School

The Donna Shepard Intermediate School’s Battle of the Books team pictured above: (From left to right) Priscilla Brothers, Noah Liukonen, Carter Ho (team captain), Nicholas Winston, Khalid Ahmed, and Leah Nguyen. Each student was required to try out for each school’s team. The students were expected to read and become experts on books from the selected list of ten titles. The detailed questions were asked of all 6 teams at the district battle. The team representing Donna Shepard Intermediate earned the most points, thus winning the district trophy. Each of these Shepard students received a gold medal for his/her hard work.

Elementary School: Roberta Tipps Elementary

MISD held the elementary level district competition for Battle of the Books on Friday, May 3rd. The purpose is simply to encourage students to read good books and have fun while competing with peers. A typical "Battle" is a full day tournament in which students' teams earn points by answering questions about the books on the book list. They play two rounds and at the end of the morning, points are totaled and teams with the top three scores are awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals. In addition the 1st place team wins the district trophy for their school. This year, Tipps Elementary won 1st place. Team members are pictured above (L-R) Ella Scoresby, Ainsley Jones, Julia Lederman, Brenna Franklin, and Sarah des Bordes with Teachers (L-R) Tina Owens and Heather Hughes. After three tie-breaker rounds to determine 2nd and 3rd place winners, Spencer and Daulton Elementary schools tied for 2nd place. Ponder Elementary made it to the tie-breaker round and came in 4th. Congratulations to all the participating teams.