February Board Meeting Brief

During its monthly meeting, the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees recognized 46 students from prekindergarten to 12th grade. All the students earned annual Character without Question Awards. Trustees also honored All-State Band, Choir and Orchestra students, and recognitions were presented to the district’s Employee and Volunteer of the Month recipients.

Click here to read February's Board Briefs.

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Bald Eagle 'No Brainer' - Live Feed Sparks Student Interest

Do you think it's more exciting to read about a bald eagle, or to see one in action? 

No brainer.  It's much more fun to see a bald eagle in action.  Rummel Creek students in Mrs. Schwab-Trevino's class are getting to do just that as they take learning into the digital age. A unique combination of bald eagles and online learning are engaging students in the study of biology and science in new and innovative ways.


RCE Students Blogging with Other Eagle Cam Participants

The Alcoa Eagle Cam began in 2009 when a pair of eagles, Liberty and Justice, joined the Alcoa Davenport community in Iowa. By the spring of 2011, the pair had spawned a pair of eaglets and a growing interest in their activities.  

Since then, viewers have witnessed the addition of three more eaglets who were named by online vote Faith, Hope and Spirit.

Now in its third year, the Alcoa Eagle Cam, has exploded in popularity.  Students are able to observe the nesting habits and life cycle of the eagles, while participating in a collaborative dialogue between students in North Carolina, Texas, Canada and the Netherlands.

Thank you to Alcoa and the Bettendorf Iowa School District for creating and sharing learning modules as part of the Alcoa Eagle Cam with students in Spring Branch and around the world!

What SBISD educator Mrs.Schwab-Trevino has to say about the Eagle Cam:

Q: How have your students benefited from this experience?

This has given the word scientist a new meaning in the eyes of a second grader’s life!  They've learned to use observation skills to view live video feed, conduct research and take notes citing sources when needed, participate in communicating online and interviewing others on what they have learned is real world.

We are collaborating with students from all over – United States, Canada, The Netherlands, and I believe we even had an art lesson from Australia! Our classroom walls have been torn down and we work with kids of all ages.  

Liberty and Justice (Alcoa’s Bald Eagle) are our “hook” into discovering more about our “Birds of Prey” curriculum. It is neat to witness students engaging with one another without their age being a factor. I believe that we are the youngest group participating, but that hasn’t stopped us from learning. This is an “open” group where anyone can participate. I think the biggest impact so far is seeing how when working together, we can help each other and solve problems!

Q: How has it inspired you as an educator?

This collaboration has really challenged me as a teacher. It has opened my eyes to the capabilities we have as educators using technology. I will admit, it was hard to go out and try something all by myself – but I am so glad I did.  I believe that my excitement has poured over into the learning atmosphere of my class. As we learn new things together, it helps my students to learn that it’s OK to make mistakes. Sometimes we need to take a moment to troubleshoot something.  It's important for students to see that we persevere until we have given it our “all”. 

I remember telling my students at the beginning of this adventure, that we will try this project out. I told them that it seemed very interesting and that since we could see the eagles live, it would make this even more meaningful than if we picked any other bird to learn about. As a community, we agreed that if it became too complicated or we wanted to back out, we would cross that bridge together! Obviously, we are still working which means this is a success!!!

Our excitement is just about to spill over because our eaglets will soon hatch – and when that happens, it is going to take all I have to keep the noise level down so we do not disrupt our other second grade friends. We have become passionate about science! The kids are eager to learn and look forward to learning more. Having seen how an eagle tears apart its prey, and devours it over our ActiveBoard, is an experience that cannot be replicated! We look forward in welcoming our newest “eaglet” members to family.  My class will forever remember this project!!!

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Guest Speaker - Tim Samaras, Severe Storm Researcher

Hello, Tim Samaras here.  I’m a Severe Storms Researcher working for National Geographic.  I have been featured on the Discovery “Storm Chasers” series using a probe that I developed to collect meteorological data about what goes on inside of a tornado.  My mission - to understand why tornados form in order to improve warning times in Tornado Alley – saving lives.

Students, Parents, Community Members You’re Invited!

Please Join Us to hear SBISD Guest Speaker
Tim Samaras, Severe Storms Researcher
Tuesday, March 19th at 7:00 p.m.
Spring Woods High School Auditorium

This event is hosted in collaboration with the JASON Project and funded through a generous grant from Chevron.

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2013 Campus Teachers of the Year

Spring Branch ISD campuses have named more than 40 elementary and secondary instructors as nominees for the 2013 campus Teacher of the Year title.

The district’s Teacher of the Year Committee will review nomination materials and soon choose three elementary and three secondary finalists for annual Teacher of the Year honors.

After each finalist group is interviewed, the committee will vote on its top two candidates.

Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., will announce district finalists and the Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year at this year’s Service Awards dinner, which will be held May 8 at the Omni Houston Hotel Westside. SBISD Teachers of the Year will represent the district in regional competition.

If successful, the Teachers of the Year will compete for the state’s highest honor – Texas Teacher of the Year. As district winners, these two teachers will receive a trophy-style Golden Apple Award and stipend awards. During the past 30 years, SBISD has had four teachers named regional and state winners.

This year’s SBISD Teacher of the Year nominees are:

Elementary Schools
Bendwood Campus, Delyar Pace
Buffalo Creek Elementary, Sandra Ramirez
Bunker Hill Elementary, Amy Sidora
Cedar Brook Elementary, Pam Walker
Edgewood Elementary, Eduardo de la Paz

Frostwood Elementary, Jean Posey

Hollibrook Elementary, Headiyeh Matthews
Housman Elementary, Diane Knapp
Hunters Creek Elementary, Patty Hurtado
Meadow Wood Elementary, Ashley Johnson
Memorial Drive Elementary, Talya Robertson
Nottingham Elementary, Michelle Murphy
Pine Shadows Elementary, Jamie Rusch
Ridgecrest Elementary, Nancy M. Delgado
Rummel Creek Elementary,Theresa Schwab-Trevino
Shadow Oaks Elementary, Sue Rudolph
Sherwood Elementary, Jill Sherrill
Spring Branch Elementary, Teresa Batres
Spring Shadows Elementary, Lori Dooley Cabrera
Terrace Elementary, Vicki Wolfram
The Bear Blvd. School, Linda Suchoff
The Lion Lane School, Noe Robles-Castaneda
The Tiger Trail School, Reyna Romay
The Wildcat Way School, Joanne B. Collier
Thornwood Elementary, Cecelia A. Peterson
Treasure Forest Elementary, Mirith Ballestas de Barroso
Valley Oaks Elementary, Rebecca Kim
Westwood Elementary, Eugenia Olson
Wilchester Elementary, Jennifer Franson
Woodview Elementary, Rob Allen

Secondary Schools
Academy of Choice, Kimberly De Gidio
Cornerstone Academy, Ashley England
Landrum Middle, Amarilys William
Memorial High, Danielle Prontka
Memorial Middle, Jennifer Lennox
Northbrook High, Kirk Eckstein
Northbrook Middle, Cassie Seelbach
Spring Branch Middle, Helen Roberts
Spring Forest Middle, Sharon Sharadin
Spring Oaks Middle, April Tavilson
Spring Woods High, Victoria Beard
Spring Woods Middle, Kezia Carvajal
Stratford High, Tracey Jensen
The Guthrie Center, Tina Miller
Westchester Academy, Maureen Fertitta-Andrews

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Top Chefs

Two student teams from the Guthrie Center’s Culinary Arts program have qualified for state competition March 20-21 in Waco. The students competed last month in the annual Pro Start Regional Culinary competition held at the Humble Civic Center. Contest sponsor was the Texas Restaurant Association.

The Guthrie Center’s Management Team placed second in February regional competition. Students took third place in the Culinary Team competition. All teams felt like winners, however, as every student left the Civic Center with $4,500 in scholarship awards. They can win more scholarships later this month in Waco, too.

The Culinary Team includes the following students: Gilda Cortez and Alex Snook, both seniors at Northbrook High; Kelsey Long, a senior at Memorial High; and Breion Bracks and Makik Bishop, both of Stratford High.

The three-student Management Team includes Xavier Hawthorne, a Stratford High sophomore, and Westchester Academy for International Studies sophomore Eunice Badillo and senior Alexandrea Arriazola.

Culinary Arts instructors are Jennifer Cadengo, Erin Land and Jennifer Cardenas.

The management competition is conceptual. Students must create a restaurant concept and then present it as if they were pitching the idea to investors.  The students worked with the architectural design program at the Guthrie Center to create a 3D rendering of a restaurant.

“This project is extensive including a written proposal, verbal presentation, visual display and critical thinking scenarios,” Jennifer Cadengo said.

In the culinary competition, Guthrie students are judged on knife skills, poultry fabrication, and pricing, or costing, menus. In addition, the students created a three-course meal on two butane burners and work tables that are 8 feet long.

“The Guthrie Center has never participated in this competition. We were very pleased to have placed so high, especially considering the tough competition throughout the state,” Cadengo adds.

A fund-raising dinner was held, and enough $30 dinner tickets were sold to send every student to state competition in Waco. At the dinner, the culinary student team prepared six separate plates in the middle of the dining room to demonstrate their project.

Students also toured the University of Houston’s top ranking management program and visited local restaurants like Haven to observe and develop concepts that they wanted to develop.

In Waco later this month, students will compete for scholarships to top culinary and restaurant management programs.

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L-E-X-I-C-O-L-O-G-Y

Wilchester Elementary fourth-grader Emily Madaras will advance to the televised HoustonPBS Spelling Bee after surviving 20 rounds of words at the recently held District Spelling Bee.

More than 30 district elementary and middle school students took part in the annual competition. Emily correctly spelled “lexicology,” a branch of linguistics focused on the application of words, to win the Spring Branch ISD Spelling Bee, which was conducted Feb. 15 at Spring Woods High School.

The Wilchester student now ranks as one of the 55 best spellers across East Texas. The event runner-up was seventh-grader Kendrick Foster of Memorial Middle School. Kendrick remained on stage through 20 rounds of words, finally tripping up over the obscure “provender,” a term for dry feed for animals or livestock.

Guest pronouncer at the District Spelling Bee was former Board of Trustees member and active Spring Branch Education Foundation representative Mary Grace Landrum. Emily Madaras will compete later this month with 55 students in the 2013 HoustonPBS Spelling Bee.

The local Channel 8 telecast will be broadcast beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, from the public station’s Houston studios. The following students competed for the Spring Branch Spelling Bee championship title after being named campus winners or runners-up:

SBISD Campus with Winner and Runner-up

• Bunker Hill Elementary – Isabella Truong, Gabriel Mercio
• Cedar Brook Elementary – George Dare Lovett IV, Jorge Vasquez
• Edgewood Elementary – Kenny Nguyen*, Yanet Ramirez
• Frostwood Elementary – Chanyoung Chung, Alexandra Freytes
• Hunters Creek Elementary – Luke Lorentzatos, Grayson Joyce
• Memorial Drive Elementary – Hannah Krenz, Grant Alford
• Ridgecrest Elementary – Sebastian Nieto, Yi Wen Guo
• Shadow Oaks Elementary – Austin Payne, Jaemin Yoo
• Spring Branch Elementary – Brenda Claudio, Jessy Manriquez
• Valley Oaks Elementary – Chris Wilkinson, Kalista Kelleher
• Westwood Elementary – Kiana Padilla, Dario Pantoja
• Wilchester Elementary – Emily Madaras, Hannah Ngo
• Landrum Middle School – Felicity Fernandez, Jesus Gonzalez
• Memorial Middle School – Kendrick Foster, Stephan Kim
• Spring Branch Middle School – Mohammad Jafri, Roberto-Eduard Lipianu
• Spring Forest Middle School – Amanda Ganis*, Tala Salek
• Westchester Academy – Rachel Connelly*, Jean Buehler

* Participant in the 2011-2012 SBISD Spelling Bee

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Spring Art Show at AYAM - Starting March 5

AYAM is honored to host this year's Spring Art Show for all of our SBISD schools.

Please stop by to see the amazing art created by Spring Branch students. For more information, visit the AYAM website.

• The Elementary Student Show will be displayed on March 5th ,7th, 19th & 20 from 10:00am till 4:00 and the evening of the 19th from 5-7pm
• The High School Student Show will be displayed beginning March 26th, 28th, 2nd and 4th from 10:00am till 4:00 and the evening of the 28th from 5-7pm.
• The Middle School Student Show will be displayed on April 23rd, 25th and 30th from 10:00am til 4:00 and the evening of 25th from 5-7.

AYAM Volunteers needed!

If you have 1- 1/2 or more available hours per week, please consider becoming a museum volunteer.

In the fall, our volunteers help with museum tours, art projects and run films for our Spring Branch 2nd graders. Each spring, our docents visit Spring Branch elementary schools to read a story or lead an art project. Being a docent is easy, fun and rewarding. We need you!

Please call 713-251-1987, or email: kathy.ayam@yahoo.com

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Terrace Golf Tournament - March 28

Are you ready to spring into action and have a great reason to play golf?  Knock the dust off the clubs, and come join Terrace Elementary PTA for the most enjoyable fundraiser of the year!

We are in need of golfers (singles or foursomes) as well as volunteers! There are also opportunities for families and companies to make sponsorship donations.

3rd ANNUAL “TEE-IT-UP FOR TERRACE” GOLF TOURNAMENT

Bring your friends and family and play a round of golf at Pine Crest Golf Course to support the Terrace PTA.

When: Thursday, March 28th - 12:00 p.m. Start (11:00 Registration and Range)

• Lunch and dinner are provided.
• Numerous games and prizes in the tournament: closest to the pin, longest drive, beat the coach, and raffle prizes.
• Putting contest at 11:20 a.m. 

This is a fundraiser for Terrace Elementary.

For more information, please contact: Michael Foster @ 713-582-8389 or PTA Golf Tournament Coordinator Sue Jurgens @ 713-870-5261.  Or, email Volunteer Chairperson Barbara Neumann.

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Volunteer of the Month - Elizabeth Soles

February’s district Volunteer of the Month is Elizabeth Soles, who is financial aid director with Houston Community College.  She has demonstrated leadership and improved parent involvement by assisting with numerous Financial Aid Overview presentations at all district high schools. She volunteers after working a full day at the community college, and she also spends countless hours working with students, parents and staff at federal and state financial aid workshops.

“She clearly exemplifies a volunteer that is helping the district meet its T-2-4 Goal of doubling the number of students that complete some form of higher education or certification,” her nomination states. Click here to view all our Volunteer of the Month videos.

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Employee of the Month - Amelia Barrera

Named as district Employee of the Month is Police Department’s Telecommunications Records Clerk Amelia Barrera. Since she joined the department in 2000, Amelia has held an increasing set of duties, including several key crime information and data systems.

In addition, she oversees the monitoring of district burglar and fire alarm systems, and manages the expunction, or removal, of law enforcement records for juveniles and adults.

Through all these duties, Amelia keeps a bright smile. She is a reminder that - even at a staff level - that the safety, security and well being of all Spring Branch students, staff and community residents come first! Click here to view all out Employee of the Month videos.

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