| Announcements: February 16, 2010 - March 23, 2010 | |||||
Tech Prep Tuesday Newsletter March 23, 2010 Integrated CTE and Science Grant Opportunity The Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Smithville, Texas is offering an opportunity for high school teachers in rural and underserved school districts in the state of Texas. This mini-grant opportunity is available for teams of 3-10 high school science and CTE teachers to support implementation of an integrated science-CTE program in their schools. Eligible teams may receive up to $7,500 for the 2010-2011 academic school year. Instructions and application forms can be found at http://sciencepark.mdanderson.org/outreach/educators/index.html. Click the link and scroll down to Mini-Grants. Robotics Education Team Development Program The Texas Workforce Commission is seeking information from Texas ISDs, open enrollment charter schools, and private non-profit schools for a potential future Request for Proposals regarding developing new competitive robotics education teams made up of students in grades 9-12 enrolled in Texas high schools. This Request for Information (RFI) will inform the agency of the demand for funding and interest in expansion of robotics programs in Texas. Contact Marisela Ramirez at marisela.ramirez@twc.state.tx.us for more information. Criminal Justice Events The Fifth Annual Criminal Justice Career and Job Fair, sponsored by the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and Temple College, will be Tuesday, April 6, 2010, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, Parker Building, Lord Conference Center, in Belton. The Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security National Conference will be held in the George J. Beto Criminal Justice Center at Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, July 18-24, 2010. For registration information and details go to http://www.ncn-npcpss.com. 21st Century New, Emerging, and Evolving Careers Workshop Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 Time: 8:00 AM – Noon Location: Region 12 ESC – Nolanville Target Audience: Secondary counselors, administrators, teachers, post secondary advisors Registration Information: Register through ESC Region 12 at www.esc12.net/events/default.html Space is limited. About 10 seats are remaining. Session # 33635 Cost: FREE – Sponsored by Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium; Substitute reimbursement available for member schools Information: Contact Sherry Hollinger at 254-298-8482 or shollin@templejc.edu ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Newsletter March 9, 2010 Connecting Education and the Economy In a session at the Education Open Source Conference last month, Richard Froeschle, Texas Workforce Commission, discussed the Texas economy and education trends in the state. Here are a few highlights from his presentation: *Currently, Texas has a 91.7% employment rate. *For information on wages in Texas, see the website located at www.texaswages.com. *The popular website Reality Check www.lmci.state.tx.us/realitycheck is being updated to add more components. *The short-term jobs forecast indicates most new jobs will be in healthcare and education. * Jobs in the fastest growing sector of the labor market are those requiring technical skills. *Employers are looking for workers exhibiting such traits as critical thinking, communication skills, leadership, teamwork, conflict management skills, professionalism, attention to detail, and creativity. * A good resource for educators and students looking for career information is Texas Cares Online at www.texascaresonline.com. Health Careers Exploration Summer Camp for Juniors and Seniors • Health Careers Exploration: “Navigating the Health Career Highway” – 2010 Brazos AHEC Health Careers Summer Camp • For Students entering 10th and 11th grades who are interested in a health career but not sure which direction to go • Camp will offer speakers, hands-on activities, and field trips • Monday – Thursday, June 7-10, 2010 • Baylor University, Waco, Texas • Cost - $300/camper (limited financial assistance available) • Applications due April 22, 2010 • For more information or to apply, contact Todd Becker at tbecker@bahec.org or 254-753-4392 ext 18 Science and a Symphony Central Texas area math, science, technology, music, and art teachers and other educators are invited to attend a special evening celebrating art, science, and music on Saturday, March 20th in Waco. This event includes a reception, exhibits, and facility tour of the Baylor Sciences Building, followed by the Waco Symphony Orchestra's "Belles, Brass, and Beyond" concert. The concert will feature a laser light show, provided by nationally recognized laser light show company Prismatic Magic, during the performance of Jon Barrett's Oscillate. The event is one in a series of events across the nation celebrating the 50th anniversary of the laser. School faculty, staff and administrators may receive up to two complimentary adult tickets to attend the event. Space is limited. Call 254-754-0851 by March 18 for more information and to reserve tickets. Visit www.laserfest.org for resources. ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Newsletter March 2, 2010 New, Emerging, and Evolving Careers – Free Workshop April 13 Preparing students for a global world and economy is a vital goal for educators in the 21st century. Come and learn how these issues are being addressed in the Central Texas area. Wanda Williams from Workforce Solutions of Central Texas and representatives from area institutions of higher education will discuss new, emerging, and evolving careers and training opportunities for these careers. The latest information on Tech Prep and CTE issues will also be featured. DATE & TIME: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 8:00 AM – Noon LOCATION: Region 12 Education Service Center – Nolanville Center AUDIENCE: Secondary Counselors, Administrators, Teachers, Post Secondary Advisors REGISTRATION: Required through Region 12 at www.esc12.net/events/default.html Session 33635; Space is limited COST: Free! Sponsored by Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium INFORMATION: Sherry Hollinger; 254-298-8482; shollin@templejc.edu Labor Market Information Keeping current with workforce trends is important as educators make decisions on how to prepare the future workforce. Current labor market information is available on the Consortium website at www.centraltexastechprep.com. Click on the “Labor Market Info” red tab to see lists of Central Texas Key Industries and Targeted Occupations as provided annually by Wanda Williams of Workforce Solutions of Central Texas. The Targeted Occupations are aligned with the Key Industries and are employment situations with the best potential for growth and quality employment. The occupations are linked to descriptions from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and related associations. ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Newsletter February 23, 2010 Education Open Source Conference Follow-up More than 750 professionals gathered in Austin for Education Open Source 2010 earlier this month. Several educators from the Central Texas region were featured in breakout sessions during the conference. Dr. Daniel Spencer and Dr. John Idoux gave a presentation on Texas Bioscience Institute STEM Education. Alison Belliveau, Temple ISD, and Karen Denney, Copperas Cove ISD offered a session titled, “District Redesign with AchieveTexas.” Region 12 ESC Specialist Christine Holecek discussed using labor market data to meet the needs of students in one session, a new curriculum guide for practicum in education in another, and was featured in a “screening room” presentation on college and career planning with students. Don Kuempel, Hutto ISD, and Fred Khozein, East Williamson County Higher Education Center offered a session on their auto tech program Many of the presentations from the conference are located on the conference website at: http://educationopensource.com/2010-conference-presentations. One of the featured speakers was Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. In a voice of support, she challenged participants to expand CTE programs from high school to college to the workplace and place a higher value on working with your head and your hands. Combs explained the $20 million Every Chance Every Texan campaign she successfully established with support from the 81st legislature. Additional information about the conference will be featured in upcoming issues of Tech Prep Tuesday. New CTE TEKS Training Training for the new Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills will eventually be available on-line; however, this is not projected to happen until after August 2010. The priority for training on-line will be for Modules 1-3. The content specific modules will follow after that and will be a resource only and not meant to be the primary training. Teachers should attend one of the face-to-face trainings at the education service centers or summer professional development conferences. Watch this newsletter for dates on these trainings. Heart of Texas Tech Prep is holding content specific TEKS training for the Ag Science, Food & Natural Resources cluster at TSTC Waco on March 2 and has invited Central Texas area Ag teachers to attend. If you are interested in attending, please contact Sherry Hollinger at shollin@templejc.edu or 254-298-8482 or Carol Lance at carol.lance@templejc.edu or 254-298-8480 for more information and a registration form. Registration deadline is February 25! ============
Tech Prep Tuesday Newsletter February 16, 2010 Save the Date – Free Workshop Scheduled for April 13 The Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium will sponsor a workshop for area educators at Region 12 Education Service Center in Nolanville on April 13. Wanda Williams from Workforce Solutions of Central Texas and representatives from area institutions of higher education will discuss new, emerging and evolving careers and training opportunities for these careers. The latest information on Tech Prep and CTE issues will also be discussed. The workshop will be held from 8:30 AM until Noon. Come early for coffee and networking. There is no charge for this workshop, but registration is required through Region 12 ESC. The session number is 33635. Details about the workshop will be sent in a flyer to consortium contacts and will be included in future editions of this newsletter. Update- ATC (Advanced Technical Credit) Program • At a facilitator training last week in Austin, ATC staff members announced that Part I of the training is currently available on-line (www.atctexas.org) only! • Teachers may go ahead and begin sending transcripts to the ATC approval office. Official transcripts needed are those relevant to the course(s) being taught and the one where each teacher obtained his/her degree. The ATC office may require more information on work experience. If the teacher’s name has changed, please send current and former name with the transcript along with the birth date. • The STEM portion of the crosswalk is scheduled to be posted on the ATC website around March 1. ============ |
