AP/IB Boosters Newsletter, March 7, 2005

Hello AP/IB Boosters!

Contents

• Learn How to Help Your Child with Math, Monday, March 7, 2005
• Pacific Northwest Regional FIRST Robotics Competition, March 10-12, 2005
• ArtsTime Conference, March 11th-12th, Foster High School, Tukwila
• Seattle Spring College Fair Sponsored by PNACAC, March 12, 2005
• Introductory Online Workshop in AP Spanish Language, College Board Online Event, March 12, 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (EST)
• Arts Education: Improving Students’ Academic Performance, U.S. Dept. of Ed. Online Event, Mar 15, 2005 - 8:00 PM ET
• The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, College Board Online Event, March 15 and 16, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (EST)
• Advanced Topics in AP Biology, College Board Online Mini-workshop, March 19, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST)
• UW Math Day for High School Students, March 21, 2005
• Washington Students Can Earn Scholarships With WASL Performance
• Academic Competitions
• Saving and Paying for College Info Night Recap
• A Request from the Jackson HS Art Department
• Community Service (Your comments are requested)
• Advanced Academic Endorsement (Your comments are requested)

"Everett Public Schools invites the public to an evening with Dr. Ruth Parker. Learn how you can ‘Help your child know their basic facts.’ Monday, March 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Educational Service Center 4730 Colby Avenue."

http://www.everett.k12.wa.us/everett/News

http://docushare.everett.k12.wa.us/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5093/PARENT+Math.pdf

Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR

Some of the local high schools that are participating include: Nathan Hale HS, Bellevue HS, International School in Bellevue, Kamiak HS, Newport HS, and Roosevelt HS.

Note: Date change.

http://www.pnwfirst.org/index.html

"The regional competition is an annual event that challenges high school students to design, build, and program a robot that competes in live action to measure the effectiveness of each robot and the power of team strategy/collaboration. Following a kick-off announcement in January, all teams have only six weeks to brainstorm and build their robots - robots are designed to compete with one another using the same kit of parts and standard set of rules. Top winners go on to compete in national trials. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events, the result of lots of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, project timelines, and deadlines.

Colleges, universities, corporations, businesses, and individuals provide scholarships to our participants. Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession, and the companies they work for contribute to the community while they prepare and create their future workforce. The competition shows students that the technological fields hold many opportunities and that the basic concepts of science, math, engineering, and invention are exciting and interesting."

"Educators for all of the arts –dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, and arts for special needs students -- combine their efforts to bring this major in-service conference to our state. Teachers of the arts, classroom teachers who must teach the arts, administrators, school board members, advocates, teaching artists, parents, and community members should attend this valuable biennial conference!"

http://www.artstime.org/

Seattle University, Noon - 3 pm

The following colleges will be represented:

http://www.lclark.edu/org/pnacac/collegefairs.html

Presented by Janet Parker, veteran AP Spanish teacher, college instructor, and College Board consultant.

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com

Segment One - Arts Education & Academic Achievement.

Segment Two - Supporting Arts Education

Segment Three - School Examples (Tucson Unified School District - Opening Minds Through the Arts) and an excerpt of "American Talent" - Presidential Scholars Documentary Shown on PBS

Segment Four - Parents and Partnerships

http://registerevent.ed.gov/

"Chief Reader Caren Diefenderfer will present this special online ‘mini workshop’ about the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus -- one of the greatest mathematical accomplishments in human history."

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com

"Presented by a panel of AP teachers and college professors: Rob Cannon, Ellen and Ron Lamb, and Dwayne Wise. Our goal is to offer in-depth discussions about three topics that are important and relevant to AP Biology teachers: ‘Teaching Meiosis and Mitosis,’ ‘Misconceptions: What Wrong Answers on the AP Biology Exam Can Teach Us,’ and ‘So, What's This Chi Square Thing?’"

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com

"Cutting-edge topics in the mathematical sciences are presented by top faculty during this one-day event. Participants choose among six morning and three afternoon sessions covering topics ranging from predicting the weather to hyperbolic geometry. Panel discussions, one on careers in mathematics and the other on the experiences of undergraduate math students, round out the day's activities."

"Math Day lectures are geared to the level of 10th and 11th grade students. We encourage attendance of only those younger students who are capable of understanding advanced mathematics."

Space is limited. Students who wish to attend should contact their school counselor immediately.

http://www.outreach.washington.edu/k12/mathday.asp

Planned Lectures

• Carl Bergstrom, Biology, "Game Theory and the Evolution of Communication"
• Bob Francis, Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, "Fishmetic: What is it All About?"
• Wick Haxton, Physics, "Neutrinos and Mass"
• Peter Hoff, Statistics, "Cluster Analysis for Pattern Discovery"
• Millie Johnson, Mathematics, Western Washington University, "Trial by Mathematics"
• Matt Kahle, Mathematics, "Tilings: Past, Present, and Future"
• Cliff Mass, Atmospheric Sciences, "How are Weather Forecasts Made?"
• Davis Doherty, Mathematics, "Images of Hyperbolic Geometry"
• Zelda Zabinsky, Industrial Engineering, "Applications of Optimization"

Planned Field Trips

• Aeronautics and Astronautics (Wind and Water Tunnel)
• Applied Physics Lab
• Center for Digital Arts & Experimental Media Computer Music Lab Center
• Health Sciences Tour
• Henry Art Gallery (Art and Math)
• HIT lab
• Oceanography Lab
• Planetarium
• Seismology Lab
• Structural Testing Lab

Excerpt from the OSPI web site.

http://www.k12.wa.us/

"OLYMPIA – Feb. 17, 2005 – Students who perform at the highest levels on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning may become eligible for scholarships to a Seattle-area private university.

The DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond has announced plans to offer scholarships to Washington high school students who earn ‘Level 4’ scores in math and science on the WASL, beginning in fall 2005. There are four scoring levels students can achieve on the WASL, and Level 4 is the highest. Scores achieved through retakes, which are being offered to high school students statewide for the first time this spring, will be eligible for consideration. The first scholarships will be awarded to students entering the institute in fall 2005 – this spring’s graduating seniors."

We have compiled a list of interesting academic competitions.

http://www.apibboosters.org/Competitions.html

For this newsletter, we would like to highlight the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival. The 2005 finalists have just been announced.

http://www.jazzatlincolncenter.org/04_05/ee/index.html

The 15 finalists for Essentially Ellington 2005 are:

Agoura High School, Agoura Hills, CA

William H. Hall High School, West Hartford, CT

New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL

Champaign Central High School, Champaign, IL

Foxboro High School, Foxboro, MA

Medfield High School, Medfield, MA

Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA

F. H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art & the Performing Arts, New York, NY

Arts and Communications Magnet Academy, Beaverton, OR

Plano Senior High School, Plano, TX

Mountlake Terrace High School, Mountlake Terrace, WA

Garfield High School, Seattle, WA

Roosevelt High School, Seattle, WA

Shorewood High School, Shoreline, WA

Eau Claire Memorial High School, Eau Claire, WI

How about that? Four schools from our area.

On February 24th, Heatherwood Middle School hosted the Saving and Paying for College Info Night event. Heatherwood parents and parents from the 3 feeder elementary schools were invited.

Our speakers were Gerry VanBooven from NELA and Jackson HS and Western Washington University parent Pat Hannifin. Topics discussed included the future costs of college, 529 plans, Coverdell accounts, UGMA accounts, FAFSA, and other college expense related issues.

The Heatherwood counseling office has extra copies of the materials that were distributed. Also, much of the material is in electronic format and available from the following web site:

http://www.apibboosters.org/SavingForCollege.html

The College Board requires the submission of photographic slides for the AP Studio Art portfolio. A digital camera won’t do. If you have a 35mm camera (auto focus preferred) that you can donate, please contact the Jackson HS Art Department.

(425) 385-7000

The Everett School District does not have a Community Service component as part of its graduation requirements. On the following web page we will try to persuade parents and the rest of the community that it might be a good idea to incorporate community service into the curriculum.

http://www.apibboosters.org/CommunityService.html

Please let us know what you think of this idea.

An Advanced Academic Endorsement (AAE) is a way to recognize and reward academic achievement. It promotes a rigorous curriculum. It encourages students to take academic risks and challenge themselves intellectually. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is the epitome of an AAE. Other forms of an AAE include a special notation on the high school diploma. It can include certificates for single subject area achievement.

http://www.apibboosters.org/AdvancedAcademicEndorsement.html

Please let us know what you think.