Mr. Duez's AVID Blog

TACAC Camp College 2011

2011-04-05T08:05:00.000-05:00

This looks like a GREAT opportunity for upcoming Juniors and Seniors!!
TACAC Camp College 2011

When: June 6-8
Where: Sam Houston State University

Camp College is a three-day summer program for rising college-bound high school juniors and seniors. Students will learn about a variety of colleges and universities, build relationships with many admission representatives and college counselors, as well as spend two nights on the campus of Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX). Approximately 120 students from across the state of Texas will work with 50 college-admission professionals to help students:
- Identify schools that match a student’s interests and needs
- Write an application essay and create a resume
- Navigate the financial aid maze
- Learn tips, techniques, and strategies for the ACT/SAT
- Attend a college fair
How to apply:
Online Application: www.shsu.edu/admissions/camp_college
Deadline: All applications are due by April 15, 2011.
Eligibility: Must be a rising high school junior or senior.
Cost: Free round-trip bus transportation from larger Texas cities and/or regions (e.g., DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio).
Application Questions: Please contact Rebecca Gay at: rebecca@shsu.edu.

MS Awareness T-Shirts

2011-03-22T14:24:00.001-05:00

Here are the two designs that they have come up with for MS Awareness T-Shirts:

T-Shirt says: "Hope Faith Cure" Multiple Sclerosis, as modeled by an awesome AVID tutor.

What a beautiful model and assistant! :)

They are selling the T-Shirts at lunch. Mr. Campbell is always looking for assistants to help him sell as well. See him during your lunch period if you'd like to help. Cost of the T-shirts are $10. The orange bracelet/band is $5.
(of course, the proceeds will go to the MS Society and a portion will help Mr. Duez with medical bills)

Agenda: Week of March 21, 2011

2011-03-21T07:56:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle

Monday:

1. Welcome back from Spring Break. "Good News."

2. Goal of the Week

3. Video of Aidan After Dentist

4. Catchup on Current Events - Japan and Libya and the Rally to save Texas schools

5. Students will present their college projects. We'll go alpha through the list of students.

Tuesday:

Tutoring

Wed/Thu:

Tutoring & Presentation of College Projects

Friday:

Presentation of college projects

Opportunity for Service - National Senior Games at Turner Stadium June 16-30

2011-03-07T14:45:00.002-06:00

June 16-30 HISD and the National Senior Games Association are hosting the Summer National Senior (yes, like Senior Citizen) Games at Turner Stadium. They are looking for volunteers. The link to the flier and sign up information is

http://nsga.com/volunteers

Agenda: Week of Monday March 7th, 2011

2011-03-07T07:37:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: "Light tomorrow with today." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Who cares about spring break? Today is Today. I'll worry about breaking later. :)

MONDAY:
1. Goal of the Week (Meaningful, Measurable, Attainable)
2. Good News - Who has good news?
3. Inspiration - We'll look at a couple of inspirational video clips and discuss.
4. College Projects - we'll work on the laptops, if they are still in the classroom.
5. Juniors will work on ePrep

TUESDAY:
Tutoring

WED/THU:
Tutoring
Then ePrep for Juniors

FRIDAY:
TBD

Agenda: Week of 2/28/2011

2011-02-27T21:19:00.001-06:00

Quote of the Week: "Everything you need is already inside. Just do it." - Bill Bowerman (Nike)

MONDAY:
1. Goal of the Week.
Students will write a goal that is:

1. Meaningful
2. Attainable
3. Measureable
They will also write a paragraph about last week's goal and explain whether their goal was attained or not.

2. Inspiration:
We'll check out this disturbing, yet important series of pictures:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41786945/ns/health-addictions/
Moral of the story: "Drugs are bad!'

But, Dancing is very, very good (in this video):

We'll also discuss gas prices:

We will also look at room assignments for TAKS on Tuesday. And we'll look at the bell schedule for this crazy TAKS week.

TUE/WED/THU/FRI:
We have the computers in the classroom, so students will work on the wireless laptops to do TAKS work on ePrep. Students are also going to be researching a college of their choice for a presentation to the class.

Believe - Eric LaGrand

2011-02-24T20:03:00.002-06:00

The survivors!

2011-02-24T11:54:00.003-06:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

FOUR YEAR AVID STUDENTS!

2011-02-24T11:54:00.001-06:00

They have survived having Mr. Duez for four years. They should be awarded a medal!

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Agenda: Week of 2/21/2011

2011-02-20T20:15:00.002-06:00

Quote of the Day: "Normal is just a setting on your dryer." - Patsy Clairmont

Monday:

1. Goal of the Week - Students will write their goal for the week and also write a paragraph about last week's goal and if they were able to accomplish it. (Goals should be meaningful, measurable and attainable)

2. Inspiration:

Mr. Duez is going to share a video about a young lady who lives just miles from where he grew up in PA. She has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis while in high school. Her story is inspirational because even though she is challenged by her disease, she continues to live her life to the fullest. She now attends Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Embedded Youtube Video:

3. Students will read this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/us/09immigration.html?_r=2&ref=education

And debate the topic of Illegal Immigration and the students who attain a high school and college degree, but without a social security number can not find meaningful work. Should the Dream Act become law?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/education/21winerip.html?src=twrhp
http://www.harrisonburgtimes.com/2010/08/emu-grad-pushes-gov-mcdonnell-on-dream-act-2/

Tuesday

Tutoring

Wed/Thu:

We will be having a signing ceremony for contracts this week. It will be a real nice party down in the SGI. Cake, drinks and lots of fun.

We will tutor some if there is time and there is a need for tutoring. Tutors are welcome at the party.

Friday:

TBD

Juniors will be going to the computer lab to work on ePrep SAT

Agenda: Week of Monday Feb 14 - Friday Feb 18

2011-02-14T10:36:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: "You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments when you really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love." -- Henry Drummond

Agenda:
MONDAY:
1. Goal of the Week
2. Inspiration -
Discuss current event "Eqypt!"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Seniors will read an article in the New York Times about "Senioritis."
Announcement regarding Ecobot Challenge.

3. Lyrics Project
4. Juniors will work on next SAT portion.

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wed/Thu:
Tutoring
Seniors are going to have their next party for Olivia, Kaylin, and Tasha. We will include the tutors.
Juniors - lyric project and SAT prep

Friday:
Mr. Duez is hoping to go to the computer lab to work on ePrep for Juniors and college prep work for Seniors. If that does not happen, he will have an alternative assignment.

Ecobot Challenge 2011 - Need Volunteers!

2011-02-14T07:29:00.001-06:00

Please let Mr. Duez know if you are interested again this year. Here is the note from the folks who are putting this together:

Good afternoon David!

On March 5th Humble ISD will host a practice session for our elementary robotics teams. The practice session will be held at AHS in the cafeteria from 8-3:30. Several of your students participated last year and did a fabulous job. We would love to have them back this year! Attached is our schedule for the day. Please email me if you have any students who are interested in volunteering.

Thanks!

Ecobot Trials @ AHS cafeteria from 8-3:30. You can sign up for the individual time slots or for all day.

8:30– 10:30	11:00 – 1:00	1:30-3:30
BBE	DWE	EGE
FE	TE	ESE
MBE	GTE	HHE
OFE	LSE	OE
PFE	*RPE (bus)*	WHE
*PLE(bus)*	WCE	WPE
SFE	FCE	*LLE (bus)*
		ASE

Agenda: Week of Feb. 7, 2011

2011-02-07T07:35:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: “You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.” - Mary Pickford

Monday:
Goal of the Week, Student Success Stories Handout, Lyrics Project.

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wed/Thu:
Tutoring & 4 Year Plans, Lyrics Project

Friday:
Seniors - party to celebrate college acceptances
Juniors - SAT & Lyrics Project

What do you have?

2011-02-05T16:46:00.002-06:00

Great Graphic: Adults with a College Degree

2011-02-04T10:46:00.002-06:00

Very cool interactive graphic: Adults with a College Degree
http://chronicle.com/article/Adults-With-College-Degrees-in/125995/

Very neat. Only 27% of adults in America hold a college degree. Will you be one of them?

SAT/ACT vouchers - This week.

2011-02-01T07:21:00.000-06:00

A message from our awesome District AVID Co-ordinator:

Your counselors should receive their vouchers from the state for a FREE SAT or ACT THIS week! There are limited numbers.

Please be sure that EACH junior AVID student has a voucher in his/her hand by Friday.

The voucher is good for ONE of the following:

ACT - April 9 - Deadline to sign up is March 4 (seats are going to fill up quickly)

June 11 - Deadline to sign up is May 6 (seats are going to fill up quickly)

SAT - May 7 - Deadline to sign up is April 8 (seats are going to fill up quickly)

June 4 - Deadline to sign up is May 6 (seats are going to fill up quickly)

I would make sure that they students are signed up for the test of their choice by Feb. 11th....maybe you could visit the computer lab as a class and do it!!

Yes, they can ALSO take one FREE for being an AVID student.....

They must obtain a fee waiver from their counselor and check that they are a part of an Upward Bound or Trio program.

Remind the students about how they are READY for this.....they have been working hard on their e-Prep!!!

Thank you,

Susan

Take advantage of your opportunities.

Agenda: Week of 1/24 - 1/28, 2011

2011-01-22T11:21:00.001-06:00

Quote of the Week: "Great people talk about ideas. Small people talk about other people." - Tobias S. Gibson

Monday:
1. Goal of the Week. Students will write at least two sentences about their goal of the week, it must be meaningful, attainable, and measurable.
2. Inspiration: Students will write at the bottom of their weekly goal a reaction to the story of the Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWG6zNf4xY0

3. http://www.scribd.com/doc/47369327/Classrooms-No-Teachers
Students will read the document above and follow the directions, writing notes, underlining important points, circling things they do not understand, writing a question at the top and a summary at the bottom.

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wed/Thu:
Tutoring for first half
Seniors: Song lyric project, current events discussion
Juniors: Song lyric project, ePrep SAT/ACT prep

Friday:

Seniors: Party to celebrate college acceptance. Still need to celebrate: Kaylin (SFA) and Vanessa (Texas State)

Juniors: Song lyric project, ePrep SAT/ACT prep

Avid club

2011-01-14T09:49:00.001-06:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Agenda: Week of Jan. 10, 2011

2011-01-10T11:16:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." - Mahatma Gandhi

MONDAY:
1. Goal of the Week
2. Sign the "Years in AVID" form for AVID Certification.
3. We will discuss the story about the tragedy in Arizona. A few questions for discussion:
- Does the type of discussion we have about politics in this country affect situations like this?
- Does this type of story discourage you from participation in government?
- What can be learned from the heroes who came to the rescue of those who needed them?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

TUESDAY:
Tutoring
WED/THU:
Tutoring & then we will discuss college application process.
FRIDAY:
4th Period - Celebration for Jennifer G! She is accepted to S.F.A. Way to go Jennifer.
7th Period - Guest Speaker

Agenda - Week of Tue - Fri Jan 4-7, 2011

2011-01-07T07:39:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: "Study the past if you would define the future." - Confucius

Tuesday - "Motivational Monday on Tuesday" - we'll write our new year's resolution and look back at 2010. We'll also watch and discuss this TedTalk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/ueli_gegenschatz_extreme_wingsuit_jumping.html

Wed/Thu - Tutoring first 1/2. Second 1/2 we'll discuss new semester schedules, report cards and also binders.

Friday - 4th period: We will be throwing a celebration for Iliana for getting accepted to Texas Women's University. Way to go IG!

7th period: We'll be in the Red LGI to hear a guest speaker.

Welcome Back

2011-01-02T19:11:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful winter break.
I was very sick over most of it, but I will choose to remember it like this:

Hope everyone is ready for a wonderful semester. Our goal is to prepare you for....

College!

Agenda for the week of December 6th, 2010

2010-12-06T07:27:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: "The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away." - David Viscott

Monday -
Students will read a series of editorial articles about "College Choice." Does it Matter Where You Go To College?
Students will see a motivational video - How to Rip a Phone Book in Half and How to do the This, That Card Trick. The lesson is that even "magic" is practiced and can be taught. Some students make it look easy, but the secret is that they work very hard to make it seem so easy.

We will also write our Weekly Goal

Tuesday -
Tutoring

Wed/Thu -
Tutoring
Seniors will plan their party for Alisa for tomorrow.
Juniors will work on the next SAT ePrep Lesson

Friday -
The Seniors will party to celebrate Alisa Galvan's acceptance into the University of North Texas!
Juniors will go to the computer lab to input their ePrep SAT answers

A touching Thanksgiving Story

2010-11-25T14:39:00.001-06:00

Agenda: Week of Monday/Tuesday November 22/23, 2010

2010-11-22T07:20:00.001-06:00

Quote of the Week: "I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." - Jon Stewart

Monday:
We'll check out the pictures we took from last Friday. They were outstanding!

We'll also watch a TED Talk from J.J. Abrams called, "The Magic Box."
J.J. Abrams traces his love for the unseen mystery –- a passion that’s evident in his films and TV shows, including Cloverfield, Lost and Alias -- back to its magical beginnings.

As the Emmy-winning creator of the smart, addictive TV dramas Lost, Alias and Felicity, J.J. Abrams' name looms large on the small screen. As the writer/director behind the blockbuster explode-a-thon Mission: Impossible III, Cloverfield and the new Star Trek movie, these days Abrams also rules the big screen -- bringing his eye for telling detail and emotional connection to larger-than-life stories.

Abrams' enthusiasm -- for the construction of Kleenex boxes, for the quiet moments between shark attacks in Jaws, for today's filmmaking technologies, and above all for the potent mystery of an unopened package -- is incredibly infectious.

"As a boy, JJ Abrams was fascinated with magic. As a television writer, director, and producer, he has beguiled audiences with a masterful use of suspense, plot reversals, and special effects."

Wired
Tuesday:
Tutoring or - if there isn't much to do with tutoring, since we are heading towards a break -
We'll check out this 7 minute video:

We will have a socratic discussion about the video and the state of education/technology.

After watching it two things popped into my mind:

1) Moderation is very important.

2) Kids are losing the (already inhibited ability) to moderate.

What would our campus look like if cell phones were not banned? I would think it would be a mess. But, I don't know.

I know one thing for sure, kids know how to use technology to entertain themselves and communicate with friends. But, do they know how to use it for their advantage to learn and do their school work (and later college work) in a more efficient way?

Part of our job is going to be explaining how to balance life so that they get a boost from technology and not just have it sap their attention and ability.

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

College... and AP/Dual.C

2010-11-19T17:09:00.001-06:00

College & AP/Dual.

Where does the money go?

2010-11-18T11:56:00.000-06:00

We are going to use this in class on Thursday and Friday and discuss the need for a college education. :)

Students will write down 3 "observations" as they look over the chart.

Then we will discuss the difference between a college education and high school.

Don't do it...

2010-11-14T21:47:00.002-06:00

Agenda: Week of November 11/15/2010 - Friday 11/19/2010

2010-11-14T21:33:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: "Never, Ever, Ever give up!" (a good thought when being a Texans fan!)

Monday -
Discuss and debate the article in the Tribune last week that discussed technology education and online classes. Philosophical Chairs if possible.
Juniors will spend 20 minutes working on ePrep SAT critical reading test.

Tuesday -
Tutoring

Wednesday/Thursday -
Tutoring
Juniors to computer lab to input answers into ePrep.
Seniors discuss scholarships & college apps.

Friday -
Discuss service hours and opportunities.
The weather should be perfect for pictures outside. Mr. Duez would like to create Christmas cards this year.

SAT Question of the Day

2010-11-10T14:15:00.000-06:00

This is the official SAT Question of the Day site from College Board (the people who give the test).

Click on this link to subscribe to it:
http://sat.collegeboard.com/login?actionURL=/practice/sat-question-of-the-day&applicationId=206&cbmRefId=subscribeQotdLink

Agenda: Monday, Nov. 7, 2010

2010-11-08T07:43:00.000-06:00

Quote of the Day: "People ask me why I've stayed here so long," Paterno told the crowd of 104,147, none of whom went home. "Look around! Look around! I love you all... Now that the celebrating is over, let's go beat Ohio State!"
-- Joe Paterno, Coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, as Penn State held an on-field ceremony that included a video tribute and a crystal football given to the coach to commemorate win No. 400.

Agenda This Week:
Monday - Socratic discussion about the articles they read on Friday in class (juniors). Discuss our trip to SFA & also check college applications & scholarships (seniors). Go outside to take class picture, if weather permits and it is a nice day.

Tuesday - Tutoring

Wed/Thu - Tutoring & TBD

Friday - TBD

Dell Scholars Aps

2010-11-02T08:45:00.000-05:00

The Dell Scholars application process opens today. AVID Center is proud to continue its relationship with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) this year to select another group of Dell Scholars. Since 2004, nearly 1,000 students have been selected as Scholars, including 176 selected last year.

Many of you have been through this process before and are familiar with the procedures and timelines. However, for those unfamiliar or who need a refresher, following are important notes regarding the process for 2010-2011.

You should receive an email from the MSDF and Oscar Sweeten-Lopez, for the Dell Scholars next week. Please note there is not a poster mailing this year.
You can contact the customer support group for any questions about Dell Scholars. The email is apply@dellscholars.org and the phone number is 1-800-294-2039. The web address for the program is dellscholars.org.
If your students happen to receive a message that they did not pass the eligibility quiz due to their high school not being associated with AVID, please have them submit a request through the built-in response option located below the eligibility message. The student will be asked to provide the name of his/her AVID counselor and contact information. Dell Scholar customer support will contact the counselor to confirm AVID is at that high school. Once confirmation from the counselor is received, the school can be added to the database quickly, and students can continue with application process immediately.
We can also field questions on behalf of AVID Center. Our emails are lmorse@avidcenter.org and sbaratte@avidcenter.org.
The MSDF team expects to select 300 Dell Scholars this year. Based on past practice, it is fair to assume that more than half of those selected will be AVID students, with some from other college-readiness programs.
The scholarships are $20,000 awards, which can be spread over six years, including graduate studies. The program website lists the guidelines, but, in a nutshell, successful applicants must have at least a 2.4 GPA, have overcome obstacles, demonstrate an interest in attending a four-year college, and are Pell Grant eligible.
The application period runs from November 1, 2010 to January 15, 2011. Students who are chosen as semi-finalists via their applications and essays will then have their AVID teachers submit recommendations. MSDF anticipates notifying the awardees by April 10.
As district and regional directors, you can help the process by making sure that all of your AVID sites with seniors encourage the best possible candidates to apply. Preliminary studies by MSDF indicate that AVID Dell Scholars are persisting in college at a very high rate, well above 90%.
If you would like to review the list of previous Dell Scholars, please use the dellscholars.org website. AVID Center also maintains a database limited strictly to AVID students who have been selected, which we can provide.

Congratulations on all your past successes on behalf of our students, and good luck this year!

Agenda: Week of Nov 1, 2010

2010-11-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

NOTICE: There is a financial aid workshop for Seniors on Nov. 29th at 6:30 in the Gold LGI.

Quote of the Week: “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” – Hellen Keller

Monday:
1. Goal of the Week
2. Binder Check
3. Halloween Motivational Monday
4. College Videos

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wed/Thu:
Tutoring & a look at SFA/Sam Houston comparison

Friday:
Senior Field trip to SFA

Agenda: Monday, Oct. 25, 2010

2010-10-24T20:27:00.000-05:00

The leader always sets the trail for others to follow.

Quote of the Day: "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." - John Maxwell

Monday 10/25 BLACK OUT breast cancer and wear black
Tuesday 10/26 Be a perfect pumpkin and wear orange
Wednesday 10/27 Sock it to breast cancer and wear CRAZY SOCKS
Thursday 10/28 IS PINK DAY & Our final PINK-OUT-PEP RALLY
8:45 - 9:15 Everyone wear pink!
Friday 10/29 is Spirit Day - please wear red, white & blue!

Monday:
1. Goal of the Week.
2. We will watch the video from the Junior trip to UTSA and discuss the school.
3. Motivational Monday:

We'll discuss the video and also Breast Cancer awareness week.
We also will work on the NYTimes editorial articles in 7th period.
We will discuss them in 4th period.

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wednesday and Thursday:
Tutoring & TBD

Friday:
TBD

Agenda: Week of Monday, Oct. 18th, 2010 - Friday, Oct. 22nd, 2010

2010-10-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: "The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's leisure." ~Sydney J. Harris

Monday -
Guest Speaker from Texas Tech

Tuesday -
Tutoring

Wed, Thu, & Fri - Mr. Duez will be out. A sub will be here.

Wed/Thu -
Tutoring for 1st half
Quote Sheet for 2nd half of the period.

Friday -
Students will work on the New York Times Education Editorials that we looked at last week. Each one will be worth a grade (that is completed correctly). This is great bonus boost to your grade. The substitute will pass them out. If there is extra time, you will watch the Summer Institute student speeches.

Friday 7th period - we'll be on our field trip to UTSA.

Junior Field Trip to UTSA - Oct. 22nd

2010-10-14T14:14:00.000-05:00

Permission SLIP UTSA

Agenda: Week of Oct. 11th through Oct. 15th

2010-10-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day: "A leader is best When people barely know he exists, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will say: We did it ourselves." Lao-Tzu

Agenda:
Monday - Columbus Day - no school.

Tuesday -
Tutoring!

Wed/Thu -
Picture Day if weather permitting. We'll go outside and take some pictures.
Seniors - We will also be working on creating a timeline of due dates. We will discuss applications to colleges and scholarship opportunities.
Juniors - We are going to create a College Wall outside of Mr. Duez's class using college pamphlets and handouts that were given out at college night.

Friday -
Computer Lab - Blue 2
Seniors will be working on Texas Common Application and Scholarships.
Juniors will be researching college and also looking at ePrep. Mr. Duez will be printing out some test items for the students to work on and then they can put their answers into the system. There are videos that they can watch to understand questions if they did not do them properly.

Avid nerds 3

2010-10-06T14:41:00.001-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Avid nerds part 2

2010-10-06T14:39:00.002-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Avid nerds!

2010-10-06T14:39:00.001-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Decades day 7th pd

2010-10-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Decades day

2010-10-05T15:02:00.001-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Decades Day 4th period

2010-10-05T11:17:00.001-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Homecoming 2010: Mismatch 7th period.

2010-10-04T14:00:00.002-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Homecoming 2010: Miss match day 4th period

2010-10-04T10:28:00.002-05:00

David Duez
- sent from my Droid. Excuse the brevity.

Agenda: Week of October 4 - 8, 2010

2010-10-04T07:06:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Day: "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." - David Brinkley

Monday -
1. Goal of the Week.
2. We are going to listen to an inspirational story from NPR: Then we'll discuss it. Could you have done that?
3. 12 minute video: The Seed School from 60 Minutes.
4. We will discuss the video and do philosophical chairs on the question: "Are boarding schools the answer to solve the problems of inner city schools?"

Tuesday -
Tutoring

Wednesday & Thursday -
Tutoring for the first 1/2
Grade check and binder check after tutoring (Today is report card day for the 1st six weeks)

Friday -
Mr. Duez is trying to get the computer lab for Seniors to work on the Texas Common App. And for the Juniors to work on ePrep.

Congrats Stevie!

2010-10-01T16:30:00.000-05:00

Our first AVID senior to be accepted to college. Trevecca Nazarene University is lucky to have you!

Agenda: Week of Sept. 20 - 24, 2010

2010-09-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: "Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others that clarifies and expands a vision of the future." - Edwin H. Friedman

Monday - Mr. Duez was out with illness. The substitute helped the students work on their goal of the week and they composed a letter to a current teacher.

Tuesday - Tutoring

Wed/Thu - Tutoring & then students looked at the Texas Common Application online and we also discussed scholarships.

Friday - Students will get two handouts - the 3 Level House to help with tutoring questions and the Texas Common Ap recommendation letter that is sent to teachers. This way they can see it and understand how the process works.

We will also see two inspirational videos from the Honda Film series. They are both 10 minutes in length.
1. Success v. Failure
2. Dreams v. Nightmares

Free PSAT, SAT, and ACT Help for Humble ISD Students

2010-09-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Great for PSAT, ACT, or SAT help.
It's free.
I have a saying, "If it's FREE, it's for me. If it's FREE, I'll take 3!"

Free Online Codes

Agenda: Week of 9/13/2010 to 9/17/2010

2010-09-12T16:46:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day: "Texans 34 - Colts 24"

Agenda:
Monday -
1. ePrep student information & AVID Student Information form (for those students too confused, lazy, or unfocused to have already completed the online form).
2. Socratic Seminar on "Study Habits" NYTimes article.
3. Mr. Duez will walk around and do a quick binder check for all.

Tuesday -
TUTORING

Wed/Thu -
TUTORING first 1/2 of the period

Friday -
We will work on the college handouts that the students had while there was a sub last week. We will work on identifying a list of 5 colleges to apply to and understanding the deadline.
We will also do a "Survival" team building exercise.

College Night - Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

2010-09-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

Humble ISD College Night is Wednesday, October 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Humble Civic Center. There will be over 150 colleges and universities in attendance for this event.

Princeton Review - Free Assessment of SAT/ACT Oct. 2, 2010 @ AHS

2010-09-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

The Princeton Review Assessment

The Princeton Review Assessment (PRA) is a test created by The Princeton Review to expose you to both the SAT and ACT. It's a measurement tool that can help you determine if you would score higher on the SAT or ACT.

Why was the PRA created?

The majority of colleges and universities accept either the SAT or the ACT. But the two tests are quite different. Your testing strengths may be better suited for the style and format of one test over the other. But, tradition and geography have created “SAT Country” and “ACT Country” where the other test is just not taken (and in some cases not even known about).
To shed some light on each test, we created the PRA to give you the chance to “meet” both the SAT and ACT in less than four hours. The PRA has seven 25-minute sections and one 30-minute SAT essay section.

Why should I take it?

Most people don't take the SAT or ACT for fun. They take these tests to get a score that will get them into the best college. If you knew that you could score higher on one test over the other, wouldn’t you want to show colleges that score? Of course, the PRA will help you find the right test for you.

When is the PRA?

October 2, 2010

Atascocita High School

9:00am – 1:00pm

Cafeteria – enter from bus drop off area. (Back of cafeteria)

Cost: FREE

Our 2010 Fall AVID T-Shirts

2010-09-08T21:17:00.003-05:00

Ms. Wagner did a great job with these. If you want one, they are $10. We need the money by Sept. 24th. Pay Mr. Duez.

What do you think of them?

Agenda: Week of 9/7/2010 to 9/10/2010

2010-09-06T20:05:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: "Whether you think you can, or think you can't. You are right." - Henry Ford

Monday - Labor Day - no school
Tuesday - Tutoring
Wed/Thu - Tutoring for first 50 min. Then students will be working on organizing their binders. We will grade them on Friday.
Fri - Students will read an article on learning and also see a video clip about a charter school.

NY Times Article:
Research Upends Traditional Thinking About School
This article will help students realize some new study methods based on research.

Video Clip from 60 Minutes:
60 Minutes correspondent Byron Pitts reports on the SEED school, the first urban, public boarding school.

Agenda: Week of August 30, 2010-Sept. 3, 2010

2010-09-01T07:54:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Roy Rogers

MONDAY:
Avid students in both Junior and Senior classes will work on college choice guides from AVID's College & Career curriculum.
They will also work on the college essay in class. They will receive the AVID college essay rubric.
Our college essays will be due on Friday, Sept. 17th (Test grade).

TUESDAY:
Our new tutors arrive.
Tutors and students will introduce themselves to each other. We will tutor for 1/2 the period.

WED/THU:
Tutoring for the 1st half of the period. We will not grade tutoring this week. Tutors and students are still getting back into the swing of things.
Second half of the period will be focused on reviewing their answers to the College & Career curriculum and writing a letter to AVID underclassmen.

FRIDAY:
Guest speaker in Blue LGI (4th will be in Mr. Duez's classroom). Former FBI agent will discuss her life.

AVID College Essay Rubric

2010-08-27T08:52:00.001-05:00

AVID Rubric College Essay

Agenda: Friday, August 27, 2010

2010-08-26T19:24:00.000-05:00

REMEMBER TO FILL OUT THE AVID STUDENT INFORMATION SURVEY.

Friday's Agenda:

1. Discuss Cornell Notes. We'll watch this video (embedded here from Youtube).

2. Binder setup. AVID seniors will create their system and put it to paper. We'll watch this inspirational video:

3. Get into tutoring groups and check over each of their binders or organizational plans.

Have a great weekend!

Agenda: Wednesday & Thursday August 25 and 26, 2010

2010-08-25T07:56:00.000-05:00

During Block days this week we will do two things:

Teambuilding Towers
and
Organizing study groups for advanced classes

The teambuilding towers are going to be made from magazines, styrofome cups, straws, spaghetti noodles, tape, paper clips and a piece of poster board. Each group will have about 15 minutes to construct their towers. The ones that are the tallest and MOST stable will win. Fabulous prizes to the winning team!

Study groups will be very important this week. We'll spend some time in them today and also on Friday so that we can find friends that are in the same advanced classes and get some help and advice. We'll start tutoring next Tuesday.

Agenda: Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010

2010-08-24T08:34:00.000-05:00

Today we will discuss binders, cornell notes, tutoring and AVID strategies for the first 10 minutes. We'll partner someone knew to AVID with an experienced person as a mentor.

Then we are going to do 1 minute speeches. A student will stand before the class with two anchor people behind them for support. When they are finished talking the anchor person will move up and someone from the class will move back to anchor. The student has 1 minute. We will keep time.

The student can discuss:
1) Name
2) What honors/AP/Dual credit classes they are taking.
3) What college choice they are interested in applying to.
4) What they are looking forward to this school year.

Welcome Back to AVID

2010-08-23T09:33:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day: "Begin with the end in mind."

Agenda:
1. Attendance and Welcome back. Expectations for junior or senior year.
2. Summer story. Best thing that happened this summer?
3. VIDEO: AVID Advice from Aidan. My son Aidan starts kindergarten today. We sat down for an interview over the weekend and he had advice for high school students. You know, because he is the expert!
4. Binders! Seniors have senior privilege and we will discuss how they can create their own organization system. (But they will be graded on whatever they come up with and we are going to stick to it. These are due on Friday.)
4. Seniors and Juniors will be writing personal letters to freshmen AVID Students. These letters will give advice on how to be successful in AVID and in high school. We'll deliver this to 6th and 7th period AVID classes at the end of this week or beginning of next.

2 Truths and a Lie. :)
Each student will explain two things about them that are hard to believe, but true. And they will also mix in a lie about themselves. Then we will try to figure out which is the lie. A great way to get to know each other.

Service Hour Opportunity

2010-08-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

This came from our awesome Superintendent of Schools - Guy Sconzo. He is asking for volunteers for the event on Thursday, August 26th through Saturday, August 28th. If you can commit some time and would like to volunteer for any of the times, please email me and I will get your name to Dr. Sconzo.

Our Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce can really use student volunteers for this event and any help they can get on Thursday, August 26^th through Saturday, August 28^th will be GREATLY appreciated! This Wellness Run will take place at Kings Harbor in Kingwood.

Keep in mind how important these service hours are for things like National Honor Society, college applications and scholarships.

AVID Article in Local Paper

2010-07-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

Today an article was published in the local paper about AVID and the upcoming AVID job fair.

Mr. Duez and Ms. Tibbetts (seen in the picture to the right) were quoted a few times in the story. I think the author Mike Morris did a GREAT job. He captured AVID perfectly. Thanks to him for helping us get the word out about the program and finding tutors to help our kids.

Here is a link and part of the story: Ultimate Lake Houston - Humble ISD AVID Program Focuses on Potential

July 29, 2010 10:50 am

Mike Morris wrote:

The Humble Independent School District will hold a job fair on Aug. 12 for tutors interesting in assisting its AVID program, an effort aimed at helping students reach their full academic potential.

The program, Advancement Via Individual Determination, targets students who are capable of challenging themselves in school but may not be doing so. These kids are then enrolled in honors courses and supported with small-group tutoring and a study-skills curriculum. The ultimate goal is success at a four-year university.

AVID, starting its fourth year in Humble ISD, is now offered as an elective class in every middle and high school. Central to the effort are the college and some advanced high school students who visit AVID classes twice each week to tutor small groups of pupils as they transition to tougher coursework.

The job fair will be held 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the board room at the Administration Building, 20200 Eastway Village Drive. All tutors receive 16 hours of training in AVID techniques, and are paid for their time.

Returning tutor Raisa Byers, 21, a student at Houston Baptist University, said the work involves some social guidance as well as academic counseling.

“It’s so much more than you helping them with their homework,” she said. “To have someone besides their family to encourage them and be a positive influence in their life, it really does make a difference to see how much kids need that, how important it is to them.”

Byers and her 80 or so fellow tutors across the district work with four to seven kids in each AVID class. Their students must come to each session with at least two questions about their coursework.

“I’ve helped a student on their homework or review for a test and then they come back the next week with an A on their paper and say, ‘You helped me with this,’” Byers said. “To know that you’re helping a child succeed academically and personally and socially — it’s so rewarding.”

The tutoring is about collaboration, not giving hints, said Susan Tibbetts, who coordinates the AVID program throughout Humble ISD.

“It’s teaching them to think ahead about the questions that they have in their courses and then helping them figure out . . . how to find the answers on their own,” Tibbetts said. “The other members of the group will say, ‘Have you checked your notes? What about this?’ They question them to death and they eventually figure out the answer.”

This approach appears to be working. Sixty percent of AVID graduates enroll in four-year colleges, according to the Humble ISD figures. Another third initially enroll in community colleges; many later transition to four-year schools, Tibbetts said. Almost 90 percent of AVID graduates who enroll in college graduate.

“A lot of them, I would say almost without exception, didn’t realize they had the potential,” Tibbetts said. “They just didn’t realize that they needed to be in the advanced class.”

This success doesn’t happen magically, however. Supporting the students is a lot of work, said David Duez, an Atascocita High School history and AVID teacher.

Not only do AVID teachers work closely with the students for four years, counseling them through hard times personally and academically, Duez said, but AVID teachers also must monitor all of their 60 or more AVID students’ grades.

“Teachers come to me and they say, ‘What’s going on with Billy?’ or, ‘What’s going on with José?’ They want to know that from me before they even call home,” Duez said.

Despite the taxing transition to a more emotionally demanding role, Duez said the aim of the program and the success it fosters keep him motivated. He would have been an AVID kid growing up, he said.

“The biggest thing that has kept me going with AVID is the mission behind it and what it is that we’re trying to build, for not just each individual student but for our school and our community,” Duez said. “What AVID does is remind everyone we really should be asking more from these kids.”

It was very cool to be interviewed about AVID and I was honored to represent the program. A couple of years ago I was interviewed by the local Kingwood cable channel about the program and tutoring as well. You can see that interview here: http://avidahs.blogspot.com/2008/09/tv-interview.html

Last year I was interviewed by another local paper because of our AVID program's involvement in Road Trip Nation. You can see that article here: http://avidahs.blogspot.com/2009/12/road-trip-nation-article-about-ahs-in.html

Related articles by Zemanta

AVID with Mr. Duez Facebook Group

2010-07-14T17:33:00.000-05:00

I created a Facebook group for any AVID students who have had Mr. Duez in class. It is my hope that we can share some pictures, video and memories here. It is a closed group, so nothing that is posted here can be seen by anyone who is not a group member. I can add new members and they can request to be added by going to the link below.

I can envision this being a wonderful place for graduated AVID students to keep in contact with what is happening in my AVID class. It will be a wonderful place to remember the good times we had in AVID.

ANY person who spent even a day in my AVID class is invited.

Click the link here to ask to be added to the group: AVID with Mr. Duez Facebook Group

Inspirational Story - Garrett Karp

2010-07-04T22:51:00.003-05:00

"Man if he can do that... then what can I do."

AVID in the News - Seattle Times

2010-06-18T14:58:00.003-05:00

Although this article is not exactly like our program, it is similar. We don't normally have students in AVID who have failed classes, or TAKS for that matter. But, many of the concepts are the same.

I also don't think AVID students are "average" in any way. These are kids that are willing to take on more work to be able to succeed and move up into honors, Pre-AP, AP and Dual Credit classes. Average kids would not make it. But, our AVID kids do.

I also take exception to "supercharged study hall" because AVID tutoring is certainly much more than that. It is a very specific method with highly trained tutors. It resembles no study hall I have ever seen.

Good article though and it's wonderful to see some positive things in the news about education. Part of the article here, with links to the full article and the video is embedded:

Average students shine with help from AVID program

AVID — Advancement Via Individual Determination — is part supercharged study hall, part motivational seminar and part time-management training. It motivates kids in the academic middle to aim for college.

By Linda Shaw

Seattle Times education reporter

It's hard to imagine that Bruna Afonso was once apathetic about her studies, unsure if she'd finish high school, much less go on to college.

She now earns good grades, takes tough courses and almost always speaks up in class, as she did recently during a spirited debate over the United States' role in Bosnia.

A few years ago, she disliked school and didn't try to do well.

Now? "I'm busting my butt," she said.

She credits her transformation to a program with a mouthful of a name: Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID.

Full article here:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011832378_avid11m.html

SAT & ACT Dates

2010-06-13T18:30:00.002-05:00

Important dates

Test Name	Scheduled Test Date	Regular Registration Deadline	Late Registration Deadline
ACT	Saturday, Sep 11, 2010	Friday, Aug 6, 2010	Friday, Aug 20, 2010
SAT and Subject Tests	Saturday, Oct 9, 2010	Friday, Sep 10, 2010	Friday, Sep 24, 2010
ACT	Saturday, Oct 23, 2010	Friday, Sep 17, 2010	Friday, Oct 1, 2010

To get more information on the SAT or SAT Subject Tests, access useful tools, or register, visit the College Board's Web site (www.collegeboard.com) or call (866) 756-7346.

To get more information on the ACT, access useful tools, or register, visit the ACT Web site(www.act.org) or call (319) 337-1270.

Roadtrip Nation - The Legend Moves!

2010-06-04T21:03:00.003-05:00

Pretty sweet video. I'm sure you all remember the legendary first Roadtrip Nation RV. It is basically a museum piece. Well, when RTN moved offices, they had to get the legend moving, too. This video is really cool and shows the kind of passion and energy that the Roadtrip Nation crew has!

AHS

2010-06-04T08:30:00.001-05:00

Our beautiful school

sent from my droid

Inspirational Story - Jonathan Brown - AVID

2010-05-30T14:02:00.002-05:00

This is a superb story. Jonathan Brown and his success through AVID. He is inspirational and shows that if he can do it, anyone can.

Lone Star College - College Fair

2010-05-27T09:46:00.000-05:00

MINI COLLEGE FAIRS

Lone Star College

Meet with Admissions Counselors

from approximately 20 different colleges:

Lone Star Kingwood ( Fine Arts Building)

Monday, June 1410:00 am to 1:00 pm

Agenda: Week of May 24 - May 28, 2010

2010-05-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Day: "What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade." ~Gertrude Jekyll

Agenda:
MONDAY:
1. Goal of the Week - we'll work together in groups to do these and discuss them.
2. Juniors will look at this video:

Sophomores will do a socratic seminar on the first chapter of their US History AP book for the summer: "Lies My Teacher Told Me." They will annotate the text, ask and answer questions and read through the chapter in groups. We'll discuss as a big group at the end.
3. ALL - Plan tutor celebration on Tuesday. Cards?

TUESDAY:
Last day of Tutoring for the year!
View our end of the year AVID Video with the tutors.

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

WED/THU:
Discuss final exam essays. Give the students time to organize their essays. They will do them in class for the final for a timed writing.

FINAL EXAM DAY:
We'll do our final exam timed writing essays over these choices:
1. AVID Summer Institute Speech (The What has AVID done for me speech)
2. Roadtrip Nation - Write about the experience and how it impacted you. What did you learn?
3. Life Goal. This is the AVID Life Goal Essay.
4. College Trip Essay - Students can pick a college trip from this year and write about the trip and what they learned.

Lauren and Angela - Former Tutors Guest Speak Today

2010-05-21T12:02:00.002-05:00

So proud of Lauren and Angela, two of our former AVID Tutors. They are doing a great job at Texas A&M and Boston U. respectively. We were really pleased to have them come in on Friday and share their stories and advice about the freshman year with the AVID students.

Kingwood's new library

2010-05-19T07:06:00.001-05:00

Beautiful

sent from my droid moble

Aidan @ our new library

2010-05-19T07:01:00.001-05:00

Have you ever seen a library with a video game room?

sent from my droid moble

Meeting in Red LGI for AP/Dual US History Students for Next Year

2010-05-18T08:46:00.001-05:00

Could you briefly tell your kids that Mark and I would like to see anyone signed up for AP/dual US in the Red LGI today, tomorrow, or Thursday after school? It will take about 5 minutes. Sorry for the short notice!

John Gillespie

AP Dual Credit US History

Social Studies Department Head

www.masterghistory.com

Agenda: Week of Monday, May 16, 2010 to Friday, May 21, 2010

2010-05-16T10:04:00.001-05:00

Fact – As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one bird flew alone.

Lesson Learned – People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the strength of one another. [Source]

MONDAY:

Goal of the Week. We'll work on goals in our tutoring groups and discuss them with the Geese Quotes and Teambuilding information from this site: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_geese.htm

Socratic Seminar Project

Then we will do a small group socratics seminar on the following articles:

Group 1:

New York Times article: Plan B: Skip College By JACQUES STEINBERG

WHAT’S the key to success in the United States? May 14, 2010

Group 2:

US News & World Report article: 5 Do's and Don'ts for College Students Using Social Media

There are ways to use social media and ways not to--make sure you know the differences.

By Jeff Greer, May 12, 2010

Group 3:

US News & World Report article: Most High Schoolers Cheat—But Don't Always See It as Cheating

Study examines prevalence, perceptions of cheating May 13, 2010

Group 4:

Time Magazine: Why Do Women Still Earn Less Than Men? By Laura Fitzpatrick Apr. 20, 2010

Each group will read their articles (10 minutes), annotate the text and write at least 1 question (5 minutes), then they will discuss in their group. One person in the group will write out the two most important things that they have learned from the article and write an overall summary of the article and reflection of their groups work.

We will rotate these 4 articles through each group over the next week and then present the findings of each group to the class next week.

TUESDAY:

Tutoring

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY:

Tutoring first 1/2 of the period. Then we will do our group socratic seminar project on the 4 articles above. We will rotate the next article through the groups.

FRIDAY:

Socratic seminar: we will do our group socratic seminar project on the 4 articles above. We will rotate the next article through the groups.

**We may have a guest speaker or two from college over the next couple of weeks. AHS students are returning from colleges and universities all over the country and some have asked to come in to address our AVID classes. If we have a guest speaker, we'll postpone the socratic discussion groups until the next class period.

Agenda: Week of Monday, May 10 through Friday, May 14, 2010

2010-05-10T09:16:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Week: "The principal goal of education is to create people who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done."

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Swiss cognitive psychologist.

May 10, 1992 - Mr. Duez graduated from Juniata College. Beside July 4th, 1995 (My wedding) and October 27th, 2004 (Aidan's birth) it was one of my best days as a human. I hope every one of my students experiences the same feeling of accomplishment that I was able to have that day.

AGENDA:

Monday -

1. Goal of the Week
2. Timed Writing Essay for Aerie Yearbook:

From Guy Anderson, our Journalism teacher. Here is the prompt . . .

From 2010 forward, all classes will have attended AHS for all four years. All students are welcomed to submit an essay, and all faculty are also welcome to submit an essay, not just those who have been here all four years.

Describe what it means to you to be Red, White & TRUE, to yourself, to your friends, to your teammates, to your school and community. Basically, what's it mean to be PURE EAGLE.

Two winning essays will be published in the opening pages of this year's Aerie Yearbook - the first thing readers will see and read when they open the annual.

Be creative. Let it flow. Good luck.

3. After students complete their essay: Students will work on completing their 4 year plan and also the reading of "The Gatekeepers" if they did not complete it for the sub last week.

4. (if time remains) We will do a couple of team building activities:

First, Mr. Duez will pull up this website: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_geese.htm

We'll read and discuss how geese use teamwork and what we can learn from them.

Directions, Directions
Students work in groups of 4-6. One person starts, identifying and performing a small task (i.e. “Clap hands three times”). The next person repeats and performs the same tasks, then adds on one of their own (i.e. “Clap hands three time, stick out tongue”). Play continues around the group, with each person performing and adding a new task to the mix. Students who cannot complete the sequence correctly are out until the next round. This game requires students to follow directions, focus, listen carefully, and utilize memory skills.

Tuesday: TUTORING

Wed/Thu: TUTORING & then students will work on their second draft of their Life Goals.

Friday:

Guest speaker

OR Socratic Seminar over College Tips.

We'll divide into our tutoring groups and each group will have one article:

1) http://education-portal.com/articles/Studying_101:_Guide_to_Studying_in_College.html

2) http://education-portal.com/articles/Advice_for_Creating_Your_College_Class_Schedule.html

3) http://education-portal.com/articles/Tips_for_Confronting_Your_College_Professor.html

4) http://education-portal.com/articles/Tips_for_Saving_Money_on_College_Textbooks.html

Each group will read and discuss the article and annotate the text. They will summarize it and then present it to the whole class at the end of the period. Then we will discuss each groups findings.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T08:17:00.001-05:00

SFA

2010-05-07T13:49:00.001-05:00

sent from my droid moble

Permission Slip for SFA for Sophomores

2010-05-03T14:14:00.002-05:00

Permission Slip Sfa

Agenda - Week of May 3rd through May 7, 2010

2010-05-03T08:58:00.002-05:00

Quote of the Week: "Great people talk about ideas. Small people talk about other people."
Tobias S. Gibson

AGENDA:
Monday -
1) Goal of the Week in Road Trip Nation groups. Answer 3 questions - 1) Favorite part of the experience. 2) Things they learned 3) What they would do differently. The video is what Mr. Duez will add to the class RTN videos that he'll put together this summer.
2) Pick up Embedded Speech applications, Summer School Applications, and also pass out Field Trip permission forms to sophomores for Friday.
3) Pass out "The Gatekeepers" - "The Tortilla Test" -- The first chapter of the book by Jacques Steinberg about the process inside the admissions office at a premiere college. We will be using it this week to mark the text and also reflect on a prompt.
4) While students are reading "The Gatekeepers", Mr. Duez will conduct exit interviews from Road Trip Nation in their groups.

Tuesday -
TUTORING

Wednesday/Thursday -
TUTORING first 1/2 of the period
Then we'll get "Analyzing a Writing Prompt" - it's an AVID Critical Reading packet that will help students analyze different writing prompts that they may see in college.

Friday -
Sophomores are at Stephen F. Austin University for their field trip.
Juniors will continue to read and mark the text on "The Gatekeepers." They will write a reflection about the chapter and discuss in class.
The substitute will also show the 2nd half of the Road Trip Nation documentary.

Roadtrip Nation Swag II

2010-05-01T08:05:00.001-05:00

sent from my droid moble

Road trip swag

2010-05-01T08:04:00.001-05:00

sent from my droid moble

Agenda: Week of April 26 through April 30th, 2010

2010-04-26T12:03:00.001-05:00

This is TAKS Week. We will meet just a couple of times this week.

See the TAKS Week Schedule here.

Quote of the Day: "Science has made us Gods even before we are worthy of being human beings." - Jean Rostand

This week we will focus on team building and poetry. AVID Students will complete their "I Am" poems on Monday in class. We will perform them in class on Monday and on the other day we meet.

We will also be working on completing the "Three Ball Toss" in record time. More on that later.

The only other thing on the agenda is finishing our student Road Trip Nation videos and viewing those. They have been great so far!

Clarification on Comm Apps Credit through AVID

2010-04-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

Here is the policy regarding receiving Embedded Communication Applications (Comm Apps/Speech) credit through AVID:

Students (current freshmen, sophomores and any junior who has not previously earned credit) who have been in AVID for one year are eligible for the credit if both the AVID teacher and Comm Apps certified teacher agree that this student has met the TEKS. The form must be signed by the AVID elective teacher prior to submitting to the counselor for her signature. Prospective candidates will then return the form to the AVID elective teacher. The AVID elective teacher and speech teacher will grant credit on June 2nd. The list of students receiving credit will be submitted to the registrar and counselor for credit to be placed on the transcript.

Students should turn their triplicate form into Mr. Duez when they are finished meeting with their counselor. The sooner the better.

Kaplan SAT/ACT course for $45 for Juniors

2010-04-19T14:51:00.000-05:00

This is a note about the program from Kaplan:

At Kaplan, helping students succeed is what we do. We’ve been inspired by the Texas Education Agency’s commitment to increasing college preparation efforts, as demonstrated by their recent initiative to make free college admissions tests available to all Texas public high school juniors.

To play our part in supporting the effort, Kaplan will offer comprehensive Live Online SAT and ACT prep courses, normally valued at $499, for just $45 to cover material and shipping costs. All Texas public high school juniors registered for the May or June 2010 SAT or ACT are eligible for these courses. Our SAT and ACT Live Online programs provide the same rigorous preparation as our traditional classroom courses and are taught by our top instructors using streaming video delivery. Our Live Online classrooms come to life with full online whiteboard capabilities, polling and instant chat. Students experience all of the same rigors and demand of a live classroom, and are able to ask questions of their instructor in real time during each lesson, as well as interact with their fellow peers!

Kaplan’s programs have helped millions of students get into the school of their choice, and we hope to help more Texas juniors succeed on the road to college. We appreciate your help in making students aware of this special offer, as we know your students will benefit from participating in Kaplan’s SAT and ACT Live Online program. Students interested in enrolling in this program can do so at www.kaptest.com/college, using promotion code TXSATPREP for SAT or TXACTPREP for ACT, between now and May 1.

We are proud of the fact that this year alone, we have helped thousands of students get into their top choice schools, and with your help, we look forward to helping many more.

What will computers look like in the future?

2010-04-19T14:12:00.001-05:00

Agenda: Week of Monday, April 19th - Friday, April 23rd 2010

2010-04-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good. ~Joe Paterno

AGENDA:

Monday - Watch class interviews of Road Trip Nation.

Tuesday - Tutoring

Wed/Thu - Tutoring first 1/2 of period; then we will finish watching Road Trip Nation interviews from class (or the original RTN documentary - we are about 1/2 finished with it)

Friday - Socratic Seminar over this text: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/envelope-bose-5/?pagemode=print "Mom, We Did It!" An article from "The Choice" from NYTimes.

Arizona plane

2010-04-17T21:00:00.001-05:00

What else would a plane look like in arizona? :) on my way home. Can't wait.

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Great day in San Diego

2010-04-17T17:17:00.001-05:00

Looking forward to coming home. We had a great time. Met some terrific people.

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A great day - AVID Staff Developer Training - San Diego

2010-04-16T23:42:00.001-05:00

I have been looking forward to this day for over 3 years. Today I officially became a national AVID Staff Developer. Now I can give back to teachers just like I was supported these past few years.
Very excited about this whole new world of opportunity and I can't thank everyone enough.
My students, parents, principals, colleagues, and district have always believed in me. But mostly the thanks goes to my best friend and most supportive force in my life - my beautiful wife. Thank you honey. Can't wait to see you and Aidan.

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Avid staff developer training

2010-04-16T19:52:00.001-05:00

Having a great time and meeting wonderful people in San Diego.

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Saturday Service to the Community - ECOBOT Competition

2010-04-15T10:03:00.000-05:00

Location is at Reliant Center.

The bus will leave from Maplebrook Elementary at 7:20 Saturday morning.

There are three elementary teachers riding the bus. Ms. Isbell, Mr. Jeffery, and asst. principal April Maldonado. Please give these teachers your names and cell phone numbers. If your parents decided to pick you up early, they must locate one of these teachers to let them know. The busses will depart immediately after the awards ceremony.

District champ

2010-04-10T18:40:00.001-05:00

Our tennis queen Olivia!

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Monday Motivation: "How to Train Your Cat"

2010-04-04T10:21:00.000-05:00

We'll watch this video on Monday. I find it inspirational that my cat loves to play as much as she does. We can learn a lot from Suki.

Agenda: Week of April 5 - April 9, 2010

2010-04-04T10:18:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Week:
"People are in a rush to start their lives, and it's sad...the rest of their lives, they're working at something they don't enjoy." - Al Merrick, Founder of Channel Islands Surfboards.

Monday:
First we'll write our Goal of the Week and we'll do it in our Road Trip Nation groups. This will give groups a chance to touch base on where they are at in terms of RTN interviews. Then we will read a blog posting by Anne Paik about the college application process:
APRIL 4, 2010, 7:30 AM A Sheaf of Rejections, But Still ‘Fabulous’ By ANNE PAIK
After reading and discussing her blog posting, we'll watch a tv interview with the writer that created "The Choice" on New York Times.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wed/Thursday:
Tutoring and Road Trip Nation Interviews. We'll watch the Road Trip Nation interviews that have been completed so far. Great job everyone!
If we have a gap in them, or finish them all, we will
watch a finished Road Trip interview from the RTN Youtube site from Hoover High.

About the video: Hoover High School AOIT students embark on their own Roadtrip Nation projects. Roadtrip Nation has evolved into a PBS series, three books, an online community, and a student movement. We send people on the road who are interested in exploring the world outside their comfort zone, talking with individuals who chose to define their own road in life, and sharing their experiences with our generation.

Friday:
We will spend the period writing our Life Goal rough drafts. If there is any time at the end of the period, we'll see a portion of a group's Road Trip Nation video.

Thanks to Ms. Diaz and Invisible Children

2010-04-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

My classes want to say thank you to Ms. Diaz and the Invisible Children club for inviting us to the PAC this last week. It was an incredible experience.

Pictures from Wednesday, March 31, 2010

2010-04-02T08:46:00.000-05:00

Ecobot Challenge Judges - April 17 @ Reliant Center 9 to 5

2010-03-31T07:56:00.002-05:00

Ecobot Challenge Volunteer Service Hours:

I received this email from the organizer of the Ecobot Challenge this week (below). If anyone is interested, please see me immediately.

We were delighted by the participation of your high school students who acted in the role of Judges at the March 6 “Practice Day” in Humble ISD. We made it clear to Alison how helpful it would be to have them serve in exactly that capacity on April 17 at Reliant Center from 9 am to 5 pm (we will take care of giving them the appropriate size T-shirt and we’ll feed ‘em too and provide special recognition for them and for Humble ISD).

We need to have an exact count of Judges. So we need to know – how many of these students will participate, their names, what are their T-shirt sizes?

We need to know if they can attend the Wednesday, April 14 Judge Training with the adult Judges? [6:15 pm – 8:30 pm – they would have to be driven here.]
To the extent that some cannot, we’ll have to spend time with them Saturday morning, April 17 at 8:15 am to get them refreshed but it would be super helpful for us and extremely helpful to them to have them on 4-14.

Link to news stories on the Ecobot Challenge:
Ecobot Challenge Main Website
The competition in March @ AHS
Example of the Ecobot Challenge at another middle school (w/video)

Voucher # for SAT for Juniors

2010-03-31T07:49:00.002-05:00

If you are a Texas junior and have NOT received a voucher for the free SAT, they can call 866-756-7346 and they will give them a VOUCHER number so that they can register for the free SAT test.

Agenda: Week of March 29th - March 31st

2010-03-31T07:48:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: "The men the American public admire the most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who tell them the truth." - M.L. Mencken

Monday - Invisible Children Assembly
Tuesday - Tutoring
Wednesday - Thank You video for Ms. Diaz for inviting us to Invisible Children

Have a great Easter Weekend!