Welcome to the Homepage for PISD Science!

Preparing students to...

• Achieve literacy in science.
• Become problem solvers concerned with societal issues and human needs.

Meeting students' learning needs by...

• Encouraging curious minds.
• Teaching inquiry-based learning.
• Providing relevant and developmentally appropriate experiences.
• Emphasizing science's role in everyday life today and in the future.

Developing science literacy by...

• Emphasizing critical thinking.
• Integrating the disciplines.
• Incorporating technology.

CLICK HERE to access the Austion Regional Science Festival site

CLICK HERE for information on IGES 13th Annual Art Contest for Children in Grades 2-4

CLICK HERE for information on The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy

CLICK HERE for information on Toyota Tapestry Grants

CLICK HERE for information on GIRL START workshops for students and adults

CLICK HERE for the Texas Girls Collaborative Project

CLICK HERE for information on the MAKER FAIRE (Oct. 18 and 19)

CLICK HERE for information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo (Oct. 4 and 5)

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy Expands Opportunties for Teachers to Attend the 2009 Program

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy recently announced a new way for elementary school teachers to get a chance to attend the 2009 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy and improve their math and science teaching skills.

Students can nominate teachers from Grades 3, 4, and 5 or urge them to apply for an all-expense paid trip to the Academy’s math and science professional development program by logging on to www.sendmyteacher.com, an interactive website.

Developed in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions, the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy enables teachers to hone their science and math teaching skills, enhance their curricula, and discover innovative new ways to inspire students.

The teachers will spend five days next July at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ, deepening their understanding of mathematics and science content, building expertise in facilitating student learning through problem solving and inquiry, and using links between math and science that support student learning and understanding in the classroom.

Teacher applications are due by October 31, 2008. The National Science Teachers Association and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will convene a panel of math and science experts to evaluate the entries and announce the selections in February 2009.

The 2008 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy will host more than 600 teachers in Houston, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Jersey City, New Jersey. To date, nearly 1000 teachers have attended the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy.

To nominate a teacher or to learn more about the program, visit http://www.sendmyteacher.com.

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Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and NSTA are pleased to announce the 19th annual Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program. This year Toyota will award $550,000 in grants to K-12 teachers of science. A total of 50 large grants of up to $10,000 each, along with 20-30 mini-grants of up to $2,500 each will be awarded. Categories include environmental science, integrating literacy and science and physical science. For further information and to begin the application process online, please visit http://www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry. Remember that all 50 large grant winners receive an all-expenses paid trip to the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans!

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IGES 13th Annual Art Contest for Children in Grades 2-4

Theme: "Trees: Making a World of Difference!"
Entries Due: Oct. 24, 2008

Imagine if you could fly above the treetops. Think of all the amazing things you might see. Mighty redwoods soaring high into the sky. Snow-covered pines and spruces with needle-like leaves. Weeping willows with drooping branches. Trees that thrive in the dry, hot desert. And trees in the rain forest that are home to colorful parrots and monkeys. These are just a few of the many trees you might see.

But trees are much more than their beauty. We couldn't live without them! Each and every tree helps to create a healthy environment.

An art contest for grades 2-4 challenges students to explore trees and their importance to the world by reading stories and books, searching Web sites and watching movies, and then draw a picture showing what they learned.

This is the 13th annual art contest held by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Arlington, Va. The contest supports national education standards in science and geography for grades K-4.

The first-place artist will receive a $100 gift certificate to Crayola.com or Amazon.com, and his or her artwork will be used as IGES's holiday e-card. Second-place and third-place winners will receive $75 and $50 gift certificates, respectively.

New this year, certificates of participation will be available online as PDF files for teachers or parents to download and print. We¹ve also made other changes to the contest based on feedback from parents and teachers (e.g., the option to have student artwork returned). Be sure to check out the 2008 contest website to see what¹s new

Entries are due Oct. 24, 2008.

For more information, including detailed contest instructions, information for teachers and parents, a list of educational resources, and to view artwork of past winners, please visit:
http://www.strategies.org/ArtContest