Archive for ◊ March, 2011 ◊

St. Dominic Savio received full certification today from Project Lead The Way (PLTW).  Congratulations to Ms. Saniuk and all the PLTW students.  St. Dominic Savio joins the nearly 4,000 schools and 350,000 students in all 50 states in the PLTW network.
 
Schools that adopt the PLTW program sign a School District Agreement requiring them to begin the process of certification by the beginning of their second year and to renew every five years after that. The purpose of certification is two-fold:  to ensure implementation of a high-quality PLTW program and verify college credit eligibility for select PLTW courses. 

The three-step certification process involves: a self-assessment, site visit and final certification report. PLTW certification standards are outlined in the self-assessment document and demonstrate schools meet PLTW quality standards in:  professional development of teachers and counselors; implementation of curriculum using required equipment and software; and the formation of a Partnership Team, among others.

Goals and Benefits of National Recognition

• Encourage PLTW schools to meet – and exceed – PLTW standards.
• Ensure college-level work in PLTW schools.
• Provide opportunity for students to receive college credit.
• Highlight the importance of Professional Development for teachers.
• Recognize secondary schools that have achieved excellence.
• Strengthen school commitment to continual improvement.
• Foster increased enrollment in STEM  by enhancing the benefits of STEM study to students and their schools.
• Identify schools as a certified engineering or biomedical sciences site.
• Provide opportunities for teachers to become Master Teachers

Steps Required for Certification
To ensure a successful certification process outcome schools must meet the following requirements:

• PLTW courses are taught by a teacher who has successfully completed PLTW Core Training.
• Classroom equipment and software meets or exceeds the PLTW specifications.
• All students enrolled in PLTW courses are also concurrently enrolled in the appropriate college preparatory mathematics and science courses.
• A Partnership Team that supports the program and meets on a regular basis with a specific agenda and goals to accomplish.

To learn more about our Engineering Program, click here.  For more information on PLTW, visit www.pltw.org.

Download the 2011 Summer Camps Registration Form.

As many of you know, St. Dominic Savio has adopted an engineering curriculum known as Project Lead The Way (PLTW).  Students enrolled in PLTW will take a series of courses designed to expose students to the design process, research and analysis, teamwork, communication methods, global and human impacts, engineering standards, and technical documentation.  PLTW courses give students the opportunity to develop skills and understanding of course concepts through activity, project, and problem-based learning.  At the conclusion of each class, students take an end-of-course assessment that will allow them to receive college credit if they score high enough.  St. Dominic Savio students took the first test last May.  *Unfortunately, St. Dominic Savio students are not eligible to receive college credit until we received accreditation from PLTW.  The school’s accreditation visit is next Tuesday–pray for us.  Nevertheless, Savio’s results are amazing. 

Last year, Savio students took the introductory course to PLTW, Introduction to Engineering Design.  National, state and Savio stats are below.

Congratulations, Ms. Saniuk and PLTW students.  Great job!

The Iron Eagles took first place at the Southwest FTC Championship Tournament!

Congratulations to the St. Dominic Savio robotics team.  They won the Southwest Championship in Dallas this past weekend.  They will now move on to the next phase of the competition to be held in St. Louis, Missouri from April 27-30th.  Congratulations to the team and a great big thank-you to the Mentors for all their hard work!

Trophies Earned:

FIRST Tech Challenge Winning Alliance Award
This award will be given to the winning alliance represented in the final match of the competition, usually consisting of three teams. 

PTC Design Award
The PTC Design Award recognizes design elements of the robot that are both functional and aesthetic.  All successful robots have innovative design aspects however the PTC Design Award is presented to teams that incorporate industrial design elements into their solution.  These elements could simplify the robot giving it a clean look, decorate the robot, or otherwise express the creativity of the team. The winning design should not compromise the practical operation of the robots but compliment its purpose.

FIRST Tech Challenge Think Award
This award is given to the team that best reflects the “journey” the team took as they experienced the engineering design process during the build season.   The Engineering Notebook is the key reference for judges to help identify the most deserving team.  The team’s Engineering Notebook should focus on the design and build stage of the team’s robot.  Journal entries of interest to judges for this award will include those describing the steps, brainstorms, designs, re-designs, successes, and those ‘interesting moments’ when things weren’t going as planned.  A team will not be a candidate for this award if they have not completed the section of the Engineering Notebook describing the team’s experience.

Alex Thurlow (Mentor), Samantha Reeve, Andrew Nazareth, Ian Sequera, Michael Butler (Mentor), T.J. Robbins, Alex Tavarez, and Cat Butler.  Not pictured: Phillip Gregorio

On March 3, 2011, the St. Dominic Savio Music Department participated in the TAPPS Instrumental Austin Regional Contest.  We entered 4 different large ensembles into the contest and we are proud to say that all 4 large ensembles will advance to state.  These ensembles include the Savio Symphony, Concert Band, Strings, and Jazz Ensemble.
 
We also entered 6 different small ensembles, led by students, into the contest.  Four of these small ensembles will advance to state.  These ensembles include a Woodwind Trio (Isabel Alvarado, Connor McAtee, Adrian Higgason), Clarinet Trio (Adrian Higgason, Samantha Reeve, Jakob Hurlimann), String Trio (Gabriela Camacho, Audrey Nguyen, Jenna Sommer), and String Quartet (Gabriela Camacho, Audrey Nguyen, Amira Mahler, Christina Fair).
 
Also, 14 soloists entered the competition playing class 1 or class 2 solos.  Of the 14, nine will be advancing to state.  The soloists that advanced are Matthew Leary, Juan-Jose Guevara-Hernandez, Gabriela Camacho, Christina Fair, Chris Gray, Chelsi Wade. Jakob Hurlimann, Adrian Higgason, and Micaela Allen.
 
We are very proud of the hard work done by all the students in the Music Department.  Congrats to everyone and good luck at state!

Download the March 2011 Newsletter here

Download the Eagle Eye Newsaper: February 2011

On March 1, 2011, the St. Dominic Savio Music Department participated in the TAPPS Vocal Austin Regional Contest.  We entered 5 different ensembles into the contest and we are proud to say that 4 of the ensembles will advance to State.  These ensembles include the Savio Mixed Choir, Savio Faith Choir, and 2 Madrigals.