This monthly newsletter is brought to you by the NISD MS Science C&I Team.

volume 9 issue 2

As we approach the holiday season, it’s a wonderful time to reflect, give thanks, and celebrate all that was learned and accomplished during the first semester. The fall semester has been packed full of professional learning opportunities and we thank everyone for the amazing collaboration and FOCUS as you explored new curricular resources and planned PHENOMENAL lessons for your students.

The months of September and October were busy ones as all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science teachers attended a full day of professional learning. During each grade level session teachers unpacked curriculum, engaged in the use of phenomena to spark curiosity as they explored investigations and required labs, and made connections to assessment through the SCR process.

All middle school science teachers were FOCUSED all afternoon as they unpacked curriculum, identified student actions as aligned to the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), explored instructional resources, and engaged in a variety of critical writing strategies.

Access to all professional learning resources can be found using the link below.

Please consider posting pictures, short videos, and experiences of how you and your students are connecting with science on X, the app formerly known as Twitter! Use the following link to view posts from @NISDMSScience.

Per district policy, please do not use emojis to block out student faces.

The remaining CIA days in January are only for 8th grade science teachers as they are in year one of TEKS implementation. Each campus is assigned a specific day, so please ensure your campus registers in Unified Talent for the correct day. Start putting in for those subs!

Teachers new to NISD MS Science also have the opportunity to attend our New Teacher Institute (NTI) The next new teacher pull-out is scheduled for December 5th and will focus on strategies for our Emergent Bilingual learners.

Please see the 2024-2025 MS Science Professional Learning flyer. All pull-outs are 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, but locations vary so please check the location for each pull-out.

The first round of MS Science CDBs for each grade level are fast approaching. Please visit the Employee Connection: MS Science: Assessment page to review the appropriate grade level CDB blueprint that outlines the content being assessed and assessment windows. Please note that all CDBs and Supplements (FRQs) have a one week window. Do not wait until the end of the week to administer the CDB.

Remember that each grade level also has a CLS version of the CDB for qualifying SE and EB students as well as an FRQ supplement for 7th and 8th advanced courses.

**New**

• EB Declines may also take the CLS version if routinely using these supports in the classroom.

• An ungraded SCR question will be included on CDB 1 for 6th and 7th grades. While it won’t be graded, teachers will be able to review and provide feedback to students.

Benchmark Windows:

8th Grade CDB: December 2 - 6, Supplement scores uploaded by Dec. 13th.

6th and 7th Grade CDB: December 9 - 13, 7th Grade Supplement scores uploaded by Dec. 20th.

ExamView will be removed for all NISD computers the week of Thanksgiving. Please note that although SAVVAS provided questions through ExamView, the removal of the ExamView software will not be an issue as the MS Science C&I department downloaded all questions for review. The questions will continue to be reviewed and revised as needed to ensure TEKS alignment and will continue to be added to the CMS shared item banks.

As your PLC develops CCAs, don’t forget the information provided on the New Item Types: STAAR, CMS, Schoology document also located on the Employee Connection: MS Science: STAAR Information page.

Curriculum guides for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade will be linked to the Year-At-A-Glance two weeks before the unit is scheduled to begin. **Important Reminder: Please make sure to review all curriculum guide components and individual resources as updates have been made for the 24-25 school year. Please don’t forget that the lab coat symbol indicates a REQUIRED lab.

Assessment items for upcoming 6th, 7th, and 8th grade units will also be added to the CMS CO Shared Item Banks two weeks before the unit is scheduled to begin. A variety of the new item types can be found in the bank. **Important Reminder: Campus banks or previously created CCAs were not retagged, so make sure they are aligned to the new 21 standards if adding those items to a new CCA.

Reminder to please visit the Employee Connection: MS Science page for the new link to the combined feedback form. The link to the form can be found in the menu on the right hand side. Feel free to send any questions or concerns regarding any of the curriculum components or CMS assessment items.

NISD Technology and MS C&I Science are excited to announce that all campus TSS’ have been trained on the zSpace Inspire devices and have received their own key to the cart as they will be assisting in the monthly update process. Thank you for your patience as we completed the initial update. Future monthly updates will go much faster!

As you plan with your PLC, begin thinking of ways to incorporate this amazing resource into your lessons. Don’t forget about the zSpace lessons provided in the curriculum resource folders. Stations are a great way to use them! Let’s challenge ourselves to incorporate them into a lesson at least twice a grading period!

Please see the Employee Connection: MS Science: New Textbook page for training opportunities including Schoology integration.

The Science C&I Department is excited to announce that Enrichment Programs are underway for the 2024-2025 school year! Thank you to all teachers that are giving their time to sponsor these engaging opportunities for students!

Please make sure to check out the Middle School Science Employee Connection Extended Learning Opportunities page to access the Google site for each specific program!

With over 60 coaches in attendance from both elementary and middle school campuses our FIRST LEGO League Robotics season kickoff made a big SPLASH! The SUBMERGED season included Core Values activities, updates for the season, coaching tips from Murnin Robotics Coaches - Erica Flores and Ashlie Santiago, and our Head Referee, Yvette Dralle, reviewing the scoring process of the robot missions. Thank you coaches for showing up on a Saturday morning!

Saturday, November 9th thirty teachers took part in professional development led by LEGO Education staff from Missouri. These two instructors specialized as coaches in the FIRST LEGO League Robotics Challenge program and were well received by our coaches. There were many, “okay, she just blew my mind…” Coaches picked up on many new tools, resources and skills to assist in coaching their student teams in the programming piece of the program.

Project ACORN is in full swing! After our September kickoff there was a New Sponsor Orientation, Grant Writing workshop, and an annual “Native Plants & their Pollinators” workshop that began at Central Office in the Demonstration Garden and ended at Rainbow Gardens nursery. Planting season is just about wrapped up until the Spring with some final community events this month. Please check out the upcoming offerings for December - March here.

All sponsors should have received registration information for the upcoming Solar Cars Virtual kick-off meeting on Wednesday, November 20th at 4:15pm. Please be sure to register on Unified Talent for Section 142246 here. Coaches listed as “Sponsor 1” should have received or will be receiving shortly, POs to Al’s Hobbies and Home Depot.

If this is your first year, do not make any purchases until after the “Build a Car” Workshop on Saturday, December 7th (8am - Noon). Register on Unified Talent to ensure there are supplies ready for you for that day. Section 142247

Not a sponsor? No worries…we would love to see you as a volunteer at one of the great program events! Please check out the 2025 Volunteer Opportunities flyer to sign up today!

Got Questions?

Is your campus still in search of sponsors or do you just have questions? Please feel free to reach out to K-8 Enrichment Programs Sponsor, Amalia Sollars (amalia.sollars@nisd.net).

This group will be our main mode of communication throughout the year so please make sure you have joined and that you have turned on notifications. If you are not yet a member, please use the following code to join:

Schoology Group Access Code 4CP8-WZJG-6XH4M

In addition to Employee Connection, this group is how MS Science C&I shares resources and provides updates. To ensure that you are notified when updates are posted, please customize the notifications for this group by selecting Group Update Posted under Email Notifications Settings. For step-by-step instructions, please see the Schoology Notifications Clicksheet.

Please visit the Employee Connection: MS Science page - and make sure it is in your FAVORITES! Information has been updated for the 2024-2025 school year. Check out the CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, and ASSESSMENT pages - menu links are on the right hand side.

Elaine Estrada Instructional Specialist

Lisa Crawford IST

Connie Schaub IST

Lauren Stiles Academic Technology IST

Amalia Sollars K-8 Enrichment Programs Coordinator

Email: NISD.MS-Science@nisd.net
Website: https://nisd.net/employees/department/ms-science
Location: 5900 Evers Road, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 210-397-8661