College Fair offers chance to check out over 200 schools
The Denton Independent School District’s annual Education: Go Get It Week will be from Monday, Sept. 20, through Friday, Sept. 26.
The highlight of the week will be the opportunity for students to visit with representatives from more than 200 colleges and universities from across the country at the annual NorTex College Fair, scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, at the UNT Coliseum and Gateway Center. Admission is free.
The event is a joint venture between the Denton ISD, Lewisville ISD, Keller ISD and the University of North Texas. It will feature a pair of student forums as well as numerous chances for one-on-one interaction with college representatives.
The UNT Student and Financial Aid Office will be hosting a forum on financial aid and Lewisville ISD counselors will handle the basics of getting into college. Each forum will be held twice, with start times at 6:45 and 7:45 p.m.
Denton ISD teachers and support staff also will be dedicating next week to reinforcing the pursuit of higher education at the middle school and high school level. Students will learn about the many initiatives the district has in place to help them reach a college education.
Counselors and staff will highlight a variety of topics in and out of the classroom throughout the week including: higher education options, standard college/university admission requirements, the state-mandated automatic admission policy for qualifying students and the availability of financial aid.
For more information on Education: Go Get It Week or the NorTex College Fair, please contact the Denton ISD Counseling Department at (940) 369-0065.
EXPO program hosts open meetings for parents with prospective students
Parents wanting more information about EXPO, the gifted and talented program offered through the Denton Independent School District, are encouraged to attend meetings scheduled throughout September.
Meetings start at 6 p.m. and include the following dates for elementary locations: Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Rivera Elementary for Rivera Elementary, Lee Elementary, Newton Rayzor Elementary, Evers Elementary, Ginnings Elementary, Wilson Elementary, Pecan Creek Elementary and Stephens Elementary; Tuesday, Sept. 28, at Borman Elementary for Borman Elementary, McNair Elementary, Ryan Elementary, E.P. Rayzor Elementary, Blanton Elementary, Hawk Elementary, Nelson Elementary and Houston Elementary and Thursday, Sept. 30, at Cross Oaks Elementary for Cross Oaks Elementary, Hodge Elementary, Providence Elementary, Savannah Elementary and Paloma Creek Elementary.
The secondary meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27, at Crownover Middle for Crownover Middle, Calhoun Middle, Harpool Middle, McMath Middle, Navo Middle, Strickland Middle, Denton High, Guyer High and Ryan High.
The EXPO program was created for gifted and talented students. These students perform significantly well at the academic level compared to students of the same age group and experience. Students also are expected to have problem solving skills and proficiency in certain academic fields.
The meetings are open to all parents with children in the kindergarten through 12th grade age groups.
Prior to being accepted into the program, students will be tested on various criteria, such as creativity, intelligence and abilities, achievement and other standards determined by the educators. The EXPO Placement Committee will have the option to review any student’s profile for program placement.
The EXPO specialist for each school will only be attending the meeting where his or her school is listed. Spanish translation will be available at the meetings. For more information, contact Lori Mabry at (940) 369-0678 or www.dentonisd.org/expo.
District elementary schools to observe peace with pinwheels
Students and staff at Newton Rayzor Elementary, E.P. Rayor Elementary and Ryan Elementary will be taking part in International Peace Day at approximately 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, with a peaceful demonstration.
Students will walk in silence and plant pinwheels they created in art class in a designated area as part of the international Pinwheels for Peace project. Art teachers said the pinwheels will feature symbols of peace as interpreted by the students’ creativity.
Started by two Florida art teachers in 2005 as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in their lives, Pinwheels for Peace uses pinwheels to remind others of childhood – a time in their lives when things were peaceful and joyful. Last year, more than three million pinwheels were created by students and planted in more than 3,000 locations across North and South America, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.
At Newton Rayzor Elementary, school staff will continue the peaceful theme throughout the week by reading bilingual quotes about peace from famous leaders, having students in each grade create a poster about peace to be placed in the commons area and complete a “peace” labyrinth started on the outdoor playground.
Newton Rayzor, which was named an International Baccalaureate Primary Years School in the spring, has adopted “Choose Peace” as its school theme this year.
At Ryan Elementary, students also will be working on the Hexagon Project and the Wish Tree Project. Both projects use artistic imagination to build community awareness on peace.
 GIF.gif)
