LRSD Board Meeting, May 01, 2025

Superintendent's Citation Program, 04/28/25

"Voices Without Borders" at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

Getting Ready for the Moon

Do you dream of becoming an astronaut? Grab you gloves, helmet, spacesuit, and boots, and practice getting ready to travel to the Moon with Spacey Casey!

Interested in learning more about how to become an astronaut? Visit https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/...

We’re engaging students in NASA’s exciting missions, broad range of careers, and unique opportunities. Join us as we apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to explore space, improve aeronautics, examine Earth, and strive to land the next humans on the Moon with the Artemis program.

NASA STEM resources: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/

NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission to Mars

NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission will demonstrate low-cost planetary space exploration. In this talk, you’ll hear from Dr. Michele Cash, Program Scientist for ESCAPADE, and Mr. Alan Zide, Program Executive for ESCAPADE, as they discuss how the twin spacecraft will study Mars’ unique magnetosphere and how the solar wind contributed to the loss of the Red Planet’s atmosphere. This was recorded on March 13, 2025.

We’re engaging students in NASA’s exciting missions, broad range of careers, and unique opportunities. Join us as we apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to explore space, improve aeronautics, examine Earth, and strive to land the next humans on the Moon with the Artemis program.

NASA STEM resources: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/

Astronaut Q&A With Florida Students: How Did You Pick Your Zero-G Indicator?

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 flight engineer Nichole Ayers of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 11 with students attending the Academy at the Farm in Dade City, Florida.

We’re engaging students in NASA’s exciting missions, broad range of careers, and unique opportunities. Join us as we apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to explore space, improve aeronautics, examine Earth, and strive to land the next humans on the Moon with the Artemis program.

NASA STEM resources: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/

Astronaut Q&A With New York Students: What's Your Favorite Space-Friendly Food?

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 flight engineers Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight education event March 26 with students attending the Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, New York.

We’re engaging students in NASA’s exciting missions, broad range of careers, and unique opportunities. Join us as we apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to explore space, improve aeronautics, examine Earth, and strive to land the next humans on the Moon with the Artemis program.

NASA STEM resources: https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/

Measurement in Real Life - STEM in 30 - Season 11 - Episode 6

“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions.” - Grace Hopper, United States Navy rear admiral

Why is it important to have an accurate way to measure things? Who sets those standards and how does it affect science, car parts and even tape measurers? In this episode of STEM in 30 we’ll dive into the importance of wind tunnels, modeling and take a look how measurement affects our everyday lives. .

For more information about how to use this resource in your classroom please visit our Teacher Tips page that includes standards, classroom activities, and additional resources. Teacher Tips: https://s.si.edu/MeasurementTeacherTips

STEM in 30 is a free educational series for kids produced by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. We cover all the cool, fun, and weird ways that aviation and spaceflight touch our lives. Check out more episodes: https://airandspace.si.edu/stem-30

This episode is made possible by the generous support of Amazon, Boeing and Hexcel

Flights of Fancy Story Time: Pets in Space

In this original story from the National Air and Space Museum, three friends want to know which of their pets would make the best space explorer. They learn about animals that have been to space and think about how they could make their pet friends comfy and happy at home on a spacecraft. After the story, museum educator Ann will help you draw/design a spacesuit for your pet.

In "Flights of Fancy Story Time Online," the National Air and Space Museum offers stories for young children and their families inspired by our collection of air and space objects and historic photos. Educators Ann Caspari and Diane Kidd will tell stories, do sketches, and demonstrate crafts that you can enjoy together at home. Watch more "Flights of Fancy" videos: https://s.si.edu/2zVRLR2

Flights of Fancy Storytime is made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The Power of Perspective: Teacher PD

We're excited to explore how aerial imagery, close looking, and perspective-taking can enhance your teaching and inspire new learning opportunities for your students. In this resource guide, you will find the presentation slide deck, links to additional content, and learning resources for our classroom.

Resources from this PD: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13...

Paper Airplanes

Every great pioneer needs a place to launch.

Let’s help them take off together.

Fold your own National Air and Space Museum-themed paper airplane: https://s.si.edu/400F2pX and https://s.si.edu/3VOqEi2

Pinky's Smithsonian Adventure: Meerkat Birthday Party!

Party with our meerkats Felix, Archie, and Violet as they celebrate their second birthday! This video was created for the Get a Head Start with the Smithsonian (GHSS) program.

This National Zoo-based project brings the entire Smithsonian Institution into your preschool or Head Start classroom! GHSS explores popular Pre-K themes with live 30-minute virtual field trips that feature music, movement, and amazing animals. Caregivers can continue the fun by accessing playful, easy-to-use activities created by Smithsonian museums that meet early learning standards.

To learn more, please visit: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/education/...

Understanding the American Experience through Children’s Literature | Cultivating Learning

Join Adrián Aldaba from the National Museum of the American Latino to explore how primary resources, museum objects, and children’s books can be brought into the classroom. This session will focus on children’s books published by the National Museum of the American Latino and the companion set of free educational resources and teaching tools. Participants will sample history and culture activities that can be replicated in the classroom as plug-and-play stand-alone activities to support curriculum in social studies, English, and language arts.

Session Collection in the Learning Lab: Cultivating a Listening Practice: https://learninglab.si.edu/collection...

Newton's 3 Laws of Motion! Science For Kids

What's are Newton's 3 Laws of Motion? Sir Isaac Newton was a famous scientist that lived almost 400 years ago. He is famous for learning and understanding how and why objects move – like when an apple falls to the ground from a tree.

The first is called the Law of Inertia and explains why things move. It says that, “An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motions stays in motion at its same speed and direction … unless acted upon by another force.”

Newton’s second law talks about how objects change when a force acts on it. This law says, “The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.”

Which brings us to Newton’s Third Law of Motion. For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Outside Science (inside parks): Bird Health at Assateague Island

Assateague Island, way out on the Maryland coast, may be famous for its wild horses, but it’s also a great spot for birds. In this episode of Outside Science (inside parks), park scientists and interns are giving birds a health check-up to make sure they’re doing okay.

Credit: NPS / Ron Bend, Colorado State University

The Outside Science (inside parks) series shares stories of crucial, creative science. Each episode, produced in collaboration with Colorado State University, highlights the many ways young people are getting involved in science in parks. –

Find an audio described version of this video at:    • Outside Science (inside parks): Bird ...  

What Students can Learn from Leonardo da Vinci

Join educators Mary Kate Lonergan and Merek Chang as they dive into the lesson plans they created to accompany Leonardo da Vinci, a documentary by Ken Burns. In this webinar, Mary Kate Lonergan and Merek Chang also answer questions about how to foster student curiosity and keep students invested in learning for learning’s sake.

This webinar was hosted in collaboration with PBS NewsHour.

PBS LearningMedia offers FREE educational resources for PreK–12 educators and students. Our goal is to enhance educator practice and equitable student learning through educational resources that are:

Available to teachers and students at no cost for educational use.
Relevant, accessible, and trustworthy.
Intentionally designed to supplement classroom instruction.
Responsive to needs, trends, and current events.
Designed to promote and support effective practices in teaching and learning with digital media.

The American Revolution and Civic Learning: A Conversation with Filmmaker Ken Burns

Join award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein as they discuss — just ahead of the anniversary of the War of Independence in April 2025, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 — the upcoming documentary series, The American Revolution, premiering this November 16 on PBS. Burns and Botstein will join in conversation with teachers about the pivotal story of our country’s founding and the opportunities to focus on this history in the classroom that will provide fresh perspectives on the Revolutionary era and its legacies, as well as highlight the power of film and video to make high-quality civic learning come alive for students in the classroom.

iCivics and PBS LearningMedia co-host the discussion as part of Civic Learning Week (civiclearningweek.org), an annual week of activities that highlights the importance of civic education in sustaining our constitutional democracy and preparing young people to navigate the fast-changing world around them. In this video, educators can expect to gain insight into:

The use of film and video to engage students in new ways around the history of the Revolutionary era and the traditions of our constitutional democracy

How their peers are leveraging these formats to highlight a variety of perspectives and personal stories, foster dialogue, and enrich instruction

How civic education is evolving to help students gain skills they need to face the challenges of the 21st century, among them critical listening and thinking, civil discourse, media and digital literacy, and collaborative problem-solving

Engaging the Philanthropic Community as a Catalyst for Scaling up Whole Child Partnerships

Philanthropic communities often play a key role in helping place-based programs organize and scale their efforts. This webinar will feature leaders from national philanthropic organizations to discuss how they work with communities to maximize their impact. They will also talk about their role in helping jumpstart and sustain promising cradle-to-career programming. Panelists will share how they think about their role in the context of American Rescue Plan Act funds sunsetting. Specifically, how communities can sustain student and community-centered investments with a blending and braiding approach to funding.

Strategies for Coordinating Services Across State and Local Agencies and Partners

One of the most effective ways to blend and braid funds is by using state or local coordinating bodies to advance a whole child vision. This is often done through children’s and youth cabinets or strategic task forces to identify a community’s capacity and needs. This webinar will describe what these coordinating bodies are and how they got started in areas across the country. Speakers will also provide examples of what children’s and youth cabinets look like in practice and how they can make it easier to provide services and for students and families to access these services.

K-12 Student Advising Systems: Panel Discussion

Districts and states are rethinking how they approach career planning for students—including starting the process in the early grades and involving more school staff. Research highlights the importance of tailoring advising practices to the needs of individual students by broadening the scope of advising and increasing the support offered by additional school staff. But how do you get young children to start thinking about future careers? How do you support a whole-school planning model that includes staff beyond guidance counselors or administrators?

This REL Southwest webinar, “Reimagining K–12 Student Advising Systems for Stronger Outcomes for All Students,” was recorded on November 7, 2024. The webinar archive includes four videos: (1) a welcome to the webinar by John Spence, and a presentation on high quality advising systems by Scott Solberg; 2) an overview of REL Southwest’s Texas Education Agency Tri-Agency Workforce Priorities (TTWP) partnership and Texas’s Effective Advising Framework Dr. Spence and Brandi Fennell; 3) a panel discussion with Natalie Clark, Lisa Harney and Erin Jacques; and 4) a question-and-answer session with all presenters.

In Video 3, John Spence facilitates a panel discussion with Natalie Clark (Kansas State Department of Education), Lisa Harney (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) and Erin Jacques (Boston Public Schools).

This video was prepared under Contract 91990023C0003 by REL Southwest and administered by the American Institutes for Research through funding from the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.

The Impact of Black and Latino Men in Education [Webinar]

This event provides a space for Black and Latino men who are current and aspiring educators to hear directly from five distinguished professionals as they share their journeys in education. The speakers will offer personal and professional insights on navigating the field and discuss key topics related to their experiences in teaching and leadership.

Speakers include:

Chimere Stephens, Senior Director of Recruitment for New York City Public Schools & Director of NYC Men Teach

Cristian E Gallardo, Dallas ISD’s 2024 Teacher of the Year

Jason Acosta, Deputy Senior Director of Recruitment for New York City Public Schools

Mark A Joseph, Recruitment & Retention Coordinator, Call Me Mister

Facilitator: Jeremy Davis, All-Regions Senior Program Manager

More info: https://teach.org

Start Your FAFSA® Form

The first and most important step to take on your federal student aid journey is submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form.

Set yourself up for success: Know what to expect when you start the FAFSA form. This includes logging in, understanding the form, verifying personal information, and providing consent and approval for the transfer of federal tax information.

When you submit your completed FAFSA form, you’ll get an email confirming that we received your form with preliminary information related to your eligibility for federal student aid. You’ll receive your full financial aid offer(s) from the schools that you listed on your FAFSA form and were accepted to.

Pro tip: We strongly recommend that students start and complete their sections of the FAFSA form first to save time and prevent errors. For more tips on completing the form, visit: https://StudentAid.gov/fafsatips

Learn more about the FAFSA process: https://StudentAid.gov/apply-for-aid/...

Start your FAFSA form: https://fafsa.gov

Complete the Financials Section of the FAFSA® Form

When completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, you’ll need to provide information in the “Your Finances” section.

Understand what questions you’ll be asked and what information you’ll need to provide. Colleges, career schools, and trade schools use your FAFSA information to determine eligibility for several types of financial aid.

Pro tip: We strongly recommend that you, the student, start and complete your sections of the FAFSA form first to save time and prevent errors. For more tips on completing the form, visit: https://StudentAid.gov/fafsatips

Learn more about the FAFSA process: https://StudentAid.gov/fillingout

Start your FAFSA form: https://fafsa.gov

Watch the entire playlist:    • Completing the FAFSA® Form