District Administration - October 2011 - (Page D2)

Welcome to Disney’s Planet Challenge A message from Christiane Maertens, Program Manager of Disney’s Planet Challenge, Corporate Citizenship, The Walt Disney Company It is with great excitement that I announce Disney’s Planet Challenge (DPC) is back for its third year, and with it we are bringing all kinds of additions and surprises! We’re offering new and exclusive trips that put the grand in Grand Prize and joining forces with our partner program, Disney’s Friends for Change, to bring even more opportunities to your students’ fingertips. DPC encourages elementary and middle school students across the nation to plan and implement ventures to benefit the environment and their local communities. Kids become good citizens while using their imagination and creativity, and in the process, they make the world a better place. We are thrilled and proud to share compelling research that shows something we suspected all along! Classrooms and students who have participated in previous Planet Challenge competitions perform better in school, express themselves more confidently and are keenly aware of their personal responsibility to society and the power they have to change it. (See page 3.) Our unique, free program helps kids learn science the fun way—by getting dirt under their fingernails and sweat on their brows—while reminding them they have the brain power and muscle power to get the job done. Check out pages 4 and 5 to see two inspiring examples. But the kids need you—their teachers and administrators—to encourage and support them. You can do so confidently, knowing lessons can be tailored to state standards and can include all subjects, including oral language, history and even performing arts. More importantly, you will get a front-row seat in a scene that showcases the amazing power of can-do spirit as your kids take a spark of an idea and make it burn brightly for their school, their community and their planet. So go ahead, help your students imagine the planet they want for their future—and let Disney help make it happen. Sincerely, Christiane Small steps add up to big change when kids get involved Disney’s Friends for Change offers online help, encouragement Disney’s Planet Challenge is teaming up with Disney’s Friends for Change as the in-school edition of a multi-platform initiative that inspires kids and their friends to make a positive impact on their world. Information and useful toolkits are available at www.disney.com/projectgreen to encourage kids to help people, their community and the planet. While visiting the website, kids and their friends can: • Pledge to take specific, daily actions (for example: recycling, drinking from a reusable bottle, eating locally grown vegetables); learn why these actions matter; and 2 see how their collective actions add up in a big way • Apply for grants to complete projects in their own community, through a partnership with Youth Service America Friends for Change has more than 4 million actions taken by youngsters in 33 countries throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, Japan, India and China. In addition, Disney has donated $4 million to more than 50 projects, ranging from educational and community programs to species and habitat protection. http://www.disney.com/projectgreen

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2011

District Administration - October 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Transportation Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Building a Blended Learning Program
How Are Science Fairs Fairing?
A New Age for Algebra
Early College High Schools
Changing of the Guard in Florida
CIO News
How Much Computing Power Do You Need?
An Unconventional Approach to 1:1
New Books
Problem/ Solution
Research Center
Product Focus
New Products
Professional Opinion
Going Mobile
Online Edge

District Administration - October 2011