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Can robots save our world’s climate issues? Maybe not robots, but our students from Oak Hill Elementary are going to try! Oak Hill now has our very first ever FIRST LEGO League team - the RoBros! The team is made up of several 5^th grade boys, ages 10 and 11. They are researching, designing, programming and building a Lego NXT Mindstorm robot to compete in the FIRST LEGO League qualifying competition, which will be held December 6^th at Hill Country Middle School.

The 10th Anniversary FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge – "Climate Connections" will focus on robotic solutions and research projects that will address global climate issues. With more than 135,000 children (from 40 countries, ranging in age from 9 to 14), expected to participate, this Challenge will be the largest to date. FFL was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

"Climate Connections" is a two-part Challenge. In The Project phase, teams will conduct research to identify a problem caused by climate in their area, analyze climate data about the problem, create an innovative solution, and share their research and solution with their community. In The Robot Game, teams will apply science and engineering to master complex missions related to the study of climate. One of our students commented, "It’s really fun to work with LEGO Robots because you come up with your own ideas and then test the robots to see if the ideas work. I get together with a bunch of friends and we do it all by ourselves! No parents!"

"Climate Connections" is giving our children a hands-on, minds-on, real-world experience allowing them to use their imaginations and creativity in combination with science and technology. In addition, the competition gives them an opportunity to work together to experience first-hand the challenges faced by some of the world’s leading scientists. As a result of these competitions, FLL participants develop the curiosity, creative problem-solving skills, and confidence needed to face tomorrow’s challenges. The RoBros have selected as their focus "Slow Go on the H20". The team has come up with some innovative solutions to Austin’s water conservation issues.

"For 10 years, our annual Challenges have put kids in the driver’s seat to explore and test solutions in a fun and engaging way. FLL kids are what our society needs to build the workforce of the future in an increasingly competitive global marketplace," said Dean Kamen, FIRST founder.

One of our OHE team members talked about how exciting it was when they accomplished the mission that first time. The mom commented on how they were jumping up and down and screaming and the student said, "This is what the NASA team must have felt like when the Shuttle lifted off the first time!!!"

While this is Oak Hill’s first pilot program team, we are hoping to build the program in the years to come by adding more teams and recruiting sponsors to show the world the creativity and skills that we have at Oak Hill! We would also like to thank Mindy Thompson for sponsoring the RoBros.

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Reflections Gallery
By Beth Griesmer

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H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards
Article Courtesy of Austin Networking Group, Las Comadres

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2009 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. The deadline for the teaching and principal nominations is Friday, November 21, 2008, and the deadline for the school district nominations is Friday, January 2, 2009.

For the first time in the award's eight-year history, nominations are being accepted online at www.heb.com/education. Nomination forms can also be picked up at any H-E-B store. Parents, students, and colleagues are strongly encouraged to nominate their favorite teacher, principal or school district. Self-nominations are also welcome.

The Teaching Awards fall into three categories: Rising Star: less than 10 years of classroom experience; Leadership: 10-20 years of classroom experience; and Lifetime Achievement: more than 20 years of classroom experience.

The Principal Awards are granted to one elementary principal and one secondary principal. The School District awards go to one large school district (4A or 5A) and one small district (1A, 2A or 3A).

The H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards program was launched in 2002 as a strong way to support public education in Texas. It is a personal initiative of H-E-B CEO and Chairman, Charles Butt, who implemented the program to highlight the outstanding practices of Texas public schools and spotlight and celebrate the work of Texas educators. Since its inception, the program has handed out more than $3 million to 773 educators and 155 schools and districts across the state.

Visit www.heb.com/education for more information.

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OHE PTA Publicity Plug!

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to the following individuals for submitting articles and information for publication in The Eagle Eye. Without these wonderful volunteers, this e-newsletter would not be possible!


You, too, can get involved! We have an immediate need for volunteers to cover the following events:

• Nov. 18, Magnet & Ann Richard's School Presentations, 5th grade, Cafeteria 10am
• Nov. 19–21, Science Fair
• Dec 1-5, Book Fair
• Dec 4, Choir Program (8-8:30am, 9-9:30am, 7-8pm)
• Dec 5, Docent for Ballet talks to 3rd Grade - Cafeteria, 2 p.m.
• Dec 9, 3rd Grade Field Trip - Ballet Austin, 10 a.m.
• Dec 11, 5th Grade Program (8-8:45am, 9-9:45a)
• Dec 11, 5th Grade Program & PTA General Meeting (8am, 9am, 7pm)
• Dec 12, Friday Morning Assembly, 7:30am.
• Dec 12, Annex Assembly, 1:30pm
• Dec 15, CAC Meeting, Library, 3pm

To volunteer or for more information send email to Ileana Abounader at publicity@ohepta.org.