RETN Newsletter-Winter '06 pg. 1

Don’t forget that Cook Children’s Hospital is an RETN member and has the distinction of being a content enhancement program and education outreach provider as well as a receiving site for students.
As a school district: For students who are required to stay at Cook Children’s for extended treatments, connecting back to their home campus can provide a virtual “cheer me up." These students can also participate in virtual field trips with outside providers to expand their school experiences while at Cook. When they are ready to return home, the patients' “re-entry” back to their home campus is eased by a videoconference visit with their Child Life Specialist and their friends and classmates at home, preparing everyone for what to expect from the transition.
As a provider: Cook Children's can deliver professional development for staff and content programs for students, which provides unique opportunities for RETN members. Summer Safety is an example of a previous program for students delivered by Cook to school districts. Their inaugural professional development event will be held on February 10th & 11th for Auditory Impaired personnel and delivered to ESCs around the state.

Please contact the RETN staff if you need to videoconference with Cook Children’s Hospital or if you are interested in scheduling professional development or student programs!

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Upcoming Professional Development Events!

Throughout the school year, there are a number of professional development events that are broadcast to districts via videoconferencing. Click here for additional information concerning professional development opportunities.

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RETN Board Meetings
The RETN Board is the governing body for the Region Eleven Telecommunications Network. Click here for more information regarding these meetings.

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How can you find out what events are being delivered via the RETN videoconferencing network?
Check the monthly calendar for information regarding scheduled programs and upcoming events.

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Join the Connect2Texas Listserv!

If you would like to receive Connect2Texas information and program updates via e-mail, please contact Lori Hamm at lhamm@esc11.net to be added to the listserv.

Don’t forget that Cook Children’s Hospital is an RETN member and has the distinction of being a content enhancement program and education outreach provider as well as a receiving site for students. As a school district: For students who are required to stay at Cook Children’s for extended treatments, connecting back to their home campus can provide a virtual “cheer me up." These students can also participate in virtual field trips with outside providers to expand their school experiences while at Cook. When they are ready to return home, the patients' “re-entry” back to their home campus is eased by a videoconference visit with their Child Life Specialist and their friends and classmates at home, preparing everyone for what to expect from the transition. As a provider: Cook Children's can deliver professional development for staff and content programs for students, which provides unique opportunities for RETN members. Summer Safety is an example of a previous program for students delivered by Cook to school districts. Their inaugural professional development event will be held on February 10th & 11th for Auditory Impaired personnel and delivered to ESCs around the state. Please contact the RETN staff if you need to videoconference with Cook Children’s Hospital or if you are interested in scheduling professional development or student programs! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Upcoming Professional Development Events! Throughout the school year, there are a number of professional development events that are broadcast to districts via videoconferencing. Click here for additional information concerning professional development opportunities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RETN Board Meetings The RETN Board is the governing body for the Region Eleven Telecommunications Network. Click here for more information regarding these meetings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How can you find out what events are being delivered via the RETN videoconferencing network? Check the monthly calendar for information regarding scheduled programs and upcoming events. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join the Connect2Texas Listserv! If you would like to receive Connect2Texas information and program updates via e-mail, please contact Lori Hamm at lhamm@esc11.net to be added to the listserv.	ESC Region XI Receives Second RUS Grant! On December 5th, after 10 months of waiting, the Region Eleven Telecommunications Network (RETN) received notification that it was successful in its grant application to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a $500,000 Rural Utilities Services (RUS) grant. Click here for more about this exciting award. Texas Wildlife Association Partnership Bluff Dale ISD and Peaster ISD are currently participating in L.A.N.D.S. (Learning Across New Dimensions in Science), sponsored by the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA). Through fun lesson plans, outdoor laboratories, and virtual field trips, seventh- and eighth-grade students are learning about human and wildlife habitats beyond what the traditional science classroom offers. Students were able to videoconference with a wildlife biologist at the King Ranch and completed a quail necropsy while learning about the anatomy and effects of the quail habitat on the anatomy of the quail. Students then visited a ranch where quail live and learned more about the environment, predators, and life of the quail. TWA plans to offer another round of L.A.N.D.S. next school year. To determine if your campus qualifies for participation, contact Gerri Maglia at gmaglia@esc11.net or (817) 740-3607. For more information about the Texas Wildlife Assocation, visit their Web site at http://www.texas-wildlife.org.
	Distance Learning Educator Conference Education Service Center Region XI October 18, 2006 Fort Worth, TX Are We There Yet? Make plans to attend next year's conference scheduled for October 18, 2006, at ESC Region XI. Plans are already underway to make this a bigger and better event! Click here for more information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sun, Moon, Earth: Texas Connects! On Friday, December 9th, students from Castleberry ISD and Denton ISD participated in the statewide videoconference “Sun, Moon, Earth: Texas Connects!” sponsored by TETN and the 20 Education Service Centers. Students conducted videoconference presentations and activities focused on how the sun, moon and Earth all play a role in the seasons, weather, ocean tides, and other areas of Earth science. The students in Castleberry and Denton did a wonderful job and represented Region XI exceptionally well! Bravo! Plans are underway for the next Texas Connects event possibly in May. Watch for the next RETN newsletter for more details. For more information, visit the Texas Connects Web site at http://texasconnects.esc2.net.
Each newsletter will announce a contest winner and his or her reward for the RETN District Support Award! Winter '06 Contest Winner Richard Hooper Ponder ISD Site Manager Click here for contest info..	Schedule Changes Many schools participate in college dual-enrollment, high school, and graduate courses throughout the year. Sometimes schedule changes occur because of holidays, testing, etc. Please notify the RETN helpdesk at (817) 740-7616 if your site will not be in class or if any date/time changes are needed for testing purposes. Also, advanced notification of schedule changes and holiday closures ensures we have technical assistance scheduled. The RETN staff appreciates your assistance with this matter.

For more information and to see a listing of programs, events, courses, sites, and the designated Site Manager, visit the RETN Web site. www.esc11.net/retn To quickly see what events are scheduled in a month-at-a-glance format, check out our monthly event calendar.
Click here to find previous newsletter issues.	Click here for page 2


RETN Newsletter Page 1	Vol. 4 - Winter Issue 2006