Open House & Extraordinary Art Show - May 10th, 2016

Come on out and see what’s happening at Extraordinary Education this summer and next fall at our final Open House & Meet the Teacher event this spring. All families both old and new are invited to come out and talk with teachers about their fall classes and summer camps. BRING A FRIEND!
EE art students will also be hosting their Spring Art Show during the Open House from 6:00-8:30pm. Come enjoy these amazing works of art and help support our extraordinary students!
MEET THE TEACHERS & OPEN HOUSE​ TUESDAY, MAY 10th
6:00-8:30 – ART SHOW! 6:00-7:30 – NEW FAMILY OVERVIEW
6:00-8:30 – MEET THE TEACHERS
Open House/Meet the Teacher events are an opportunity for families to talk with teachers in an informal atmosphere. They are designed to allow parents and students to meet the teachers, gather information about their classes and ask questions to help them determine the best classes for their needs. Parents can find out about curriculum, workload expectations, course objectives and more.
A New Family Overview will take place from 6:00-7:30 pm on the evening of Open House. This meeting is offered to help new families understand how our program works and answer common questions. All families are expected to attend a New Family Overview before enrolling in fall classes. (This meeting is not required for those only enrolling in summer camps.)
Meet the Teachers will take place from 6:00-8:30 pm, and will be a bit different this year. Teachers will be set up with displays and information about their classes in classrooms around the campus. A map will be provided when you arrive. This arrangement will allow families to tour the facilities and meet with teachers at the same time. (Please note that children must stay with a parent at all times!)
RAIN NOTICE - In case of very rainy weather on the evening of the event, all activities will take place in the portable buildings only.

MakerBarn Grand Opening June 2016

Mark Your Calendars for the MakerBarn Grand Opening in June 2016!
Watch for more details to come.

What We've Been Up To:
We're nearing the finish line! Volunteers cleaned up to make room as we brought in more equipment over the past weeks, including a 15" planer, a 11x26" manual metal lathe, an additional laser cutter, and a 42" wide carriage inkjet printer. We've worked on drywall, electrical, roof trim, venting systems, and compressed air systems.

The EIL Robotics team's area has been concreted and a wall built to close it in. By next week, we'll be texturing and painting as we finish out the Electronics & Science Lab and the Craft/Framing shop upstairs.

Remember, this is a completely volunteer led project and, to show our gratitude to everyone who has come out to lend a hand, we will host a volunteer appreciation lunch and demo on Sunday, May 1st, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. It is really extraordinary what our volunteers have accomplished and built for their community. I hope you can join us in celebrating Montgomery County's first makerspace!

Pre-opening membership pricing is available for a few more weeks. You can sign up on our website via paypal or by contacting Jeanie using the link below.

Work Days – Fridays & Saturdays in April
Apr 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 & 30 - 9am-1pm (or until we're done)
We'll be continuing our normal work days throughout April. We'll hang the rest of the drywall this week and then hopefully texture and paint next weekend. Lighting and flooring are all that remains after that. Follow the drive to the end. Barn is located behind the portable buildings. (Additional work days may be added, including some evening hours. Watch the website calendar for details.)

Maker Meetup at Extraordinary Education Thurs, Apr 14th and 28th, 7pm-8:30pm
We invite you to come hang out with us, take a tour of the Barn progress, get your questions answered and just get to know your maker community. We'll meet in the portable closest to the Barn, and/or in the Barn. Every 2nd & 4th Thursday.


Maker Lunch at Fuddruckers Thurs, Apr 21st, 12pm-1pm
This is a great time to build relationships with fellow makers. Everyone is welcome. Look for us in the back room. Located at 2290 Buckthorne Place, The Woodlands TX

Purchasing a Maker Barn Membership now will help us acquire needed materials while securing your membership at over 15% off.  This offer ends soon! To pay with credit card, go to our website or contact Jeanie for more details.

EE is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible. If you have tools you would be willing to donate to the Maker Barn, or if you have access to materials that could be donated, please contact George.

Contact Jeanie about Membership
Contact George about Tool & Material Donations

EARLY Robotics Team Winners!

In the final head to head battle of the 2016 Spring EARLY Robotics Tournament in Huntsville, TX it was EE Gearhead Sharks vs EE Gearhead Sharks! Extraordinary Education’s EARLY Robotics Team took 2 robots to competition on Saturday, April 9, each created and driven by two different student teams – The Gold Team and the Silver Team. With 13 teams in attendance at the contest, our two teams took both 1st Place and 2nd Place in the Board Competition.

The teams also competed in a special on-site challenge called the Teamwork Competition. Given surprise materials, the students had to build an object.  This year's object was the tallest freestanding tower made from paper, tape, a yardstick, and toothpicks. The Silver team tied for 1st place with three other teams in the first round, and to break the tie, a new object was presented to the teams. In the end, the Gearhead Sharks Silver Team won 2nd Place.

What an extraordinary effort! Please be sure to congratulate these students when you see them!


1st Place Board Challenge Gearhead Sharks
“Gold Team” (These guys also scored
the high score for the day!) From Left to Right:
Luke Pollan and Colby Shilling



2nd Place Board Challenge
Gearhead Sharks
“Silver Team”
From Left to Right:
Caden and Jack Alderson



2nd Place Teamwork Challenge
Gearhead Sharks
“Silver Team”
From Left to Right:
Caden and Jack Alderson

EARLY Robotics Spring 2016 Team
From left to right - Ion Powell, Colby Shilling, Luke Pollan,
Jack and Caden Alderson, Todd Powell

EARLY Robotics Spring 2016 Class
From left to right FRONT ROW: Colby Shilling, Ashton Lucas, Luke Pollan, Mathew Uzzell, Jack Alderson, Ian Picard, Caden Alderson.
BACK ROW: Ion Powell (Asst. Coach), Todd Powell (Coach)

Extraordinary Efforts at PSIA Contest

Many Extraordinary Education  students competed in the Private Schools Interscholastic Assocation District 12AA Contest on Saturday, April 2nd, 2016. The team chose to compete in the AA tournament which is for larger schools, so the competition was very tough and placing is more difficult. Our students did quite well though and earned many awards. A number of students also qualified for the State PSIA Contest to be held at TCU in Fort Worth on April 30th. Special thanks to our PSIA Campus coordinator, Kuovonne Vorderbruggen. It is a huge task to coordinate this event, and she did a fantastic job!

Be sure to congratulate these students when you see them!

Alina Rodriguez
2nd Place - Vocabulary 6th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED
2nd Place - On-site Drawing 6th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED
2nd Place - Ready Writing 6th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED

Eva Alvarado
1st Place - Vocabulary 6th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED
2nd Place - Spelling 6th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED
3rd Place - Listening Skills 6th-8th Grade - STATE ALTERNATE

Preston Morgan
1st Place - On-site Drawing 8th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED

Gracie Sawyer
1st Place - Poetry Interpretation 7th-8th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED

Kiki Vorderbruggen
1st Place - Ready Writing 7th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED

Abby Brown
2nd Place - On-site Drawing 8th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED

Carlos Rodriguez
2nd Place – Maps, Graphs and Charts 4th Grade - STATE QUALIFIED

Samuel Rodriguez
2nd Place - Creative Writing 1st Grade - STATE ALTERNATE

Spencer Martin
3rd Place - Spelling 7th-8th Grade - STATE ALTERNATE

Olivia Salinas
3rd Place – Maps, Graphs and Charts 5th Grade - STATE ALTERNATE

Zoe Pool
6th Place - On-site Drawing 6th Grade

Evan Rice
6th Place – Maps, Graphs and Charts 8th Grade

Catherine Salinas
6th Place - Dictionary Skills 6th-8th

Alexa Underwood
6th Place - Ready Writing 7th Grade

Note: Some of our EE students also competed as individual homeschoolers in another district. Unfortunately, I did not received a report of those awards. We will update everyone when we have more news!

Celebrate EE's 10th Anniversary “Diamond Jubiliee”!

We're having a "homecoming" for our tenth anniversary! All past and present EE families, students, and teachers are invited to our Diamond Jubilee Celebration on Friday, April 22nd and Saturday, April 23rd, 2016 to be held at New Hope Christian Church, 7575 Alden Bridge Drive, The Woodlands!!!  Mark your calendars now -- and share the good news!

Friday, April 22nd
7:00 PM - "Dare to Dream 2" , our Spring Show, has something for everyone -- singing, dancing, lots of comedy, a little drama -- and best of all -- you will get to see your friends and teachers in the show! Prepare to be awed!!!!
Afterward, enjoy dessert and fellowship, take pictures with a Disney princess, try your luck at winning a family horseback riding package, an acupuncture package, a Disney party package and much more. 

Saturday, April 23rd
12:00 noon - 12:45 PM - Enjoy "Lite-bites" (finger food, light refreshments) and fellowship, take pictures with a Disney princess, try your luck at winning a family horseback riding package, an acupuncture package, a Disney party package and much more.
1:00 PM - "Dare to Dream 2", our Spring show, has something for everyone -- singing, dancing, lots of comedy, a little drama -- and best of all -- you will get to see your friends and teachers in the show! 

Tickets for either event are just $5.00/ea and can be purchased from the House Mom or Mrs. Campbell.

We promise that you will be happy you joined us to celebrate our ten year anniversary -- and don't forget to invite your family and friends, especially if they have ever attended EE, to come with you. 

Fall 2016 Enrollment Update

We know everyone is anxious to start registering for Fall 2016 classes! Please know that our staff has been working very hard to get everything set up in the system. There are lots of details and only limited hands to get things done. The system should now be up running for folks to view class descriptions and other class information. Currently enrolled families should also be able to begin registration at this time. New families will be allowed to register in two weeks, after our current families have had a chance.

Please note that the registration process is somewhat different for the Fall 2016/Spring 2017 enrollment. All families, both current and new, are required to complete a Membership Application prior to registration. After completing this application, your information will be reviewed, and your access to the registration system will be activated. You will also have to agree to various policies when signing in to your ClassJuggler account in addition to the questions on the application. All of these steps are designed to help avoid confusion and misunderstandings later in the year.

In addition to completing the Membership Application and selecting classes in ClassJuggler, your child’s registration for core classes such as Math, English, Science and History, will not be approved by the Registrar until documentation is provided to establish that the child is on level for the classes in which they are enrolling.  Documentation can be a note from the child’s current EE teacher or one of various methods outlined on the EE website. If you are in need of placement testing, there is still time to register to take the Stanford Achievement Test in May with EE. Please send a message to the coordinator, Eve Geiger at egeiger@extraed.org for information about Stanford Testing. If you are registering for a dual credit class offered at EE, your child must also pass a placement test given at Lone Star and complete additional registration steps with Lone Star as well.

Extraordinary Mock Trial State Results

After winning the Region 6 competition in January, The Extraordinary Education "EXCEED Academy" Mock Trial Team competed at the Texas High School Mock Trial State Contest in Dallas on March 4th-5th, 2016. Once again, the team represented EE very well and earned recognition in several categories. Although the team did not advance to the finals, they did win 1 out of 4 rounds with many of their losing ballots only within 1-2 points difference. The competition was very close.

Pictured from left to right - Front Row: Jason Eaton, Arin Yost, Matthew Jones; Back Row: Madi Arnold, Jackson Davidson, Ion Powell, Jacob Johnson

Arin Yost was recognized as a finalist for Outstanding Advocate and many other team members earned nominations for outstanding roles. Each judge can only nominate one person for an award per round, so receiving a nominations is quite an accomplishment. Our students earned MANY nominations!

• Arin Yost
  • 7 Outstanding Advocate Nominations
  • Finalist for Overall Outstanding Advocate
• Ion Powell
  • 3 Outstanding Witness Nominations
• Jacob Johnson
  • 2 Outstanding Witness Nominations
• Jason Eaton
  • 2 Outstanding Witness Nominations
• Madi Arnold
  • 1 Outstanding Witness Nomination

The team will be looking for a few additional members for the Fall 2016-Spring 2017 contest. Be sure to register for the Mock Trial class so you can be part of this award-winning team next year!

CLASSES CANCELLED 3/10/16 due to High Water

Please be advised that classes at Extraordinary Education are cancelled today, Thursday, March 10, 2016, due to high water in the area around the school and in the areas where our families and teachers have to travel to get to class. Rain is forecast to continue through lunch, so road conditions are not likely to improve until later in the day. Enjoy your spring break and we will see you back in two weeks!

Current high water road closures:

• FM-2920 AT SH 249/ TOMBALL PKY - Road closed due to flooding on FM-2920 FM 2920 Rd both ways at TX-249 Bus State Highway 249. Reported on: Mar 10, 2016 4:13 AM
• SH-249 Southbound at DECKER PRAIRIE - Hazardous driving conditions due to flooding on TX-249 State Highway 249 Southbound at Decker Prairie Rd. Reported on: Mar 10, 2016 4:28 AM
• Hardin Store: Several areas underwater
• Dobbin Hufsmith Road: Areas closed due to high water
• Carraway Lane: High water on the road

Waller ISD says it will be closed today, Thursday, due to poor rood conditions. Both schools and offices will be closed.

Magnolia ISD:  Alternative bus stops in effect due to high water, but classes will be held as normal.

REFERENCES:
http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/roadclosures/

http://abc13.com/education/waller-isd-closed-shepherd-isd-on-2-hour-delay/1239526/

http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2016/03/10/thursday-school-closures/81572804/

Texas History Field Trip Opportunity

San Jacinto Day Battle Reenactment and Festival
Saturday, April 23, 2016
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site in La Porte, TX

Booming cannons, cracking musket fire, thundering hooves and battle cries will resound across the San Jacinto Battleground as hundreds of history reenactors recreate the events leading up to Texas winning its independence at the decisive Battle of San Jacinto. The festival begins with a ceremony commemorating the battle’s anniversary held on the northern steps of the San Jacinto Monument.

SCHEDULE
10 AM: Celebration of San Jacinto
10 AM – 2 PM: Demonstrations of army and civilian life
3 PM: Re-enactment of Battle and Surrender

INFORMATION
For more information, visit the following websites:
http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/ 
http://www.texasarmy.org/events/san-jacinto-day-battle-reenactment-and-festival

LOCATION
San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site
3523 Independence Pkwy
La Porte, TX 77571
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/san_jacinto_battleground/

Homeschool Family Expo 2/27/16

We hope your family is making plans to attend the HomeschoolFamily Expo this Saturday! Extraordinary Education is one of the presenting sponsors of this event. 
EE will have a booth and we will be handing out the preliminary FALL SCHEDULE at our booth! If you want to get an early peek at the schedule, come out and visit us at the Expo! You will also find tons of information about local organizations and resources for homeschoolers and many family fun activities. See below for details.

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Homeschool Family Expo
Saturday, February 27, 2016
10:00am - 4:00pm
Klein ISD Multipurpose Center
7500 FM 2920 Rd.
Spring, TX 77379

The 3rd annual Homeschool Family Expo is this weekend! Thanks to all our sponsors and supporters for making this event possible. This year's Expo is produced by WoodlandsMommy.com and presented by: Extraordinary Education, Legends Sports Complex, Usborne Books & More, and Classical Conversations.

If you have not signed up to attend this FREE event, please RSVP now so we can know to expect you:

_________________________________________

Here's our schedule for the day!

Business Exhibitor / Vendor booths open
10:00am - 4:00pm

Get to know dozens of businesses in our Homeschool Community - schools, co-ops, sports, social groups, educational services, business & shopping opportunties, and more!

Family Literature Fair
10:00am - 4:00pm

Check out the projects submitted by local homeschool families. We'll announce a Grand Prize winner at 1:00pm.

Student Commerce Fair 
10:00am - 4:00pm

Come shop the unique offerings of the Student Commerce Fair and support our local homeschoolers selling everything from paper airplanes to bracelets and beyond. Two different shifts (10:00am - 12:45pm and 1:15pm - 3:00pm) totaling  approximately 45 student booths!

Homeschool Moms Help Session
10:15am - 11:15am

Questions? We've got answers! Come hear from experienced homeschool mothers from all walks of life regarding scheduling, homeschooling fears, designing your homeschool unique to your family, and the paradigm shift all parents must make when homeschooling. Forum-style - bring your questions here. Presented by P91 Homeschool Consulting.

"How Children Learn Naturally"
11:30am - 12:00pm
by Rebecca Handlon-Miller

A brief overview of a Charlotte-Mason-style education. Learn about the CM philosophy,  have a peek into what a typical day/week looks like with this style, and see if it's right for your family.

Homeschool Family Mixer
12:00pm - 1:00pm

We have a fun mixer activity planned for our attendees during this hour of the event. Get to know other families and take home some great door prizes!

Concessions Open
11:00am - 3:00pm

Make sure you hang around for lunch, presented by Holy Smoke's BBQ & Catering! There will be link sandwiches, chopped beef sandwiches, grilled chicken breast sandwiches, grilled chicken breast salads, and of course - kid's packs.

Robotics Demonstration
1:15pm
Presented by Woodlands Children's Museum

"Homeschool as a Life Style"

2:00pm - 2:30pm

Are you treating homeschooling as just a "side job"? Learn to Homeschool as a Life Style with Homeschool Resource Network - including tips for curriculum building, learning style identification, goal setting, incorporating travel into the homeschool journey, and more.

"The Independent Learner"
3:00pm - 3:45pm

by Johnnie Seago