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You are here: Home / Archives for Junior High

Robotics Team Qualifies For State!

March 1, 2016

One Wylie Junior High Robotics team is advancing to the TCEA State Competition and another is hoping to grab a wild card spot after both placed in the area competition in January.

The 8th-grade team of Eden Sauley, Esther Santee and Maddie Davis, who call themselves Team Gotham, won 1st place in their category at the Texas Computer Educator’s Association area competition in Clyde. The first place finish gives them an automatic bid to state.

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The Robotics Team of Eden Sauley, Esther Santee and Maddie Davis pose with their medals and trophy.

The team of Anthony Zhang, Alek Poradek and Sameer Haider finished in 2nd place. Only first place is guaranteed a spot, but the state will chose a certain number of 2nd place teams as wild cards. The team will not know if they qualified as a wild card until all of the area competitions are completed statewide.

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Anthony Zhang, Alek Poradek and Sameer Haider finished 2nd.

The state competition is April 30 in the Austin area.

Wylie can only send four teams to the area competition, so the competition within Wylie is fierce to see who can go. Students must participate in the Wylie Junior High Investigative Math and Science class to participate.

The students team up in groups of three or four and build a robot from a Lego Mindstorm kit. They must program the robot to perform certain tasks. The students spend many hours building, programming and practicing.

“We would work on it in class, and sometimes we would work on it before school,” Maddie said.

At competition, the robots must perform tasks, such as moving cones with a waffle ball on top of them, from one area to another. Each team gets three attempts at the challenge, and fortunately for Team Gotham, they had an almost perfect first attempt.

“Our 1st run at competition was great,” Eden said. “But our 2nd and 3rd didn’t go great.”

The team scored 600 out of 700 points in the first run, which took some pressure off the next two rounds.

“A bunch of the weight came off our shoulders because we knew we had a good score,” Esther said.

It is common for problems to occur during the competition – robots don’t always do what you expect them to do.

“We like to say that sometimes our robot has emotional issues,” Maddie said.

The girls do not get to have any contact with coach Shana Hrbacek between their runs, so it is up to them to decide how to improve on the first run or how to solve problems that occur.

“We look to see if it was the programming that messed up or if it was the placement of the robot,” Esther said. “

Alek said that fixing problems that occur is one of the biggest challenges of the competition.

“There is always something that happens,” he said. “The robot never acts the same. We don’t know why. You have to get creative.”

Anthony agreed.

“If one thing fails, you kind of have to think how to get it done,” he said. “It’s all about balancing your time versus getting the task done.”

“You have to know what your programming does,” Sameer said.

Eden and Esther both went to state last year, and they are hoping that the experienced gained will help them do better this year.

“Last year, we changed up our program a lot at the last minute,” Eden said. “This year, we are going to start early instead of rushing at the end.”

They hope to place in the Top 20.

“I think we will be more prepared and focused this year,” Esther said. “I just want to do better than last year.”

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Olivia Lynch, Leighton Alford and Evan Armstrong also competed at area.

Wylie also had two other teams selected to compete at the Area Competition. They were Olivia Lynch, Leighton Alford and Evan Armstrong and Kyle Lang, Katye Phillips and Daniella Lintini.

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Kyle Lang, Katye Phillips and Daniella Lintini also competed at area.

 

Filed Under: Intermediate, Junior High Tagged With: intermediate, jr high, robotics

DI’s Runway of Terror Turns CarnEvil

October 19, 2015

Some of Wylie’s most creative students have used the more scary side of their imaginations to cook up a host of new horrors for this year’s Runway of Terror.

The annual haunted house is a fundraiser for Wylie’s Destination Imagination program, and the fun starts Oct 9.

This year’s theme is CarnEvil.

“It’s a carnival/circus theme,” said Trisha Eichler, a longtime DI volunteer who heads up the effort. “We’ve got a lot of different things. We’ve got clowns of course. We’ve got your midway and a big top – stuff you would see at a carnival. We’ve been planning it since November.”

Runway of Terror is open from 8 p.m. to midnight every Friday and Saturday evening from Oct. 9 until Oct. 31. Cost is $10 per person; however DI is offering discounts for any police officer or firefighter with credentials.

DI-HauntedHouse

All ages are welcome.

“We’ve had little kids come through that love it, and we’ve had adults that were terrified,” Eichler said. “We try to keep it family friendly.”

Runway of Terror is located at 4886 Newman Road. To get there from the Wylie area, take Loop 322 North toward I-20. When you reach I-20, go under the overpass and turn right. The haunted house is about a mile or so down the feeder road. The turn for Newman road is just past the Blue Stop building. Head up Newman Road about half a mile and the hangar is on the left.
For more information, go to runwayofterror.com or see their Facebook page at www.facebook/runwayofterror or call (325) 261-0723

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Fall Festival Fun

Wylie is the place to be for Fall Festivals as many churches host some type of fun fall event. Here are the ones we knew of as of our press deadline in September. Look for additions on our Facebook page as other events are planned.

 

Beltway Park Baptist Church

Beltway Park Baptist Church, 4009 Beltway South, will host its annual Barn Dance from 5-7:30 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 31.

Special guest at the event will be FX Live!, an interactive game show for the whole family. The event also will include bounce houses, games, prizes, food and much more.

Admission to the event is one canned food item per person.

 

Zion Lutheran Church

Zion Lutheran Church will have a different twist for its Fall Festival.

The church will have one service at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct.25, followed by a German style dinner around 11:15 a.m. The event will include an auction by the church youth to help raise money for their Panama mission trip.

 

Wylie Baptist Church

Wylie Baptist Church Children’s Ministry will host a “Trunk or Treat on Oct. 25 from 5-6 p.m. in the parking lot behind the church just north of Wylie’s Early Childhood Center.

The event will include hot dogs, drinks and popcorn.

For more details, contact the church office at 692-3206.

 

Filed Under: Community News, ECC, Elementary, High School, Intermediate, Junior High, Middle School Tagged With: destination imagination, feature, featured, halloween

Ten Tips For Surviving Back To School

August 6, 2015

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Wylie students soon will be heading back to school, and already the district is gearing up for a new year.  At the high school, band students are participating in early morning practices; football players are toiling in the heat, and the volleyball teams are starting their seasons. Cross Country and tennis players also are back at work.

At the other campuses, teachers are preparing their classrooms, and district administrators are putting the finishing touches on repairs and improvements that were accomplished during the summer.

School starts Aug. 24, and parents also need to be preparing for the big day. Here are 10 tips that can help.

 

  1. Register New Students

New Student Registration is Aug. 6 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Wylie High School, 4502 Antilley Road. After Aug. 6, families can register at the Wylie Administration Office from 9-11 a.m. or from 1-3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Administration Office is located between the Early Childhood Center and the old gym at the corner of Buffalo Gap Road and Antilley.

Parents can speed up the registration process by filling out some of the paperwork online before heading to the school to register. Go to the Wylie website at www.wyliebulldogs.org and click on the enrollment tab at right. Your registration time will be considerably shorter if you will do this PRIOR to coming to register.

When you do come to register, please bring proof of residency (MUST be a gas, water or electric bill, or a house contract or lease agreement), immunization records, a Social Security card, birth certificate, a parent or guardian’s driver’s license and previous school records, if applicable.

 

  1. Tour Campuses, Meet Teachers

One of the best ways to ease your child’s first-day fears is to attend Meet The Teacher night, or in the case of older kids, tour the child’s new campus.

Meet the Teacher night will be Thurs., Aug. 20 at the following times:

4:30-5:15 p.m. – Pre-K at the Early Childhood Center.

5:30-6:15 p.m. – Kindergarten at the Early Childhood Center.

6-6:45 p.m. – 1st & 2nd Grades at the Elementary.

6:30-7:15 p.m. –  3rd & 4th Grades at the Intermediate.

7-7:45 p.m. – 5th Grade at the Middle School. (6th-graders do not have Meet The Teacher.)

Class lists will be posted at each campus by 2 p.m. on the day of Meet The Teacher for students in pre-K through 5th grade. Students in 6th grade and up will receive their class schedule the morning of the first day of school.

Students who will be attending the Middle School and Junior High campuses for the first time can tour the campuses on Thursday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

 

  1. Get Your Supplies

If you have not yet gotten your child’s school supplies, the school supply lists can be found on Wylie’s website. Go to www.wyliebulldogs.org and click on the parent link along the top. Scroll down to select school supplies. (Many of the stores also have the lists available.) You could also just click HERE.

Each year, Texas offers one weekend in August where school supplies can be purchased tax free. This year’s tax-free weekend is Aug. 7-9. On these three days, school supplies, clothing, shoes, backpacks and some other items can be purchased without paying tax on the items. That’s a nice savings on every item, plus many stores offer sales on this weekend to attract shoppers, which means even more savings. See our Facebook page for links to the comptroller’s list of items that are tax free.

High school students and some Junior High students will get school supply lists from teachers on the first day of school. Parents may want to have a few basic supplies ready in anticipation of what will be required – items such as 1-inch binders, paper, spirals, etc. This might help you avoid rushing out on the first night of school and fighting crowds of other parents who are also trying to find these last minute supplies.

 

  1. Campus Info

Wylie’s campuses are relatively unchanged from last year. The start and end times remain the same, as do the administrators and the most important people on each campus – the secretaries. If you are new to a campus, check to see what time your new school starts and ends, as it might be different from the previous campus. Here are the start and end times, and other important information about each campus.

 

High School

Hours: 8:15 a.m. -3:40 p.m.
Principal: Tommy Vaughn.
Asst. Principal: Aaron Amonett.
Asst. Principal: Tim Smith.
Asst. Principal: Shauni Vaughn.
Secretary: Amy McIntyre.

 

Junior High

Hours: 8:20 a.m.-3:35 p.m.

Principal: Rob Goodenough.
Asst. Principal: Will Brewer.
Asst. Principal: Shauni Vaughn.
Secretary: Lisa Albert.

 

Middle School

Hours: 8:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

Principal: Phil Boone.
Asst. Principal: Ricky Bacon.
Asst. Principal: Kim McMillan.
Secretary: Cheryl Henderson.

 

Intermediate

Hours: 8:15 a.m.-3:25 p.m.

Principal: Terry Hagler
Asst. Principal: Mike Kerley
Secretary: Virginia Weems

 

Wylie Elementary

Hours: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Principal: Robin McPherson
Assistant: Lisa Bessent
Secretary: Kathy Bunkley

 

Early Childhood Center

Hours: Pre-K – 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Kindergarten – 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Principal: Lisa Salmon
Secretary: Donna Lang

 

  1. Find Your Bus Stop

All students in the Wylie school district are eligible to ride the bus, and finding out when and where that bus will pick up your child has become very easy.

Last year, Wylie partnered with a new company designed to help the district with its ever-growing number of bus routes, and consequently, bus route information is now electronic and easily accessed through the district’s website.

Wylie assistant superintendent Craig Bessent said the program worked very well last year, and the system will remain basically the same this year, although some of the routes could be slightly different. The routes are adjusted each year to add new homes – a task that is difficult considering the large number of houses being built in Wylie each year.

“It worked great, but we’re just trying to improve a few things,” Bessent said. “Our district is changing so fast.”

Parents can find which bus their child rides, where the bus stop is and what time the bus arrives by simply going to the Wylie website.

If you have trouble, information will be available at Meet The Teacher night, where computers will be available in the computer lab to help families learn to access the information. You also can call 338-8380 or 370-1804 to get help.

 

  1. Be Prepared for Traffic

First-day traffic is horrible, so be prepared. If you take your child to school, leave early and be prepared for delays.

Traffic is especially bad in these locations on the first day: Highway 83/84 and FM 707, Highway 83/84 and Antilley and Antilley and Buffalo Gap Road.

Traffic also is especially bad at the Early Childhood Center because most parents want to walk their child to class on the first day of kindergarten. Parents are encouraged to leave as soon as possible to ease the parking and traffic problems.

Traffic flow is expected to remain the same at all campuses, although the traffic flow at the high school will change around October when construction begins on the new classrooms.

Parents, please be cautious of children and courteous of other drivers and when applicable pull forward as far as possible to allow room for other cars.

 

  1. Prepay for School Lunches

Lunch and breakfast prices will go up 25 cents this year. The new prices are:

Pre-K through 4th grade – Lunch is $2.50; Breakfast is $1.75.

5th-grade through High School – Lunch is $2.75; Breakfast is $1.75.

Adult Visitors – Lunch is $3.50.

Reduced Lunch is $0.40.

Reduced Breakfast is $0.30.

(Free/Reduced lunch applications are available in each campus office or online under the Child Nutrition tab.

Parents must prepay for their children’s lunches. You may prepay in the cafeteria, school office or you may use the Pay Online link through Family Access. Payments can be made by cash or check and should be made payable to the school cafeteria. Please include your child’s name, account number and the parent name on each check.

 

  1. Get Your Vaccines/Medical Plans

Parents whose children need immunizations should get those done prior to the first day of school and then bring their updated shot records to the office on the first day. You can get immunizations at the health department, 850 North 6th St., or from your physician or at the walk-in clinics (call the clinics to check before going as some vary). Some vaccines also are available at Walgreens.

See the Wylie website for information on which vaccines are needed and when. The immunization info is at the right.

Also, if your child has asthma, food allergies, diabetes or seizures, you and your doctor must have an action plan in place prior to the first day of school, and your campus nurse must be informed of that plan. Please bring an updated action plan form to your school nurse. The forms also are available on the Wylie website. (Click on departments at the top; then health services and look for the health and athletic forms link on the right.)

 

  1. Sign Up For Adopt-A-Bulldog

Wylie students in Kindergarten through 6th grade will not want to miss participating in the popular Adopt-a-Bulldog program this fall.

Adopt-A-Bulldog is a program of the Wylie All-Sports Booster Club that allows students in Kindergarten through 6th grade to “adopt” a varsity football player (if a boy) or a varsity muggette (if a girl). The younger student encourages the varsity player through notes, drawings and their attendance at home football games. The student will receive a photo button featuring his player, and a jersey with the player’s name and number on it.

The student also will receive free admission to home games by wearing his Adopt-a-Bulldog jersey. Throughout the season, students will have opportunities to interact with their players or muggettes following each home game.

For details on how to enroll in the program, go to the Booster Club website at www.abilenewyliebulldogs.com.

 

  1. Wylie Pup Squad

Wylie girls going into kindergarten through 6th grade have an opportunity to participate in the 2015 Pup Squad Cheer Camp.

Participants spend Saturday morning, Aug. 22, working with high school cheerleaders learning several cheers. Then they get to perform at Meet The Bulldogs in Bulldog Stadium on Aug. 25.

The cost is $30, and all participants get a Pup Squad T-shirt.

The cheer camp is from 9-11:15 a.m. at Wylie High School.

Click here for the pup squad registration form.  The form has instructions on how to register through the mail. The form also can be dropped at the High School.

Filed Under: ECC, Elementary, High School, Intermediate, Junior High, Middle School, School News Tagged With: august, back-to-school

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