Happy Holidays to everyone! This is my favorite time of the year. However, the hassle that goes along with it sometimes wears me out! So my wish for you is a season filled with joy and very little stress…I received comments from several of you last month about the newsletter. Thanks so much! If you would like information about a particular topic, let me know. I’ll see what I can find! …Tommi

Important News: The alternative tests and minimum cut scores for meeting ACE graduation testing requirements for each of the Oklahoma End-of-Instruction exams has been released.

Follow this link to find this information: http://www.sde.state.ok.us/Curriculum/ACE/default.html

  • It will soon be time to send out those 7 semester transcripts for your Seniors. Remember to sign up for the electronic transcripts found on OKCollegestart.org so you save time and effort as you send them. If you haven’t signed up yet, contact Sandy Love-Decker, Student Portal Coordinator at the OK State Regents for Higher Ed., at or call 405-225-9190. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s FREE!

Our CAC team member of the month is Linda Houck, Support Specialist. Linda provides technical assistance and support to all CAC staff members. Besides that, she knows where to find the best caterers (among other things!) Contact Linda for: Technology Center personnel information, stipends for conferences, standard guidance/career information products, and registration for conferences and workshops.

  • 15 Secrets for Getting Good Grades in College: This advice is timely, tried, and true. Every student who even thinks about post-secondary education should read this. (Or have it tattooed on their forearm--especially the part about choosing courses wisely.)

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/professors-guide/2009/08/19/15-secrets-of-getting-good-grades-in-college.html

  • Heroes of Engineering: Some of the greatest engineers in history came from humble beginnings. This website celebrates the heroes of engineering in comic strip form. It’s an excellent way to interest students in the possibilities and history of engineering.

http://anniversary.asme.org/comicbook.shtml

(Courtesy of Kim Eason, College Readiness Specialist)

  • Cyber Savvy Teens: A Guide for Parents (Handout to send home) http://csriu.org/documents/cstparentguide.pdf
  • Check out OKCIS for green occupations and other occupations that may have a green focus. Log on to OKCIS and use JOBcentral under Related Information in each occupation to find current openings in Oklahoma. You can also expand your search to other states or nationwide. Visit www.okcis.intocareers.org to login to OKCIS or for a free trial. Some potential Oklahoma green jobs are in weatherization, mass transit/freight rail, Smart Grid, wind power, solar power, and advanced biofuels. For more information on GREEN jobs, contact Jo Kahn at

Free Talk Kit for Parents of Military Families

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, together with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, developed new online tools to assist military families and teens through difficult periods of transition, such as a deployment, major injury or illness of a parent, or when moving frequently to new neighborhoods and schools.

Designed specifically for military parents of tweens and teens, this kit provides ideas on how to start the conversation about drugs and alcohol, scripts to help you find the right words, and tips for answering tough questions and getting support from other adults around you. The new resources available at: http://www.timetotalk.org/military include (1) Transitions and Teens: A Guide for Military Parents, (2) The Military Talk Kit, (3) 10 Things School Nurses Want You To Know and (4) 10 Things Military Teens Want You To Know.

And just for you… (from Paperbacks for Educators 11-2-09) More than 200 dancers performed their version of "Do Re Mi," in the Central Train Station of Antwerp, Belgium at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 23, 2009. With just two rehearsals they created this amazing four-minute event! It was a promotional event for a Belgian television program, where they were looking for someone to play the leading role in the musical, "The Sound of Music." The voice of Julie Andrews, a cathedral of a train station, and great music and dance made this Monday morning one that few who watch it will ever forget. Take a few minutes and enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k