Treva Dayton
Assistant Academic Director
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been back at UIL for more than six months, and we are now working diligently to meet deadlines for revising handbooks and creating contest materials for next year.
With so many important things that must be completed for the current year, it’s difficult to find enough hours in the day for routine department work, long-term planning and creative thought, much less planting a flower bed, building a new home or enjoying our beautiful spring weather.
But you veterans of the classroom and administration know that spring always moves both a little too fast for the ‘to do list’ and much too slow for the anticipated end of the school year and a well-deserved break. Those of you new to teaching or UIL coordination may still be trying to figure out just where — and how — the year went, but are no doubt also looking forward to the end of school and at least some time to relax, reflect and rejuvenate.
To facilitate advance planning for UIL activities for 2004-05, we’ve included the elementary and junior high academic activities calendar in this issue. There are changes in several important dates, so clip the calendar or print it from our web-site so you are aware of the deadlines and available contest dates. The first change is that we will take early on-line participation registration for next year beginning May 1. This will allow us to deal with a huge number of registrations during the summer, and reduce the backlog that always occurs in September. It will also reduce printing and mailing costs as we will send registration reminders only to those schools that are not pre-registered by August.
And it will mean we can prepackage your A+ Handbook and related materials, and have them to your campus much earlier than in the past.
Deadlines for ordering contest materials, either for district or invitational materials, have also changed because contest dates are different. The dates allowed for invitational contests have been extended and will begin Nov. 1 and end March 31. Fall/winter district materials will now be available Dec. 1 through Jan. 31, and must be ordered by Sept. 15. Diana Cardona, our spring meet materials coordinator, tries hard to accommodate all school and district orders, but with a growing number of campuses participating, it is crucial you order on time to guarantee materials will be printed and available.
Spring districts may be hosted from Feb. 1 through May 16, and contest materials can be returned May 16. We have moved the date forward from May 31 to allow all contestants to receive their contest papers before school is out. Deadline for ordering spring district materials is Oct. 15.
We believe the revised calendar will maintain flexibility in scheduling UIL activities that campuses and districts desire, while protecting the educational value of those activities.
Our current calendar created situations in which countless students selected to participate in spelling (or any of the other elementary and junior high academic events) received the spelling list or practice materials just days before the competition. We heard from concerned parents and teachers who legitimately believe that participation in UIL should be both challenging and rewarding, not simply frustrating.
UIL elementary and junior high academic programs are curriculum-based and designed to be used to encourage as many students as possible to stretch their academic skills before the district competitors are finally selected. It doesn’t matter that only a few students can enter district competition if many are exposed to the academic challenge of the practice materials, whether that is incorporated into classroom activities, provided as an enrichment activity outside the classroom or through individual practice at home. The educational benefits of the activities for all students are far more important than any ribbons, medals or certificates that might be won by a few individuals.
Working to develop the knowledge base and skills needed to be successful in UIL competition doesn’t have to occur in a contest situation or format. Practice materials and activities can be used to supplement other curriculum-based materials, provide challenging classroom activities and improve skills of students of all learning levels, not just the most gifted and talented.
TEKS addressed by various UIL contests have been included in previous Leaguer columns. We will continue to provide these for additional contests, and will post them on our web-site for your reference. The various contests offer challenges for students in writing, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, speaking and listening and fine arts, all basic elements of a well-rounded curriculum, and most covered by mandated standardized tests.
It will never be easy to provide all you want for your students, to adequately prepare them to be successful in meeting mandated standards, to create learning environments that provide both challenges and chances for success, and to help them develop the skills they need to be successful in academics and in life. But we believe UIL activities can be useful in achieving these goals, and look forward to working with you as we continue to serve the students of Texas.
Please review the calendar carefully as you plan for the coming year, and check our web page at http://www.uil.utexas.edu/aca/ejh/ejhindex.html for additional information.
Spring/Summer .... Register online to participate. Registration information is sent to all non-registered public elementary and junior high schools in Texas.
Early Sept. ............. Hold district organizational meeting for Fall/Winter (Dec. 1 - Jan. 31) district meets
Sept. 15 .................. Deadline for returning District Organization Form for Fall/Winter (Dec. 1 - Jan. 31) district meets
............................... Deadline for the district director to return the District Meet Requisition Form for Fall/Winter (Dec. 1 - Jan. 31) district meets
............................... Deadline to submit orders for materials for elementary and junior high school invitational contests (hosting school only)
Oct. 1 ..................... Deadline for Participation Registration Before Oct. 15 ....... Hold district organizational meeting for Spring district meets
Oct. 15 ................... Deadline for returning District Organization Form for Spring (Feb. 1 - May 16) district meets
............................... Deadline for the district director to return the District Meet Requisition Form for Spring (Feb. 1 - May 16) district meets
Nov. 1 .................... First day to hold elementary and junior high school invitational meets
Dec. 1 .................... First day elementary and junior high school Fall/Winter (Dec. 1 - Jan. 31) district materials will be available
Jan. 31 ................... First day to return elementary and junior high school Fall/Winter district contest materials to participating schools
Feb. 1 ..................... First day elementary and junior high school Spring (Feb. 1 - May 16) district materials will be available
March 31 ............... First day to return elementary and junior high school invitational contest materials
May 16 .................. First day to return elementary and junior high school Spring district contest materials to participating schools
May 31 .................. Last day to return Academic District Participation Survey