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November 2000 TOPS Newsletter
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TOPS 2000 Teachers Need to Complete Stipend RequirementsNext month we will send stipend checks to teachers who have completed workshop requirements to conduct their own workshops and incorporate new content into classroom lessons. Please note that we cannot send your stipend check unless we know you have completed requirements. We also need to document fulfillment of these requirements for our report to NSF in order to continue our funding.If you have not already done so, please send Mary or Bev the following immediately:
Other paperwork requirements apply to those of you who are not US citizens. Please make sure you have filled out and sent all visa, work permit, and identification number forms and information requests. If you are unsure of the status of your paperwork, please contact the TOPS secretary, Diane Tokumura, as soon as possible at tokumura@ifa.hawaii.edu or (808) 956-7399. We cannot legally issue your check until government paperwork requirements are satisfied.
TOPS 2000 Students Need to Send Activity ReportsPlease send a report (email is fine) about what you have done to share what you learned at TOPS, including activities or events (star parties, presentations, school club activities, etc.), dates, and places. If you have written anything, such as a newspaper article, please send a copy to Bev. If you have put up information on a Web site, please let us know the Web site address.TOPS 2000 Outreach College/Summer Scholar CreditsKaren will be turning in grades (pass or fail for teachers, letter grades for students) early next month. To register a passing grade for you, we must know that you have completed requirements. For teachers, those requirements are the same as those to receive your stipend. (See above.) For students, we need to receive your activity report. If you have planned but not completed activities, please let us know about your plans.For detailed information about receiving your UH course credit, please check the Web site at http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/tops/. Once the Outreach College processes the grades, you should receive a report card. The course and grade information will also reside on your permanent transcript at UH. If you need a copy of the transcript, please follow normal university procedures, which you can find at http://www.hawaii.edu/admrec/records.html. We Want to Maintain Contact with TOPS 1999 TeachersWe would like to find out what you are continuing to do to implement what you learned at the 1999 workshop. Please send a brief report to Bev or Mary. If you have any workshop or activity reports, teaching tips, or new course content that you have not sent from last year, we would appreciate receiving it. We need to make a report to NSF about what you have done. Also, this material can be very helpful to other TOPS teachers.We now have a Workshop Planning Guide available. It contains checklists, resources, and pre-made registration and evaluation forms. If you would like to receive a copy, please request one from Bev. Please specify whether you would like soft copy (PC Word 2000) or hard copy or both. IfA Holds Successful Open HouseA huge mahalo to all teachers and students who helped with activities at the Institute for Astronomy open house on October 28. Teachers Elaine Mahoney, Doris Dean, Leilani Wright, Blue Eisen, Mike Jaros, Mary Heaton, Kehau Kalili, Mark Littorin, Alyce Ikeoka, and Tom Chun helped with comet making and the optics demonstrations. Doris, Mike, and Elaine also helped with airport transportation for our Big Islanders, and Doris helped with general setup early Saturday morning. Students Serena Dameron and Melissa Ferreira helped with comet making. Tom Chun brought an entire busload of his students to help with the optics demonstrations. Again, thank you from all of us at IFA for your help and enthusiasm. Both our new IFA director, Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritski, and the open house chairman, Dr. Jim Heasley, were pleased with the day and grateful for all the TOPS help.If your name does not appear in the above thank you list, please let Bev know. We need to credit you with the help and hours you put in. TOPS Teachers Meet at Open HouseAbout half of the TOPS 2000 teachers and one of the TOPS 1999 teachers met with Mary and Karen on the afternoon of the open house to report progress on requirements and share ideas. We videotaped the meeting to share with those of you who could not attend. Bev will mail the tapes as soon as Instructional Services finishes making copies. TOPS 2000 teachers, please watch for your copy if you did not attend the meeting.Applications for TOPS 2001 are Now Available on the Web SiteTOPS 2001 application and recommendation forms are now available at http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/tops for both teachers and students. We encourage you to apply again. You can still receive UH credits, even if you are repeating the workshop. Also, please encourage your students and colleagues to submit their applications by November 15.The easiest way to apply is to fill out the form on the Web site and click the Submit button. If you have any problem with that, please send an email with the text to Bev. Otherwise, one of the staff has to type your answers into our database. Resource Additions Planned dfor Web SiteWe plan to develop the TOPS Web site into a premier resource for teachers and students.
Thank YouMahalo for dealing with all the paperwork requirements for TOPS. We need to track and report everything to NSF to maintain our funding. Information about workshops and activities you have conducted and new course content you have developed can be enormously helpful to other TOPS participants. We plan to begin making this information available on the TOPS Web site as a resource for all of you.Contact Information
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| Karen Meech, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii meech@ifa.hawaii.edu | |
