Welcome to the Olympian Team Homepage!

Couldn't make Meet the Teacher Night?

Click here to access the Power Point presentation. Don't have Power Point? Click here to download Power Point Reader.

Meet the Team

About your teachers:

Diane Durgin:

Sue Pierce: Sue grew up in Illinois. She spent 5 years in Dallas when she was first married. Both of her children, Allison and Ryan, were born in Dallas. She moved to Mobile, Alabama for 3 years then on to Lincoln, Nebraska where her children went to elementary, junior high and high school. Eleven years ago she left Lincoln and returned to Dallas. She taught one year in Euless before coming to McCulloch where she has been teaching L.A./S.S. ever since. 

Laura Stager: Laura grew up in Chagrin Falls, OH and Pittsburgh, PA. She attended Miami University (OH), and then TWU where she ultimately obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology. After a few years in the medical field, Laura went back to school and received her teaching certification from the University of North Texas. She recently finished her Masters in Education with specialties in science and technology. She has been married to her husband, Jeff, for 24 years and has three boys, ages 21, 19, and 15. Laura enjoys watching sports on TV (especially the Steelers, Penguins and Stars), running, gardening, reading, and spending time family and friends.

Annie Paul:

Carol Whiteside:

Carol has lived in Texas for most of her life and moved to Austin after graduation to attend the University of Texas.  She majored in Applied Learning and Development with a specialization in Reading.  She also focused on her love of science by earning a minor in Biology.  Upon graduation in 2000, she held three certifications- General Education 1-8, Reading 1-8 and Biology 1-8. 

Before coming to Highland Park, she spent the last two years working at the Museum of Nature & Science.  She had the privilege of working with elementary science teachers as a Professional Development Coordinator.  She also had the privilege of working with her husband, Clay, since he is in the marketing department at the museum. 

Before the museum, she taught in the Richardson Independent School District for four years and then stayed home with her sons when they were younger.

Henry (10) and Ryan (8) are her two wonderful sons.  They are involved in Boy Scouts and are active in their church.  Clay is a scout den leader and Carol teach Sunday school.  They also love to spend their spare time visiting as many state parks as they can in our pop-up camper.  Carol is so excited to be a part of HPISD and looks forward to a great year!

Open Team Meeting Dates for the 2012-2013 school year:

Thursday, November 8

Minutes from November 8 Meeting:

Science:

We finished unit 1 which covered processes of science, scientific method, lab safety and equipment, variables, and included a scientist research project. We have also completed the first trip to Sky Ranch- what a great learning experience that was on so many different levels. 

We have begun Unit 2- matter. Students are learning about the three main states of matter- solids, liquids, and gases and how heat energy can create changes in state of matter. We are learning about the different physical properties of matter (size, shape, color, luster, weight, mass, length, volume, buoyancy etc).

Before we break for the holidays we will start Unit 3- Electricity. Students will learn about open, closed, parallel and series circuits. Student will participate in the most popular project of the year. They will each create a house from a shoe box with a working light switch. Please start collecting your shoe boxes. A list of additional supplies will be sent home soon. Parents will be invited to our Parade of Homes featuring Highland Stark Village and Stager Plaza just before the break. Look for an invitation in the coming weeks.

Math:

Thursday, February 7

Wednesday, April 10

All meetings will take place in Room B228 from 10:00-10:45AM.

Helpful hints from different professionals who work with children:

• Feed your child a lo-carb breakfast to avoid mid-morning stomach aches. ~school nurse
• Let your child struggle with hard concepts. Mastering hard things on their own builds competence, followed by self-esteem and confidence. ~middle school teacher
• Reward achievements, but not everyone deserves a trophy. Children learn to cope from dealing with losses. ~coach
• Give your child age-appropriate responsibilities. Being responsible for chores carries over to school and helps kids be responsible for their school work. ~psychologist

Click on the links below to access teacher web pages.

Debbie Blackwell- LA/SS
Diane Durgin- LA/SS
Susan Pierce- LA/SS
Annie Paul- Math
Laura Stager- Science
Carol Whiteside- Math/Science