Director’s Blog

12/16/21

Announcements

6K had their first round of competition for Speak Up Speak Out (SUSO).  All groups presented to independent judges, we had eight team who will advance to the San Antonio Civics Fair in January.

7K are finishing their pen project and their ornament project this week and will plan their next rocket for launch after the first of the year.

As you know, 8K students who successfully complete KSAT receive automatic admission into the Engineering Technology Academy at Roosevelt (ETA).  I have been asked to provide our 8k students with the attached Smore to provide the students with information about the program and a link to the Google Form where the students can indicate their interest in accepting the seat at ETA. This form needs to be completed by January 29.  If you would like to investigate ETA, visit their website at https://www.neisd.net/eta . Contact ETA with additional questions.

Important dates:

Recruiting season began in late October.  The next recruiting event is the KSAT Open House on January 19, 2022- 5:30-7:30 pm in the Krueger Cafeteria.  Encourage anyone you know who is interested to come that evening.  The application can be found at www.neisd.net/ksat  .  The deadline to apply for all magnet programs (middle school and high school) is February 7.

Tomorrow is the last day of the 1^st semester. The first day back from the break and the beginning of the second semester is January 3, 2022.

Final Thoughts

In my last blog, I announced my retirement at the end of the semester.  That day has come.  My daughter is graduating with her Masters tomorrow at Dallas Baptist University so I will not be on campus tomorrow.  This time before my retirement has been bittersweet. I have reflected on many wonderful memories and have reconnected with old friends and colleagues.

I told the faculty yesterday that NEISD has changed a great deal since we moved here.  1604 from 281 to I 35 was a two-lane road affectionately known as the death loop because there were several intersection where the road turned directly into the sun which made seeing the traffic signal very difficult.  North of 1604 was ranch land and rock quarries.  Windsor Park mall (currently Rackspace for those who are new to the area) was a happening place. The Spurs played in Hemisphere Arena.

The world is a different place now. When I started my masters, we still used the card catalogue and microfiche to look for books.  I remember the first time I connected to the internet using a dial up modem. I thought was really cool.  Today, that connectivity is required to function. Technology is moving rapidly and at times, I have struggled to keep pace. It has also challenged me as an administrator because I have seen the good and the bad of the world wide web.

I was thinking about my various campuses.  I have worked at the newest campus in the district and several of the oldest. The consistency I found across all the campuses was the quality of the teachers and the instruction they provided. The same quality is here at KSAT.  I told a parent yesterday that the teachers and the kids make this program work.  My goal has always been to select quality teachers and quality students so the success of KSAT continues well beyond my time as director.

It will be weird after 34 years of working in education to get up in the morning and not go to school. The part that scares me the most is that I know I will miss the people, both students and adults. Over the years, I have enjoyed watching students grow up and thrive as adults.  It has been my hope that I have contributed to their success.  My plan is to fill the days with travel and golf as much as I can while I try to figure out what “I want to be when I grow up”.  

Thanks again for entrusting your children to me and KSAT.

God Bless. 

Stephen Watson Ed.D.

Director of the Krueger School of Applied Technologies

Facebook: @KSATNEISD