MERRY CHRISTMAS to TEAM 2599

WISHING TEAM 2599

and

ALL THE WORLD A

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

&

A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We will meet on January 5, 2008 to start the completion with our ROBOTIC KIT! See you at KICK OFF!

Preparing for the OUR ROBOTIC KIT

We have two weeks until Christmas break and three weeks until we pick up our ROBOTIC kit. The students are planning and designing our team robot. We have to come up with strategies for the success or the robot moving around the track and for the game strategy.

Today we worked with play dough.....
sometimes it is difficult keeping the student on track/task.

We GOT the NASA GRANT ! ! !

Sandy and Judy meet at the office during the closings of all of San Diego and surrounding schools due to the California fires. Our city of Chula Vista was not immediately effected by fires, however the fires were all around us and the smoke was laying over us like a blanket. They worked on the questions...writing and re-writing...looking for that perfect answer. The deadline for submitting the grant was October 31, 2007. After 6 hours, they hit SUBMIT on the computer and prayed! All we had to do was wait until November 19th to find out the results.......that was a very long time! But the results are in...Alternative Education was awarded the $6,000 NASA grant...we are GOING TO ATLANTA!!!

64

2599

Alternative Education Program

Chula Vista

CA

These sponsorships cover the cost of entry to one regional event ($6,000.00) as well as the kit of parts. Two types of NASA sponsorships are available to FRC teams: Regional Challenge Grants and Program Growth Grants.

Going to the CAR WARH !

Despite the rain, the student held the car wash today...they all work really well together...girls held signs at the road...Mr. Perry had the hose/pump there for the students to use..they had pre-sold tickets..making a $230...anyone how showed up at the car wash, were not prepaying customers so the students made another $110..

CA Fires

The fires in California wildfires were a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and over 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) of land burned from Santa Barbra County to the U.S. - Mexico border. Nine people died as a direct result of the fire; 85 others were injured, including at least 61 firefighters.

According to news reports:

Of all the fires, the two biggest were located in San Diego County. The largest, the Witch (Creek) Fire, burned areas north and northeast of San Diego. The second largest, the Harris Fire, burned northwest from the U.S–Mexico border towards San Diego. Officials feared the fires could become even more destructive than the 2003 Cedar Fire that burned 280,278 acres (1,134.2 km²), 2,820 buildings (including 2,232 homes) and killed 15 people (including one firefighter) before being contained on November 3, 2003. Though individually the fires did not surpass the Cedar Fire, combined they did.

Residents were subjected to a mix of mandatory and voluntary evacuations, depending on the projected path of a fire. Hundreds of thousands of residents were notified of evacuations via a computerized Reverse 911 phone call system. While this alert system was mostly effective, many residents in Rancho Bernardo received the calls after they had been driven from their homes. Law enforcement officers also notified residents by driving through evacuation areas. On October 24, 2007, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender stated that the number of people evacuated in San Diego County had exceeded the number evacuated from New Orleans, Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina

Two days into the fires, approximately 500,000 people from at least 346,000 homes were under mandatory orders to evacuate, the largest evacuation in the region's history. Evacuation sites included Qualcomm Stadium, as well as many schools, civic centers, and churches throughout the area. The American Red Cross managed the evacuation centers.

Officials estimated that 12,000 gathered at Qualcomm. Volunteers provided food, blankets, water, children's toys, massages, and a live rock band performance for those at the stadium. Nearly all public schools and universities in the San Diego area were closed. Many businesses closed as well. To ensure clear roads for emergency vehicles, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders asked residents to stay home and inside.

By October 23, some evacuations were lifted, allowing about 50,000 residents from the cities of Del Mar, Chula Vista, and Poway, and the San Diego neighborhoods of Del Mar Heights and Scripps Ranch to return home. However, the fires continued and damage was severe. The four major fires across San Diego County burned nearly 300,000 acres (1,200 km²) and destroyed or damaged 1,350 homes and 100 businesses since October 21, 2007.

Many major roads were closed as a result of fires and smoke. On October 22, the California Highway Patroll closed Interstate 15 in both directions between State Routes 78 and 56. On October 24, 2007 the Horno Fire forced the closure of Interstate 5 as well as the Amtrak Surfliner service between Oceanside and San Clemente. Traffic from Interstate 5 was diverted to Interstate 15, which had reopened.

Officials from the San Diego Wild Animal Park said that its more than 3,500 animals were safe staying in their enclosures where they were protected by the park's fire break and irrigated areas. If the weather conditions worsened, the animals could retreat to their watering holes. However, many critically endangered animals such as the California condor were moved to the park's veterinary hospital, which is fire-resistant and fully equipped with sprinklers. Park spokesperson Yadira Galindo said that the animals were "alert but not showing any concerned behavior."

Santa Clarita, CA the night of October 21, 2007

Fires burn across a hillside in Orange County.

Meetings With Students

WE are meeting on a regular basis with students...getting their ideas....team name; which appears to be difficult for them to decide.....I am not sure if they can't agree on a name for the team or the picture/drawing to go along with it. The marketing team is doing well with planning fundrasiers; preparing conferences with businesses;and writing letters. We made tickets to sell for the Car Wash......

Car Wash is planned!

November 10, 2007
8:00 Am - 1:00 PM
South Bay Community Church

Our Team of Future Engineers

First pictures of our team!