Laura Jordan - Spring Hill ISD

In addition to my duties as a faculty member at SHHS, I am also the district webmaster and the editor of the monthly high school e-mail newsletter. You may forward any questions or suggestions regarding the district's Web site to my attention. My other duties include troubleshooting computer problems at the high school and occasionally elsewhere in the district.

Email: ljord@springhill.esc7.net
Phone: 903-323-7867
Conference 1:40 - 2:30

Schedule for 2010-2011 School Year
A-Day	B-Day
Period 1 – Duty	Period 1 – Duty
Period 2 – Accounting I	Period 2 – Accounting I
Block 3A – DIM	Block 5B – DIM
Block 4A – Tech	Block 6B – DIM
Period 7 – Conference	Period 7 – Conference
Period 8 – Duty	Period 8 - Duty

UIL Accounting!

We ended the UIL Accounting year with a team trip to State on May 8th and a 4th place medal for Michelle Thompson! The entire team qualified for State at Regionals on April 24th as the wildcard team. At Regionals, we had two team members score over 400, Jeremy Hall (2nd at Regionals) and Michelle Thompson (5th at Regionals) . This is something so rare that it was recognized at the State awards assembly. Jessica Sorey and Peter Grizzle also competed and put up some respectable scores in a difficult Region.

On April 1st, 2010, the accounting team competed in District 17AAA competition and earned first place team honors! Michelle Thompson placed 1st individually, Jeremy Hall placed 2nd, Jessica Sorey was 3rd, and Peter Grizzle placed 7th. Our next stop is Regional competition in Brenham on April 24th.

The Longview Invitational Meet was held on February 20, and we received 2nd place team honors with team members, Michelle Thompson (2nd), Jeremy Hall (4th), Will Turner, and Peter Grizzle. Jessica Sorey competed as an individual on February 13th in the Hallsville meet and placed 2nd.

The Pine Tree Invitational Meet was held on January 9, 2010, and we competed with an alternate team, some of whom had never previously seen a UIL Accounting test. The team placed 1st and consisted of Mark Fuertes, Peter Grizzle, Will Turner (4th), and Jeremy Hall (2nd).

On November 14, 2009, we competed in the Whitehouse Invitational Meet, and we came away with 1st place team honors. Michelle Thompson placed 2nd, Jeremy Hall 3rd, Jessica Sorey 4th, and Peter Grizzle rounded out the team.

Last year's 2009 State UIL competition resulted in 10th (Adrian Parr), 11th (Jeremy Hall), 12th (Michelle Thompson), and 18th (Jessica Sorey) place finishes for the academic accounting team. These students held their own as first-year accounting students against second and third year competitors. We qualified for state as the wildcard team with the highest 2nd place regional score in the state! Individually at regionals Jeremy Hall placed 1st, Michelle Thompson 4th, Adrian Parr 7th, and Jessica Sorey 10th. The accounting team placed first overall in district, individually placing 1st (Michelle Thompson), 2nd (Adrian Parr), 3rd (Jessica Sorey), and 4th (Jeremy Hall). Charlynne Heydon was also part of that team effort, participating as a substitute.

I am so proud of all these students for their intelligence and for extending the extra effort it takes to participate in Academic UIL.

In Accounting I we will explore accounting as a career and learn accounting principles used in sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations. We will utilize "pencil and paper" spreadsheets, from the workbooks that accompany the textbook, as a starting point for understanding the "in's" and "out's" of accounting. Accounting students actively participate in academic UIL competition.

In Accounting II we will review skills learned in Accounting I, and take accounting to a whole new level. We will work on UIL quite extensively with these second-year students. (There is no Accounting II class this year due to lack of interest.)

In Digital Interactive Media we will explore various software programs included in Adobe's Creative Suite, such as Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. We may briefly utilize Microsoft Publisher and PowerPoint. The use of graphics and multimedia in both print and on-line publications is the major emphasis in this course. As students’ skills develop, they may assist in the upkeep and enhancement of the school's web site.

The grading policy in the Business Department places 67% weight on tests and major projects and 33% weight on daily grades. One re-teach/re-test opportunity will be available per grading period for the student who scores below 70 on a major test. Make-up work is accepted up to one week after an absence without grade penalty. I am available daily for tutorial, re-teach/re-test, or make-up work in the mornings before school from 7:40 – 8:05 AM, and after school from 3:25 until 4:00 PM. Students are expected to check for make-up assignments on my Web page in the event they are absent. Late work is not accepted in Accounting. A $5 course fee is required in DIM to cover the cost of printer paper and printer ink.