School Board
Recognition Month
January
is School Board Recognition Month in Texas. Irving ISD students, staff
and community members are honoring the Irving residents who volunteer
their time to oversee our public schools.
Celebrated across the
state, the annual observance is designed to build awareness and
understanding of the vital role an elected board plays in providing
effective public schools. As citizen leaders, trustees face complex and
demanding challenges. The recognition is a way of saying “thank you” to
our trustees who contribute countless volunteer hours to ensure quality
education for Irving’s children.
During 2006, Irving
ISD trustees stayed busy overseeing a number of initiatives for the
school district, including the final stages of a $249.5 million bond
package passed by voters in 2001 that has resulted in renovations at
existing schools and construction of new schools to house a growing
enrollment. Most recently, Stipes Elementary School opened this
school year to students in south Irving at 3100 Cross Timbers.
Other
IISD achievements include:
•
More than 33,000 IISD
students are receiving a well-planned education in a safe and secure
school environment.
•
Approximately 2,200 IISD
teachers are giving students from all cultural, economic and educational
backgrounds a myriad of opportunities to experience the thrill of
achievement.
•
Four schools – Gilbert
Elementary School, Townsell Elementary School, Austin Middle School, and
Lamar Middle School – have achieved the Recognized rating for this
school year.
•
Graduating seniors in
the Class of 2006 earned $39.9 million in scholarship offers.
•
The IISD website,
located at www.irvingisd.net,
continues to receive state and national recognition for its design and
content.
•
Fifty-four million
dollars of bond funds has been designated for technology for equipment
at new schools and for upgrades to equipment at all existing schools to
ensure that Irving students receive world-class training.
•
Microsoft Corporation
selected the IISD as the first Microsoft Center of Excellence.
•
The IISD Board of
Trustees and Superintendent represent a cohesive “Team of Eight”
dedicated to fostering high expectations for student learning and
rewarding results commensurate with the district’s goals.
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More Than $65,000
Raised for Van Fund
For more than a year,
staff and students at Brown Elementary School have sponsored a campaign
to help purchase a van that accommodates two wheelchairs for the Frost
family. The family has two sons, Jacob and Zachary, with muscular
dystrophy, and the van would help the family achieve a more manageable
quality of life. Zachary attends Brown.
The campaign was
featured in the December 16 edition of The Dallas Morning News.
At the time of the article, the school had raised $22,000 toward a goal
of $40,000. Since the article was published, donations have pushed the
total past $65,000. The money will be used to purchase the van as well
as covering insurance and gasoline costs for the family.
“Thank you to everyone for supporting our efforts in teaching students
about being positive community contributors,” said Jackie Gorena,
principal at Brown.
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More Content, New
Schedule for ISTV
Since
the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, Irving Schools Television (ISTV)
has been adding more content for its viewers. Recent segments have
featured news about the Zachary Frost Van Fund at Brown Elementary
School, volunteerism at various schools, and new partnerships between
schools and the business community.
In addition, ISTV has a
new daily schedule of programming. Fine arts, athletics, school news and
events are just a few of the areas covered by ISTV programming in
addition to Board of Trustees meetings.
To
view the new schedule, go to
www.irvingisd.net/television/schedule.htm on the IISD website. ISTV
can be seen on Time Warner Cable Channel 98 and Verizon FiOS Channel 33.
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Retirement Workshop
Set for January 29
The Irving Retired
Teachers Association (IRTA) will sponsor a retirement workshop at Stipes
Elementary School this month. The event is for anyone planning to retire
within the next two years.
Guest speaker Joann
Holshouser from the Teacher Retirement System of Texas will present an
overview of the retirement process, with take-home packets available.
The presentation begins
at 4 p.m. on Monday, January 29. A question-and-answer session will
begin at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Darlene Brown with IRTA at
972-986-7439.
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Food Service
Relocates
The Irving ISD Food
Service Department has consolidated its operations into a single
building at 800 N. O’Connor Road, at the corner of O’Connor and Union
Bower.
Food
Service previously operated at the Administration Building and at the
School Meal Application Center. The new location – formerly the site of
the IISD Technology & Staff Development Center now located at the
Administration Building – is now called the IISD Food Service Center.
The phone number is 972-273-6900.
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Famous Texans at
Keyes
Fourth graders at Keyes Elementary School celebrated the completion of
their biography unit by staging a Parade of Famous Texans. Students
chose a famous Texan to research and to present as part of the project.
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Global Passport at
Elliott
Elliott held a Passport to Travel event December 15 that featured
information on different countries researched by students. Students
learned about facts, customs and people.
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