 Irving
ISD Middle School One-Act Play Festival
(Saturday, November 21, 2009) You are
invited to attend the Irving ISD Middle School One-Act Play Festival to
be held at Nimitz High School on Saturday, November 21, 2009.
Admission is free. Performing will be Travis Middle School
(at 9:00 am), Houston Middle School (at 10:15 am), Lamar Middle School
(at 11:30 am), Bowie Middle School (at 1:30 pm), de Zavala Middle School
(at 2:45 pm) and Crockett Middle School (at 4:00 pm). |
DRAFT 2010-2011
School Calendar
 Attached
for review, distribution and discussion with staff, parents and
community members is a proposed DRAFT 2010-2011 school calendar.
The calendar is a result of preliminary discussion with the Board of
Trustees during Noon Work Sessions and is to be release for additional
input. All comments
and/or suggestions are welcomed and should be submitted to: Ralph
Diaz, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent at
rdiaz@irvingisd.net.
Other acceptable options include voicemail at 972.600.5005 or fax
comments to 972.215.5003.
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Click here for Video |
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1:1 Laptop Symposium
Laptops in the classroom ... Irving ISD and a number of
other districts across the nation have doing it for a few
years now. For two days these technological trend
setters got together to discuss what is next for our digital
students. This year Irving ISD was the host of the 1:1
Symposium at Singley Academy. |
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Citizens Review Committee for Textbook
Adoption
 (Do
you know any parents who would be interested?)
The district will soon be reviewing textbooks for
selection on Proclamation 2010. As part of the process,
parents are welcome to review the books as well. While
any parent may review and provide input, there is a
committee of 5 to 11 citizens of Irving who serve on the
Citizens Review Committee. A committee member
would be expected to attend
meetings on specific dates (see list).
If you know any parents who
would be interested in serving on this committee, please
have them
contact Lea Bailey at 972-600-4820 or
lbailey@irvingisd.net by November 20, 2009. |
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 Project
Tomorrow: Speak
Up Survey
Speak Up, a national online research project facilitated by Project
Tomorrow, gives individuals the opportunity to share their viewpoints
about key educational issues. Each year, findings are summarized and
shared with national and state policy makers. Participating schools and
districts can access their data online, free-of-charge. We
value your opinions so take the time to complete your Speak Up Survey! |
Retirement Planning Seminar
 (February
4 or May 3, 2010)
Region 10 Education Service Center is
hosting FREE Retirement Planning Seminars to any employee of a
Region 10 District. We are pleased to have highly respected TCG Advisors
leading the seminar. TCG has specialized in advising education
professionals and is the Investment Advisor to Region 10 ESC’s Retirement
Asset Management Services (RAMS). |
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 Take
Control of Your Health and
Enter an iPod Drawing!
Complete the online Health Risk
Assessment (HRA) and be entered in a contest to win an iPod*! Irving ISD
employees who take an HRA through BAM by November 30, 2009 are
entered into a drawing to win an iPod Nano.
Follow these simple steps to take your HRA
and enter the iPod contest ... |
Free Prostate
Cancer Screenings
(Saturday, November 21st) One
in six men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime. Early detection
and treatment of the disease can lead to complete recovery. To promote
wellness and raise awareness of prostate cancer, Texas Health Harris
Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford is offering free prostate cancer
screening exams to men who are over age 50 or at high risk. |
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 Wellness
Winners for National Run @ Work Day
Irving ISD held their "Walk with Us"
program on October 12th at three tracks in the Irving Schools.
Participants walked or ran for 35 minutes to improve their health.
T.J. Lee, Good and Schulze all had a phenomenal turnout with all three
having over 69% of staff participating. Pierce had almost 60%
participating. Irving ISD had 522 people walk that day.
Winners for campus and school cluster with the most participants are ... |
 Jingle
Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis
The Arthritis Foundation is planning to hold their
Jingle Bell Run/Walk on Saturday, December 5th in the Sundance Square in
Fort Worth. Any staff members interested in participating with an
Irving ISD team contact Teresa Phillips
tphillips@irvingisd.net. |
 Wellness
Classes/Events for District Employees
Here are three wellness classes/events that district
employees can participate in:
● Endurance and Stamina Style Boot Camp
● Boot Camp
● Jingle Bell Run |
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 Intermediate
Sign Language Class
Intermediate Sign Language Class will be offered starting January 25th
on Monday nights. Classes will be held at Britain Elementary
School and are free to families of deaf students, $10 for district
employees, and $20 for all others. You do not need to pre-register
... come to the first class and register then. |
 5th
Annual Craft Fair
Please Join the Academy Class of 2010 for the 5th Annual
Craft Fair to be held at the Jack E. Singley Academy on December 12,
2009 from 9 am until 4 pm. There will be lots of
shopping, a silent auction, and our very own Santa. Come and have your
child’s picture taken with Santa. Santa will be available from 10:00 am
-12:00 pm and 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm.
If you are interested in being a
vendor at the Craft Fair,
contact Suzanne McFarland at
ahscraftfair@irvingisd.net or 972-600-5300. |
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 Submit
Working with Mr. Singley Stories
If you would like to submit your favorite story about working with Jack
Singley, former superintendent of schools, please complete the
online form.
Suggestion: Type your story in Word, then paste it into the attached
form. |
 Notice of Unclaimed Property
(Updated October 30, 2009)
The following property is presumed abandoned and subject to Chapter 76
of the Texas Property Code. Any person possessing a legal or beneficial
interest in the following property may obtain information concerning the
amount of the property and establish your right to receive the property
by presenting proof of the claim. |
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Internet Safety Education with i-SAFE
 We
are pleased to announce that the Irving ISD has partnered with i-SAFE to
provide Internet safety education for students. An i-SAFE account has
been created for teachers who will receive an email from i-SAFE with
instructions for accessing their accounts. This district subscription to
i-SAFE will allow all teachers access to i-SAFE’s Internet Safety
curriculum.
i-SAFE is the worldwide leader in Internet
safety education. Founded in 1998 and endorsed by the U.S. Congress, i-SAFE
is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the online
experiences of youth everywhere. i-SAFE incorporates classroom
curriculum with dynamic community outreach to empower students,
teachers, parents, law enforcement, and concerned adults to make the
Internet a safer place. |
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Click here for Video |
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Don Herring Cars to Teachers of the Year
Irving ISD Teachers of the Year, Isela Russell and Carey
Christenberry, start the engines of their new cars ... given
to them to drive for the next year by Don Herring
Mitsubishi. |
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Click here for Video |
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Crockett Mad Science Lab
Jesse Mejia (science teacher) and Sydney Wilson (8th grade
student) team up on Crockett Middle School's "Mad Science
lab: The Invisible Fire Extinguisher". |
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New "Getting
Started Guides" for OpenOffice Posted
 New
guides that give helpful steps and instructions for formatting,
shortcuts, toolbars, transitions, drawing/graphics, formulas,
customizations and other basics have been posted on the Irving ISD
website. These helpful guides and other online tutorials are
posted for student, teachers, and staff to assist with mastering
OpenOffice, the districts standard office applications software.
These can be helpful at home also since OpenOffice can be downloaded on
personal computers for free also. |
Soundzabound Royalty Free Music
 Looking
for music to use with student or teacher multimedia and PowerPoint?
Irving ISD has a new district subscription to Soundzabound for royalty
free music. Passwords are available for each campus for home
access. |
Online
Meal Payments for Staff
 Manage your meal account with ease ...
Irving ISD is proud to offer a safe and secure way for you to make online
payments for school meals and view meal account activity from home or
work.
To setup your online
account you will need to follow the steps listed. |
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Click here for Video |
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Teachers of the Year
This year Irving ISD honors Isela Russell, elementary
teacher of the year, and Carey Christenberry, secondary
teachers of the year. Isela Russell is a 5th grade
bilingual teacher at John Haley Elementary and Cary
Christenberry is a GT AP English teacher at Nimitz High
School. Both educators share a dedication and a
passion for teaching that becomes plainly evident when you
step inside their classroom. |
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Click here for Video |
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Exemplary Schools
Irving ISD's Board of Trustees president Jerry Christian
congratulated the staffs of three Irving elementary schools
that have obtained Exemplary status. To be considered
Exemplary by the TEA, ninety percent of the students must
pass the TAKS test which has happened at Farine, John Haley,
and Stipes Elementary Schools. |
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 FREE
Panda AntiVirus Software for Irving ISD Staff
Yes, free Panda
AntiVirus Software for your home or personal computer. Panda
AntiVirus
currently has Irving ISD on record to receive 800 matching
copies of Panda AntiVirus Software to distribute among Irving ISD
employees for personal use.
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 Interested
in Teaching or Developing ONLINE Courses?
Are you interested in teaching or developing an ONLINE course? In an
effort to give students more flexibility in scheduling, Irving ISD is
currently working to develop and teach a limited number of online
courses. If you would like to join a cutting edge group of teachers in
this new and exciting endeavor, please fill out the interest form
attached. . |
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Grant for Candidates Seeking Alternative Teacher
Certification
 Irving
ISD has entered into a grant partnership with Quality ACT
Alternative Certification Program. If a recommended candidate for a
position in Irving ISD is enrolled in the Quality ACT program for
certification, they may qualify for a $1300 grant to offset
the cost of their certification program. The teachers must be
seeking certification in selected fields. |
Employee Discount List
Updated
 (Updated
Fall '09)
As an employee of Irving ISD, the following businesses are extending
a discount exclusively to you. Discounts are listed for
LASIK eye care, home improvement, travel, restaurants,
retail and entertainment. Discounted services can be found for
telephone services, banking services, medical services, legal
services, apartment leasing, real estate and more. |
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Academic Vocabulary
Word Lists
The Curriculum and Instruction
Department of the Region 10 Education Service System has provided a list of
Academic Vocabulary words. The vocabulary list is organized by content area,
offering approximately 30 essential vocabulary words per grade level or course.
Region 10 developed these 30-word Academic Vocabulary lists as per Marzano and
Pickering. These would be those absolutely100% mastery words. You might want to
compare some of the many word lists floating around our district to theirs. |
Nominations for Outstanding Teacher or Employee of the Month
Administrators and Staff: It is never too late to nominate
outstanding teachers and employees for the Outstanding Teacher or
Employee of the Month Award. Committees select one from each
category to honor at a school board meeting each month and we are
always in need of new nominations! Thank you for your input!
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Got a Project That You Would Like to Get
Funded?
Have you looked at the Grant Services Web site
lately? A variety of grant announcements has been posted to the
Grant Services website. Take a look at
the Irving ISD Grant Services website ... |
 Tutorials
& Guides for the New Phone System
Provided with this article are some
helpful tutorials and guides that you can use to learn the new Verizon Voice
Polycom SIP phones. During the summer months, Irving ISD will be
installing a new telephone system in all schools and support facilities, and
creating a common exchange of 600. All of the new school phone numbers
will be effective by August 24, 2009. |
 Free
Online Training Videos for School Districts
Free, online training at your convenience! You can watch these
tutorial videos from any computer connected to the internet that has
the free QuickTime plug-in installed.
Their library contains
hundreds of tutorial videos for multiple software applications.
Their content is created by certified teachers, for teachers and
students. |
