2014 Mansfield ISD National Signing Day

Mansfield ISD congratulates student-athletes on signing national letters of intent to compete at the college level. National signing day is traditionally the first day a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football, field hockey, soccer, track & field, and cross country. (Thanks to the Athletics Department for compiling this list. This list will be updated as additional students make decisions.)

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Lake Ridge High School

Football
Keith Breckenridge – Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Cross Country
Hunter Wamack – Northeastern State Louisiana

Boys Golf
Carlos Headland – Thomas University

Baseball
Scottie Kelton – Central Christian College, Kansas

Boys Soccer
Jessie Diaz – Dallas Baptist University

Legacy High School

Girls Soccer
Madison Brinkman – Oklahoma Christian
Danielle Hightower – Central Baptist College
Alyssa Pios – St. Gregory’s

Boys Soccer
Daniel Moore – Florida Southern

Football
Everett Williams – Minnesota
Chad Pursley – SMU
Jared McGee – Northwestern
Terrance Ivery – Tulsa
Kijana Amous – Northern Colorado or Navarro (Undecided)
Harris Tafah – Navarro
Chris Smith – Texas A&M Commerce
Mike Sanders – Texas A&M Commerce
Bryson Sheffield – Texas A&M Commerce
Josh Conrad – Texas A&M Commerce
Kenton Mayberry – Southern Nazarene

Baseball
Corey Murray – Weatherford Junior College

Mansfield High School

Girls Track
Kami Stockett – SFA

Girls Golf
Rachel Dahl – Angelo St.

Boys Golf
Hunter Johnson – McMurry

Softball
Taylor Spurgin – Austin College
Marlee Boyd – Greyson Community College

Football
JT Ibe – Rice
Hunter Ponder – Rice
Nick Hall – Southern Nazerene University
Noble Leake – Southern Nazerene University
Maurice Isuo – Langston University

Girls Soccer
McKayla Paulson – Texas A & M
Sidney LeRoy – Dayton
Taylor Rotto – Northeastern State

Summit High School

Seven football and one baseball signing to play with colleges today. Go Jags. pic.twitter.com/lKZlzUt4HW
— Summit Football (@SummitFB) February 5, 2014

Football
Jordan Hester – Minnesota Crookston
Chase Snyder – Southwest Oklahoma State University
Samuel Armardi – Dordt College
Jordan Smith – Texas A&M University-Commerce
Johnson Ubani – Southeastern Oklahoma University
Christian Taylor – Angelo State University
Chris Logan – Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Baseball
Austin McLaughlin – Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Timberview High School

Our signees with their parents. #NationalSigningDay #gowolves pic.twitter.com/mmQc0vLbnI
— TimberviewHighSchool (@TimberviewHigh) February 5, 2014

Football
Ed Paris – LSU
Brandon Simmons – Stanford
Brandon Garner – UNT
Rashaad Burton – ACU
Dorian Brown – Sam Houston
Jacob Addison – McKendree University
Tevin Muse – Tyler Junior College
Damian Walker – UTEP

Girls Track
Kelsey Johnson – San Jose State University

Boys Track
Branden Perry – UTSA

Superintendent Update - February 2014

Watch the February Superintendent Update on YouTube:

Dr. Vaszauskas shares info on the following: iStart Collegiate Program for Accelerated Dual Credit; dramatic changes to public education in Texas as a result of House Bill 5; 2nd Annual MISD iPad Summit; and a special thanks to the community for supporting the Toys For Tots event in December.


Additional updates:

An Attendance Zone Review for MISD intermediate, middle and high schools will begin in February http://t.co/DDKcSEniDS
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) January 30, 2014

Parents: Please take the parent survey and share your valuable feedback for educational improvement http://t.co/T7ZxlWpAWu
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) January 30, 2014

Kiwanis-sponsored student clubs help Meals on Wheels

Last fall, the Asa Low Jr. Intermediate School Builders Club discussed community projects they wanted to support during the holiday season. The club agreed to help organize the annual Kiwanis of Mansfield/Afternoon holiday baskets for Meals on Wheels (MOW) recipients in Mansfield. Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County “promotes the dignity and independence of older adults, persons with disabilities, and other homebound persons by delivering nutritious meals.”

Calling on ideas they found on the MOW website, the members decided first on a fundraiser. All Asa Low students were invited to make a cash donation that would be used to purchase useful gifts. Over $230 was donated by students; the club purchased lighted magnifying glasses and long-handled grabbers for the MOW clients in Mansfield. Students that made a donation decorated paper cars, which are displayed on a club created paper road near the Asa Low Builders Club meeting room. Next, the club solicited help from several other Kiwanis-sponsored clubs in Mansfield. The Timberview High School Key Club members made fleece scarves that would be attached to the grabbers. The Erma Nash Elementary K-Kids and the Legacy Key Club members made Holiday cards. When it was time to put everything together, the Mansfield High School Key Club members joined the Asa Low Builders Club at a meeting to help out. Finally, Kiwanis of Mansfield Afternoon members assisted at the Wesley Mission Center in distributing the gifts to the local Meals on Wheels drivers.

A card from Meals on Wheels offered thanks from the Mansfield clients who received these gifts: “Thanks to each and every one of you who made it possible for our Meals on Wheels clients in Mansfield to receive such lovely gifts this holiday season.”

This project truly exemplified the Kiwanis Builders Club vision to develop competent, capable, caring leaders through the vehicle of service.

Guest post submitted by Cheryl Litke, Kiwanis of Mansfield Afternoon
www.kanmansfield.org

Toys for Tots 2013 Community Event brings in over 19K toys

You did it again. Thank you so much to everyone in the Mansfield ISD community who donated toys and/or came out on Wednesday, December 11 to The Center for the DFW Toys for Tots drop-off event with FOX 4.

We had another huge crowd of parents, students, staff, and people throughout the community who came by to support this effort. FOX 4 personnel and DFW Toys for Tots organizers were once again impressed with the magnitude of our toy drive and community event.

Our 2nd Annual community-wide event at The Center was held on Wednesday, December 11, from 5:00-10:30 p.m. Starting the event was a Parade, followed by free Santa photos, a pair of real reindeer to pet, indoor crafts, inflatable bounce activity, music, hot cocoa, onstage student performances inside and out, food trucks, and much more. The district exceeded our toy collection from last year; early estimates indicate that over 19,300 toys were collected this year and over $8,000 for DFW Toys for Tots!

 

Special thanks go out to the Mansfield Police Department, high school mascots, Mansfield High School Drill Team, Summit High School Band, James Coble Middle School Cheerleaders, Legacy High School Drill Team, Mansfield Fire Department, Peter Ponce, MISD Fine Arts, MISD Police, MISD Athletics SAMS Club in Mansfield, Top of Texas Photography, Mansfield Mayor, David Cook, Savvy’s Bistro, MISD volunteers, Huckabee, Inc., Ben Barber Career Tech Academy Auto Tech, BCB Transport in Mansfield, Lone Star Irrigation Association, Shepard Intermediate assistant principal, Josh Roberts, MISD Warehouse crew, Texas Trust Credit Union, Home Depot, Mansfield Methodist Medical Center, Starbucks, Frost Bank, Two Men and a Truck, Mattress cleaning dudes, , Sports Clips, and all MISD schools and departments for promoting and participating at the event.

Superintendent Update - December 2013

Watch the December Superintendent Update on YouTube:

Dr. V discusses the latest on the December 11 2013 MISD Toys For Tots community event, holiday concerts and events throughout the district in addition to winter weather notification procedures.

Winter Weather Transportation and School-closing Decisions

What happens in Mansfield ISD when temperatures drop and our area has inclement winter weather?

I checked with our leadership team and the Transportation department to help explain some of the procedures, considerations, and decision-making during winter weather events. Here is what I found out:

1. At or before 4:00 a.m. a decision is made to deploy the Transportation weather team staff.
2. Before 4:30 a.m.., the weather team visually inspects various areas across the district of streets for icy, wet, or dry roads along with monitoring the weather information channels.
3. The weather team contacts the Director of Transportation with their road information.
4. Road conditions are analyzed along with other related information available from other school districts.
5. If roads are questionable, the Superintendent is contacted after 4:30 a.m. (but before 5:00 a.m.) to discuss findings and recommendations.
6. The Superintendent makes a decision by 5:00 a.m. whether or not to close schools.
7. We use our standard communication channels if any changes to the district schedule require adjustment including the District homepage, weather info webpage, our phone and e-mail notification system, DFW radio and TV news outlets, and via the district's Twitter profile, @mansfieldisd.

Other considerations and notable information

• Many area school districts' transportation directors have a local phone network so they can stay in communication and provide insight to what is happening road-wise with each other.

• How does weather forecasting play a part in the decision-making process? While the weather team reports actual conditions, what is expected to happen weather-wise is just as important to the decision process.

• What about early dismissals? If winter weather conditions worsen during the school day, we determine if an early release is needed to get the students home sooner and bus drivers back to the bus barn safely prior to darkness. We try to make that decision prior to 10:00 a.m. in order to adequately coordinate the dismissal process. As soon as it is determined to dismiss early, the dismissal times for each grade level will be posted immediately on the District's website.
• How many different bus routes run every day? Each of our MISD buses run three or four schools. We run 165 buses, including Special Needs, but with three bell schedules, that is approximately 660 individual bus trips each morning and then again each afternoon.

We hope this helps provide a little insight into this process.

Transportation Teams up for Food Drive

From Assistant Director of Transportation, Brian Merchant:

I wanted to take a moment and share something that has been truly wonderful here at the Transportation Department. This year, Mr. Scott Shafer [Director of Operations] introduced several new team concepts to our employees here that has been very beneficial to our morale, and co-worker relationships. We have two locations where we have six Route Specialists at 6th Avenue, and six Route Specialists at Main St. All of the full-time drivers and attendants have been placed on these 12 teams and divided up into to 12 different colors that are apparent by the lanyards they wear each day.

This month the team challenge was a canned food drive where the winning team would win a trophy to proudly display where the winning team is located.

The drive ended this week and the teams from 6th Avenue and Main Street donated a combined 4,300 items for First Methodist Mansfield 's Wesley Mission Center food pantry. 

I wanted to share this with you because the generosity of our teams has truly been a blessing to everyone here and to the recipients they will never meet.

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Editor's Note: There are food drives going on across the school district. Please check with your school for details on how you can support our local food pantries.
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T.A. Howard Middle School and Cross Timbers Intermediate School Stuff the Bus Food Drive benefiting Harvesting International Ministry Center.
 

Preparing for a new custom mobile app

We're working on an all-new custom mobile app. Our goal is to provide a convenient source for district and school information, delivered directly to the fingertips of parents, students, staff and community. Once it's launched, the new mobile app will be free and available for download on Android and Apple devices.

Back in August, 2011 we launched an iPhone app that at the time was a pretty useful tool but it had some limitations. One of the main issues for us was that we lacked a version for our Android device users. There were also some other technical challenges that we faced and now that old app version has sat dormant with limited updates for some time. Fast forward to today, we're working with a new developer and are excited to launch a new mobile app very soon. But first, we need some feedback.

As we prepare for the development phase, we want to hear from you. Please take a few moments to share your thoughts on what you think should be included in our new mobile app using this brief online survey: Take the Mansfield ISD mobile app survey

Low Intermediate School Raises Diabetes Awareness

Students and staff were asked to wear white as a
sign of support for diabetes awareness

November 14, is World Diabetes Day. Asa Low Intermediate conducted a special day-long awareness program for the students and staff to demonstrate the statistical realities of the number of people diagnosed with diabetes. November 2013 as National Diabetes Month.

What is Diabetes?
There are two different types. Type 1 is a rare form in which the body is unable to make the hormone insulin. Insulin is used to convert sugar or glucose into fuel for the body. People with Type 1 must take injections or use an insulin pump to control their diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 95% of all diabetes diagnosis. Type 2 occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or the cells are unable to use insulin properly. Type 2 diabetes is treated with healthy meal choices, losing excess weight, exercise, oral medications and/or insulin injections. A third type, gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and can increase both the mother and baby's chances of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life.

Brandie McCormic lead the charge at Asa Low Intermediate to host a Mock Diabetes Diagnosis Day. Worldwide, 8% of the population has diabetes. The school demonstrated that statistic today by pretending to "diagnose" 8% of the combined staff and students at Asa Low equaling 76 people by providing a white wristband to indicate a diagnosis.

 Through the activity, 71 people were be assigned with the more common Type 2 diabetes and five were designated with the rare form of Type 1 diabetes.

The administrators and staff selected this activity to raise diabetes awareness and help prevent, treat, and manage the disease particularly the alarming increasing development of TYPE 2 diabetes.While today 1 in 13 are being diagnosed, studies indicate that if current trends continue, that 1 out of every 3 people born in 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes.

What can we do?
Studies have also shown that reducing high sugar foods such as colas and candy, leading an active life, shedding excess weight, can reduce or forestall the development of Type 2 diabetes by 58%. 

A poster was provided in the cafeteria for students to staff who chose to could list people
that they knew who live with diabetes as a reminder about the importance of prevention

Did you know...

• Worldwide, 382 million people have diabetes in 2013; by 2035 this will rise to 592 million
• The number of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing in every country
• 80% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries
• The greatest number of people with diabetes are between 40 and 59 years of age.

Asa Low Intermediate School principal, Jason Short at left
with the diabetes activity inspiration, Brandie McCormic 

Related: 
International Diabetes Federation, Diabetes Atlas
Presidential Proclamation -- National Diabetes Month, 2013

Bikes for Angels 2013 Campaign

The Automotive Technology Department at Mansfield ISD’s Ben Barber Career Tech Academy is kicking off their school fundraiser for the 2013 Bikes for Angels Fund.

From Rick Curlee, Auto Tech Teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy:

We dedicate our Bikes for Angels fundraiser to Mr. Jerry Bellows. We lost Mr. Bellows in January 2013 to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Mr. Bellows was very instrumental in our Bikes for Angels Program. Since starting in 2007, our students have raised over $102,000 to purchase 2,416 bicycles for Angel tree children at our Intermediate and Elementary schools in Mansfield and surrounding areas. We have also donated bikes to other community organizations such as the Common Ground Network in Mansfield and Bethlehem Baptist Church as well as the Family Crisis Center and Operation Blessing.

It means so much for the instructors and students who put time, energy, heart and soul into this program to see the Counselors, Principals, Teachers and some of the recipients with tears of joy in their eyes.

We are starting this new school year with the main goal of trying to buy at least 700 bicycles this year for needy children who would otherwise not get bikes for Christmas. We have had students bringing in everything from plastic bags full of change to one student who actually turned over his weekly paycheck to help these children in the past. We've also had many students who had been on Angel Trees when they were younger themselves so thankful for the opportunity to give back to their community.

We ask that you consider helping us again this year to meet our goal by making a donation of any kind. Some examples are listed below:

• Cars, running or not, and in any shape (Cars must have title)
• Scrap metal
• Checks, cash, even your spare change is accepted 
• It all adds up to bicycles!

Students will visit classrooms, businesses, and their immediate communities trying to raise funds. We also welcome sponsorship for our cause.

If you'd like to donate by check, please make it out to: Bikes for Angels.
Contact Mr. Rick Curlee at MISD Ben Barber Career Tech Academy for receipt of donation or other additional information.
Email: rickcurlee@misdmail.org
Phone: 817-299-1939
Note: All monies raised will go to bicycles. There are no administrative costs. 

Check out some photos from the 2013 Bike for Angels Campaign!

Superintendent Update - November 2013

Watch Dr. V's November Superintendent Update on YouTube:

Dr. V shares the latest on the MISD Staff Clinic, DSO On The Go concert, the upcoming College and Career Night event and the District's involvement with Restore West ISD efforts.

Senior Art Shows at The Center

The MISD Fine Arts Department established a new visual arts show opportunity for advanced art students last year. Senior Art Shows for our Advanced Visual Art Students are scheduled at the MISD Center for the Performing Arts.

These shows give senior art students an opportunity to have a larger art show in addition to the District's Annual Art shows held in the spring.

The Senior Art shows typically run one to two weeks in duration and feature artwork from two to four students.

Here is the full 2013-14 schedule of Senior Art Shows at The Center (current show):

November 11-22 – Cross-District Senior Show

December 8-20 – Timberview High School

January 13-24 – Summit High School

Jan 27-Feb 7 – Legacy High School
February 10-21 – Mansfield High School

February 24-March 7– Summit High School

March 17-28 – Mansfield High School

Mar 31-April 4 – District Secondary Art Show

April 7-18 – Timberview High School

April 28-May 2 – District Elementary Art Show

May 5-16 – Lake Ridge High School

May 19-30 – Legacy High School

The Center is located at 1110 W Debbie Lane, Mansfield, Texas 76063.
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Fine Arts Senior Art Shows update: 

Marching Band Results, Ratings, and Tweets

November 6 Update:

Congratulations @lakeridgeband for placing 10th in Conf. 4A Finals #UILState Marching Contest: http://t.co/jbEc92f5e7 cc @LakeRidgeEagles
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) November 6, 2013

Congratulations, marching band students, directors, and supporters! All five Mansfield ISD high school bands made a first division rating at the Region marching contest last week.

All three of our 4A bands (Summit, Legacy and Lake Ridge) advanced out of the preliminary phase of competition at the Area contest this past Saturday.

Mansfield Lake Ridge High School advanced to the 4A state marching contest that will take place in San Antonio on Tuesday, November 5. Lake Ridge HS has been open for only two years and this is the first year the band was eligible to compete and continue on to the next level.

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Update: Lake Ridge High School Marching Band presents State Marching Contest send-off show, 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 3 at Newsom Stadium

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/10/26/5280291/24-area-bands-march-for-a-chance.html#storylink=cpy

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's coverage: 24 area bands march for a chance to make it to the state finals:

"The Lake Ridge High School marching band performed songs like Muse’s Madness while engaging in a pretend battle as part of its performance for the UIL State Marching Band area finals...What drum major Nick Clark, 16, didn’t know halfway through the day was that his Lake Ridge band members had won first place in the preliminary competition. The bands, with color guard members helping amp up performances, were ranked in the finals for music and marching skills."

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/10/26/5280291/24-area-bands-march-for-a-chance.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/10/26/5280291/24-area-bands-march-for-a-chance.html#storylink=cpy

The following are the tweets from the newest Mansfield ISD Twitter profile, @MISD_FineArts:

Lake Ridge HS invaded the Area prelims. Another band behind me said they were "Legit!" And wanted to see it again. pic.twitter.com/ie2w6s0WFQ
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 26, 2013

Summit HS was superb at the Area marching prelims!! Wow!! So great!! pic.twitter.com/qhoytxfahV
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 26, 2013

Legacy HS band was outstanding at the preliminary Area Marching contest. Powerful performance!! pic.twitter.com/nJHpwleB4i
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 26, 2013

Timberview HS made the audience howl. They did an awesome job!! pic.twitter.com/VVjxqKaCph
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 23, 2013

Mansfield HS earned their stripes tonight with a division I rating at Regional Marching Band competition. pic.twitter.com/wRc337gEWF
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 23, 2013

Legacy HS band wowed them at Region Marching Band competition!! pic.twitter.com/LXVj8CxrPl
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 22, 2013

Lake Ridge HS band was out of this world at Region Marching Band competition!!! pic.twitter.com/pCojQuVW8l
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 22, 2013

Great job Summit HS Band at Region marching competition!! pic.twitter.com/UvJRupmA7C
— MISD Fine Arts (@MISD_FineArts) October 22, 2013

Superintendent Update - October 2013

Watch the Superintendent Update - October 2013 on YouTube:

MISD Superintendent, Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, discusses the upcoming October Parent/Teacher Conference dates, another DSO on the Go event at The Center (November 10) benefiting the MISD Education Foundation, and the JROTC competition (October 5) that will take place at Newsom Stadium.

Mansfield golfer heads to Pebble Beach Tourney

Nicholas Narcisse, a junior at Mansfield High School, is among four local teens to compete in the 2013 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions Tour event September 27-29, and televised internationally on Golf Channel. The teens are being sent by First Tee of Fort Worth.

Each participant will be teamed a Champions Tour player and an amateur on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course on Friday and Saturday. The final round will be played on Pebble Beach on Sunday, where the Champions Tour winner will be crowned and the top 23 pro-junior teams will compete for their own championship. Narcisse was also selected to participate in the Coca Cola Champions Challenge on Thursday, September 26 where he was be paired with a Champions Tour Pro and competed for a chance at a $40,000 purse for The First Tee of Fort Worth.

Narcisse got his first tournament win in 2012 at the Pro Duffers Charity Golf Tournament but has four second place finishes and one third place finish. Narcisse currently plays with a 0.8 handicap as he works on continually improving his game. Narcisse is a member of the Junior Advisory Board and has attended The First Tee National Life Skills and Leadership Academy, and the National Advanced Academy. Narcisse is an active volunteer in his church and also had the privilege of playing in a foursome with golf great Lee Trevino a couple of years ago.

About The First Tee of Fort Worth
The First Tee of Fort Worth is the Fort Worth chapter of The First Tee program and is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

Timberview seniors selected for 2014 Army All-American Bowl

Congratulations to seniors Ed Paris and Brandon Simmons, Timberview High School varsity football defensive backs, for being selected for the 2014 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. This prestigious bowl game takes place at the San Antonio Alamodome on January 4 and will be televised on NBC. Only 90 players from across the U.S. are selected each year.

On Thursday, September 26, Paris and Simmons received their jerseys during a special afternoon ceremony at the campus.

(Read related article in the Mansfield News-Mirror.)

October Parent-Teacher Conferences

In early October, Mansfield ISD parents will once again have an opportunity to meet with their student's teachers during the district wide conference times. Campuses have set aside time to invite parents to the school to discuss how things are going this year in the classroom. Please check with your school(s) for specific conference schedule times.

• Thursday, October 10 - Evening conference times available after regular school day.
• Friday, October 11 - Student Holiday & Parent/Teacher Conference opportunity times in the morning. (Teachers are off in the afternoon.) 
• Visit the MISD Calendars page for these and other important dates.
• Download a printable 2013-14 Calendar (PDF).

The Why Behind The What
This marks the third year in a row we've offered dates at all schools for Parent/Teacher Conferences. It's our hope that parents will carve out time from what we know are busy schedules to meet with teachers. We believe that parent involvement is an important component in our mission to ensure educational and personal success by fostering a community built on mutual support and excellence.

Australian Principal of the Year Tours Mansfield High School

Mansfield High School hosted the 2012 Australian Secondary Principal of the Year, Mrs. Shayne Player, on Wednesday, September 18. Mrs. Player is the Principal of the Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, Tumbi Umbi Campus. While the school name may sound confusing, in Australia, the schools are called colleges. Mrs. Player’s campus is similar in student level to our middle schools.

As a prize for being named the Australian Secondary Principal of the Year, Mrs. Player was granted time for a trip around the world for a Professional Learning Sabbatical to visit schools in order to study common principles in high-performing schools. By the time she completes her trip, she will have visited schools in Finland, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and many more.

She is particularly interested in seeing AVID schools that integrate technology. (Her campus is an AVID school, and they are exploring computers on a 1:1 basis with their students similar to our iPad program for high schools.) Since she was interested in seeing a school integrate technology with AVID, she toured a few Mansfield High School classes to see instructional integration of the iPads and learn of some of the experiences we have gained in implementing new technology.

While she was at our campus, she observed classes and spoke very highly of the kinds of things offered to our students. Before she left the school, she shared some thoughts on her visit to the campus and what she's learned on her trip to this and other countries.Watch her interview on YouTube:

 

Read more about Mrs. Shayne Player. Watch a video her campus made about AVID. 

A Message from Dr. Vaszauskas

The following was shared with MISD staff on Friday, August 30, 2013.

Dear Colleagues,

On August 12, I had a surgical procedure to remove a mass located under my ribs. We were fortunate to have caught this growth in its early stages, and my wonderful surgeon was able to remove everything but microscopic traces of the growth.

The mass, called a thymoma, is very rare. Thymomas are very slow growing, tend not to spread and respond very well to treatment, so the long-term prognosis is very good. If you are curious, you can learn more about thymomas at this link.

To give myself the best chance of never having to deal with this again, I am choosing to undergo a six-week course of radiation treatment that should begin sometime during the week of September 10. I may need to miss some work during this time.

We have a wonderful leadership team in MISD, and they have done an exemplary job running the district while I have been out for surgery. Business will continue as usual. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work with our outstanding Board of Trustees in service to this district. They have been very supportive during this time and have full confidence in our leadership team.

If you have a problem, a concern, or need assistance, follow our normal procedures. When I am out of the district, Karen Wentworth, Associate Superintendent of Human Resources, will serve as the acting superintendent.

Thank you for what you do for the students of Mansfield ISD.

Dr. Jim Vaszauskas
Superintendent, Mansfield ISD

Teachers take school beautification needs into their own hands

Three teachers at the Alternative Education Center took it upon themselves to spruce up an area of their campus to provide a more appealing and inviting area. Science teachers Mr. Shannon Helm and Mrs. Sally McClure along vocational electives and economics teacher, Duston Moore thought a spot in the foyer was in need of some beautification. So they literally took matters into their own hands. They bought mulch and plants and then spent a few hours planting and trimming in the area to make sure it was ready for school. The result is a more appealing section of the school.

"They did this on their own time and with their personal money," said Raymond Cook, social studies department head. "As you can see, it is a great improvement and we were ready to greet our students with pride."

Before

 After

Thanks and kudos to these teachers for going above and beyond their duties for students.