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.

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

4th Grader Wins @methodistmans Surgical Robot Naming Contest

A Mansfield ISD 4th grader gave the winning name for a surgical robot. “Ross” the robot has officially joined Methodist Mansfield Medical Center’s minimally invasive robotic surgery team.  R.O.S.S. stands for "Robotically Operated Surgical Specialist" and was named by Alice Ponder Elementary 4th grader, Emily Holland.

This ended up being a fun campaign and we hope it inspired the imaginations of the elementary students that submitted the entries. Over 1,000 name entries were submitted.

4th grader wins @methodistmans da Vinci surgical robot naming contest (tours hospital and uses robot) bit.ly/16mMYTd​​​​​
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) June 1, 2013

For providing the winning name, Emily and a few friends and family members took at tour of Methodist Mansfield including time using the surgical robot.

 

The ad below also appeared in the Mansfield News-Mirror on Wednesday, June 5, 2013:

Related Links:

• Elementary students to name surgical robot
• Alice Ponder 4th grade student wins da Vinci Robot naming contest
• Alice Ponder 4th Grade Student Wins da Vinci Robot Naming Contest (MMMC)
• 4th Grader Wins Robot Naming Contest (Photos)

Gazebo Preserves a Kinder Community Spirit

Have you ever wondered about that seemingly random gazebo on the administrative complex property between the parking lot and Student Services? The following write-up shares some details about its history and upkeep: 

Although it may never be mentioned in conversation, the small pristine white Gazebo on North Walnut Creek Dr. is a subliminal reminder that Mansfield was a quiet, country town when the Women’s Division of the Mansfield Area Chamber of Commerce donated the Gazebo to MISD some twenty-three years ago. Whether it be the setting for a wedding, the meeting place for teenagers “cramming” for finals, the pretend castle of a group of youngsters or the backdrop for a family Christmas card the structure beckons any and all passersby to share in its splendor.

“The Gazebo belongs to the community,” said Lucretia Mills, who spearheaded efforts to care for the structure since 1990. “It is something that we can all be proud of.”

In the early years of the life of the Gazebo, Mrs. Mills enlisted the help of the Tarrant County Community Correction Facility which provided female inmates who did the painting, seasonal landscaping and decorating it for the holidays. The trainees took pride in their work at the Gazebo. This was their only opportunity to step off of the premises of the Boot Camp. They enjoyed taking ownership of the project and learned some valuable life lessons from their efforts.

In the past few weeks the gazebo has been given a facelift with a fresh coat of paint by Eagle Scout, Ethan T. Hurdsman of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 215. This was his Eagle Scout project for which he did a superb job. Ethan is a senior at Mansfield Legacy High School and excels in graphic design, 3D design and photography. His plans for college are to attend Tarrant County College the first two years. He was on site Saturday to watch the flower bed being spruced up with spring flowers and a new stone border by Store Managers from area Starbucks stores. Not only did these volunteers give of their time to the Gazebo but also helped with another project for one of our elderly citizens. The volunteers along with Ethan are pictured above.

The Gazebo is now under the supervision of the Keep Mansfield Beautiful Commission of which Mrs. Mills has been a long time member and will continue to oversee the Gazebo under the direction of KMBC and MISD.

Pride is an important factor in Mrs. Mills’ message. If Mansfield is to preserve and maintain the reputation that citizens have a certain “quality of life” complimentary to both small-town hospitality and rapid economic development, Mills said everyone must take responsibility for those efforts.

2013 Multi-Cultural Festival (photos and thanks)

Thank you to all who joined us for the inaugural Mansfield ISD Multi-Cultural Festival on Saturday, April 6 at The MISD Center for the Performing Arts. Attendees enjoyed a wide array of free activities, games, food, student showcases, performances, and more. We had a steady flow of people all day long. Culinary arts students from Ben Barber Career Tech Academy/Frontier High School provided an amazing selection of savory and sweet bites from over a dozen different countries and cultures. Many attendees asked for recipes from the students and chefs.

Check out the photo gallery from the event:

What did you think?
We hope you enjoyed the event and would love to hear from you if you came. Please let us know your thoughts about Saturday's event in the comments or via email to mansfieldisd@gmail.com. (You can also email your event photos to the address above if you'd like to share your great pics.)

A special thank you goes out to our many volunteer staff, students, and parents who helped make the event a success.

Impact Award: Center Director Draws Community Event to Mansfield

When most people look at the MISD Center for the Performing Arts they envision choir and band concerts, graduations and district events. When Center Director, Flo Torres looks at the facility, she sees all of those things, plus a vast realm of exciting possibilities.

Torres joined Mansfield ISD as the Center Director in August of 2012, bringing with her over a decade of experience in the special events industry. It didn’t take long for Torres to recognize the potential for the Center and the positive impact the facility could have on the district and community.

After only a few months on the job, Torres set her sights on the upcoming Toys for Tots event. The nationwide campaign collects toys and funds for less fortunate children during the holiday season. She knew this event would be a fantastic way to showcase the Center while contributing to a worthy cause.

“The Toys for Tots event brings an opportunity for communities to get together,” said Torres. “I think we, as an entity, can bring so much to the table.”

After conversations and planning meetings, Torres announced that for the first time, MISD would be an official drop-off location for the Toys for Tots organization. To add to the excitement, Fox 4 News confirmed that the Center would be one of their designated sites for live news coverage.

Collection boxes were dispersed to all MISD campuses and dozens of local businesses, student performances were scheduled, vendor booths and activities were sponsored, and Santa Claus and his reindeer were rumored to be in attendance!

Despite the frosty weather on the night of the event, the school district and community came out in full force. A collective donation of over 16,000 toys and $17,000 was presented to representatives of the Toys for Tots organization. It was one of the largest donations the organization had ever received from a single collection event in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

“The Mansfield community responded in an amazing way,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Jim Vaszauskas. “In my 31 years of education, the Mansfield Toys for Tots event was the greatest charitable effort that I have ever seen.”

Following the event, it was clear that the district and community were wowed by the successful outcome, but Torres was most impressed with the hard work put forth by her team and an army of volunteers.

“The commitment of the employees of the ISD is amazing,” Torres said. “I kept seeing people that we didn’t even call to help us showing up and helping, whether it was directing traffic or picking up trash, they looked around and saw a need and took care of it.”

Torres pursued the Toys for Tots event in hopes that she could show that the MISD Center for the Performing Arts has a lot to offer to the Mansfield community. In the end, she was able to meet that goal, and she also discovered that the community has much to offer in return.

“I was able to see firsthand the power of this community,” said Torres. “I am very proud to be part of the team.”

On behalf of the MISD Administration, congratulations to Flo Torres, our latest Impact Award Winner!

YouTube Video: MISD Impact Award - Flo Torres 

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The Impact Award was established to recognize individual staff members, departments, campuses or other district groups that have promoted teamwork and unity by initiating a program or event that made a positive impact within Mansfield ISD and the community. Impact Award winners may be nominated by staff, students or community members.

Winners are selected throughout the school year. Staff members who receive the Impact Award are eligible for other district honors.

Five Cities Proclaim February 21 as Celebrate Texas Public Schools Day

In honor of Texas public school districts and the students we serve, the cities of Arlington, Grand Prairie, Kennedale, Mansfield, and Midlothian issued proclamations naming Thursday, February 21, 2013 as Celebrate Texas Public Schools Day.

The timing of these proclamations was aligned to the Celebration Rally for Texas Public Schools scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the MISD Center for the Performing Arts. The rally is presenting by coordinating schools districts Arlington ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Kennedale ISD, Mansfield ISD, and Midlothian ISD.

The five city proclamations read as follows:

Whereas, the students of Texas public schools hold the promise of a successful future in their capable hands; and

Whereas, the independent school districts provide the foundation that is so vital toward childrens' futures through a quality education; and

Whereas, the dedicated efforts of parents, educators, business representatives, civic leaders and the community as a whole will provide the support and strength to our schools; and

Whereas, students are attaining a higher level of achievement, because of our schools' commitment to excellence and focus on continued improvement; and

Whereas, the observance and support of a Celebration Rally for Texas Public Schools, will demonstrate the significant impact of education on our future and our communities; then

Therefore, I, the ____________________________ of ________________do hereby and proclaim February 21, 2013 as Celebrate Texas Public Schools Day and urge all citizens to reaffirm their commitment to our schools, taking time attend local public schools or to find ways to contribute their time to make a difference in the futures of our young people.

Signed this ____________________ day of ________________________, 2013

Thank you to each of the cities cities of Arlington, Grand Prairie, Kennedale, Mansfield, and Midlothian for recognizing and supporting Texas public schools.

Wester Middle School continues tradition of support for Mansfield Cares

While catching up on some items shared before the winter break, we came across some impressive campus news from one of our middle schools:



Brooks Wester Middle School students, teachers and staff gathered around the Wildcat Angel Tree and presented Mansfield Cares representatives a donation check for $4,335. The Angel Tree collection has been a tradition at Wester for 10 years and each year the goal is to do better than the last year. The teachers challenge students in various ways to think of others for character-building and give to a special cause. The Wildcats rose to the occasion and did a great job, especially since this collection came soon after the school's student council Canned Food Drive and during the district's Toys for Tots campaign.

Well done, Wildcats!

Healthy Fundraiser Inspires Two Elementaries

When Jennifer Spiegel was brainstorming fundraiser ideas this fall, she diverged from the norm and developed an idea that would make a meaningful and lasting impact on her students as well as those from a nearby campus in need.

Spiegel, the P.E. coach at Roberta Tipps Elementary, teaches her students the importance of developing active and healthy habits to practice in gym class and during their free time. As she searched for a fundraising opportunity that matched her healthy mission, she came across the Ultimate Fitness Challenge, a timed obstacle course resembling a wonderland of bounce-houses and inflatable activities.

In addition to being a fun and healthy activity, this was also a way for students to collect funds via pledges from family, friends and neighbors. The kids enjoyed the obstacle course, but they were ultimately motivated by the purpose of the event – raising money to purchase sports equipment for low income students at Erma Nash Elementary, a neighboring MISD campus.

“Our students here at Tipps have so much and I wanted them to give to others here in Mansfield who don’t,” said Spiegel. “I’m trying to teach empathy for others and I wanted them to see it in action for themselves.”

70 students participated in the challenge and raised enough money to purchase equipment for 78 students at Nash. On December 7, Spiegel and her students loaded the equipment on school buses and traveled to Nash to present the goods. It was a heartwarming and pure display of generosity and graciousness.

As the Tipps students handed out soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, hula hoops and jump ropes, they were each given a handwritten thank you card in return.

“I’ve never been given something like this from another school,” said Ariana Rosborough, a 4th grader from Nash. “I’m thankful for the equipment and I hope someday we can do something like this for other students too.”   

It was clear that the students from Nash were thankful and inspired by this act of kindness, but it also held a meaningful lesson for the Tipps kids.

“I think they are really happy and it made me feel happy too,” said Diesel Ayres, a 1st grader from Tipps. “It’s good to raise money for others because it’s helpful and it helps other kids get healthy.”
 

Toys for Tots Community Event a Great Success

That. Was. Awesome.

Thank you so much to everyone in the Mansfield ISD community who donated toys and/or came out last night to The Center for the Toys for Tots drop-off event. We had a huge crowd of parents, students, staff, and people throughout the community who came by to support this effort. The media team from FOX 4 and organizers from DFW Toys for Tots were thrilled and impressed with the magnitude of our toy drive and community event. All of you did that. Well done!

Did you go? Please share some of your photos from last night's Toys for Tots event at The Center and we'll add them to our online photo gallery. Please send event photos to mansfieldisd [at] gmail.com.

Earlier in the day, we started gathering toys from around the district.

Buses are going around MISD picking up over 12,800 toys from schools for tonight's #ToysForTots drop-off event @ The Center w/ @

Updated (December 14): We received a final count from the DFW Toys for Tots warehouse on the total number of toys and donations from the MISD drive - 16,148 toys and $15,550 in donations!

Thank you to all of the student performers, school and local business volunteers who provided activity booths, event organizers, sponsors and partners, and of course FOX 4 and DFW Toys for Tots for letting MISD be a part of something big.

Toys for Tots Drive and Community Event - Dec 12

Join Mansfield ISD and Toys for Tots for a community-wide FREE event at the MISD Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 from
5:00 - 10:30 p.m.

Live FOX 4 TV coverage between 5:00-6:30 p.m. and 9:00-10:30 p.m. broadcasts

We will have FREE Santa photos to all bringing a (new, unwrapped) toy, a pair of real reindeer to pet, crafts, face-painting, fire truck, inflatable bounce activity, music, high school drumlines, popcorn, hot cocoa, entertainment, and much more.

Toy collection boxes are also available at every Mansfield ISD campus and many local businesses. All are invited to bring collection boxes with toys to the December 12 community drop-off event.

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October - December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area.

Download and print the Event Flyer (PDF):

Bikes for Angels 2012 Campaign

Automotive Technology Department at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy kicked off their annual Bikes for Angels Fundraiser for Christmas 2012 earlier this fall.
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Update: Fantastic work by the auto tech students at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy for their Bikes for Angels campaign. Over 450 bikes were purchased, built, and are being distributed this week to needy kids in the area. Thank you to everyone who helped in this campaign. Check out the photo gallery from the campus presentation of bikes.

 

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From Rick Curlee, Auto Tech Teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy:
We are dedicating the Bikes for Angels fundraiser to Mr. Jerry Bellows (pictured above) from this point forward. Mr. Bellows is suffering with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and was very instrumental in starting our Bikes for Angels Program.

Our students have purchased 2,017 bikes and raised over $86,250.00 to buy bicycles for Angel tree children at our Intermediate and Elementary schools here in the Mansfield area. We also donated bikes to Common Ground in Mansfield and Bethlehem Baptist Church. We also have donated bikes to the Family Crisis Center which assists battered women and children and Operation Blessing. It means so much for the instructors and students delivering these bikes to see 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 everything in from Ziploc bags full of change to a student turning over his weekly paycheck to help some of these children in the past. We have also had many students who had actually been on Angel Trees when they were younger themselves.

We would sincerely like to ask you to help us meet the goal this year by making a donation of any kind to our fund. We can use almost any type of donation.
Some examples are listed below.

• Cars, running or not, and in any shape. Cars must have title and will either be resold or scrapped.
• Scrap metal.
• Checks, cash, even your spare change is accepted. It all adds up to bicycles.

Students will be visiting classrooms, businesses, and their immediate communities trying to raise funds. Thank you for considering this year's Bikes for Angels campaign. If you give by check, please make it out to "MISD Auto Tech" and put Bikes for Angels in the memo line.

For questions about the program, please email Mr. Rick Curlee at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy at rickcurlee@misdmail.org or contact by phone at 817-299-1939.

Impact Award: Career Tech Instructors Soar with Solar Power

When Jackie Bishop was researching home solar panels online last spring, he came across a project that would soon make Mansfield ISD history.

The Solar Car Challenge was founded to motivate students in science, engineering, technology and alternative energy – plus, it involves some pretty cool race cars!

After discovering the challenge, Bishop, an Auto Tech teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy, quickly enlisted the help of Rob Goodson, an Engineering teacher on campus. The enthusiastic duo recruited a group of about twenty-five students to form “The Shine Runners,” MISD’s first ever solar car team.

Their mission was to design and construct a solar car to compete in the Solar Car Challenge, which is held at Texas Motor Speedway each summer. Since forming in 1993, the competition has grown from a high school extracurricular activity to a national event drawing over 65 schools from 20 states.

As construction on the car kicked off at the end of the school year, Bishop and Goodson enlisted the help of students from auto tech, engineering, media tech, graphic design, welding and construction; each of whom offered a level of expertise in their area.

In addition to uniting students from across the campus, the solar car project drew interest and support from several community businesses, including Mouser Electronics, The Power Store, ExelTech and Lockheed Martin. These sponsors contributed to the success of the project through donations of funds, equipment and even brain power.

A senior electrical engineer from ExelTech logged about 300 hours working closely with the students.

“It was a huge benefit to work with industry professionals,” said Bishop. “They learned about technology we wouldn’t typically learn in class. The experience they gained from this is something they will never forget.”

The team worked long hours throughout the summer, to ensure the car would be ready for its debut at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Shine Runners emerged victorious from their first race, with the 6th place title and the prestigious William Shih Award, presented to the solar car team with the highest level of technological achievement.

“It was probably the safest one out there,” said Goodson of the solar car. “It may not be the fastest, but it was most structurally sounds and had the best overall features. We are very proud of them for that.”

Following the success of their first race, the Shine Runners are already looking forward to their next challenge. They plan to take part in an eight-day cross-country race from Dallas to Los Angeles in July of 2013.

On behalf of the Mansfield ISD Administration, we wish the Shine Runnners the best of luck in their future challenges and we congratulate their fearless leaders, Jackie Bishop and Rob Goodson, for receiving our latest MISD Impact Award! They have truly earned their place in the sun.

Town Hall: The Role of Standardized Testing in Education

The HOPE Foundation in partnership with the Mansfield ISD will hold a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at 5:45 p.m. The topic of the Town Hall is “What should the role of Standardize Testing be in education?” It will be held at the Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts, located at 1110 West Debbie Lane, Mansfield TX 76063.

As parents we often only look at our children’s test scores or visit the schools website to see their grades. Some of the questions we need to be asking to ensure our children are graduating as 21st century learners who are college and career ready go well beyond just grades and scores These questions and more will be addressed at the Town Hall meeting.

Moderator: Christopher Swanson - Vice President of Editorial Projects in Education, Education Week

Panelists:

• Lamar Goree – Area Superintendent, Mansfield Independent School District
• Dr. Shelly Butler – Middle School Principal, Mansfield Independent School District
• Kelly Standley – Instructional Specialist, Mansfield Independent School District
• Melanie Castellow – Curriculum Director, LaGrange Independent School District
• Lee Fleming – Director of New School Development, New Tech Network

Mansfield ISD parents are invited to be part of our Town Hall because you play a crucial large role in shaping not only the future your children but of this region, state and beyond.

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The Thursday night Town Hall meeting is in coordination with a HOPE Foundation conference entitled "How Schools Work" being held at The Center on November 8-9 for educators:

The "How Schools Work" Series goes beyond what to do to assure student success and directly into how it is being done in schools throughout North America -- right now. The fact is that schools are succeeding. Importing gurus is misguided because The Answer Is in the Room. Every school has excellent teaching going on, and every district has successful schools. The challenge has been in scaling that success. HOPE's past decade has been spent developing and field-testing a method for scaling success already underway in schools. Now you can see that in action.

Teachers from our District as well as from surrounding school districts will attend this national conference being held here in the Mansfield ISD.

Three Schools want to Stuff the Bus with Food

Three schools in Mansfield ISD are preparing for community food drive during which they hope to fill a school us with nonperishable food items for distribution.

Starting Monday, November 12, Cross Timbers Intermediate School, Carol Holt Elementary School, and T.A. Howard Middle School will join forces for their first ever joint Stuff the Bus Food Drive.

Each campus will collect canned and nonperishable food items the week of November 12 -16.

Items collected will be placed on one of the District's school buses in hopes to fill it by the end of the week. The campuses are inviting all parents, faculty, staff and students to participate. All food drive items will benefit food pantries in the Mansfield Common Ground Network. (The Common Ground Network is a community partner organization for the MISD.)

Drop off locations: 
Cross Timbers Intermediate - 2934 Russell Road, Arlington, TX 76001
Carol Holt Elementary - 7321 Ledbetter Road, Arlington, TX 76001
T.A. Howard Middle School - 7501 Calendar Road, Arlington, TX 76001

Get the flyer (PDF)