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

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.

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.

Staff kicked the year off with Convocation

On Wednesday, August 21, the entire Mansfield ISD staff gathered for the annual Convocation event to kick off the school year. Convocation is our pre-back-to-school event when we get a chance to bring all the employees together in what we hope is a fun, festive and motivating experience. This year, we tried something a little different and asked one of our assistant principals, Josh Roberts, to be our host. (In addition to serving as a veteran educator, Josh is also no stranger to the stage as one of the members of Four Day Weekend improv comedy troupe in Ft. Worth.)

Our keynote speaker was Mr. Flip Flippen from The Flippen Group and he gave an inspirational message of encouragement and support through stories. Flip is Chairman of the Flippen Group, a respected leadership development and talent assessment company and the largest educator training company in North America. (Mr. Flippen also laid the groundwork for the Teen Leadership teacher certification program and classes that are offered at all MISD high schools.)

Check out the photo gallery from the 2013 Convocation:

 

A special thank you to the cadets from Legacy High School Junior ROTC for the presentation of colors and to our MISD staff singers who performed the National Anthem:

• Adam Zrust, Legacy, Director of Choirs
• Keli Ferrier, Summit, Director of Choirs
• Reginal Wright, Mansfield, Director of Choirs
• Jane Andrews, Mansfield, Associate Director of Choirs
• Josi Alexander, Timberview, Director of Choirs
• Philip Glenn, Lake Ridge, Director of Choirs 

On top of the fun atmosphere, funny host, and motivational speaker, staff heard from the new Superintendent, Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, School Board President, Mrs. Beth Light, as well as Education Foundation Board President, Mr. Mike Leasor.

The following videos were also shown during the event:

God Made a Teacher

What Makes a Great Teacher?

Collaborating with TASA and iTunes U for free course content

Four Mansfield ISD teachers are in Austin this week for the SXSWedu Conference and Festival to share presentations and help announce an initiative of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) to help train teachers to create course content for iTunes U.


The following Mansfield ISD teachers participated in the project launch with TASA: (pictured above from L-R) Michael Fore, pre-calculus teacher, Summit HS; Chrissy Boydstun, English teacher, Mansfield HS; Catherine McGuinness, social studies teacher, Legacy HS; and Jessica Crain, chemistry teacher, Timberview HS.

TASA joins iTunes U, offering free course content to transform Texas teaching, learning
The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) today announced the launch of TASA on iTunes U to help transform Texas teaching and learning by providing course content for classroom teachers in the four core subject areas of mathematics, science, social studies and English language arts.

With more than 1 billion downloads, iTunes U is the world's largest online catalog of free educational content that helps educators create courses, including lectures, assignments, books, quizzes and syllabi. iTunes U is made available at no cost by Apple. The courses created by TASA will be available not only to Texas schools but also to millions of iOS users around the world.

The exponential increase of iPad implementations in Texas school districts (including MISD's high school iPad implementation this year), coupled with the need for educators to redesign instruction that empowers students, facilitates their understanding, and creates engaging experiences, prompted TASA to launch this initiative.

In the first phase of this initiative, to be completed by June 1, TASA on iTunes U will provide course content for a set of 18 high school courses that are fully aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), free and accessible anywhere. This content — designed by teachers, for teachers — will foster creativity, collaboration and critical thinking skills in an engaging, digitally rich learning environment for Texas students, with special emphasis on high priority learning standards.

“I use iTunes U as a platform for teaching my courses and I love the way it offers a road map of what we will be doing in class but also gives students resources at their fingertips to facilitate learning,” said Mansfield High School teacher Chrissy Boydstun.

Last week, Apple announced that their iTunes U content topped one billion downloads. (That's billion with a "b.")

Earlier today, TASA shared a link to course content via Twitter that our teachers helped develop:

Course content is being debuted today at TASA on iTunes U for PreCal, Biology, World Geo & English II at itunes.apple.com/us/institution…
— TASAnet (@tasanet) March 5, 2013

A total of 58 classroom teachers and content specialists, across 14 Texas school districts, are collaborating with TASA in the course and content development. TASA on iTunes U will make it easy for teachers to find and include high quality digital content from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store, as well as videos and other web based sources that align with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

Zombie Teachers make Talent Show a 'Thriller'

Last Friday, Mary Orr Intermediate School teachers performed Michael Jackson's Thriller during the annual PTA Talent Show. Yes, the teachers dressed as zombies and had some well-choreographed fun. Thanks to Donna Crose, Mary Orr 6th Grade Mathematics teacher, for sharing the YouTube video.

From the looks of it, the faculty entry in the Orr Intermediate PTA Talent Show was a hit:

Impact Award - Coach Coordinates Breakfast for Heroes

Travel back in your mind to the end of summertime… Volcanic temperatures, long sunny days, and for campus faculty and staff – summer planning retreats! The staff from Asa Low Intermediate held their fourth annual retreat on August 8, 2012.

During the retreat, the team split into groups to tackle various objectives and plans for the upcoming school year. At that time their ideas were just notes on paper, but four months later, plans have sprung into action and expectations have been exceeded.

Coach David Rinearson led a Community Outreach planning group. Upon his recommendation, the team prepared plans for a “Breakfast for Heroes,” event that would benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Wounded Warrior Project is a military-based program that provides programs and services to severely injured service members during the time between active duty and transition to civilian life.

“The goal is to help them get their life back,” said Rinearson. “Sometimes it’s through counseling, sometimes it’s through helping them purchase prosthesis.”

Rinearson worked with the local Applebee’s to coordinate a community pancake breakfast to raise money for the project. He also enlisted Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6111 in Arlington to help publicize the event. 

The students of Asa Low were also instrumental in the success of the event. After gathering donations from family and community members, they raised a grand total of $1,400! Principal Jason Short was impressed with the way the students responded to the event.

“We wanted not just to involve the kids, but to teach them,” Short said. “We teach a lot about character around here, so we wanted them to tie those messages together, and this activity did that.”

On November 11, a group of veterans from Post 6111 came to the campus to accept the check, which was presented by school namesake Asa Low. As a token of their appreciation the veterans presented Rinearson with a special VFW coin. The coin is presented to those who do something beyond the normal scope of duty, and is considered a great honor.

On behalf of the MISD Administration, congratulations to Coach David Rinearson for making a positive impact in his school and community and for being named our latest Impact Award recipient. Job well done!

Watch the Impact Award video on YouTube:

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.

District Energy Champion Recognition

Timberview High School teacher, Tim Maschal, was recently named Mansfield ISD's Energy Champion for his efforts in organizing an efficient and energy-saving campus. Mr. Maschal was commended during the October, 2012 School Board meeting. Due to the buy-in from staff and students during the 2011-12 school year, Timberview High School realized a savings of over 38% in energy costs!

Congratulations, Mr. Tim Maschal.



Read more about the District Wide Utility Management Standards.

Introducing Skyward Family Access

We're rolling out a new student information system this year for our families. Skyward Family Access will replace the previous system, Infinite Campus, in 2012-13. Skyward Family Access is a web-based service that allows parents/guardians to view school-related information on their students and hopefully helps answer the question, “What did you do in school today?”

Skyward Family Access is your gateway to student information such as schedules, attendance, grades and more. Information available online includes:

• General student demographic information
• Assignment and term grades as released by the teacher
• Attendance entries
• Current and missing assignments in a custom calendar
• Schedule information
• Immunization records

The information in Family Access is real-time based on data in the District's Skyward Student Information Management System. However, please remember that grades are 'fluid' and change on a daily/weekly basis as teachers add assignments and grades to the system. Parents, you will automatically receive an email inviting you to access the new system in the next few weeks.

There is a Parent and Teacher Login page on our website (www.mansfieldisd.org/skyward.htm) that you may want to bookmark for future reference or just click to it from the homepage. Additionally, please consider adding ‘noreply@misdmail.org’ to your email contacts list to assure Skyward Family Access emails get delivered to your Inbox.

As with any new system, it is important to realize the staff receives training and then puts that learning into action. We appreciate your patience as teachers get accustomed to the work-flow in Skyward. Below are a couple of screen captures of the new Skyward Family Access gradebook and custom calendar:

Updated August 21: We appreciate your patience as we prepare the new system for the 2012-13 school year. We look forward to rolling the Skyward Family Access out to parents in the coming weeks.

Updated August 28: Over the weekend parents received emails for access to the Skyward system. We understand some families are still having some issues with their initial login process. All passwords were reset at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 26. Parents should locate the email that has the subject line ending in "updated 10 PM" for access information. If you have any questions about Skyward Family Access account or passwords, please contact your campus receptionist for assistance.

Board Approves High School 1:1 iPad Initiative

A message from Dr. Vaszauskas, MISD Associate Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability:

At [the May 22] Board meeting our Board of Trustees approved the purchase of iPads for all high school professional staff and students. We are working on a plan to get these devices to teachers and other professional staff members as soon as we can, but we do not know how quickly the order can be processed and shipped. The plan to distribute the iPads to the high school students once school starts in the fall is being developed but is not finalized. Once we have more information, we will get that out to you.

We plan to offer optional opportunities this summer for staff members to come and get their iPads, and staff will receive SDCE credit for their time. However, those dates depend on the shipping schedule from Apple. Check the website often for more information.

We are working on a professional development schedule to ensure that everyone has plenty of training opportunities throughout the 2012-2013 school year and beyond. For teachers who already feel very comfortable with the iPads, you will be able to integrate the iPad into your classroom at your own pace. Some staff members, like me, will need a little more time to develop iPad skills. Therefore, all teachers will continue to have access to physical textbooks and resources that you typically use in your classroom.

More information will follow as we work through this process. The best source for current information regarding this initiative will be the MISD Tech Notes blog. Thank you for your patience as we work to bring this very exciting opportunity to fruition.

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This post originally appeared May 23, 2012 on the MISD Tech Notes blog.
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Related:

• PowerUp! Update
• Look for PowerUp! Posts about MISD High School 1:1 Initiative; Teacher FAQs
• iSchool: District approves iPads for school use (MHS Uproar)
• Board Set to Vote on Digital Textbooks (LHS The Rider Online)
• Proposed Mansfield ISD high school iPad initiative Q&A 

Record-Breaking Attendance at 8th Annual Curriculum Conference

Over 1,500 teachers from across Mansfield ISD attended the 8th Annual MISD Curriculum Conference held at Legacy High School from June 4 - 7, 2012.

This event gives our district educators the opportunity to earn required staff development credit hours each year. The MISD Curriculum and Instruction Department estimates a total of 14,442 credit hours were earned during the event last week.

A total of 218 different sessions were offered including including iPad training courses, “make and take” activities for next year and several courses to assist teachers in implementing Ron Clark Academy-inspired strategies.

A special thank you to the staff at Legacy High School for hosting the event, and to the MISD Curriculum and Instruction Department for working so hard to plan and organize this fantastic annual event.

Superintendent Update - October 2011

Dr. Bob Morrison discusses the new STAAR and EOC testing, MISD Parent/Teacher Conference Day, and info on the upcoming district-wide College and Career Night.

(Please note: If you cannot view the above video from inside the MISD network, please use the alternate video portal version.)

New Foundation Mini-Grant Program

The MISD Education Foundation has started the "WeCan...Choose!" mini-grant program. This new grant program inspires teachers to write grants for projects and materials for immediate implementation in their classrooms.

The goal is to give our parents and our community an opportunity to help us fund more of these terrific projects and get much needed resources into our classrooms to benefit our children.

NOTE: From August 29 – September 29 you can donate online to specific "We Can...Choose!" grants.

The MISD Education Foundation is a 501c3 organization that has provided more than $2.3 million to teachers in our district to fund innovative projects in our classrooms. Over the past 12 years the Foundation has funded more than 990 grants though two grant rounds a year. In addition to the new mini grant program, teachers can apply for up to $1000 and a grade level or campus can apply for up to $5000. Special THINK BIG grants provide $10,000 in funding. These grants are made possible by the generous donations from businesses and corporations and individuals and organizations in our community.

Harmon Hero Award Winner Never Misses a Beat

Updated April 18, 2011
Each year, the Score a Goal in the Classroom organization selects one outstanding educator to receive the prestigious Chesapeake Energy Hero Award. This award honors the day-to-day commitment of hardworking school employees; the true heroes of education!

We are proud to announce that our very own Catherine Schulze, the music teacher at Glenn Harmon Elementary School has been selected as the 2011 Chesapeake Energy Hero Award winner!

So what makes Ms. Schulze stand out above 600 other nominees?

In addition to skillfully keeping the attention of a class full of elementary school children, Schulze is known for her exceptional classroom organization and order. She also exudes compassion and energy throughout each school day.

Schulze, who holds a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas, is a continuous learner of different teaching methods. She implements an original technique she calls Focus Movement, which incorporates motion into the music. This activity allows students to express the music through their bodies while increasing rhythm, coordination and balance.

“I want the kids to feel like music is natural and playful,” said Schulze.

Schulze also engages students through the use of the Promethean Interactive Whiteboard in her classroom.

“The kids are so techno-savvy,” Schulze said. “Sometimes they catch on to the tech tools even quicker than I do!”

Soon to complete her 14th year of teaching for Mansfield ISD, Schulze’s love of musical instruction is as strong as ever. Her joy and devotion to music shine through as she interacts with her students each day.

“She sets her expectations up front and the kids know what they are,” said Glenn Harmon Principal Sharon Ferguson.  “They are on task and focused because they enjoy what they are doing. They want to be there and they want to be active.”

Principal Ferguson made it clear that there is no shortage of kind things to say about Schulze. She pours her heart into every music lesson and the students are captivated by each note.

“I feel I am so lucky to be honored for something I love to do,” said Schulze. “I can’t wait to get to work every day!”



Shulze received the Hero Award at a concert by the world-renowned Schola Cantorum of Texas Choir. The concert was held at Mansfield First United Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2011.

Robotics students inspire their sponsors

Guest post from Susan Sevier, CS teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy in Mansfield ISD

The Crusading Cucumbers from San Antonio contest

Well, we did it again. Mansfield ISD robotics swept Texas, taking the highest honors at the Alamo and SW Regional FIRST Robotics FTC (First Tech Challenge) contests in Texas.

The Crusading Cucumbers, team #3768, won the “Inspire,” on Thursday March 3, 2011 at the Alamo Regional Championship in San Antonio.

And the Fighting Pickles, team #127, won the same "Inspire" award at the SW Regional contest hosted by UTA two days later on Saturday March 5.

The Inspire award is the highest award FTC gives; it means the team embodies all the aspects FIRST perceives as the model team to promote STEM concepts.
(STEM refers to Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical concepts.)


Based on this accomplishment, both teams earned an automatic invite to the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Lewis, Missouri in late April.

As if that isn’t enough, The Crusading Cucumbers, also captained the winning alliance team at the Alamo contest and won the whole competitive portion of the Alamo FTC competition. This would also earn them an automatic invite to the world contest, but it got passed on to our friendly alliance partner, The Dragons, team #3937 of South Lake Carroll.

In addition, at the SW contest an 11th grade Summit HS computer science student, Clark Navidad, got offered an internship from a Richardson/Plano area software company. A parent sponsor of a Plano, Jasper HS, team offered this internship based on Clark’s ability to problem solve, communicate and use critical thinking skills to fix all his teams programming problems under the stress of the contest constraints. It was truly impressive. Without Clark’s help the Plano robot would not have been able to compete. Other programming students, helped with at least six other teams at the contest, from updating firmware to setting up and explaining the programming environment.

Finally, while still at the contest, Fighting Pickles programmers, Clark Navidad and Mike Kojder, received word that they had advanced to the national level contests for Business Professionals of America. Clark Navidad will compete in C++ and Mike Kojder will compete in Java programming, at the BPA National contest in Washington DC.

The students were all amazing and the success is almost overwhelming. James Wilson and I were blown away by how all these students went about taking care of business throughout the contest. To say we are beaming with pride would be an understatement. We had teams lining up waiting for our assistance, and even the contest officials were coming to us for help on occasion. We were without a doubt the most spirited teams at each contest.

Nine Campuses Receive Honor from Texas PTA

When it comes to promoting the success of students, the MISD faculty and staff are known to take a front row seat in the cheering section. Every now and then, we are presented with an opportunity to shift our perspective and tip our hats to those behind-the-scenes supporters.

The Texas PTA reserves a special honor for PTA councils that have recruited 100% of their campus faculty, The Golden Apple Award.

The Golden Apple Award represents unity and teamwork between parents, community members and faculty.

We are pleased to announce the nine MISD campuses that have received this award so far in the 2010 – 2011 school year:

Alice Ponder Elementary
Anna May Daulton Elementary
Charlotte Anderson Elementary
Della Icenhower Intermediate
Janet Brockett Elementary
Linda Jobe Middle
Mansfield Legacy High
Martha Reid Elementary
Roberta Tipps Elementary

We are so proud of these campuses for demonstrating such steadfast support for the MISD through their commitment to the PTA.

“The Charlotte Anderson Elementary faculty and staff have received the Golden Apple Award six years in a row,” said Principal, Dr. Miller Beaird. “We believe strongly in the benefits of a strong relationship between teachers and parents. One of the main reasons CAE continues to be an excellent campus is the teamwork and collaboration between the faculty and our wonderful PTA.”

The PTA strives to engage families and communities to advocate for all children, and this list of award recipients is proof that the MISD faculty, staff and parents are working diligently to make that mutual vision a reality.

It’s not too late to submit a Golden Apple Award application for your campus PTA! This award is presented year-round to PTAs meeting the requirements.

Mansfield Wrestling event benefits Education Foundation

The temperatures may be dropping but the heat is being turned up for a pro wrestling event in Mansfield ISD.

“Big Time Pro Wrestling” is coming to Mansfield. Mark your calendars for the Mansfield ISD Smackdown on January 29, 2011 benefiting the Education Foundation.

The back story...

A war of words started back before the winter break when the wrestlers from the North American Wrestling Allegiance (N.A.W.A.) called out the MISD staff wrestlers...

And then things heated up when the MISD coaches responded...

Watch more of these videos.

Here are the details..

Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011
Place: Mansfield High School Gym
Time: 7:00 pm

Ticket Prices Presale:
Ringside - $20
Floor - $15
Lower Bowl - $12
General Admission - $8
Kids 12 and under - $6
Note: $2 will be added to the ticket prices at the door 

Tickets are on sale at all MISD high school and middle school campuses or at these locations: MISD Education Foundation Office, 1016 Magnolia #200, Mansfield, TX 76063 and Texas Trust Credit Union, 1900 Country Club Drive, Mansfield, TX 76063.

Get the poster PDF (10.33 Mb)

There will be four bouts preceding the main event and a Main Event will feature a four man tag team of MISD Staff members vs. N.A.W.A. wrestlers.

Representing MISD are the following:
Jason (Lil Peezy) Pounds – T.A. Howard Middle School
Mark (The Terminator) Walker – Timberview High School
Chris (Buck Wild) Melson – Legacy High School
Andrew (The Marshmallow) Marsh – Danny Jones Middle School 

Managers:
Jeff Hulme – Mansfield High School
Jason Mutterer – Summit High School
Justin Dearing – Ben Barber/Frontier
Dave Hodgson – Wester Middle School
Brandon Johnson – Jobe Middle School 

Commissioner: Byron McCollum – Coble Middle School
Ring Valet: Bethany Smith – Worley Middle School
Celebrity Referee for Main Event and Announcer: John Rhadigan, Sports anchor from FSN

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The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation:

• Is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt philanthropic organization of citizens; 
• Shares a vision of enhancing education in the Mansfield ISD;
• Works to increase private support for educational activities in the Mansfield ISD;
• Benefits Mansfield ISD students and teachers by supporting activities not funded by tax dollar;
• Fosters creative approaches to education through private grants and involvement; and
• Awards Foundation funds through a volunteer Board of Directors made up of business, community and education leaders.