Blogging from China

One of the most common assignments in the first week back to school is to write an essay titled "What I did with my Summer Vacation." Mansfield ISD Superintendent Vernon Newsom and Deputy Superintendent Bob Morrison will have a great answer to that question this fall.

Newsom and Morrison are currently traveling to China on an educational trip. While there, they will visit Chinese schools, meet with Chinese school officials, and other activities. They will be touring as guests of Hanban (Office of Chinese Language Council International) to learn about Chinese culture and language. Their trip comes on the heels of the Mansfield ISD's announcement of a Mandarin Chinese program for 2008-09.

Dr. Morrison will be blogging about their daily travels in China. Stay tuned here for those updates. Here are a few fun facts until we hear from Dr. Morrison...

What is the date and time in Beijing, China?


Population of China: 1.4 billion
U.S. Population: 304 million

Read more about China here.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user: user:snowyowls/gallery.

2008 High School Graduations

This is a great time of year for MISD. We've just completed another academic year and we have the pleasure of sending students out into the world. Some will go on to higher education or trade schools. Some will serve our country in the military. Others will enter the workforce. Whatever there paths, it is our hope that the lessons they've learned throughout their careers in the Mansfield ISD have had a positive impact.

The smiles on the faces of the graduates says so much about why teachers and administrators work in education. We congratulate our graduates and wish them all well in their future.

Graduation Schedule
(Note: Photo Galleries will be available later this week)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

• Alternative Education Center (AEC) - 7:00 PM
  Willie Pigg Audtorium - Photo Gallery
  

Monday, June 9th, 2008

• Mansfield Timberview High School - 2:00 PM
  The Potter's House - Photo Gallery
  
• Mansfield High School - 7:00 PM
  The Potter's House - Photo Gallery
  

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

• Mansfield Legacy High School - 2:00 PM
  The Potter's House - Photo Gallery
  
• Mansfield Summit High School - 7:00 PM
  The Potter's House - Photo Gallery
  

Thank you MISD employees

On Monday, May 19, 2008 the Mansfield ISD family of employees gathered to celebrate the district's annual Employee Reception. The event was hosted by Fort Worth's Four Day Weekend Improv Troupe who presented the lighter side of school district life.

The reception was held in Mansfield Summit High School. The district honored 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service recipients as well as the 2008 retirees. Also presented were the Shining Star and Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year. (Photo gallery)

Please join the administration and school board in thanking the employees for the dedicated service to the students and community of the Mansfield Independent School District.

MISD Shining Star Awards

(Updated Monday, May 12, 2008 - The nominations are now closed for the 2008 Shining Star Award.)

Did you ever wish you had a good way to thank the bus driver that has meant so much to your child? How about a principal or administrator that went above and beyond to help you?

Now is your chance. Mansfield ISD is currently taking nominations for the 2008 Shining Stars Award. The deadline to nominate someone is May 9. Teachers are the only group not eligible for this award, as they are recognized via the MISD Teacher of the Year program.

Official wording on the award is below. Six winners will be selected, and awarded at the district's employee reception held May 19.

"The Mansfield ISD Shining Star Award honors any individual non-teaching staff(secretaries, aides, bus drivers, custodians, maintenance, directors, principals, etc.) for exceptional efforts in being "a shining star" in their contributions and service to the students and staff of the MISD."

Party 101: Consequences

The Mansfield ISD high school PTSA groups will host an event to help address the problem of teen alcohol and drug abuse. Party 101: Consequences will be shown at the newly refurbished Willie Pigg Auditorium on Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 PM. The Mansfield ISD community is not immune to this serious health and safety concern.

Unfortunately teen alcohol and drug abuse is problem that we face. This is a community problem and MISD will continue to do what it can to inform students and parents of the consequences of making unhealthy (and illegal) choices. The district can't do it alone, parents and the greater community need to have ownership of this problem as well and look for continuous ways to combat it.

Look who's using Twitter

Psst...Hey, have you heard of Twitter. Chances are, if you have a high schooler living in your house, at least they have. Twitter is a free social utility that is all based on a simple interface asking users to answer the question, "What are you doing?"

Mansfield ISD now has a Twitter account. If you already have a Twitter account or are just curious, you can follow our account here. We plan to offer comments here on what is going on within Mansfield ISD, and is also a great "real-time" source to find out about weather closings, breaking news, etc.
If you're still not sure about all this, watch this great video about Twitter. Many families are also using it to stay in touch with each other amidst their busy lives. Enjoy.

Side note: The Common Craft site also has some great videos about other new media, or Web 2.0, apps like online photo sharing, Facebook, etc. As always, their site is an outside Web site and we do not take credit for any of their content.

Rumor Mill #2 - Timberview HS Threat Tomorrow(False).

We have received a few calls today regarding a potential threat at Timberview High School tomorrow (Thursday, March 13, 2008). In this particular case, Mansfield ISD police have confirmed that there is no credible threat to the school tomorrow. This rumor actually ties to a rumor that began circulating in January.
Several parents that called asked if this is just students who "want an extra day off before Spring Break." I cannot verify what exactly is behind this rumor, but rumors often get heavier on high school campuses near holidays and school breaks.
Please know that we take all threats, rumors, etc., seriously and we will notify parents and students as soon as possible in the event of an actual credible threat.