Author: The Hub

The STAAR test is next week, so here are few things parents can do to best set their students up for success. Download a copy of the District testing Schedule found at www.dallasisd.org/calendars to know when your children will be taking their STAAR tests. Ensure that your children have their uniforms or clothing and their school bags ready the night before to avoid being late to class. Encourage your children by telling them they will do well on the exam. Practice reading at home—at least 15 minutes every night. Children who are well-rested and have had a nutritious breakfast will…

In hopes of encouraging more families to realize the benefits of prekindergarten for their children, trustees voted Thursday to expand tuition-supported pre-K classes to 14 additional campuses next year. The vote follows a one-year pilot of the tuition-based program at five schools and expands to 19 the number of campuses offering the tuition option for families who do not meet the requirements for free pre-K. The list of the 19 campuses and more details about the tuition-based program are available on the district’s Early Learning web page. The board also approved a tuition rate of $525 per month per child,…

Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services is – according to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) – among the Best of the Bunch. The TDA awarded the department a Best of the Bunch Award for its participation in the 2016 Local Products Challenge. “By serving Texas agricultural projects as part of school meals and offering students an opportunity to learn about agriculture and locally grown food, the nutrition professionals in your district have taken the extra steps necessary to introduce students to local food and help them make smart nutritional choices,” said TDA Commissioner Sid Miller in a letter…

Delores White teaches a hospitality class for juniors at Dallas ISD’s Justin F. Kimball High School, and also runs the school’s four-year Academy of Hospitality and Tourism. “We’ve been here for 10 years,” she said. “But we didn’t actually start thriving until, let’s say, four years ago.” Under her direction, the program has earned “distinguished” status from the National Academy Foundation. She says this program helped restore pride in Kimball. That’s after the state ranked the school academically unacceptable for five out of six years. “We were academically underperforming,” she said. “Because of this academy, we raised the bar.” The students are getting…

Gracias a un foro de liderazgo organizado por el consejo estudiantil de W.T. White High School, más de 40 estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de visitar su futura escuela. En el evento se reunieron estudiantes de nueve primarias y dos secundarias del patrón de asistencia escolar de W.T. White High School. Los estudiantes participaron en sesiones de trabajo sobre liderazgo y cómo fomentar el espíritu escolar, antes de presentar sus trabajos a todo el grupo. Después de almorzar y de hacer un recorrido por la escuela, los estudiantes de la preparatoria hablaron sobre los diferentes clubes, deportes, bellas artes y otras…

Madison High School seniors Desmond Scott, JeMichael Bowens, and Patrick Terry have played basketball together for years, logging so much time as teammates that each player usually knows in advance what their friends will do on the court. The practice and camaraderie paid off: Madison won the UIL 3A State Basketball tournament in San Antonio earlier this month. The players were freshman on the basketball team when Madison last won state in 2013. Terry and Bowens have been close friends and played basketball together since second-grade, and Scott has played with them since junior high. “We’ve pushed each other and…

Sometimes, hands just have to dance. Nico Baixas, a performer in Cirque du Soleil’s KURIOS-Cabinet of Curiosities, took his flexible, expressive fingers to Herbert Marcus Elementary School on Thursday in front of deaf and hearing-impaired students. His show was not only entertaining, but his moves showed another way of how hands can be used to communicate beyond sign language. “You can use your hands to do big things, strong things,” Baixas said. “But you can also use your hands to do little things, like painting.” The contrast also works to describe the difference between the small, tabletop performance at Marcus to the…

Recientemente, se llevó a cabo una feria de reclutamiento para conectar a algunos de los mejores maestros de Dallas ISD con los directores de las seis nuevas escuelas ACE. El programa ACE, que significa Accelerating Campus Excellence, busca colocar a directores y maestros eficientes en escuelas con mayor necesidad. Los directores de las nuevas escuelas ACE ayudaron a entrevistar y contratar allí mismo a los maestros. La feria estuvo abierta a maestros que han obtenido la clasificación Proficient I o mayor. Los maestros que decidan cambiar de escuela para dar clases en una escuela ACE reciben entre $8,000 y $12,000…

Skyline High School’s Marcus Garrett has been named the 2016-2017 Gatorade Texas Boys Basketball Player of the Year! The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Garrett as the best high school boys basketball player in Texas. “I am humbled and honored to receive this award, and I have my coach and teammates to thank,” Garrett said. Skyline Head Basketball Coach Paul Graham describes Garrett as someone who is humble and thankful and has good people in his life. Since Garrett has played…

For as long as most people can remember, it’s been cool to hate the food served in school cafeterias. But Michael Rosenberger is building on what Dallas ISD Food and Child Nutrition Services has been doing the past several years to turn that tide. Rosenberger, that department’s executive director, told the Teen School Board on Tuesday, March 21, that the best is yet to come when it comes to offerings in district cafeterias, as next year will bring many new and better edibles. “If you’re graduating, come back and eat with us,” he told the group of juniors and seniors. “It’s…