Author: The Hub

Dallas ISD parents and students can learn about new student registration, school hours, meal information, and more on the Back to School homepage that launched July 12. Click here to view the Back to School homepage. Aug. 22 is the first day of school for students.

Under the 2016–2017 district calendar approved by trustees in December, next school year will begin Aug. 22 2016, and end June 1, 2017, and include a full week off for Thanksgiving break. District administration recommended the proposed calendar based on input from administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Click here to see survey results reflecting the opinions of members of the public and district employees about the best dates for winter break, inclement weather makeup days, and early release days for next school year.   Below are some of the key dates of the approved calendar, which includes 175 days of instruction, seven professional development days, and…

Approximately 258,000 meals were served to children 18 and younger during the month of June as part of the Summer Food Service Program. Select Dallas ISD schools participate in the free meal program along with churches, recreation centers, and other activity sites throughout the city. The Summer Food Service Program was created to ensure that children in low-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations when they do not have the benefit of school breakfasts and lunches. For more information on the program or to find the nearest participating location where a child can receive a…

Volunteers and partners stepped up in a record-breaking way to help Dallas ISD schools and students succeed in the 2015–16 school year. Volunteers and district partners contributed more than $18.6 million in donations and incentives to the school district, a 91.16-percent increase from the previous school year. Meanwhile, a record number of volunteers—27,433—put in a record number of hours—436,236—assisting in Dallas ISD schools. Tom Hayden of Dallas ISD’s Volunteer and Partnership Services said the donations and volunteers are instrumental in the success of Dallas ISD schools. “Our volunteers and partners have exceeded our wildest dreams with their support for the 2015-2016…

More than 15 Dallas ISD police officers and emergency management personnel voluntarily responded to help fellow officers during Thursday night’s deadly shooting downtown. The Dallas ISD officers weren’t paid for their efforts to assist in the shooting’s immediate aftermath, but they wanted to do their part to step up in a time of tragedy. “These were officers who were at home with their families, they saw their fellow officers needed help, so they rushed out to help however they could,” Dallas ISD Police Chief Craig Miller said. “Police officers run toward danger, not away from it. Our police officers have…

Curley Johnson, a former punter for New York Jets’ Super Bowl III-winning team and graduate from Woodrow Wilson High School, died last month, ESPN reports. ESPN reports that Johnson was one of the best punters in the team’s history. Go here to read the full ESPN story. Johnson was one of more than 20 Dallas ISD alums who have played in the Super Bowl.

Four students from the Sunset High School Dance Company have danced their ways into full-tuition scholarships at the University of Texas at Permian Basin. Diego Campuzano, Eduardo Quinones, Mariya Cano and Verenice Uribe have received full-tuition scholarships for ballet folklorico, a style of dance that celebrates Mexican history and culture. Leah Huggins, the dance company director at Sunset High School, said the students cried when they heard the news. “We come from a neighborhood where college is not always an option, so the fact that they get to go for free is a huge, huge deal,” Huggins said. Cano, one…

Summer vacation is here for students, and that means families are scrambling to find activities to keep kids busy (and learning) in the warm summer months. Dallas ISD elementary students can visit the Dallas Zoo for free after the zoo donated more than 80,000 tickets to elementary schools. The tickets are valid through Aug. 31 for children ages four to 11. “We are so excited about our partnership with the Dallas Zoo,” said Jenny Christian, Dallas ISD STEM Science Director. “Learning doesn’t stop during the summer, so going to the zoo provides an enriching opportunity for students to continue expanding…

The freshman class of the Bryan Adams High School Leadership Academy showcased their academic findings from the past year to a host of family, friends and school administrators on May 18th and 19th. The “Performance Assessment Exhibitions” were a big first step for the inaugural class of the Leadership Academy. In their senior year, these students will participate in a Portfolio Defense, where they will defend their scope of learning in before a panel of teachers, assistant principals, and community members. “The performance assessments were a stepping stone for the students to prepare them for their Senior Portfolio Defense,” Bryan…

The classrooms of Martha T. Reilly Elementary School are buzzing with the sounds of learning and fun, even though it’s nearly the middle of summer. Students in grades Kindergarten through fifth are participating in Dallas ISD’s first Summer Achiever’s Academy, and this site, along with a handful of others, are providing teacher candidates in the Compass Alternative Certification Teacher Academy the preparation they need to successfully lead a classroom. The teacher candidates, or interns, have just completed a week of intensive orientation to prepare them for phase two of their Compass training – five weeks of practice teaching, direct training…