Author: The Hub

Students at Irma Rangel, a member of Young Women’s Preparatory Network (YWPN), are able learn STEM more effectively in a newly remodeled computer lab, thanks to the NEC Foundation of America. The company redesigned the space and donated equipment. Earlier this spring, NEC Corporation of America President and CEO Shinsuke Takahashi toured Irma Rangel with Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. Takahashi noticed the outdated computer lab and robotics room and decided that his company needed to help. Lynn McBee, YWPN CEO, said, “NEC believes that STEM education is important and has contributed generously…

Dallas ISD’s Teaching and Learning Department is partnering with the University of North Texas at Dallas to host an event for high school seniors and their families to learn more about curricular resources, programs, and services available in the district and at the university. This Back to School Experience: From High School to College is happening Monday, Sept. 12 at UNT-Dallas, 7300 University Hills Blvd., Room 138, from 4–7 p.m. The event is free, but students must register by Sept. 6. Transportation is available upon request through the registration site.

Parents and community members welcomed an opportunity to view and comment on preliminary architectural drawings showing plans for a $21.7 million expansion to Hillcrest High School. Architect Jeff Miller shared his plans and answered questions about the expansion plans at a community meeting in August. Initial plans call for a construction of a new competition gym, a 29-classroom addition and upgrades to science labs, the cafeteria and kitchen, additional parking and a number of interior improvements. District 2 Trustee Dustin Marshall said the upgrade will be a real boost to Hillcrest. “The athletic facility I think is the highlight,” he…

The Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) honored Dallas ISD Chief Internal Auditor Mike Singleton as a 2016 TASBO Commitment to Excellence Finalist. As part of the honor, TASBO donated $1,000 to a program of Singleton’s choice. Singleton, in turn, chose Larry G. Smith Elementary School’s Roaring Readers program as the recipient of the $1,000 donation. Singleton presented the check to Smith Elementary Principal Lora Morris on Tuesday, Aug. 30. “This goes a long way toward helping promote literacy in our community,” Morris said. Smith Elementary School donated 2,300 books to students last year. The school hosts a family…

The Office of Transformation and Innovation (OTI) is excited to formally announce the release of the Public School Choice (PSC) Competitive Proposal Process, Version 3.0. Through this process, educators have the opportunity to create high-quality, best-fit options for Dallas ISD students to realize their full academic potential. The recently completed Public School Choice 1.0 and 2.0 competitive proposal processes are ushering in 10 Choice Schools ranging from those that anchor teaching and learning under a Personalized Learning model to a Leadership school to schools that are driven by a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) framework. Future Choice Schools…

All 3rd through 5th grade teachers in the Bryan Adams feeder pattern recently took part in a training on implementing the use of Kindle tablets in their classrooms. The Kindles, a donation from the Dallas-based Jiv Daya Foundation, will allow teachers to incorporate technology which engages their students in a way that meets their interest in digital apps and games. The training was led by representatives from the Jiv Daya Foundation and Dallas ISD’s Personalized Learning Department. The Foundation, a private, family foundation, is based in Dallas. “Their children were raised here, so they wanted to give back to their…

Dallas ISD is expanding a program that has proven to significantly reduce the number of disciplinary issues that happen in a classroom. Restorative practices, which was formerly referred to as restorative discipline, is designed to proactively address disciplinary and behavioral issues before they escalate. Dallas ISD piloted restorative practices at six schools last year and is implementing the program at an additional 14 schools this year. The district has also added a restorative practices specialist to help implement the program at the schools. Middle school classrooms that used restorative practices last year saw a 64-percent reduction in in-school suspensions and…

Homework assignments are well underway for students across the district. With that in mind, here are 12 ways that a parent can help their child succeed when he or she brings school work home. 1. Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework. Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going. 2. Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration. Let your child take a short break if he or she is having trouble keeping their mind on an assignment. 3. Reward progress in…

The Skyline Raiders are starring in a Labor Day matchup under the lights at Cotton Bowl Stadium, taking on the Mesquite Horn at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2. Go here for ticket info and here to view a video promo of the matchup. Go Raiders!

As an incoming sixth-grader at the Dallas Environmental Science Academy, Fernando Flores was assigned a summer project. His monthlong effort resulted in a castle fit for a king – at least a small king. He constructed a castle and its contents patterned after the one in the book, The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop. The details are fantastic, from handmade furniture and accessories to the individual pebbles hot-glued to the exterior. A working pump stirs the water in the moat, and a drawbridge operates off to the side. There is also a small, battery-powered string of lights along…