Author: The Hub

PFAD Blog features blogs written by participants in the most recent Principal for a Day event. Guest blogger Miranda Bond, a manager for the Patient Assistance Office, shares her thoughts from this year’s event. Having heard about Principal for a Day before, but regretfully missing the deadline to apply in previous years, when I read the post about Dallas ISD’s Principal for a Day Program 2015, I risked blindness while squinting to complete the application on my cell phone. I would not miss out again this year. As a Dallas transplant, when I moved here from Oklahoma nine years ago, I…

Students and staff at Dallas ISD’s Umphrey Lee Elementary School are using the  P.R.I.D.E. House system to sharpen students’ social skills and in turn boost their academic success. “It provides a deep connection between our students and teachers in various grade levels,” said Principal Roshondra Clayton-Brown. “And we have found it is really working and changing the social environment of our school.” Melanie Dadson, House Coordinator/Testing Coordinator, said a key to the program is consistency. Each week, students are introduced to certain elements: a college, a quote, a habit of mind and an essential. Watch the video to see parts…

If approved by voters, proceeds from the proposed $1.6 billion bond package are anticipated to fund several new schools and a variety of school and facility improvements that support academic programs. Click here to view an interactive map of every proposed bond project. Oct. 19 marked the first day of in-person early voting. Here are the other remaining noteworthy dates for the upcoming bond election: Fri, Oct. 30: Final day of early voting Tues, Nov. 3: Election Day The Dallas County Elections Department has released  early voting locations and Election Day polling locations. Click here for more information on the proposed Dallas…

Justin F. Kimball High School student-athletes would have otherwise headed to the State Fair of Texas’ Secondary Fair Day with their peers on Friday, Oct. 16. Instead, they agreed to venture over to Thomas Tolbert Elementary School to participate in a team community service effort. “We are excited about the opportunity to have a partnership with Kimball, our feeder school,” said Tolbert Principal Lakeisha L. Smith of Kimball’s basketball and cross country teams’ visit to her campus. “Our students need to see that older kids do give back. We’re always talking about how we are a community service or a community…

Young students holding a sea of flags representing Latin countries from around the world paraded around the William B. Miller Elementary School. The parade then led to the school auditorium, which hosted an all-grade level program featuring monologues, dance and music, all in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. “We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month each year so that our students and community have the opportunity to learn about important contributions made by the Hispanic and Latino community,” said William B. Miller Principal Sheila Aldredge. Miller’s entire student body piled into the school’s auditorium for the event, where they were joined by parents…

A recent theatre arts workshop was designed to teach aspects of theater including vocal development, creative writing, physical acting and improvisation in advance of the Irma P. Hall Theatre Arts Festivals, Jan. 23 and Feb. 6. The recent workshop was conducted at Dallas ISD’s Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. During the festivals, student groups present 10-minute original plays. In their ninth year, the events are named for Irma P. Hall, who taught in Dallas ISD for 30 years and is also an accomplished actress.

WFAA 8 reported on the district’s effort to get younger students to speak in complete sentences. Research shows that by six years old, the oral language skills of a child from a low-income family is often far behind a child from a middle- or upper-income family. Alan Cohen, who oversees early childhood education for the district, said that encouraging young students to speak in in complete sentences is part of a larger effort to close that achievement gap. Click here to view the WFAA report. Photo courtesy WFAA

Great things are happening in Dallas ISD schools every day. Show and Tell is a feature on The Hub that rounds up some of the news happening across the district into one place. If you have any story ideas for Show and Tell, email thehub@dallasisd.org. Aspiring actors get tips from the experts at Theater Arts workshop Improvisation, movement, playwriting and dialogue are major elements of the world of theater. The chance to learn these skills attracted some 250 middle and high school students to a full day of training offered at the recent Irma P. Hall Theater Workshops. Sponsored by the district’s…

Bob Moore has been appointed as Dallas ISD’s chief technology officer. Moore is currently the chief executive officer of RJM Strategies LLC, an education technology and leadership consulting practice serving education and business clients. In Dallas ISD, he will report directly to Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and lead the district’s technology efforts. “Bob will bring a fresh perspective and outlook as we continue to move forward in our vision of becoming a premier urban school district and will tremendously support students to help them become college and career ready,” Hinojosa said. In Sept 2012, Moore founded RJM Strategies. The firm assesses…

Thanks to Martin Weiss Elementary School’s first project-based learning (PBL) showcase, the school’s gym is filled with students debating the pros and cons of a dress code, an exhibit on a student-led news program, and much, much more. Teachers, family, and community members walk around the gym, enjoying the fruits of the hard work the students put in during the first six weeks of school. The event showcases Weiss Elementary’s increased focused on PBL, which combines the teaching of standard skills with tangible hands-on projects. “Students are engaged most when they have a hands-on learning experience that is rigorous, relevant,…