Author: The Hub

Univision Communications Inc. recently launched a mobile-optimized website that helps Spanish-speaking parents become further engaged in their child’s education, from pre-kindergarten through high school. The Clave al Éxito site, accessible at https://exito.univision.net, enables Spanish-speaking parents to better communicate with English-speaking teachers on their child’s academic progress. Features include a grade-by-grade guide on what their children should be learning each year; a Parent Academy with comprehensive videos and tools for parents to engage in their child’s education; grade-specific book recommendations; and a tool to track their child’s reading activity and share it with teachers. An estimated 81 percent of Hispanic Americans…

Graduation season is happening May 29–June 7, and in honor of Dallas ISD graduates, The Hub will spotlight a different senior each day as the Class of 2015 prepares to take their anticipated walk across the stage. Today we learn more about Kenneth Robinson at Justin F. Kimball High School. Awards/honors, involvement: National Honor Society, 2015 Gates Millennium Scholar, National Academy of Engineering Advisory Board, Battalion Commander ROTC, Valedictorian The biggest lesson I’ve learned in school: Determination. It’s all about determination—not how smart you are or how rich you are—it’s about how bad you want it. The teacher(s) who inspired me the most:…

A busy hallway of fourth- and fifth-graders carefully enter numbers into computers as their parents curiously watch. A few moments later, students beam as they see their robots come alive. On Friday, May 22, families were invited to Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary to interact with students who have completed engineering modules as part of the Nathaniel Hawthorne Nurturing Engineering with Robots, Discipline and Science after-school enrichment program. Students were challenged to program robots “on the fly,” said Alain Mota, math and science instructional coach. Mota is teaching students advanced skills in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. The students learn…

Did you know that recycling aluminum cans could help build a football stadium? Or that recycling an old TV could become someone’s new watch? Dallas ISD encourages every individual to go green, and we’re making it as simple as possible with single stream recycling. Instead of separating plastics, glass and paper, single stream recycling allows all recyclable items to be placed in a single container for collection. The recyclables will later be sorted at recycling centers. Here’s a breakdown of what can and cannot be recycled:

Nearly 700 students have applied to attend one of two new Dallas Independent School District Choice Schools opening this fall. These new Choice Schools are part of the district’s Public School Choice initiative, which seeks to launch a total of 35 new Choice Schools by the year 2020. New Choice Schools will offer the same types of specialized options as existing magnet schools, but the difference is that they will not have any academic entry requirements and will be open to all students regardless of academic ability. A total of 406 students applied to attend the Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship Academy,…

Representatives from BBVA Compass and current and former professional basketball players from the NBA and WNBA visited Dallas ISD’s Bayles Elementary on Thursday, May 21, to highlight the importance of financial literacy. BBVA Compass took its Future Builders program to the school, with the help of former San Antonio Spurs forward Bruce Bowen, current Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons, former Maverick Eduardo Najera and WNBA stars Ashley Robinson, Taj McWilliams Franklin and Keisha Brown. The company also donated 31 computer tablets and a charging cart to the school. Volunteers from BBVA Compass visited classrooms to talk about the importance of…

Dallas ISD administrators at Hulcy Middle School recently gathered together to learn more about the district’s newly remodeled summer school program, which reimagines the traditional summer school model to include professional development opportunities for district educators and administrators. A key focus in Summer Learning Labs is professional development. By hiring additional staff, dual teaching allows more skilled and experienced distinguished teachers to pair with those seeking professional growth during morning classroom instructional time. “Teachers will be paired in the learning labs with other teachers,” said Seagoville Feeder Pattern Executive Director Stephanie Taylor. “We will also have (Alternative Certification) interns who will…

Tamara Singleton’s favorite thing about being a counselor at W.W. Samuell High School is helping students realize their full potential to achieve their academic and personal goals. Because of her efforts, she was named 2015 Dallas ISD Counselor of the Year at a special reception earlier this month. “It is wonderful to observe students transition from good to great, overcome obstacles, and graduate from high school college- and career-ready,” Singleton said. “I hope the many conversations that I have with students are encouraging, sincere, and broaden opportunities for them to excel in life beyond their expectations.” Counselors are nominated for…

Caps and Gowns. Pomp and Circumstance. Graduation season is upon us, and the soon-to-be 2015 graduates of Dallas ISD’s 36 high schools are gearing up for the celebrations. Looking for information on how you can join in? These resources have the information you need to take part in the festivities. Find your graduate’s event by downloading the most up to date graduation schedule, which includes commencement locations. Dallas ISD’s 2015 graduation ceremonies will be streaming live and can be viewed and/or downloaded from a dedicated page on the district’s website. To respect and honor all graduates, please use the following guidelines…

It was an impressive sight to see. Students and visitors walked quietly and spoke softly as they viewed more than 80 exhibits commemorating Yom Hashoah-Holocaust Remembrance Day. For 18 years, students in the Holocaust Studies class at Thomas Jefferson High School have created an annual museum that provides a startling reminder of how far evil can go while, at the same time, honoring victims and celebrating stories of survival. Cathleen Cadigan, who teaches the Holocaust Studies class and AP U.S. History at TJ, first began the project in 1997. What began as a small display in her classroom grew enough to…