News Briefs

“She will help you if you are feeling sad or mad. She knows how to make you feel happy. She’s very helpful if you’re having a bad day.” James Bowie Elementary student Victor Moreno on why he appreciates the school counselor, Aimey Cole, the Dallas ISD Counselor of the Year who also hosts career days, guidance lessons, celebrates the student of the month, and much, much more. National School Counseling Week is Feb. 5–9!

The Oak Cliff Advocate is publishing a series of stories about families who, after trying other options, find the perfect fit for their children at a Dallas ISD neighborhood school. Read about how the Bryce family found Felix G. Botello Elementary to be the best place for their son Clark. “They care enough to figure out who we are as people and speak our language, whatever language that may be — physical, mental, actual language,” said Clark’s mom, Rachael Lieck Bryce. Read the entire story here. Read about the Lukas family’s choice to send their children to Lida Hooe Elementary…

Eleventh-graders attending a Dallas ISD high school have about a month before they will take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) during the school day on Wednesday, March 7. To prepare for the exam, students may access free, personalized lessons at  satpractice.org. Dallas ISD’s investment in PSAT administrations affords students the ability to link their PSAT scores to Khan Academy and access Official SAT® Practice as early as eighth grade. A study from the class of 2017 showed that students who spent 6 hours on Official SAT® Practice gained an average of 90 points from the PSAT/NMSQT to the SAT and students…

Jack Kelanic is the district’s chief technology officer. Kelanic brings more than 20 years of technology leadership experience to his new post. His responsibilities include developing the long-range technology plan to enable digital learning for Dallas ISD students and improving technology support for schools and district business operations. Prior to his appointment to Dallas ISD, Kelanic served as the director of information technology for the city of Tacoma, where he led key initiatives such as open data and analytics, mobile government services, digital equity, and technology infrastructure modernization. He also served as the chief information systems director for the Los Angeles Unified…