News Briefs

The STAAR test is next week, so here are few things parents can do to best set their students up for success. Download a copy of the District testing Schedule found at www.dallasisd.org/calendars to know when your children will be taking their STAAR tests. Ensure that your children have their uniforms or clothing and their school bags ready the night before to avoid being late to class. Encourage your children by telling them they will do well on the exam. Practice reading at home—at least 15 minutes every night. Children who are well-rested and have had a nutritious breakfast will…

Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services is – according to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) – among the Best of the Bunch. The TDA awarded the department a Best of the Bunch Award for its participation in the 2016 Local Products Challenge. “By serving Texas agricultural projects as part of school meals and offering students an opportunity to learn about agriculture and locally grown food, the nutrition professionals in your district have taken the extra steps necessary to introduce students to local food and help them make smart nutritional choices,” said TDA Commissioner Sid Miller in a letter…

Delores White teaches a hospitality class for juniors at Dallas ISD’s Justin F. Kimball High School, and also runs the school’s four-year Academy of Hospitality and Tourism. “We’ve been here for 10 years,” she said. “But we didn’t actually start thriving until, let’s say, four years ago.” Under her direction, the program has earned “distinguished” status from the National Academy Foundation. She says this program helped restore pride in Kimball. That’s after the state ranked the school academically unacceptable for five out of six years. “We were academically underperforming,” she said. “Because of this academy, we raised the bar.” The students are getting…

Madison High School seniors Desmond Scott, JeMichael Bowens, and Patrick Terry have played basketball together for years, logging so much time as teammates that each player usually knows in advance what their friends will do on the court. The practice and camaraderie paid off: Madison won the UIL 3A State Basketball tournament in San Antonio earlier this month. The players were freshman on the basketball team when Madison last won state in 2013. Terry and Bowens have been close friends and played basketball together since second-grade, and Scott has played with them since junior high. “We’ve pushed each other and…