News Briefs

On Tuesday, March 29, McDonald’s is offering a free breakfast for students in grades 3–8 who are taking the STAAR exam.  Of course, a hot, tasty breakfast is nothing unusual for Dallas ISD students. The district’s increasingly popular Breakfast in the Classroom program provides a free nutritious breakfast to students. For those interested in the McDonald’s offer, students can choose either a fruit and maple oatmeal or Egg White Delight McMuffin sandwich. The meal comes with apple juice and apple slices or milk and apple slices. Here are the details: The promotion goes from 5:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Student(s) must be accompanied by a…

The Dallas Morning News has a great story on a first-of-its-kind robotics team at Sunset High School. From the Dallas Morning News: Sunset’s Robo*Flash team has about eight students with various physical and mental disabilities. Many fall along the autism spectrum. Some have Down syndrome, learning disorders or vision problems. One member can’t speak. “But you put him in front of a robot and he’ll shoo you away, take it apart and put it back together,” said Pauline Tatum, a life skills teacher who has taught at Sunset for 16 years. Click here to read the DMN story and learn…

Time’s running out to apply for the Compass Alternative Certification Teacher Academy of Dallas ISD. The March 27 deadline gives prospective candidates a large enough window to completely work through the application. The Compass program prepares professionals wanting to transition into education to become classroom leaders. Senior Talent Leader Dominique McCain emphasized the support provided throughout the program to give candidates the best chance for success. “The most important thing for our candidates to know is that they are not in this alone,” said McCain. “We know teaching is not easy, so our program combines direct training, live coaching and…

Students at John B. Hood Middle School, which is named after a Confederate general, have selected a new name for the school: Piedmont Global Academy. The Dallas Morning News reports that 63 percent of the students voted for the new name. From the Dallas Morning News: Former students and community members who live nearby will get to weigh in before the recommendation is forwarded to the district administration. Final approval of the name change must come from the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. Click here for the full Dallas Morning News story.