News Briefs

Dallas Morning News reported over the weekend that when school started this year, officials saw “a 10-point gain that meant now 51 percent of all kindergartners are on grade level.” Alan Cohen, who oversees early childhood education for the district, said while Dallas ISD still has work to do, the “meteoric lift” is evidence that pre-K is working, according to the article. The article also reports that more than 10,000 children are now enrolled in pre-K with the district. Click here to read the full DMN story.

A new educational tool developed in partnership with nonprofit Big Thought is taking the midway, livestock, food and Big Tex to classrooms this fall. The curriculum uses aspects of the State Fair of Texas to teach students in grades 4-8 lessons in math, science, language arts, art and social studies. Shelia Lyons, a sixth-grade math teacher at Dallas ISD’s John B. Hood Middle school, is among teachers using the curriculum in her classes. Check out the story from CBS DFW here.

When Dallas ISD learned this time last year that five students had been exposed to the Ebola virus, school nurses were among the individuals who stepped up to help guide the district through the crisis. From explaining the difference between Ebola and influenza to erasing the myths around the Ebola virus, Dallas ISD nurses went the extra mile in providing quality information to the community. “The school nurses at those five campuses were invaluable in preventing a panic,” said Leigh Pelletier, a Dallas ISD nurse supervisor. “They became Ebola experts overnight and quelled fears of families and staff members. I really…

Withers Elementary students are in the final stretch of preparing for the annual Wildcat Prowl 5k and Fun Run coming up on Saturday, Oct. 3. For the third year, the school is trading in the traditional cookie dough fundraiser for a healthy alternative. All month in September, the school’s students trained for the run before (6:45 a.m.) and after school. Parent volunteers led the students through fun stretching, running and conditioning drills and obstacle courses. Last year more than 800 area runners took part in the event, which raised more than $41,000 to fund PTA projects at the North Dallas…