News Briefs

Same-sex spouses of Dallas ISD employees are now eligible for health, dental, vision, and life insurance under the district’s benefits plan. The Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas extended its spousal benefits eligibility following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on June 26 to legalize same-sex marriage. A district employee can add a same-sex spouse to their benefits plan during the annual benefits enrollment period, which happens August 1–31.

Teach For America – Dallas-Fort Worth (TFA) will bring together partners from Dallas ISD, Southern Methodist University’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development, and the Momentous Institute for a panel discussion about what Teach For America DFW Summer Institute means for DFW and education partners across the city. The panel discussion is set for tomorrow, July 9, from 12–1 p.m. at Stephen C. Foster Elementary School, 3700 Clover Lane. The partnership between TFA, SMU, Dallas ISD and Momentous Institute brings Teach For America’s pre-service training program to Dallas for the first time this year, with teachers completing the organization’s…

The traditional valedictory speech by the top student in a high school graduating class gives student leaders a chance to share their thoughts with classmates at a time when they’ve achieved a lifetime milestone. The recently completed Dallas ISD commencement season continued the tradition, providing parents, family members and school staff a glimpse into the minds of these next generation scholars and citizens. You can hear from a few of these youthful bright lights via links to selected commencement videos produced by Dallas Schools Television. Tatian Almendarez – 2015 valedictorian, A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School Kendell Long -…

Parents and their children can work together to go green. Showing children how to recycle by separating papers and plastics encourages them to recycle on their own as they get older. A family trip to the nearest recycling center is a great way to learn about the recycling process. Going outside every day with children to learn about insects and plants and the important roles they play for the environment are ways families can spend time together while learning to preserve the earth. These earth-friendly activities are fun ways to spend time together as a family.