the

Brahma Newsletter

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HISD Continues to Spark Success in the Midst of Budget Cuts, Construction, and

Renovation The Hallettsville Brahmas have begun the 2011-2012 school year with confidence and pride as the district aims to provide students with many opportunities for academic, athletic, vocational, extra-curricular, and personal success. During the spring of 2011, students in the Hallettsville Independent School District made significant gains in a number of areas on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, and teachers are already gearing up to help students master the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments approved by the Texas Legislature.

Inside this issue:

3 HES: Bursting with Pride 3 HJH: Celebrating Success 4 HHS: Exploding with Success 4 Brahma Athletics 5 Curriculum Corner Technology Tidbits 6 HISD Calendar 2011-2012

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Despite the progress made in various subject areas and grade levels, HISD was rated Acceptable by the Texas Education Agency due to the performance of certain subpopulations. Therefore, teachers and administrators will be concentrating on helping all subpopulations succeed, especially those identified as economically disadvantaged. They will also be striving to increase the percent of students earning commended performance on the STAAR. As the state of Texas and legislators have worked to decrease governmental spending, school districts have also been forced to examine ways to reduce their budgets yet rise to meet ever-increasing accountability standards. Board members, administrators, teachers, and staff of Hallettsville ISD also met during a number of budget workshops throughout the spring and during the summer to develop ways to reduce the overall budget while still providing an excellent education for the students of HISD. While school is in session on all three HISD campuses, construction and renovation continues on the HHS campus. Completion of the new Hallettsville High School classrooms and cafetorium is expected in December of 2011. We encourage all parents and visitors to be patient and understanding as we are dealing with limited parking and construction traffic near the high school campus. The remaining construction, including renovations of the

current HHS science labs to transform them into the HISD administration office, will occur in the spring of 2012. As soon as the business office is complete, the existing HISD administration office will be sold or demolished to allow for a safer elementary drop-off and pick-up area and additional parking for staff members, parents, and visitors. The district will be planning a community open house of the new facilities in late December or early January, and we hope that you will take an opportunity to see the new and improved learning environment that has been built for the students of Hallettsville ISD! Dr. Jo Ann Bludau HISD Superintendent

The school board met in June to develop annual goals and priorities and determined that the district will focus on the following:

• Challenging academics and consistent discipline at all levels

• Effective and positive communication across the district and with the community

• Efficient use of district resources while maintaining a high-quality educational program

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HES: Bursting with Pride Hallettsville Elementary is “Bursting with Pride.” Our 2011 mastery of the Texas Academic Knowledge and Skills assessment is a testament to our dedication to education and excellence. Reading: 3rd-94% 4th- 94%; Math: 3rd-93% 4th-100%; Writing: 4th- 98% As always, the HES goal is for each student to experience success and reach his or her academic potential. This year, all staff members have been trained in CSCOPE, an online curriculum management system. HES teams will continue to attend CSCOPE content specific trainings throughout the school year, and we are eager to engage children by implementing new strategies and techniques in the classroom to meet the demands of the new state assessment: STAAR. Technology integration plays a role in daily instruction. HES students are given the opportunity to work with a variety of digital media including computers, iPads, iTouches, flip videos and web-based instruction. The HES staff and I look forward to a new school year as we strive to carry on the tradition of success. Trina Patek HES Principal

                 HJH:  Celebrating  Success    

The  2011-­‐2012  school  year  is  under  way,  and  the  HJHS  staff  and  students  are  ready  to  “Celebrate  Success  at  HJHS.”  Our  vision  for  all  students  is  to  celebrate  learning  and  enjoy  the  opportunities  available  at  HJHS.  Students  are  encouraged  to  get  involved  in  clubs/organizations  or  athletic  programs  on  campus  and  participate  in  UIL  academic  competition.          HJHS  5th  through  8th  grade  students  are  fortunate  to  have  the  latest  technology  available  to  aid  in  learning.    Students  and  teachers  explore  what  technology  has  to  offer  to  make  the  educational  experience  more  relevant  to  today’s  world.    Teachers  from  HJHS  have  presented  at  Region  and  State  TCEA  conferences  this  past  year  to  demonstrate  how  they  are  using  technology  in  the  classroom.  Their  dedication  to  the  students  of  this  campus  is  noted  each  and  every  day.      In  order  to  ensure  that  all  students  are  successful,  HJH  will  have  mandatory  tutoring  five  days  a  week  for  students  that  are  failing  one  or  more  courses.    As  the  year  progresses,  this  time  will  also  be  used  for  organizational  meetings,  UIL  practice,  band  practice,  and  optional  tutoring  for  students  that  may  need  further  instruction.    Parents  are  also  encouraged  to  participate  in  Family  Access  to  monitor  their  child’s  grades  at  all  times.    HJHS  staff  is  looking  forward  to  working  closely  with  our  students  and  parents  to  ensure  that  every  opportunity  for  learning  is  used.    With  everyone’s  help,  each  and  every  student  will  “Celebrate  Success”  during  the  2011-­‐2012  school  year.    Sophie  Teltschik  HJHS  Principal  

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The faculty and staff have been involved in numerous trainings throughout the summer in preparation for the upcoming school year. These opportunities for professional development covered areas that included the aspects of the new STAAR and End-of-Course exams. The training sessions also dealt with technology, specific subject matter, and new laws dealing with education. The campus is changing shape rapidly in many ways. The construction of the new portion of the building project is on schedule to be completed December 20. Teachers and students will move in shortly thereafter. The high school welcomes the additions of three new faculty members. Mr. Jon Lamson comes to us from Bellville and will be teaching Spanish, as well as coaching. Mr. Darius Wilson and Mr. Dustin Keller are joining us from U.T.S.A. and will be in our social studies department, along with their coaching duties. The high school staff eagerly awaits the arrival of this year’s student body and we look forward to another successful and rewarding school year. Russell Kowalik HHS Principal

HHS: Exploding with Success

The Brahmas/Lady Brahmas have begun their fall campaigns for football, volleyball, and cross-country teams. The majority of these athletes have come into their seasons with great attitudes and goals set for a chance to demonstrate success to our community and our opponents. All of the athletes that worked hard throughout the summer training program have been able to face the heat wave of Texas with great courage. We have been taking extra water breaks above and beyond what has been offered in previous years in an effort to keep our athletes hydrated. Some of our workouts have even been slowed down in an effort to offer cool-down periods to all of our players. As we move forward into our competitive schedules, each of our athletes seems to be aware of the need to improve on a daily basis at practice and games. Most of our athletes are in the process of earning the respect of their peers and opponents by increasing performance levels in all of our fall sports. We, as a coaching staff, are excited and privileged to coach all of our Hallettsville athletes. All of us, combined with the athletes and community, are looking forward to successful seasons this fall. We also want to thank everyone for backing the athletes in our efforts to have many great memories built through competition. Tommy Psencik HISD Athletic Director

Brahma/Lady Brahma Athletics

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As we begin the new school year, we are excited about the opportunities and resources we have to “Spark Success at HISD.” We started with professional development days that focused on CSCOPE, an online curriculum management system, and the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). CSCOPE includes quality instructional documents that are aligned with the TEKS and the new STAAR. It offers the highest standards of rigor and relevance in a quality curriculum system. Teachers participated in two days of training focused on enhancing our curriculum and preparing for STAAR. The STAAR will be implemented for students in grades 3-8 and first year freshmen this year. It will include 12 end-of-course tests that will eventually replace all the TAKS tests at the high school level. It will also involve linking tests in grades 3 through 8 to the end-of-course assessments so that students will be better prepared for college and careers. The new STAAR will assess the content of courses at a greater depth and a higher level of complexity. As we pursue our goal of success for every student, we will continue to provide quality professional development for all faculty and staff. Dr. Mandy Bucek HISD Curriculum Director

Curriculum Corner

A new school year has brought new changes in technology at HISD. The MacBook laptops that were checked out to students in grades 6-12 for the last several years have been placed on laptop carts for use in the teachers’ classrooms. Students are assigned a specific laptop to use in each class, and teachers have included ample time during the class period for the students to complete all assignments on the laptops at school. In an extraordinary circumstance, at their discretion and depending on availability, the teacher may allow a student to checkout a laptop to complete an assignment. Students may also copy their files from the laptop they use at school to a jump drive so that they will have their work available to them off campus for access on another computer. As always, students are responsible for the care of the laptop that they use at school. These changes have improved the overhead in maintaining the laptops and also the assurance that when a teacher’s lesson calls for the use of a laptop, every student will have one at school to use. To accommodate the changes in technology, HISD has updated the Acceptable Use Policy. The technology department asks that all parents/guardians review the rules and regulations with their student to ensure proper usage and avoid adverse consequences. The new AUP was sent home with each student and can also be accessed on the HISD website under the Technology Operations Group webpage. If anyone has any questions or needs clarification, please email Denise Henk at dhenk@hisdbrahmas.org. Carla Jones Denise Henk HISD Director of Instructional Technology HISD Director of Technology Operations

Technology Tidbits

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MARCH 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Total Instructional Days 177

Total Workdays 3

Total Staff Dev. Days 7

TAKS/STAAR Testing Dates

March 5,7,8,9 Social Studies (Exit retest), ELA (10,Exit retest), Math (Exit retest), Science (Exit retest)

March 26,27,28,29 Math (5, 8), Writing (4,7, 9, 10,11) Reading (5,8,9,10,11)

April 25 Reading (3,4,6,7), Math (Exit, Exit retest)

April 26 Science (5,8,10,Exit, Exit retest)

April 27 Social Studies (8,10,Exit,Exit retest)

May 7-11 & 14-17 Math, History, Science (9)

April 24 Math (3,4,6,7,10), ELA (Exit retest)

October 18,19,20,21

Exit Level Retest for ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies

402 N. Ridge Hallettsville, TX 77964

361-798-2242

DECEMBER 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

OCTOBER 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

APRIL 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30

FEBRUARY 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29

NOVEMBER 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

MAY 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31 1 2

AUGUST 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 August 22 - September 30 28 days

October 3 - November 11 29 days

November 14 - January 6 25 days

First Semester/Six Weeks

January 10 - February 17 29 days

February 21 - April 5 28 days

April 10 - June 1 38 days

Second Semester/Six Weeks

Beginning of Six Weeks

End of Six Weeks

! TAKS Testing Dates

TAKS Retesting

STAAR Testing Dates

Teacher Workday/Student Holiday

Staff Development/Student Holiday

New Teacher Orientation

Early Release

Holiday

Bad Weather Day

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

JANUARY 2012

First Day of Classes: August 22, 2011

Last Day of School: June 1, 2012

Graduation: June 1, 2012

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

SEPTEMBER 2011