|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Mesquite ISD Joins School
Funding Lawsuit |
Earlier this month, Mesquite ISD joined a group of other districts in a lawsuit against the State of Texas over school financing inequities. Mesquite’s Board of Trustees voted to support the Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition’s (TT& SFC) lawsuit. To date this coalition, with a main focus of taxpayer and student equity, is comprised of more than 300 school districts and counting. More |
STAAR to Replace TAKS for
Class of 2015 |
In 2011-12, the state is launching STAAR, the new assessment replacing TAKS. This will affect the graduation plan for all Mesquite ISD students, starting with the graduating class of 2015 (ninth-graders of 2011-2012).
Students who are in eighth-grade this year will be the first class to graduate under the new state system. Since course selection is coming up for eighth-graders, those students and parents will want to pay special attention to this message.
This question and answer PDF document gives an overview of the state's new assessment plan, which was recently released to school districts. Much of the language is taken from a document highlighting the House Bill 3 Transition Plan. As we learn more specifics, we will share that information with you. |
Four Mesquite ISD Schools Named
to 2011 NCEA Higher Performing Schools List |
Congratulations to the following Mesquite ISD Schools that were just named to the National Center for Educational Achievement’s List of Higher Performing Schools!
- Hanby Elementary
- Mackey Elementary
- Kimbrough Middle School
- Poteet High School
The Higher Performing Schools (formerly known as Just for the Kids Schools) are identified by two measures: consistent improvement in student achievement from previous years (growth) and/or absolute student achievement using the school's Commended Performance results on the spring 2009-2011 TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test.
NCEA's higher performing methodology controls for school and student demographics to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison of school achievement and to demonstrate that with the commitment of educators, all schools can have success no matter the zip code. NCEA provided award certificates to each Higher Performing School and the district. |
Mesquite ISD Launches
Social Media Campaign |
 Mesquite Independent School District is making a push for more friends and fans – through social media, that is. Its “Click With Mesquite ISD” campaign kicks off today with a goal of better communications with parents, students, employees and the communities it serves.
Social media avenues include a district Facebook page, You Tube and Twitter accounts and a Web site blog by Superintendent Dr. Linda Henrie, said Administrative Officer of Communications Laura Jobe. She said
Dr. Henrie writes for one of the Twitter accounts, while MISD operates the other.
“These communications tools are such great ways to get news, stay in touch and join our conversation,” said Jobe. “We hope to recruit as many followers as possible and that the dialogue goes two ways.”
Jobe said some of the district’s award-winning and instructional videos as well as cable shows produced by its digital department are accessible via You Tube.
The following social media links will be listed on posters displayed at all district campuses and communicated through e-mails to all parents and employees:
Facebook.com/mesquiteindependentschooldistrict
Youtube.com/mesquiteisd
Twitter @LindaHenrie1 and @mesquiteisdtx
Superintendent’s blog at www.mesquiteisd.org |
| Mesquite ISD Selected as Winner of CUBE Award for Urban School Board Excellence |
Mesquite ISD is the winner of the 2011 Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) Annual Award for Urban School Board Excellence, the national organization’s top honor. The prestigious award recognizes excellence in school board governance, building civic capacity, closing the achievement gap (equity in education), and demonstrated success of academic excellence.
 Board President Kevin Carbo, Board members Christina Hall and Dr. Cary Tanamachi, and Superintendent Dr. Linda Henrie accepted the award today during the CUBE Annual Conference in New Orleans, La.
“We are very proud of our district’s accomplishments,” said Carbo. “This award is not just for the Board of Trustees, but for everyone in the district—from the administrators to the teachers to the auxiliary employees who day in and day out give our children their maximum effort.”
Dr. Henrie accepted the award on behalf of all of those across the country who are dedicated to public education. “This honor affirms that public education works and works well,” she said.
“This is just one more step in the right direction,” Carbo added. “We have more work to do, and CUBE just gave us a little more incentive to continue working toward a better future for our kids.”
The two other finalists for this year’s award were Boston Public Schools in Massachusetts and Washoe County Public Schools in Nevada. Past winners of the award include Baltimore City Schools, Atlanta Public Schools, Brownsville ISD, Houston ISD, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Norfolk Public Schools, School District of Hillsborough County (Fla.) and Boston Public Schools. |
| Mesquite ISD Achieves Highest "FAST" Rating of Five Stars for the Second Consecutive Year |
 Texas Comptroller Susan Combs visited Mesquite ISD on Sept. 15 to announce that, for the second consecutive year, Mesquite ISD has achieved the highest possible five-star rating in the Comptroller’s Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST). The study rates Texas school districts and campuses on their success in combining high academic achievement with cost-effective operations.
“I applaud Mesquite ISD for its efforts to control spending and use available resources as efficiently as possible without sacrificing quality where it counts most – in the classroom,” Combs said. “I also welcome Mesquite ISD to the 2011 Texas Honors Circle, which is a new award I have created to give well-deserved special recognition to school districts and campuses that achieve a five-star FAST rating.”
Four Mesquite ISD schools also earned five-star ratings and the Texas Honor Circle Recognition: Floyd, Gentry, Mackey and Shands elementary schools.
Only 4 percent of all Texas school districts earned five stars this year. A five-star rating means the district’s spending is very low, while students’ academic performance is very high compared to similar districts. |
U.S. Senator Visits
West Mesquite High School |
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas visited West Mesquite High School on October 26 to meet with the award-winning Mesquite ISD Board, Administration and students. Cornyn said the district has moved into the spotlight of Texas education as recipient of the national CUBE Award, and he wanted to learn more about the district's recipe for success.
"We are being noticed by others at the state and national level for what we are doing, "said Superintendent Dr. Linda Henrie. "[Success stems] through constant planning, getting the very best teachers we can find and having people across the district dedicated to MISD," she said. "And if any of that is not functioning as it should, we cannot be effective in the classroom." |
| Poteet High School Football Players Clean Up |
 August 13, 2011 was like most summer days this past summer, it was hot.
Despite the extreme weather conditions, a group of Poteet
Football players and a few of their coaches decided to battle the heat
and they organized a community service project that they called, "The
Creek Bed Clean Up".
The clean up took place after their Saturday
morning practice at the intersection of Galloway and American behind the
Town East Animal clinic. The purpose of this project was for the
players to learn what it means to give back and get involved in their
community.
The young men who participated in this event gathered over
10 forty gallon trash bags full of all sorts of debris ranging from weeds
to plastic bags and bottles. They also gathered a huge pile of wood
consisting of shrubs and branches that were located in and around the
creek bed. This type of clean up was not easy and their efforts will
help prevent major waterway clean up cost from this particular creek
bed. |
| School Nurses Now Eligible to Receive Community Donations |
 School nurses are now eligible to add items to the Teacher Wish List, a tool that matches needs with donations from parents, community partners and businesses.
"Our wish list allows for an easy avenue for the community to provide exactly what these teachers and RNs ask for to help our students," said Mesquite ISD Education Foundation Executive Director Linda Lentz
Besides nurses who joined, this program is open to classroom, special education and special-area teachers; librarians; counselors; and MISD-employed speech teachers. Principals monitor requests to ensure they align with MISD curriculum and the Campus Improvement Plan, and each person's wish list is no more than $50, Lentz said.
"The Mesquite Education Foundation is dedicated to making educational wishes come true," said Foundation President David Belt, adding that wishes of more than 245 teachers have been awarded in six years.
The Mesquite ISD Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching and enhancing the education of Mesquite's 38,000 students. It supplies funds for projects and programs outside the regular school district budget through a grant application process.
Learn more about the foundation, grant a wish or make a donation at www.mesquitefoundation.org. |
| Clean and Green in Mesquite ISD – Paperless Flier Guidelines |
 The Mesquite ISD Communications Department will be responsible for reviewing and approving fliers and printed materials for external non-school groups or organizations. Approved information will be posted on the district’s website under the “For Community” tab. Fliers or other materials from non-school groups and organizations will no longer be made available to parents and students on campuses. Mesquite ISD will continue to distribute fliers from the school district and the entities mentioned in Policy 308.
Guidelines for flier approval and website posting:
- Commercial advertising will not be approved for posting.
- A copy of the flier and a request for flier posting form must be submitted to the Communications Department for consideration. Copies may be e-mailed to ljobe@mesquiteisd.org or mailed/delivered to:
Communications Department
405 E. Davis Street
Mesquite, TX 75149
- Organizations should allow three business days for approval before fliers will be posted. Fliers will be posted as they are received/approved and removed when outdated.
- Fliers must be limited to one page. Multiple pages for posting on the website will not be accepted or approved.
- Hard copies of fliers must be of a quality that can be clearly and legibly electronically scanned for placement on the district’s website. Electronic copies must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF file format.
- Consideration of fliers for approval will follow Mesquite ISD Policy 308 and the corresponding Administrative Guidelines.
- Approval of an organization’s fliers are in no way district endorsement or sponsorship of that organization’s activities.
For more information, call 972-882-7404. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
