Your Mansfield ISD

Student Nutrition Department is Ahead of the Curve

2012-01-30T09:43:00.001-06:00

On January 25, 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released new regulations for the National School Lunch Program to ensure healthier school lunches for students across the nation.

The final standards make the same kinds of practical changes that many parents are already encouraging at home, including:

Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods;
Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;
Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and
Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

Mansfield ISD has already taken great strides on our menus to encourage healthy eating throughout the student population. Implementing these changes will be easy for MISD because of the previous menu revisions over the last several years.

At the elementary and intermediate level, all sandwich offerings from lean meat hamburgers to grilled chicken are offered on whole wheat products only. Whole wheat dinner rolls are offered one to two days a week on the elementary and intermediate levels as well. We began serving whole grain pizza in the 2010-11 school year after a taste test was conducted at Holt Elementary school in the spring of 2010. Students were given samples of pizza made from different flour types. When asked to choose which pizza they would like to have in the cafeterias, the response was overwhelming in favor of the whole grain pizza. The pizza is also topped with low fat mozzarella cheese.

The new regulations require any flavored milk to be nonfat. Again, MISD has already accomplished this by offering only 1% unflavored milk or nonfat unflavored, strawberry, chocolate and vanilla milk.

MISD offers chef salads and fresh fruit daily at all school levels. Ground turkey in place of ground beef is used in several entrees offered by the District. Other healthy alternatives offered by the student nutrition department are yogurt, fruit parfaits and entrees such as oven roasted chicken and pasta dishes made from whole grain pasta.

So in response to these regulations, MISD is well prepared and welcomes the changes the government is making to enrich the lives of students across the nation through better nutrition.

Summit High School's FROG Week 2012

2012-01-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

Guest post by Emily Waneck, Summit High School Pre-AP English 1/English 1teacher and Student Council Sponsor

What is FROG week? FROG week stands for Friends Reaching Out and Giving. Every year, student council along with the entire student body at Summit High School adopt a child from the Make-A-Wish foundation and have one week to raise enough money to grant the child’s wish.

This year, our child’s name is Sienna. She is a 7th grader at a junior high in Arlington and wishes to go to Florida and Disney World. Here is more about our wish child: Sienna, age 13.

When Sienna was born, she only weighed 4 lbs 15oz , and her mother had only gained 9 lbs. during her pregnancy. After Sienna struggled with eating as an infant, her mother took her to the doctor. When they tested her, Sienna's hemoglobin was only at a 6. Sienna remained in the hospital for almost 3 months. She had every test done imaginable including, bone marrow extraction, a sweat test, tests to check for cancer, etc. Finally after two weeks her family was given a tentative diagnosis of MMA (Methylmalonic Acidemia) with Homocystinuria, but by that time all her organs were failing. She was put on a ventilator and they conducted blood exchanges because her red blood cells were fragmenting.

“We were told to call our families as she was not going to make it through the night,” recalls her mother. “I prayed so hard that night asking God to please let her live and I would take her however he wanted to give her to me and I meant it.”

She lived through the night and started improving a little. Although she was improving she was still a very sick little girl. Said her mother, “at the time of diagnosis we were told there were only 19 children with this diagnosis and that several had died.”

Now at 13, Sienna has lost her vision due to her illness and reads braille.

Because of our love for Sienna and other children in similar situations, the Summit High Student Council and the Make-a-Wish Foundation have teamed up to grant Sienna’s wish of going to Disney World and Florida. However, we need YOUR help to make her wish come true! Monetary donations help most immediately, but service and time donations are also greatly appreciated. Our student council and school will need as many donations as possible to make this wish come true. Our goal is to raise at least $7,000 for our child. Any donation helps in the long run, whether it is 5 cents or 100 dollars. All contributions will be appreciated.
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Read more in the SHS Jagwire student newspaper.
Contact Emily Waneck via email EmilyWaneck [at] misdmail.org.

Rachel’s Challenge at Danny Jones Middle School

2012-01-20T12:08:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, the Rachel’s Challenge Organization is coming to Danny Jones Middle School. Rachel’s Challenge is an organization that was started in honor of Rachel Scott, the first student to be killed in the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999. Her acts of kindness and compassion coupled with the contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America.

The mission of Rachel’s Challenge is to inspire, equip and empower every person to create a permanent positive culture change in their school, business and community by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion. When asked why Rachel’s Challenge was so important to the students of Danny Jones Middle School, Mr. Travis Moore, the principal replied, “I saw the presentation in Arlington over a year ago. It really touched my heart. I knew that it would have a positive impact on our students.”

Ms. Callie Farr, PTA president of Danny Jones Middle School, helped to raise the funds necessary to bring Rachel’s Challenge to DJMS. When asked why it was so important to bring this national program to her child’s school, she replied “As a middle school PTA, we are challenged to find a program that is of benefit to the students. Rachel's Challenge provides an impact message of personal tragedy that serves to promote positive change in the way students treat others. We want each student know they can make a difference. We want the universal message of kindness and compassion told by Rachel's story to be heard by Danny Jones Middle School students and motivate them to positive change and commitment. We also want parents to attend and know their support of PTA serves to make a difference.”

Rachel’s Challenge will be presented to Danny Jones Middle School students for one hour at the following times on January 24, 2012:

7th grade @ 9:30 am (gym A)
8th grade @ 1:30 pm (gym A)
RC Chain Reaction training for student leaders @ 3:00 pm (Cafeteria)
Community event (open to the public) @ 7:00 pm in the DJMS (Cafeteria)
Danny Jones Middle School is located at 4500 East Broad St., Mansfield, TX 76063.

Please visit the Rachel’s Challenge website for additional information.

Timberview Coach Guided Team Through Tragedy; Earns Heartbeat Award

2012-01-19T11:06:00.003-06:00

It’s been said that adversity breeds character and strength. During a period themed by tragedy and pain, Timberview High School head football Coach Mark Walker emerged as a shining example of that adage. It is for this reason, Coach Walker was named the January 2012 Heartbeat Team recipient.

In late October, the students, staff and community were dealt two crushing blows with the loss of two students in a car wreck, followed a week later by the death of assistant football coach Cody McCarty.

Although the odds seemed to be stacked against Timberview, Coach Walker’s faith in his school and his team never wavered. Rather than making excuses, Walker and his Wolves agreed they would dedicate the remainder of their season to McCarty and they were determined to honor his name.

“When the tragedies hit, he took a load on his shoulders and just kind of carried the whole team for a while,” said Derrell Douglas, Timberview High Principal.

Walker led the team to victory and the longest playoff run in Mansfield ISD history, and feelings of loss began to transform into hope. While the on-field success was energizing for Timberview, it was the tidal wave of school pride in the stands that seemed to be healing.

Although it’s obvious to many that Walker’s strength and perseverance played a major role in the outcome of the season, he gives every bit of credit to his team.

“I’m just proud of the life lessons these young men have learned,” Walker said. “Our group of young men did an excellent job.”

Now on the other side of what once seemed like a set of impassable obstacles, Walker and his team are left with a football season they will never forget and a legacy that will live on forever.

The Mansfield ISD administration is proud to present the January 2012 Heartbeat Team Award to Coach Mark Walker for his inspirational strength and spirit on and off the football field.

Here's an excerpt from the nomination essay submitted by Coach Walker’s colleagues:

“Coach Walker should be honored not only for the tremendous heart and character he has shown in his leadership, but also for inspiring the entire MISD community with an incredible football season that will forever represent an expression of love by the Timberview Wolves family for their never forgotten son, Coach Cody McCarty. Coach Mark Walker helped teach an entire community what can happen when we stick together, lean on one another, support one another and put our heart and soul into something in which we all believe.”

About the Heartbeat Team

The Mansfield ISD Heartbeat Team was established to recognize employees who display heart in their lives and inspire other district employees through their actions. Heartbeat Team members are nominated only by other district employees. Winners are selected during the school year from those nominated. Those named to the Heartbeat Team are still eligible for other district honors.

Summit High School Musical: Big River

2012-01-12T09:07:00.000-06:00

Via Lyndsey Simmons, Assistant Director of Theatre/Communication Applications at Mansfield Summit High School:

On January 26-29, Summit Theatre will open the musical Big River. This piece is a musical adaptation of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and we will collaborate with both the Summit Band and the American Sign Language Department at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy.

Big River has a history of being produced on Broadway by deaf actors. This year, we decided to have our hearing student actors play the roles, and they will be shadowed by both professional and student interpreters from Ben Barber. The Summit Band will also be providing us, for the first time, with a live orchestra.

We are also showcasing out International Thespian Society National Qualifying student designs for costumes and set.

Make reservations for the show via email at summittickets@yahoo.com.

Mansfield High School Musical: Seussical

2012-01-12T08:45:00.000-06:00

Mansfield High School's Theatre production of Seussical will run January 19-24 at the following times:

January 19, 20, 21, 23, 24 at 7:00 PM
January 22 at 2:00 PM

Help Pick Student Questions for the Astronauts

2012-01-06T16:22:00.000-06:00

What would you ask astronauts in the International Space Station?

Maybe something like...

How do you deal with minor and major injuries and/or illnesses while in space?
How is the ISS protected from space debris and can you feel when debris hits the station?
Do you sweat in space? If yes, does it float?
Does your blood pressure change in space?
What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen while in space?

On Tuesday morning, January 31, students from NASA Low Intermediate School will speak live with astronauts on the International Space Station.

We need your help narrowing down the student questions for the astronauts. Decide which 10 questions students will ask the astronauts by selecting your five favorite from the list on this online survey. [Editor's note: The survey closed January 17.]

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In related news, the temporary "N" for NASA Low was put up on the school building over the winter break:

NASA Low Intermediate School will also host their Space Night school community event on Friday, January 27 from 6:00-8:00 PM.

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Special thank you to Mouser Electronics for their generous sponsorship of this educational opportunity.

December Construction Update

2011-12-15T14:27:00.001-06:00

School Trustees get a monthly report that outlines the progress planned by the Construction Program Supervisor. The following items were included in the December 2011 report:

Lake Ridge High School

The Lake Ridge High School sports facilities, including fields, will complete in January 2012 for early administrative staff move-in and use. The Complete Facility Substantial Completion Date for the campus is April 2012. The school is located at 101 N. Day Miar Road, Mansfield, TX.

December 1 aerial photo

Mansfield ISD Center for the Performing Arts

The Substantial Completion Date for the Center for the Performing Arts is May 7, 2012, with MISD move-in date of May 1, 2012. The MISD Center for the Performing Arts is located at 1110 W. Debbie Lane, Mansfield, TX.

As the first official use of the facility, all 2012 Mansfield ISD high school graduation ceremonies will be held at the Center for the Performing Arts. Get the graduations schedule.

December 1 aerial photo

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Note: The Executive Program Summaries are available through the School Board meeting agendas and minutes.

Timberview Football - A Season To Remember

2011-12-14T15:42:00.000-06:00

The Mansfield Timberview High School varsity football team had the best season of any high school in Mansfield ISD history. Timberview battled their way through the playoffs before ultimately losing in the Class 5A Division II State Semifinals last weekend.

Congratulations, Wolves on your phenomenal season!

Video Tributes
Check out a couple of video tributes produced by Collin Tate, a senior at Frontier High School:

Intermediate School Renamed for NASA Event

2011-12-13T15:14:00.000-06:00

For the month of January, 2012, Asa Low Intermediate School will be renamed NASA Low Intermediate School in preparation for a remarkable educational opportunity. The ceremonial renaming resolution was approved at the Mansfield ISD December School Board meeting.

Education Downlink

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducts educational opportunities called In-Flight Education Downlinks. In-Flight Education Downlinks allow educators and students to interact with crewmembers aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Asa Low Intermediate teacher, Patricia Londono (pictured at right), worked over two years on the submission with NASA's Teaching from Space team. On July 1, 2011, NASA awarded Asa Low Intermediate School with an In-Flight Education Downlink to be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

In honor of this unique opportunity (and because the school name, Asa Low, was one letter away from the space agency's name) Mansfield ISD administrators chose to ceremonially rename the campus NASA Low Intermediate School for the month of January 2012 with the school board's adoption of a resolution in December. (We're even going so far as to add a big letter 'N' next to the school name on the outside of the building.)

NASA Low Intermediate will conduct over 100 space-related lessons and projects, webcasts, and a Space Night event in January 2012.

Click graphic below to read the full school board resolution:

'Read to Me' Book Drive

2011-12-06T14:54:00.001-06:00

Help us collect books for newborns. Volunteers are needed for the Methodist Mansfield Read to Me book drive on Friday, December 9 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM and on Saturday December 10 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the Barnes & Noble store at The Parks Mall in Arlington.

The book drive benefits the newest members in the community through the Read to Me infant book program. Newborns at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center receive a free book that can be read to and shared with siblings. The combined efforts of Mansfield ISD, Mansfield Sunrise Rotary Club, and Methodist Mansfield Medical Center was established in 2010 out of the hope to raise the number of children who become capable and enthusiastic lifelong readers.

“Reading to children is a great and easy way to build early literacy skills,” said Dr. Bob Morrison, MISD superintendent. “It lays the foundation for communication; builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills; and introduces numbers, letters, colors, and shapes in a fun way.”

Please email angelbiasatti@mhd.com if you would like to volunteer for this weekend's Read to Me book drive. Help is needed during the book drive to stand beside collection boxes and make the customers aware of the book drive.

Superintendent Update - December 2011

2011-12-05T09:37:00.000-06:00

Dr. Bob Morrison provides in-depth information regarding the proposed eight-period day schedule and the new attendance zone selection process.
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Survey: Please review and take the short Eight-period Schedule Survey.

Winter Weather Transportation and School-Closings

2011-12-02T11:20:00.001-06:00

What happens in Mansfield ISD when temperatures drop and our area has inclement winter weather?

Here is the latest on the procedures, considerations, and decision-making during winter weather events:

At or before 4:00 AM a decision is made to deploy the Transportation Weather Team staff.
Between 4:15 AM and 4:30 AM, the Weather Team visually inspects various areas across the district of streets for icy, wet, or dry roads along with monitoring the weather information channels.
The Weather Team contacts the Director of Transportation with their road information.
Road conditions are analyzed along with other related information available from other school districts.
If roads are questionable, the Superintendent is contacted after 4:30 AM (but before 5:00 AM) to discuss findings and recommendations.
The Superintendent makes a decision by 5:00 AM whether or not to close schools.
We then use our standard communication channels if any changes to the district schedule require adjustment: District Homepage, Weather page, phone messaging system, local media outlets, e-mail (Newsletter list for parents/staff/ community) and via Twitter - @mansfieldisd.

Other considerations and notable information

Many area school districts' transportation directors have a local phone network so they can stay in communication and provide insight to what is happening road-wise with each other.

How does weather forecasting play a part in the decision-making process? While the Weather Team reports actual conditions, what is expected to happen weather-wise is just as important to the decision process.

What about early dismissals? If winter weather conditions worsen during the day, we determine if an early release is needed to get the students home sooner and bus drivers back to the bus barn safely prior to darkness. We try to make that decision prior to 10:00 AM in order to adequately coordinate the dismissal process. Generally an early release will only affect the middle schools as we would typically dismiss them at 1:30 PM since currently they end the day the latest. We then continue normal schedules for high, elementary, and intermediate schools. This provides for the least disruption of classes and gets our buses off the road prior to darkness when ice becomes the most dangerous.

Eight-Period Schedule Update

2011-11-30T16:20:00.000-06:00

A final decision on the proposed eight-period schedule for 2012-13 will be made by the administration after the Winter Break.
— Mansfield ISD (@mansfieldisd) December 14, 2011

Due to the fact the district was cut $13 million this school year by the Texas Legislature and will be cut an additional $13 million next school year, we’ve made the decision to move to an eight-period day at the secondary level (for high school, middle school, intermediate school).

We provided a draft schedule earlier on our blog for the MISD community to review prior to the Thanksgiving break to begin the conversation on this new change for next year. We received some valid concerns and valuable input through the comments in addition to emails, calls, and discussions.

Here's the latest update on the proposed eight-period schedule. The updated schedule includes:

45-minute classes
High School will start at 7:30 AM and end the day at 3:00 PM
Middle Schools will start 8:45 AM and end their day at 4:10 PM
Intermediate Schools will start at 8:30 AM and end their day at 3:55 PM
Elementary Schools will start at 8:00 AM and end the day 3:30 PM

How does an eight-period schedule save $6-$10 million?
On the A/B block schedule, teachers teach six of eight classes. On the eight-period schedule, teachers will pick up one class to teach seven of eight classes. That extra class translates to 67.5 teaching positions or $4 million. Additionally, the students taking courses at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy for 150 minutes on an eight-period schedule generates an additional $3 million in funding through the Career and Technology Education (CTE) Allotment. And finally, when MISD went to the eight-period hybrid schedule for middle and intermediate schools this year, it saved $3 million. We’ll realize that same $3 million in savings next year as well.

We’ve also heard some common academic concerns about changing schedules:

Instructional time - Currently, in a two-week period, high schools have eight classes (four on A days and four and B days). Each class lasts 90 minutes for a total of 450 instructional minutes per two-week period. On the eight-period schedule, the students have eight classes each day. Each class lasts 45 minutes for a total of 450 instructional minutes per two-week period.

Homework - On the A/B block schedule with classes every other day, students can potentially receive homework five days in a two-week period. With the eight-period schedule, schools will develop a homework schedule that enables teachers to assign homework five out of every 10 days in a two-week period. Example, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th periods would be able to give homework on odd days of the week and 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th periods on even days of the week. As you can see, that translates to five days of potential homework in the 10 school day period the same as A/B block.

Testing (Six Week Tests)

A/B block schedule allows time for four tests on A days and four tests on B days.

On the eight-period schedule 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th periods would test on odd days of the week; 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th period test on even days of the week.

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Updated Wednesday, December 7, 2011 - A Mansfield News-Mirror December 7 article on the eight-period schedule incorrectly references the next steps in the decision process. The Mansfield ISD school board will not vote on the schedule. The schedule is an administrative decision (not subject to board vote). For reference, the administrative decision on the schedule will be made after the December board meeting.

Updated Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - The MISD Board of Trustees heard a Presentation and held a discussion during the December Regular School Board Meeting. A final decision on the proposed eight-period schedule will be made by the administration after the Winter Break.

Bikes for Angels 2011 Campaign

2011-11-29T14:46:00.001-06:00

Guest post by Rick Curlee, Auto Tech Teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy

Ben Barber Career Tech Academy's Jerry Bellows Automotive Technology Department kicked off the annual Bikes for Angels Fundraiser for Christmas 2011 earlier this fall.

Last year, our Auto Tech students raised over $26,000 to buy 600 bicycles for Angel Tree kids identified by our Intermediate and Elementary schools here in the Mansfield area. We also donated bikes to some of the High School Key Clubs to be distributed through Common Ground Network. It meant so much for the instructors and students delivering these bikes to see counselors, principals, teachers and some of the recipients with tears of joy in their eyes.

We are starting this year's campaign with the goal of trying to buy at least 700 bicycles for needy children who would otherwise not get bikes for Christmas.

Our students are getting so excited about this project and to start work on our Bikes for Angel’s fundraiser. We have had students bringing everything in from Ziploc bags full of change to a student turning over his weekly paycheck to help some of these children. We have had a couple of students who have actually been on Angel Trees and received bikes when they were younger.

We would sincerely like to ask the MISD community to help us beat last year’s total by making a donation of any kind to our fund. We can use almost any type of donation. Some examples are listed below:

Cars, running or not, and in any shape. Cars must have title and will either be resold or scrapped
Auction items (For the December Dinner & Auction)
Any type of Scrap Metal.
Checks, cash, even your spare change is accepted. It all adds up to bicycles.
Salon Packages
Assorted Gift Certificates

Dinner & Auction

A dinner and auction will be held at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy on Friday, December 2 at 7:00 pm to help raise funds. You must have a ticket for the Dinner portion of the event. (Dinner tickets were sold at the campus.) No ticket is necessary to attend the Auction portion of the event.

Updated Friday, December 2 - It’s not too late to reserve your ticket for tonight’sBikes for Angels Dinner & Auction! We have extended the deadline for thepurchase/reservation of Dinner tickets for tonight!

If you would like to join us for the 2nd Annual Bikes forAngels Dinner & Auction, please RSVP to Misty Smitherman via email mistysmitherman@misdmail.org oryou can call 817-299-1941 by 2:00 pm today (12/2/11).

Join us for a Cajun Themed Dinner catered by Savvy’sBistro

Where: Ben Barber Career Tech

Time: 7:00

Cost: $15

Thank you for considering this year's Bikes for Angels campaign. If you give by check, please make it out to "MISD Auto Tech" and put Bikes for Angels in the memo line.

For questions about the program, please email Mr. Rick Curlee at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy at rickcurlee@misdmail.org or contact by phone at 817-299-1939.

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Check out the photo gallery from the 2010 Bikes for Angels Presentation.

Eight-Period School Schedule

2011-11-18T11:59:00.001-06:00

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UPDATED Monday, November 28, 2011

We are currently working on revisions to the eight-period schedule for next year. A revised schedule will be released later this week that will include 45 minute class periods and changes to the start and end times for the day. We appreciate your patience on this schedule update as we address the valid concerns and valuable feedback from the community.

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Original Post from Friday, November 18, 2011 at 11:59 AM

Due to the fact the district was cut $13 million this school year by the Texas Legislature and will be cut an additional $13 million next school year, Mansfield ISD has made the decision to move to an eight-period day at the secondary level (high school, middle, intermediate). Compared to other available options, the decision to change our schedule is in the best interest of our students, staff and district. No programs are being eliminated, so our students will continue to be able to participate in the current programs offered. No staff members will be laid off because of the budget cuts.

The length of the school day and the start and ending times of classes have not been finalized. We are continuing to gather feedback on these times from our students, staff and parents. If you have a question or comment, you may comment on this blog post or send it to info@misdmail.org . We will add frequently asked questions below the graphic as new questions are asked. Thank you for taking the time to review this information and providing input.

Dr. Bob Morrison
Superintendent, Mansfield ISD

Click graphic above for larger image. (Graphic updated at 3:40 PM, November 18, 2011.)

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FAQs

Why are we changing our schedule?

Mansfield ISD’s state and federal funding was cut $13 million in the 2011-12 school year and is expected to be cut another $13 million in 2012-13 school year. The change to the district’s bell schedule will result in an estimated savings of $6 million per school year. The district has made changes to operations in the last two years to reduce expenses, but the district is now entering a phase where tougher budget decisions will have to be made.

Why do we need eight periods, instead of seven?

All MISD students must earn 27 credits to graduate. A seven period day would only allow for 28 credits and students would lose the ability to take certain elective courses that they enjoy. Students who need to repeat a course would have very little flexibility in their schedules to do so. An eight period day gives our students more flexibility.

How will this change impact instructional time at the high school?

An eight-period schedule will increase instructional time for high school students by approximately 10%. The new eight-period schedule will have 8,850 minutes of instructional time for the year, in place of the current 8000 minutes offered by the A/B Schedule. Students will also be able to see their teachers every day. Teachers will have a planning period every day.

How will students manage the load of classwork (tests, etc.) and homework required for an eight period day?

Principals and teachers will work together to develop a homework, test and project schedule that is manageable for students, so they are not overwhelmed.

Summit Library Aide Humbled by Heartbeat Award

2011-11-14T11:08:00.001-06:00

Brenda Wells has a heart for helping others and an eye for opportunities to serve. As a library aide at Summit High School, Wells goes above and beyond her day-to-day responsibilities to make a positive difference in the lives’ of those around her.

Wells was nominated for the MISD Heartbeat Team Award by her coworkers, who had no shortage of positive things to say about her. When Dr. Morrison, Superintendent of Schools, surprised Wells with the award on the morning of November 11, she was overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude.

“I don’t think I’m deserving of this,” she said. “There are so many other people in this school that do so many great things!”

Even in a moment that was intended to honor her, Wells’ instinct was to focus on lifting up those around her.

“We have a great school and great kids,” she said. “The staff is just like a big family and everybody is willing to help everybody and pull together in any situation.”

It’s not uncommon to hear stories about Wells’ generous spirit. She supports many special events at Summit, but is also known for initiating her own special programs. When she heard that a student was in the hospital and would have to miss out on Homecoming and her birthday, she worked to create a poster with hundreds of student signatures and messages for her.

“Brenda has a spark about her,” said Keli Cullen, Teen Leadership teacher. “She is always giving and wanting to do more.”

Wells does so much to make those around her feel special, but thanks to her peers it’s her turn to feel the love. The Mansfield ISD administration is proud to present the November 2011 Heartbeat Team Award to Brenda Wells for her commitment to helping the students and staff of Summit High School.

About the Heartbeat Team
The Mansfield ISD Heartbeat Team was established to recognize employees who display heart in their lives and inspire other district employees through their actions. Heartbeat Team members are nominated only by other district employees. Winners are selected during the school year from those nominated. Those named to the Heartbeat Team are still eligible for other district honors.

Happy Veterans Day

2011-11-11T11:43:00.001-06:00

Happy Veterans Day! To the men and women of our Armed Forces, thank you for your dedicated service.

There are many campus observances being held today across the District. From large events to small gatherings, the students of Mansfield ISD take time to thank and honor veterans.

We'll collect photos from the events and share them in the online photo gallery.

Pirates make landfall at Worley Middle School

2011-11-02T14:48:00.000-05:00

Two Texas History teachers from Worley Middle School, (above L-R) Jeff Horn and Darryl Swinney, dressed up like pirates on Monday, October 31 for a class presentation on pirates who played a role in Texas history.

In a storytelling mode, they both explained the role of pirates Jean Lafitte and Louis-Michel Aury in the Mexican War of Independence.

According to the principal, students were thrilled to see their teachers perform for them.

"The history department here at Worley goes above and beyond to provide our learners with authentic historical experiences," said Dr. Butler, Worley Principal. "It’s almost like our students get to sit on the sidelines of history and watch it take place."

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It was also a pretty good excuse to get dressed up for work on Halloween.

Well done, guys.

Superintendent Update - November 2011

2011-11-01T15:08:00.000-05:00

Dr. Bob Morrison discusses the MISD Bond election, new marketing opportunities for the district, the Lake Ridge HS colors and mascot and information on the new attendance zones.

Student Fundraising Efforts Rewarded with...Slime?

2011-10-26T15:40:00.001-05:00

On October 7, the students of Willie Brown Elementary took part in a Fun Run to raise money for the PTA. For about two weeks leading up to the event, students asked family members, friends and neighbors to sponsor them with a lump sum or $5 per lap. By the end of the run, the students raised almost $25,000!

You may wonder what kept these students motivated throughout their forty-lap course. Was it the pizza party that would be provided to the class in each grade level that raised the most money?

Perhaps.

What about the iPod Touch that would be won by the student who raised the most in the entire school?

That’s probable.

How about the promise that if they did a great job they would be able to watch their P.E. Coach, Principal AND the Superintendent get SLIMED?

DING DING DING!

After the overwhelming success of the event, the slime victims knew their fate was sealed. On the afternoon of October 21, students and teachers of Brown Elementary gathered in the school courtyard to watch Superintendent Dr. Bob Morrison, Principal Kyna Eastlick and P.E. Coach David Johnson get covered in purple, pink and green slime (you can imagine the thunderous applause).

PTA Fundraising Chair Caryn Angus played a big role in organizing the event and she is also credited with convincing Dr. Morrison to take part.

“We know how much he loves the schools and teachers and he knows how much we love Willie Brown Elementary,” said Angus. “He has now proved that he is the coolest Superintendent out there… and he can wear purple slime like no other!”

Not only was the Fun Run a blast for the students, it was a healthy way to raise money for the school.

When asked if she would volunteer to be slimed again next year, Eastlick replied, “Of course I would! It was for a good cause and it allowed us to show the students how much we appreciated their hard work.”

Aide Sparks Strength through Struggle

2011-10-25T12:16:00.000-05:00

Some people may think of a soldier or a firefighter when they hear the words “hero” and “warrior,” but for the staff at Elizabeth Smith Elementary, these words describe their teammate Zondra Stepney.

Stepney has inspired her coworkers at Elizabeth Smith Elementary through the courage she displayed throughout her battle with breast cancer last year. Despite challenging circumstances, she continued to uplift others. Her uplifting spirit and efforts were evident in the Heartbeat Team nominations she received from campus staff.

“She is an inspiration to everyone on the team,” said Ira Okogbodu. “She is always smiling with a good word for everybody, even when she is in pain.”

Stepney’s attitude has made a positive impact on her coworkers, but she finds her own inspiration in the students she works with each day.

“I didn’t want to let breast cancer get me down,” said Stepney. “It was encouraging to come work with these kids because they have disabilities that they have to live with as well.”

In addition to her job as a Special Ed Aide, Stepney is a devoted wife and mother of four. Throughout her illness, she continued to put others first, scheduling all of her doctor’s appointments in the evening so that she did not have to miss a day of work.

“I think there were more days last year that she felt horrible and probably should not have been here, but she fought through it,” said Principal Lea Boiles. “It never showed that she didn’t have the physical endurance to be here.”

The Smith Elementary team offered an outpouring of love and support last March, before Stepney’s surgery. The staff and students planned a surprise pep rally featuring dance tributes, cheers and special care packages for Stepney and her family.

The pep rally in Stepney's honor was titled “Stomping Out Cancer,” which is exactly what she did - with a beautiful smile on her face.

Congratulations to our courageous October 2011 Heartbeat Team Award winner, Zondra Stepney!

Trustee Inspires Students through Storytelling

2011-10-14T14:00:00.001-05:00

Keeping the attention of about 300 middle school students near the end of a long school day might prove to be a daunting task, but MISD School Board Trustee, Raul Gonzalez certainly stood up to the challenge on the afternoon of October 12.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), Gonzalez delivered a presentation to the seventh grade students at Coble Middle School. He talked to them about the rich Hispanic culture in his hometown of El Paso, explaining that family, hard work and determination were fundamental values in his upbringing.

He highlighted the importance of work ethic as he proudly told the story of how his father worked his way up through the ranks at the Post Office until he became the Postmaster, with only a high school education. His father’s tremendous work ethic taught him to persevere in his own job at a law firm, where he has worked for 28 years and is now the Director of Administration.

Gonzalez encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities surrounding them and to never use the words “I can’t.” After delivering a captivating message about culture, values and hard work, he left the students with one final lesson, “We all come from different backgrounds, but we must always work together.”

(The 8th Grade Advanced Boys Choir kicked off the assembly with their performance of "Viva Tutti")

Kick Chance Raises Cash for Joplin

2011-10-14T11:14:00.001-05:00

Della Icenhower Intermediate School student, Kyra (pictured above at right) went through Joplin, MO with her dad this summer and wanted to do something to help. The school decided that they would use the Principal's Extra Point at the Friday, October 7 football game at Newsom Stadium as a way to help the tornado-ravaged community. About 20 staff members decorated a milk jug and collected change. The Icenhower staff member who collected the most change would take the kick at the game instead of the principal. The school raised about $379 dollars, Kyra was able to be down to the field, and teacher Ms. Del Fierro (above left), took the kick.

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The Prinicpal's Extra Point is in its second-year through the Athletics Department. It is an opportunity to give the school principals from our elementary and intermediate campuses a chance to win money for their school's PE department from the MISD High School Athletics Booster Clubs.

Education Foundation Diamond Ball

2011-10-10T16:16:00.001-05:00

The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation Presents: The DiamondBall on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 6:30 PM at theOmni Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. Join the Education Foundation and KDFW news anchor Steve Eager, as they honor ChrisHuckabee, Philanthropist & CEO of Huckabee, Inc as well as Ashley Purgason,Distinguished Scholar from the 2002 class of Mansfield HS who is now a NASA Researcher.

Black Tie Optional
Private Reception for Honored Guests and Table Sponsors
The event includes Dinner, Dancing, Live Music, Silent and Live Auctions

Single Tickets are available at $125 per person and alimited number of Table sponsors are still available at $2000. RSVP online by October 24, 2011 or contact the MISD Education Foundation office formore information at 817-299-6355.

Student Testing Update - STAAR/EOC

2011-10-10T14:20:00.000-05:00

New state testing begins this school year with the implementation of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness or STAAR The standardized testing program includes tests for students in grades 3–12.

Mansfield ISD will use this blog, the MISD Department of Research, Assessment and Accountability website, as well as information at the campuses to keep parents informed of the changes in student testing.

About STAAR (3-8)

Texas is phasing in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams which will test the same subject areas as the TAKS tests. STAAR testing will begin in March 2012 on these subjects:

Grades 3 through 8: reading and math
Grades 4 and 7: writing
Grades 5 and 8: science
Grade 8: social studies

End Of Course
Ninth grade in the 2011–2012 school year will be the first class required to take STAAR End Of Course (EOC) assessments. The 12 EOC assessments are:

English I, English II, English III
Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II
Biology, Chemistry, Physics
World Geography, World History, and U.S. History

The test will have three levels of proficiency. Level 1 is for unsatisfactory academic performance, level 2 for satisfactory performance and level 3 for advanced academic performance. State accountability ratings, which will be based largely on STAAR results, have been suspended for the 2011-12 school year.

Source: Texas Education Agency

Additional Resources:

Open publication - Free publishing - More assessment

STAAR - A guide to the High School Testing Program

STAAR - A parent’s guide to the student testing program

Third Grade Water Safety Classes

2011-10-05T16:34:00.002-05:00

All third grade students in the District receive water safety classes at the Mansfield ISD Natatorium. It takes a while to schedule every single class, but by the end of the school year all third graders learn some important lessons in order to have safe experiences in and around public and private pools and other bodies of water.

Simple tips like Look B 4 You Leap (taught with hand signals as a memory tactic) and others are encouraged to be taken home and shared with family members.

The MISD Natatorium is the home for the high school swimming and diving teams, the Mansfield Aquatic Club, as well as Adult Swim and Learn to Swim Class available to the Mansfield ISD community. You can get additional information on the Natatorium website.

Website Service Interruption

2011-10-04T14:31:00.000-05:00

The Mansfield ISD website (www.mansfieldisd.org) will be down for maintenance today (Tuesday, October 4) beginning at 4:30 PM. The Technology Department will be working to restore access to the site as quickly as possible. Mansfield ISD online services like Web Mail and Infinite Campus will not be affected by the outage, but you will need to access them via a direct link. We have provided direct links to a few of those services below:

Infinite Campus (Parent Log-in):
https://cst.epm.infinitecampus.org/campusE/portal/mansfield.jsp

Infinite Campus (Teacher Log-in):
https://cst.epm.infinitecampus.org/campusE/mansfield.jsp

TeleParent (Staff):
https://www.teleparent.net/login.php

WebMail (Staff):
http://mail.misdmail.org

As a reminder, the Mansfield ISD Blog and MISD TechNotes Blog are great resources for updates and information during an outage. Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.

Superintendent Update - October 2011

2011-10-04T09:06:00.001-05:00

Dr. Bob Morrison discusses the new STAAR and EOC testing, MISD Parent/Teacher Conference Day, and info on the upcoming district-wide College and Career Night.

(Please note: If you cannot view the above video from inside the MISD network, please use the alternate video portal version.)

Business Group Honors Tipps Elementary

2011-10-03T15:43:00.001-05:00

Mansfield ISD is proud to announce that Roberta Tipps Elementary has been named to the Texas Business & Education Coalition (TBEC) 2011 Honor Roll. The staff and students at Tipps Elementary should be proud for being included in this very select group for a fourth year. According to TBEC, of the more than 8,000 Texas public schools, less than 4% are honored.

The TBEC Honor Roll is a prestigious award for sustained, academic excellence in Texas. It recognizes schools that have demonstrated three years of consistent, high performance in all subjects compared to other schools serving similar student populations. TBEC Honor Roll schools have the highest percentage of students performing at the state’s most rigorous standard - commended - in every subject.

Congratulations to Tipps Elementary for earning a place on the Honor Roll through continued hard work and student achievement.

High Five to Savvy's Bistro - Doors Open Sept 27

2011-09-27T11:29:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, September 27, Savvy's Bistro is putting out the mat and welcoming Mansfield ISD patrons to join them for lunch, marking the bistro's opening for the 2011-2012 school year.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the student-run bistro located inside Ben Barber Career Tech Academy/Frontier High School (located at 1120 W. Debbie Ln., Mansfield, TX, 76063).

Savvy's focus is on the education not the bottom line, so featured items come delivered to you at a very reasonable price. The bistro is open to the public for lunch from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Additional parking for the Bistro is located in the back of the building.

Don't delay; come by, order lunch, be amazed by the student's skills, and give the chefs a high-five congratulating them on five years of success. Get the menu.

MISD remains among top-rated districts in FAST report

2011-09-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

Last week, the Texas Comptroller's Office released the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) report.

For the second year in a row, Mansfield ISD received a 4.5 out 5 star rating and a "very low" (which is good) spending index according to the report.

The report grades districts on how well they spend money compared to student performance.

The Comptroller’s Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) examines both academic progress and spending at Texas’ school districts and individual school campuses.

Each district and campus is assigned a FAST rating of one to five stars, indicating its success in combining cost-effective spending with the achievement of measurable student academic progress. Five stars reflects the strongest relative progress combined with the lowest relative spending.

Read more about the FAST Results.

Click graphic below for Mansfield ISD results from the report:

Update for Mansfield ISD iPhone App Now Available

2011-09-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

It's been less than a month since we launched our iPhone App, and we are already making improvements to better meet your needs!

Version 1.2 of the Mansfield ISD App was released in the App Store earlier this week.

What's New in Version 1.2?

An updated link to Infinite Campus
We have updated the breakfast/lunch menus to mobile-optimized pages (you will be unable to view the menus until you download the update)

Don't miss out on the enhancements to the MISD iPhone App, download the update today!

Students show respect for fallen local soldier

2011-09-09T12:39:00.001-05:00

This morning, the funeral procession for SPC Jesse W. Dietrich (a former MISD student) took place along Hwy 1187, Main St., and Broad Street in its way to First Baptist Mansfield Church. According to a release, 20-year-old US Army 10th Mountain SPC Jesse W. Dietrich was killed in action on August 25, 2011 in Kandahar province, during a battle with enemy forces who attacked his unit using small arms fire.

Jesse Dietrich attended Tarver-Rendon Elementary, Donna Shepard Intermediate, Rogene Worley Middle, and attended Summit High School.

Schools along the route took some time out of the morning to send students outside out of respect for the fallen soldier and his family.

Sheppard Elementary, Shepard Intermediate, and Erma Nash Elementary brought students outside anticipating the funeral procession.

Sheppard Elementary

Nash Elementary

At Legacy High School, the Bronco Battalion JROTC cadets showed their respects with an Honor Guard while almost the entire student body lined the school's front sidewalk.

Legacy High School

“As a parent, I feel for any family that loses a loved one. As an American, I have tremendous gratitude for those who have chosen to put their life on the line to defend the principles of this country,” Principal David Wright said. “As a principal, I have a great pride in seeing our students and staff recognize that “it is not about me, it is about others.” (Quoted from The Rider Online.)

Central Admin staff as well as Maintenance and Facilities staff came out in front of their respective complexes as the procession rolled by.

This community should be proud of these students and they way they all showed the proper respect for this fallen local soldier. Many others from local businesses, the City of Mansfield and community members also lined the route to honor Dietrich and his family.
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Jesse Dietrich served with the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, based atFort Drum, New York. He joined the Army in March 2009 and arrived at Fort Drumin July 2010 to join the 10th Mountain Division.

His awards and decorations include the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the GlobalWar on Terrorism Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism ExpeditionaryMedal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, theOverseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge.

Student Makes the Most of Leadership Position

2011-09-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

by Abby Cloud

Senior Jordan Robinson has more on his mind than college, prom and graduation. As the President of the Texas Association of DECA, he leads over 10,675 members and represents the third largest association within the National DECA organization.

I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Robinson to discuss his role as Texas DECA President, his recent leadership conference in Washington D.C. and more.

Abby: This is a really big year for you! How did this leadership opportunity come about?

Jordan: When I decided to run for office, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. Once I got to the conference and set up my campaign booth, I learned quickly that I had to come out from behind the booth to build connections and have one-on-one conversations with people.

Abby: I hear you gave an epic campaign speech. Why do you think it was so successful?

Jordan: The day before the speeches I talked to a lot of members and I got a really good feel for what they wanted and expected from a President. I realized my original speech did not line up with their feedback, so I was up until about 2:00 that night making changes to my speech. Also, mine was one of the last speeches delivered, so after hearing everyone else’s, I knew what I needed to do to set myself apart.

Abby: Fast forward to your current position as President… what responsibilities do you have on your plate?

Jordan: I’m gearing up for a leadership conference in New Braunfels. We’re working on a Dress for Success workshop that will help give people the basics on professionalism. I’ve also been coordinating community service projects for our chapter, which is something I am really passionate about.

Abby: How much of your free time is spent working on DECA projects?

Jordan: I work on DECA stuff every day! I made myself take a week off during the summer, but then I ended up with two weeks of work to catch up on. It’s definitely a huge responsibility, but I know it is worth it.

Abby: What about the fun stuff? How was your leadership trip in D.C. this summer?

Jordan: It was definitely an opportunity for me to bond with my leadership team. We went on a lot of different tours, so I was able to see the Smithsonian and the Arlington Cemetery, which was awesome! I think the most valuable thing I took home from the trip was what I learned about coordinating and leading a team.

Abby: In what ways has this leadership position allowed you to impact others?

Jordan: I think I have inspired my teammates through my accomplishments. Now there are other people in my chapter that want to run for district or state office. I helped show people that even if you come from a small town, you can still do big things.

Abby: Now the inevitable interview question for seniors… How about those future plans?

Jordan: I’m hoping to start college at TCU next year, and if they don’t already have a DECA chapter, I would love to get one started and get others involved. I’m interested in studying chemical engineering or computer science. Even though DECA has more of a business focus, I have learned things about time management and organization that I think will be helpful to me no matter what career I choose.

Abby: What else do you want people to know about you?

Jordan: When I decided to run for DECA office, a lot of people were worried that it would change me. Yes, I am the state president and I have a lot of stuff to do, but I would still drop anything to be there for my friends. I’m still Jordan, just a busier version.

Good Fun for a Good Cause

2011-09-02T15:04:00.001-05:00

When members of the Women’s Division of the Mansfield Area Chamber of Commerce began planning the 2011 Mansfield Style Show and Shopping Expo several months ago, they set two goals: to raise over $60,000 for the community and to create the biggest and best style show and shopping expo in Mansfield history.

The event will take place Saturday September 10, from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Tarrant County College’s Southeast Campus. The program is packed with fun activities for the whole family:

100 shopping booths by local merchants with free samples and door prizes throughout the day
A community stage featuring local performing arts groups and organizations
Mansfield ISD student art contest featuring participants from 14 campuses
Taste of Mansfield event with local restaurants and caterers offering delicious samples – Nothing Bundt Cakes, The Melting Pot, Double Throw Down BBQ and more
Celebrity Chef Carol Ritchie will demonstrate some of her famous healthy recipes
Miss Mansfield will be the emcee for the Children’s Showcase Style Show featuring clothing from local boutiques modeled by local children
Style Show featuring local fashions modeled by a combination of professional models and local residents

This event will benefit many local charities and organizations, including the Mansfield ISD Scholarship Program, Mansfield ISD Education Foundation and the Mansfield ISD Fine Arts Department.

Visit the event website for additional information and to purchase tickets.

First Day Photos 2011

2011-08-30T11:53:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all in the District community who shared your photos from last week for our 4th annual First Day Photos online gallery.

Once again, we had over 100 photos shared with us. Check out this year's photos.

New Foundation Mini-Grant Program

2011-08-29T10:44:00.001-05:00

The MISD Education Foundation has started the "WeCan...Choose!" mini-grant program. This new grant program inspires teachers to write grants for projects and materials for immediate implementation in their classrooms.

The goal is to give our parents and our community an opportunity to help us fund more of these terrific projects and get much needed resources into our classrooms to benefit our children.

NOTE: From August 29 – September 29 you can donate online to specific "We Can...Choose!" grants.

The MISD Education Foundation is a 501c3 organization that has provided more than $2.3 million to teachers in our district to fund innovative projects in our classrooms. Over the past 12 years the Foundation has funded more than 990 grants though two grant rounds a year. In addition to the new mini grant program, teachers can apply for up to $1000 and a grade level or campus can apply for up to $5000. Special THINK BIG grants provide $10,000 in funding. These grants are made possible by the generous donations from businesses and corporations and individuals and organizations in our community.

Superintendent Update - September 2011

2011-08-26T12:16:00.001-05:00

Dr. Bob Morrison discusses a new bond election, the balanced budget, the opening of Nancy Neal Elementary and the new MISD iPhone app.

Thank you, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

2011-08-25T16:33:00.000-05:00

Guest Post by Eric White, MISD Athletic Trainer

On behalf of Mansfield Independent School District Athletic Department, I want to express my gratitude to Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, its physicians, nurses, and staff for the spirit of volunteerism that they displayed on Saturday, July 30, conducting sports physicals and echocardiograms for more than 300 athletes. Their generous donations of time and equipment ensured many of our athletes are ready to compete safely as the season gets underway.

Volunteering their time at Mansfield Summit High School were local physicians Darin Charles, MD; Nancy Georgekutty, MD; Donna Shannon, MD, Keto Trivedi, MD; Mary Welp, MD; and Jeff McDaniel, MD. Cardiologists Joshua Jacobi, MD and Alan Taylor, MD.

Additionally, volunteers who helped organize and assist in the sports physicals and echos were Angel Biasatti, Henry Burdine, Mario Chavez, Casey Darwin, Julia De La Guardia, Annie Dukes, Christie Enslin Rijan Giri, Carol Hague, Beverly Hill, Stacey Hensley, Herman Jaime Jr., Bernnie Kennedy, Jay Lavers, Patricia Looper, Kalinda Longino, Victoria Mays, Paula McMahan, Rosa Nyaoga, Jeanne Reeves, Amber Roten, Sandra Sanchez, Shelby Shaw, Debra Stafford, Christina Tillotson, Teresa Tucker, Kimberlee Williams, Michelle Williams, Karen Yates and Vicki Yoder.

With the help of Methodist Mansfield Medical Center the Mansfield Independent School District athletic department has benefited immensely and we are appreciate of their community outreach efforts and their health programs that benefit our entire community.

While we partner with Methodist Mansfield year-round, this one-weekend’s effort has not only helped our coaches, it has brought increased visibility to our role in mentoring and supporting healthy athletes in our community.

The Mansfield Independent School District athletic department thanks Methodist Mansfield Medical Center for its commitment to building a healthy community and we look forward to continuing to work toward a better community.

Sincerely,
Eric White
Athletic Trainer

District joins the City of Mansfield for "Daybreak" segment

2011-08-19T10:53:00.002-05:00

On Friday, August 19, community members, staff, parents, and students took part in an early-morning opportunity to show some community spirit, while showcasing the City of Mansfield and the Mansfield ISD.

Mansfield ISD and the City of Mansfield was the featured community on Daybreak (WFAA Ch. 8) at Victory Plaza south of the American Airlines Center.

Many students helped out in providing some morning spirit including the Mansfield HS Band, Varsity Cheerleading squads from all 4 MISD High Schools; and some student athletes/teams that won a State Championship during the 2010-2011 school year. According to Daybreak anchor, Ch. 8's Cynthia Izaguirre, this morning's group set a record attendance.

Thanks to all who joined in on the fun.

Mansfield ISD launches iPhone App

2011-08-19T09:01:00.001-05:00

The App's out of the bag!

Mansfield ISD has launched the long-awaited and planned iPhone App just in time for the start of the 2011-12 school year.

The idea for the iPhone App materialized last summer and we received some early interest, wishes and suggestions for functionality.

We listened to that feedback and put together a comprehensive mobile app for our community.

» Get the Mansfield ISD
iPhone App

We wanted to provide our parents, students, and staff with as much of the relevant and useful Mansfield ISD information, links, documents, resources, etc. at their fingertips.

Through the MISD iPhone App, users will find:

Campus and department directory complete with phone numbers and maps
Cafeteria menus and meal pricing
Infinite Campus access for online grades, attendance and student information system
Interactive map and portal to our web search engine used for attendance zones and bus routes
News and blog updates, MISD YouTube videos, and quick access to our online photo galleries
and much more....

Why did we choose to do an iPhone App?

MISD iPhone App home screen

We're always looking for ways to expand, enhance, and improve our school district communication and this seemed like a pretty solid way to do that to reach an ever-increasing mobile audience.In the 2010-11 academic year, our website traffic increased in the area of mobile devices. Leading the pack of mobile devices was the iPhone, with over 102,000 visits. We took into consideration iPod and iPad device access to our site and determined that right now, the traffic could support an iPhone App.

Android users, we haven't forgot about you. Our current plans are to begin the process soon for an Android App since that platform brought the next highest number and percentage of mobile device traffic.

For now, please let all of the iPhone users in Mansfield ISD know about the District's app and be sure to let us know what you think.

Fan Fest 2011 Photos

2011-08-16T11:13:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all who joined us last week for the 5th Annual Fan Fest.

The Mansfield ISD Athletics Department held the 5th Annual Fan Fest on Thursday, August 11, 2011 at Vernon Newsom Stadium. Fan Fest has become an annual free kick-off event at Newsom Stadium. It features the District's high school varsity football teams, drumlines, cheerleaders, and drill teams. Community members were invited to choose their seats, purchase football season tickets, meet the football players and coaches on the field while enjoying an evening in a pep rally-like atmosphere.

Reasons for the five minute earlier high school start

2011-08-05T15:49:00.000-05:00

Mansfield ISD high school students will report to school five minutes earlier this year due to an adjusted bell schedule.

Mansfield HS, Legacy HS, Summit HS, Timberview HS will start school five minutes earlier at 7:10 AM (Classes are dismissed at 2:30 PM.)

Ben Barber Career Tech Academy/Frontier HS will begin the day at 7:00 AM (Classes are dismissed at 2:30 PM.)

So why the change?
The earlier start time was done for several reasons. Basically, the earlier start times create more flexibility for students taking courses at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy. We also had to adjust the schedule to transport students to and from BBCTA on the morning and afternoon bus schedule to ensure they would not miss class at their home campuses. Additionally, Tarrant County College Southeast Campus requested longer class times for duel credit courses that students can take at the BBCTA campus. And lastly, the adjustment will allowed Ben Barber CTA to qualify for additional funding which, in this economic climate could not be ignored.

Change can be tough (and maybe even a little unpopular according to a few of the Twitter replies we've seen from students) but we appreciate everyone's flexibility and understanding for this adjustment.

Get a printable copy of the high school bell schedule chart is available on the MISD website.

Photo credit: svenwerk

New Campus Logos

2011-07-28T16:10:00.001-05:00

During the summer of 2011, the Mansfield ISD Communications Department commissioned graphic design work for updates to several campus logos. The following schools received updated designs:

Charlotte Anderson Elementary
J.L. Boren Elementary
Willie Brown Elementary
Kenneth Davis Elementary
Imogene Gideon Elementary
Thelma Jones Elementary
D.P. Morris Elementary
Erma Nash Elementary
Alice Ponder Elementary
Mary Orr Intermediate
Donna Shepard Intermediate
Cross Timbers Intermediate
Rogene Worley Middle
Nancy Neal Elementary (new campus)

New Campus Logos 2011

View more presentations from Mansfield ISD

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New designs were needed once we determined that original campus logo art was either missing, old clipart or just too small and/or pixelated to be useful.

Feed the Kids for Summer - Update

2011-07-21T16:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the efforts of the staff and volunteers from the Common Ground Network, the Feed the Kids for Summer program is in full-swing. According to organizers, the program is up nearly 30% over last year. As of July 20, they've distributed 4,798 bags of food to area families.

Phil Stover, Feed the Kids for Summer program co-chair, was happy for us to share the news about the group's progress.

"By all means encourage contributions and volunteering," said Stover. "The food bags cost nearly $5.00 each, so we are spending right at $3,500 a week and money is still needed."

Feed the Kids for Summer is designed to help supplement lunch and breakfast food for children by assisting Mansfield ISD area families to meet their grocery needs during the summer break from school. The food is kid friendly and does not require a stove or oven to prepare.

Families who depend on the government-sponsored school meal programs to help provide their children with nutritious food are left with a large void to fill during the summer months. Common Ground interviews hundreds of families to determine the most urgent needs and then goes into action to make sure that supplemental groceries can be provided to them for the duration of the summer.

If you are interested in helping, you can consider volunteering. You can also a tax-deductible donation, by making checks out to, "Common Ground", memo FKFS and mail to - Common Ground, P.O. Box 1049, Mansfield, TX 76063.

For questions, contact FKFS Co-Chair, Phil Stover at 817-709-1174 or philstover@charter.net.

Mansfield ISD is a partner with the Common Ground Network.

Signs of Summer

2011-07-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

I hope you are all having a great summer and are staying cool. It's been a while since we shared anything new on the blog so it was time to drop in and say hello.

Summer around Mansfield ISD means planning, preparing, fixing, learning, and resting a bit before the next school year.

Back to School
We'll have some new things to share in the coming days and weeks leading up to the start of school. Are you looking for back to school information? Each campus has (or will soon have) updates, school supply lists, and other back to school updates. As a reminder, school starts Monday, August 22.

Summer Hours
The administration is still on summer hours (Monday - Thursday, 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Closed Fridays) until July 29. We'll be back to normal office hours on August 1.

In the meantime, below is a sample of some campus marquees with messages for summer. Students should pay particular attention to the one that says, "READ, READ, READ." [Get the approved summer reading lists.]

What about you: How are you staying cool this summer?

2011 by the numbers and interesting facts

2011-06-13T11:42:00.002-05:00

Image by DrBacchus via FlickrAs the 2010-11 school year comes to a close and we head into the summer months, we would like to share some of the more interesting facts and figures from the District:

We currently have 4 construction projects representing approximately 750,000 square feet of space.
The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation has given over $2,000,000 in the form of educator grants to our teachers since 1998.
We have approximately 75 applicants for every principal job that opens in our District.
In the last 2 years, approximately 70% of our principals, directors, and coordinators level positions have been filled with internal candidates.
137 student teachers were placed this year with 213 cooperating teachers.
We average 125 applicants for every assistant principal opening and have had as many as 182 applicants for a high school assistant principal job.
On average we have 300 teacher applicants for every open position.
We have 55 teachers going through an administrator's training class taught by Human Resources; so far 3 of our assistant principal positions were filled with these interns.
114 scholarships totaling $84,850 were awarded in the 2011 Mansfield ISD Community Multi-Scholarship program.
The Mansfield ISD website has had over 4,900,000 hits since August 2010.
There are over 110 languages spoken in Mansfield ISD other than English.
The Technology Department handles approximately 150,000 e-mails per day.
Generally speaking, it takes $1,000,000 per day to operate Mansfield ISD.
Our Transportation Department carries 22,390 passengers per day traveling over 2.5 million miles per year.
Our Student Nutrition Department served 776,848 breakfasts, 2,892,222 lunches, and 3,093,032 cartons of milk.
A staffing survey by the Texas Association of School Boards shows that Mansfield ISD has 512 fewer employees than comparible districts across the state.
On average, MISD grows in enrollment by the size of a middle school each year.
Mansfield ISD has 5,350,967 square feet of air conditioned space and 800 mowable acres of land.
Mansfield ISD used 55,828,455 KwH of electricity last year - enough to power all the electricity needs for the homes of each of our students and staff for one year (approximately 37,000 homes).
Mansfield ISD operates under budget.

Superintendent Update - May 2011

2011-06-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

Dr. Bob Morrison discusses the impending state budget shortfall, a possible bond package next fall, the Lake Ridge HS colors and mascot status, and the 2011 graduates in his final Superintendent Update video of the 2010-11 school year.

Buckley Award Winners Reflect on Recent Honor

2011-06-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

by Abby Cloud, Mansfield ISD PR Specialist

As we announced in the MISD Newsroom last week, Mansfield High School musical theatre students bagged two of the prestigious Betty Buckley Awards for their production of “Side Show.”

Best Female Actor: Kylie Arnold for her role as Violet
Excellence in Lighting Design: Blake Manns and William Willoughby

I had the chance to sit down with the three winners to discuss their recent success, as well as the challenges they faced along the way.

L to R: Thomas, Manns, Arnold, Willoughby, Vaitekunas

Abby: So I understand the Buckley Awards are sort of like the Tony Awards of high school musical theatre, describe to me what the night of the awards ceremony was like.

Kylie: Basically, there are hundreds of the most talented students in North Texas gathered in one place. It’s the biggest award a high school musical can win, and it’s kind of like a big celebration of what you’ve done that year.

Abby: In addition to the stunning trophies, what else does a Buckley Award winner receive?

Kylie: All of the winners receive a $500 scholarship to the college of their choice, but the Best Actor and Actress winners also get an all-expense paid five-day trip to New York City. We will be doing workshops, performances, competitions and learning from people that are actually in the business. It’s a huge opportunity and I’m super excited to go this summer!

Abby: So what does it feel like to be a winner of such a prestigious award?

William: I was super surprised! I knew we did well, but I had no idea we did THAT well. My heart dropped when they called our names.

Kylie: This was my third time being nominated, and since it’s my senior year, I knew this was it for me. I’ve been worried sick since the nominations came out because I’ve wanted this so much. It is incredible… It hasn’t even sunk in yet.

Abby: Tell me a little bit about “Side Show.”

William: It’s mainly about Violet and Daisy who are Siamese twins that grew up in a freak show. Two business men discover their amazing singing voices and showcase them on a world tour.

Kylie: It’s actually based on a true story. These twins existed and performed in a couple of films during their time. It’s awesome to see them on screen and know I was able to share their story.

Abby: What was it like to play a Siamese twin?

Kylie: I definitely spent A LOT of time with Chloe, who played my twin Daisy. The weird thing is that we weren’t physically connected with our costumes or anything, so it took major practice to stay together at all times. Also, I’m a huge klutz, so Chloe knew if I tripped or something she would have to fake the fall to match what I was doing!

Abby: On a personal level, what lessons did you learn from Violet’s character?

Kylie: It makes you appreciate being able to make your own choices and form your own identity. I have a little brother who I love to death, but I just can’t imagine being connected to him every day. It taught me the value of the freedom to be who you want to be, love who you want to love and go where you want to go.

Abby: Any acting tips you’d like to share?

Kylie: Mrs. Thomas always taught us to ‘just be.’ You can get caught up in your head thinking about how a character should be, but at some point in the performance process you have to just let the character be and just go with it; otherwise everything looks fake and calculated. If you can master that, then you’ve got it down.

Abby: How about the secrets to lighting a stage?

William: You have to know a lot about colors and the moods associated with them.

Blake: The lighting sets the atmosphere for each scene. If you light a happy scene with dark colors, it won’t be portrayed correctly.

Abby: What do you think makes you so great at what you do?

William: I’m good with putting stuff together and figuring out the numbers and Blake is good with putting together a color concept.

Blake: Through my work designing lighting and video for my church, I discovered that God has blessed me with a gift to design.

Abby: What about the future? What are your plans?

Blake: I would like to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design. I definitely want to keep doing lighting and design.

William: I will probably go to UTA to get a degree in Electrical Engineering, after that I’m thinking about getting my Masters in Law and working my way up to being President. I’ve got so many concepts and ideas to help America, and I really want to try to make a difference.

Kylie: I’m starting at TCU in the fall, to begin working on my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a Musical Theatre emphasis. I hope to be able to continue doing what I love.

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Another round of applause for these amazingly talented students! Kylie, Blake and William also provided a list of people to thank who they feel were instrumental in their success:

Mrs. Thomas and Ms. V, who spent countless hours working so hard and encouraging us.
Mr. Wright, who did all of our music while juggling All-State Choir, Show Choir, Jazz Choir and coordinated the entire Christmas program.
Mr. Ludlow, who directed our orchestra and took the time to rewrite a lot of the parts for us.
Miss Dawn, our pianist who was at every rehearsal and even stayed after to help us with tough sections.
Dr. Andrews, our Choir Director who helped us with the difficult music.

'Get Healthy Texas' Features Impact of Wellness Campaign

2011-05-31T10:36:00.000-05:00

Martha Reid Elementary staff was recently featured by our local CBS affiliate for positive results from a friendly health competition among campuses thanks to Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's District-wide wellness campaign.

MMMC Principals' Fitness Challenge - Martha Reid Elementary health feature [VIDEO], dfw.cbslocal.com

Background
The wellness campaign started back in October when Methodist Mansfield Medical Center donated 4,000 pedometers to the Mansfield ISD staff as well as sponsored a Principals' Fitness Challenge program to promote the importance of health and fitness. By helping principals and school personnel create a healthier atmosphere for learning and working, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center hoped to create a healthy environment for the community.

“Methodist Mansfield Medical Center is joining forces with Mansfield ISD to promote healthy schools and improve health and academic outcomes,” said President of Methodist Mansfield Medical Center Laura Irvine at the time of the campaign launch. “By providing pedometers and sponsoring the Principals' Fitness Challenge we hope to increase healthy behaviors, encourage healthy role models for students, increase employee morale and promote a positive community image.”

“I want our employees to know we value their health and wellness,” said Dr. Bob Morrison MISD Superintendent of Schools. “If our staff identifies even small ways to improve their health, we'll have accomplished something positive.”

The Principals' Fitness Challenge was designed for campus administrators to voluntarily challenge themselves to a free and simple-to-follow 12-week fitness and wellness program. The goal is to encourage participants to take the first steps towards living a healthier lifestyle by increasing physical activity and improving nutrition. MISD staff members are invited to participate through championing their administrator and even taking the challenges on themselves.

Check out all of the winning campuses and principals from the challenge.

Pictures of the Week (May 23 - 27)

2011-05-30T14:30:00.001-05:00

Check out some of the cool happenings that went on in Mansfield ISD last week:

Heartbeat Team May 2011

On Thursday, May 19, 2011, Dr. Morrison presented Jeanne Clayton with the final Heartbeat Award for the 2010-11 school year. Gideon Elementary principal, Imelda Little and other campus staff took their turns in congratulating the third grade teacher with the huge heart.

Full gallery...

(Ok, technically this wasn't last week, but we want to be sure to include it since the staff recognition announcement was made last week.)

May 2011 School Board Meeting

Photos from the Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Regular MISD School Board Meeting including a variety of student recognition and board commendations.

Full gallery...

Cross Timbers - Blessed by a Timberwolf

The students of Cross Timbers Intermediate School (CTIS) were divided into teams and competed in several categories to win the privilege of “Blessing” a volunteer CTIS staff member by throwing a pie in their face, providing a make-over for the day and last but not least – a water balloon lineup.

Full gallery...

Career Day at Worley

The Worley Middle School Career Day took place Wednesday, May 25, 2011. The lineup of presenters represented a broad range of careers and job fields.

Full gallery...

2011 MISD Rangers Game Night

The Texas Rangers invited the MISD Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, along with our Shining Star Winners to be recognized on the field at the Friday, May 27 game. Honorees included MISD Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year and our Shining Star winners. (A special thanks to the Mansfield HS boys chorale for singing the National Anthem.)

Full gallery...

MISD Short Cuts - Summit Storybooks

2011-05-24T16:09:00.000-05:00

Students from Summit High School's Spanish classes took part in creating storybooks for students from nearby D.P. Morris Elementary. The books were written in Spanish and translated for each child by a Summit student.

Over 140 storybooks were created by the Summit HS students!

Pictures of the Week (May 16 - 20)

2011-05-23T14:49:00.000-05:00

Check out some of the neat things that went on at Mansfield ISD last week:

Danny Jones - Talent Show

The Danny Jones Middle School "Student Talent Showcase" took place on the afternoon of Friday, May 20, 2011. The event was packed with lots of fantastic individual and group performances.

View the complete gallery.

Carol Holt Career Day

Career Day was held at Carol Holt Elementary on Friday, May 20, 2011. Students had the opportunity to learn about many different professions through special presentations.

View the complete gallery.

Danny Jones Middle School 2011 Band Concert

Danny Jones Middle School Band held their Spring Concert at the Willie Pigg Auditorium on Thursday, May 19, 2011.

View the complete gallery.

Smith Elementary Reading Restaurant

3rd Grade students hosted a ‘Reading Restaurant.’ Students dressed up and played the part of ‘waiters,’ taking ‘orders’ from the ‘menus’ of titles of their writings throughout this school year.

View the complete gallery.

Multi-Scholarship Breakfast

Mansfield ISD high school seniors were honored at the Multi-Scholarship Breakfast on May 17. One hundred-fourteen scholarships totaling $84,850 were presented to qualifying graduating seniors.

View the complete gallery.

Community Dinner at Martha Reid

In an effort to express thanks to the community for continued support, Martha Reid Elementary hosted a community appreciation dinner outside of the school on May 17.

View the complete gallery.

Faculty Art Show

The first ever Mansfield ISD Faculty Art Show is on display at the Mansfield High School Library the month of May 2011. Artwork submitted by current and former MISD employees was featured.

View the complete gallery.

School Supply Time - Common Ground Network

2011-05-16T15:50:00.002-05:00

As the number of Mansfield ISD families in need continues to grow, there are many opportunities to lend a helping hand. Each year, hundreds of MISD families receive help with school supplies through Common Ground Network’s School Supply Program.

Sounds great! How does it work?

The Common Ground Network works diligently to find families that qualify for assistance and provide each child with a bag of school supplies (about $25 per child) and a Payless Shoe Store voucher for a new pair of shoes. The organization purchases many of the supplies in bulk, to keep the costs as low as possible.

The collection process begins in May to ensure that all qualifying students receive the necessary supplies by August. Volunteers from throughout the community will come together in August to prepare and distribute the supplies before school starts.

Does Your Family Need Help Purchasing School Supplies?

Necesita Su Familia Ayuda Para La Compra De Articulos Escolares?

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How can I help?

If your organization would like to support this program, send your tax deductible donation, made payable to Common Ground Network (Memo: School Supplies) to:

Common Ground Network
P.O. Box 1049
Mansfield, TX 76063

Contributors’ names will appear in the Mansfield News-Mirror as a Mansfield children’s supporter. The Common Ground Network will also provide a letter to each contributor for tax purposes.

In order for the organization to determine the number of students they will be able to assist, donations must be received by June 30.

Remember, when it comes to promoting the success of Mansfield ISD students, no amount of support is too small!

More about the Common Ground Network:

The Common Ground Network is an association of churches and support agencies in the Mansfield community who work together to coordinate programs that effect needy families throughout the Mansfield ISD. Each year, they join together to coordinate a number of different programs; food drives to support local pantries, holiday giving for children and two summer programs, School Supplies and Feed the Kids for Summer.

For more information, visit the website or contact Common Ground Network President, Susan Luttrell, 817-473-6650 or susanl@firstmethodistmansfield.org.

Common Ground is a non-profit agency. All donations are tax deductible.
Mansfield ISD is a partner with the Common Ground Network.

Pictures of the Week (May 9-13)

2011-05-16T15:10:00.001-05:00

Check out some of the cool things that went on in Mansfield ISD last week:

Mary Jo Sheppard - Field Day

The teachers and students of Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary had a blast during Field Day on May 13. Events included a shoe-kicking race, 50-yard dash and more!

View the complete gallery.

2011 MISD Employee Recognition Banquet

The annual MISD Employee Recognition Banquet honors Retirees, Teachers of the Year, Shining Star Recipients and employees receiving 20, 25 and 30 Year Service Awards.

View the complete gallery.

Cross Timbers - Blessed by a Timberwolf (Round 1)
Cross Timbers students competed in several categories to win the privilege of “Blessing” a volunteer staff member with a pie to the face.

View the complete gallery.

Campus Candids

This new album holds a random collection of pictures that get sent to the Communications Department. Many different campuses and events will be featured.

View the complete gallery.

2011 Student Art Show (Updated)

The Elementary Art Show (grades K-4) was held May 9 - May 12, 2011, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The reception was held 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Thursday, May 12 in the Commons Area.

View the complete gallery.

Tigers Coach Heads Texas All-Star Basketball Team

2011-05-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

Each year, the most talented high school senior basketball players from across the state are selected to compete in the ultimate showdown, also known as the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) All Star Game. Naturally, a game played by the best is also coached by the best, and this year is no different.

Mansfield High School’s own Coach Richie Alfred was selected to coach one of the 4A/5A All-Star boys teams at Trinity University in San Antonio on May 20.

Alfred is completing his 28^th year as a basketball coach, which makes him an outstanding candidate for an All-Star game coach. In addition to his impressive tenure, Alfred brings a bevy of winning qualities to the table. He was nominated for the honor by his former assistant coach Marchie Murdock, who now serves as head basketball coach at Legacy High School.

In Murdock’s nomination letter to the TABC Committee, he referred to Alfred as “one of the best defensive tacticians to ever grace the sidelines,” adding that the teams who have fallen victim to his players over the years are still “scratching their heads in mystery.”

Alfred’s coaching skills have led to more than 400 victories as well as recurrent playoff seasons. In addition to being considered a brilliant coach, Alfred serves as a mentor and role model for many young men. Murdock writes:

“The young men under his guidance get a daily character lesson which helps them to not only understand how to overcome life obstacles, but to believe in themselves and perfect the little things that will aid them in victory. Whether it is used in competition or in life, his method for success has proven to be a valid formula.”

Alfred believes that young athletes can learn many life lessons through hard work and competition and he makes a consistent effort to bring those lessons to light.

“I am a firm believer that athletics mirrors life and that there is much to be learned through sports,” said Alfred. “I try to use basketball as a tool to teach those lessons and I believe there is a correlation between that and student success.”

As Coach Alfred prepares for the big event next week, he will draw upon 28 years of competitive milestones and memories.

“This feels like the culmination of a long career,” said Alfred. “I’ve had some great teams and we’ve won a lot of games, but what I’m most proud of is how our determination and heart brought us to where we are today.”

Superintendent Update - April 2011

2011-05-10T16:48:00.000-05:00

Dr. Morrison shares the latest information on the impending state budget shortfall, construction updates for the Center for the Performing Arts and Nancy Neal Elementary, end of school year activities, and graduation information.

Please note: Due to scheduling conflicts, this video update is being posted in May instead of the planned April release.

CyberSafety Awareness Week

2011-05-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

This is cross-posted from the misdtechnotes blog:

During the week of May 16–20, Mansfield ISD Technology will be hosting the first MISD CyberSafety Awareness Week to provide a focus for students, teachers, parents and community about online safety and our students. Topics include safe surfing, cyberbullying, messaging, and how to protect personal information when online.

K-4 students will focus on age appropriate topics during their Technology Applications rotation:
Grades K-2

Ways we use the Internet
Basic rules for online safety

Grades 3-4

Cyberbullying (what it is and what you can do about it)
Safe Surfing (ways to protect yourself online.

5th – 8th grade students will be participate in related learning activities during their advisory period.
Grades 5-6

Text Messaging (safety, etiquette)
Keeping personal information safe when online

Grades 7-8

Smart Surfing (research tools, copyright, viruses/spyware)
How to handle Cyberbullying, protecting yourself and your information online

Parents, teachers, administrators and community members are invited to attend an event on Thursday, May 19, in the MISD Administration Building Great Room at 605 East Broad Street from 6:30 – 8:00 PM.

A panel of guest speakers will be presenting information with time at the end for questions from the audience.

Topics include:

UT Arlington Admissions – Social Networking and College Admissions
MISD Human Resources – Social Networking and Future Employment
MISD Police – Cyberbullying
Technology Department – What Parents Can Do

Download the printable information sheet. (PDF)

Feed the Kids for Summer - Common Ground Network

2011-05-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

The following is a special post for our community about the Feed the Kids for Summer program from the Common Ground Network:
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Created and administered by the staff and volunteers of the Common Ground Network, Feed the Kids for Summer is a program which assists struggling Mansfield ISD area families to meet their grocery needs during the summer break from school.

Families who depend on the government-sponsored school meal programs to help provide their children with nutritious food are left with a large void to fill during the summer months. Common Ground interviews hundreds of families to determine the most urgent needs and then goes into action to make sure that supplemental groceries can be provided to them for the duration of the summer.

Feed the Kids for Summer is designed to help supplement lunch and breakfast food for children in the Mansfield ISD. The food is kid friendly and does not require a stove or oven to prepare.

Last year the program provided over 5,000 bags of groceries at a cost of over $25,000.00. As you can well imagine, the need this year will be even greater.

Additional information can be found on the Common Ground Network website. Also, if you know of a family who could benefit from this program, please download the Feed the Kids for Summer Distribution Flyer (pdf) and share with them.

Feed the Kids for Summer Stats:
2010 Program
Bags of groceries: 5,000+
Cost of program: $25,000+

Estimated Needs for 2011
Bags of Groceries: 6,000
Cost of Program: $27,500+

Mansfield ISD is a partner with the Common Ground Network.

Pictures of the Week

2011-05-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to a new feature of the Mansfield ISD blog. Each week, we will post a photo re-cap of the week's events. "Pictures of the Week" is your new one-stop-shop for weekly photo updates!

Check out some of the cool things that went on in Mansfield ISD last week:

Summit Students Read to D.P. Morris Students

Summit High School students visited the first grade classes at D.P. Morris Elementary on the morning of May 6 to deliver a one-of-a-kind gift.

View the complete gallery.

Cross Timbers - Apache Helicopter Landing

On the morning of May 5, students from Cross Timbers Intermediate and Carol Holt Elementary had the opportunity to watch a U.S. Army Apache helicopter land on their very own playground.

View the complete gallery.

Kenneth Davis - Cinco De Mayo Celebration

Students from several different grades and classes at Kenneth Davis Elementary put together a special parade and celebration in honor of Cinco de Mayo on May 5.

View the complete gallery.

Summit Theatre Students Perform at Tipps

The Summit High School Theatre students visited Roberta Tipps Elementary on May 4 to perform some selections from their Spring Show.

View the complete gallery.

Wild Wonders at D.P. Morris

The students of D.P. Morris Elementary were visited by some very special guests from the Fort Worth Zoo on May 4.

View the complete gallery.

Glenn Harmon Career Day

It's not every day that students have the opportunity to hear presentations from engineers, emergency personnel, cake decorators and business leaders!

View the complete gallery.

2011 Academic Recognition Banquet

Each year, the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation honors the Top 60 graduating seniors with an Academic Recognition Banquet.

View the complete gallery.

Asa Low Collects Pennies for Patients

The Student Council members of Asa Low Jr. Intermediate School sponsored a “Pennies for Patients” fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society over the course of two weeks in April.

View the complete gallery.

A Cultural Exchange at Mary Jo Sheppard

2011-05-03T16:01:00.000-05:00

Students from Dallas Baptist University (DBU) visited Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary on April 29. The students were part of DBU's international student program and represented six different countries (China, Japan, Vietnam, Brazil, Taiwan and Korea).

After sharing their customs and culture with the third grade classes, the special guests divided into smaller groups to observe individual classrooms. After the classroom visits, the international students ate lunch with the fourth grade classes.

"This program is a great way for kids to experience different cultures by learning about their clothing, language, flags and food," said Sheppard Principal Gary Manns. "It also gives the international students the opportunity to learn about American education."

The event proved to be a powerful learning experience for both the elementary and the college students.

"I'm so glad for the opportunity to meet these children," said one Korean student (pictured above). "I have been in America for seven or eight months and I've never been to a regular elementary school like this."

DBU supports more than 540 international students from over 50 countries.

Asa Low Students Surpass Fundraising Goal

2011-05-03T14:24:00.022-05:00

The Student Council members of Asa Low Jr. Intermediate School sponsored a “Pennies for Patients” fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society over the course of two weeks in April.

The school’s goal was to raise $1,600, but in the end they collected $3,400 (more than DOUBLE that amount)! The school teams competed to collect the largest team balance, which would earn them a pasta lunch from Olive Garden.

The penny drive was in memory of Tristen Dasch, a student from Brooks Wester Middle School (and a former Boren Bear from J.L. Boren Elementary) who lost his battle with leukemia this past summer.

Congratulations to the students from Asa Low, who worked so hard to raise money for such a worthy cause. Great job!

District/Campuses No Longer Using Facebook?

2011-05-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

Mansfield ISD will no longer host district or campus-level Facebook pages. The open nature of the Facebook commenting feature continues to cause regular disruption and place the district as a liable participant in issues related to sharing of private student information, defamation of employees and other abusive online behavior. In addition, MISD is not able to commit the administrative or campus staff time necessary to adequately moderate user content posted to these pages.

If Facebook changes the settings of their service to allow for comment moderation, the district will reconsider use of the service at that time. Mansfield ISD will continue to use Twitter, blogs, and other online communication tools that do not share these liability issues and are better suited to the school business environment.

Per our MISD employee handbook, classroom teachers will be able to continue to host information-oriented pages on Facebook. If objectionable content is posted on these teacher pages, the teachers are responsible to delete the material and report it to their supervisor, as necessary.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in Mansfield ISD.

Creasing for a Good Cause: 'Cranes for Kids'

2011-04-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

Thousands of children were affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan and many are left with nothing. When Patricia Londono, a 6th grade Science teacher at Asa Low Jr. Intermediate, heard of a unique opportunity to offer assistance she quickly enlisted the help of her students.

The Cranes for Kids program is meant to empower children to help other kids in need by using their creativity in the art of folding paper origami cranes. Oshkosh B’Gosh has sponsored this relief effort and will donate one article of children’s clothing per paper crane (up to 50,000 cranes).

Two sixth grade teams (Orissa and Himalayas) swung into action, with a goal of folding 1,000 origami cranes for this worthy cause.

“I think sometimes we take clothing and everything we have for granted,” said sixth grader Carrigan Hudgins. “I think the people of Japan are going through a very hard time and it’s important that we do all we can to help them.”

Students studied a “How-To” video about origami and began folding as quickly as possible. After a couple of weeks, they had produced more than triple their goal amount.

“It’s amazing! We’ve folded between 3,500 and 4,000 cranes,” said Ms. Londono. “Students are still bringing handfuls of cranes to me!”

Paper cranes are considered a symbol of great prosperity in the Japanese culture. According to ancient Japanese legend, a group of 1,000 paper origami cranes has the power to grant a wish for someone.

“The students love the idea of helping other kids,” said Londono. “It is our hope that we make many wishes come true for the victims of Japan.”

The Low Intermediate flock of paper cranes will be delivered to the Oshkosh store at Grapevine Mills Mall at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, 2011.

Richard Dreyfuss Sparks Civics Interests

2011-04-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

According to Richard Dreyfuss, he has only had two great loves in his life: the art of acting and the United States of America. His passion and patriotism took center stage when he visited Mr. Rabalais’ AP Government class at Mansfield Legacy High School on the morning of April 20.

Since the founding the Dreyfuss Initiative, which promotes the revival of civics education in public schools, Richard Dreyfuss travels across the nation to speak to educators, teachers, parents and students about the value of teaching civics to the future leaders of the country.

The message Dreyfuss delivers is not motivated by any particular political party. His objective is to encourage all Americans, especially our youth, to learn and become passionate about civics and the rich political history of our nation.

After observing an interactive class lesson about politics and socialization, Dreyfuss took the floor for a brief class discussion. Legacy's student newspaper, The Rider Online, reported positive student reactions and a sparked interest in civics.

“I was really excited to see Richard Dreyfuss because he’s one of my favorite actors. I was vaguely aware of his political activism, but after seeing him, it’s definitely made him a more interesting person and I’ll certainly stay more politically aware,” senior Ian Cook said.

Dreyfuss closed his remarks with a passionate plea for students to get involved and stand up for what they believe in.

Related news articles:
Mr. Holland's Civics Lesson - Richard Dreyfuss stresses civics at Mansfield ISD (NBCDFW)
Richard Dreyfuss pushes civic awareness in Mansfield (Mansfield News-Mirror)

Wester Student Exhibits Lone Star Leadership

2011-04-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

Each year outstanding student leaders are nominated by their educators to participate in Lone Star Leadership Academy programs. Upon completion of these programs, students are invited to join Education in Action’s alumni organization, the Lone Star Youth Leadership Council. Council members receive a structured and guided opportunity to continue their leadership training.

Education in Action announced that the Lone Star Youth Leadership Council program had its highest rate of participation since its inception nine years ago, with 147 student leaders from 70 school districts, two charter schools, five private schools and one university.

This year’s lessons focused on identifying members’ leadership strengths and developing their communication, listening and presentation skills. These skills were honed and put into action through services projects, which members were responsible for creating and leading in their communities with the end goal being for members to improve the lives of those around them.

Among the 147 participants was Grant Williams, an 8th grader from Brooks Wester Middle School. As a first year member, Williams took on the task of developing a project called, “Take a Look at a Book.” He led a group of volunteers to collect and donate 304 books to an economically disadvantaged campus, Erma Nash Elementary.

“Working to bring people together to help others made me a better person and leader,” said Williams. “I’m sure the people who donated also feel like better people now. I want to thank everyone who helped out.”

Members that successfully complete program requirements also have the opportunity to return to the Lone Star Leadership Academy as Youth Facilitators, where they will mentor younger students and receive additional leadership training.

Mansfield ISD, along with the Education in Action Staff applaud the accomplishments Grant Williams and all members of the 2010 – 2011 Lone Star Youth Leadership Council.

Sponsor: Judy Norton, Social Students Teacher

Spring Art Celebration features Show-stopping Students

2011-04-18T10:36:00.002-05:00

by Abby Cloud, Mansfield ISD PR Specialist

As I entered the familiar front doors of Martha Reid Elementary on the evening of April 7, I found myself in a pleasantly unexpected setting. I was greeted by a young man dressed in a clean black suit adorned with a nametag that read, “Fine Arts Docent.” The hallway was buzzing with the sound of classical music and the chatter of excited visitors, all of whom were there for one reason – to celebrate art.

I quickly realized this was no ordinary elementary school event. The students carried themselves with such impressive poise. It was plain to see they not only understood the idea of a fine arts show, they appreciated the importance of the event and behaved accordingly.

My attention was pulled toward the library, which was filled with an eclectic collection of artwork, contributed by middle and high school students of Mansfield ISD as well as local artists. Viewers of all ages studied and admired an assortment of paintings, drawings, ceramics and sculptures. I found myself forgetting I was in a school library. As I exited, another young Fine Arts Docent thanked me for coming and flashed a sincere smile.

As I walked toward the next exhibit, I enjoyed Pablo Picasso-inspired student artwork displayed throughout the hallway. Art truly was everywhere, which allowed for a seamless transition from one display to the next.

A brass and woodwind ensemble thundered throughout the gymnasium. The volunteer performers were from the Mansfield High School Tiger Band and Jazz Choir. This mini-concert showcased the level of skill cultivated by MISD’s music programs. As the Martha Reid parents in the audience admired the soloists, it seemed as though they were envisioning the musical potential of their own children.


Wigley and Lemke

The 3rd grade performance in the cafeteria drew the largest crowd of all. Several classes joined to present a series of songs entitled, “Celebration of Music!” The three musical pieces showcased a wide range of cultural influence. Students played barred xylophones and metallophones, also known as Orff instruments, named after Carl Orff, a 20th century German composer. Tubano, djembe and bongo drums were used in an Irish folk song called “Patsy Ory Ory Aye.” The students also sang a song in Latin called “Dona Nobis Pacem,” meaning “Grant Us Peace.”

Throughout the evening I was treated as a welcome and respected guest at a professional art show. The event highlighted the students and staff of Martha Reid Elementary School and demonstrated the wealth of opportunities made possible by Mansfield ISD Fine Arts programs. Special thanks to music teacher Bridgett Wigley and art teacher DeAnna Lemke, whose hard work and love of art made this extraordinary event possible.

In the end, the Spring Celebration of Arts was an evening dedicated to celebrating the students, who will always be our brightest stars.

Students Succeed at National Mathematics Pentathlon Tournament

2011-04-14T11:27:00.001-05:00

Thirty-two students from Erma Nash Elementary competed in Division II (2nd and 3rd grade) of the National Mathematics Pentathlon Tournament in Midlothian, Texas on April 2.

This was the second year for Nash students to take part in the Pentathlon tournament, and they arrived with great expectations and a goal to do their very best. Dozens of parents and teachers attended and volunteered at the tournament to show their support for these determined students.

The rules of a national Pentathlon tournament require each participant to be matched with a different player for each of the five games in the appropriate division. The activities test problem-solving and strategic thinking skills through creative games.

Of the 32 Nash competitors, about 50% were students from the Bilingual program. Instructors believe the Pentathlon exercises are extremely beneficial to students with language barriers.

“Pentathlon is a fun way to improve students’ critical thinking and logical reasoning skills, but it also improves our students’ communication skills,” said Christa Beebe, Nash Math Specialist. “For our Bilingual kids, this program has given them a place to practice the math vocabulary they learn in class.”

The students did a fantastic job at the tournament and most importantly, they exhibited confidence and excitement, which represented their school and Mansfield ISD in a very positive way.

Congratulations to these bright students!

Gold:
Peyton Ruder

Silver:
Xavier Myers

Bronze:
Alicia Mares
Jared Sanchez

Honorable Mention:
Abigail Garcia
Daniel Gomez
Jesus Mancha
Alex Ramirez
Daniel Ramirez

Cross Timbers Students Show Kindness through Competition

2011-04-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

When the Student Government students at Cross Timbers Intermediate School came up with the idea of having a school-wide Penny War to raise money for relief efforts in Japan, they never imagined they would receive such an overwhelming response.

The school was split into teams according to their advisory rooms. For seven days, students opened up their wallets and hearts to donate every bit they could to help the victims in Japan.

“What I think is so amazing is that about 50% of our student population is economically disadvantaged, yet so many still chose to donate,” said Assistant Principal Jamie Norwood. “We know it was a real sacrifice for some of them and I think that’s what makes it so special.”

In the middle of the fundraiser, the Student Government advisor Dawn Greathouse learned that all of the collection jugs were overflowing, which prompted an emergency trip to the grocery store to cash in the first batch of coins.

“At that point we had about $1,400 and the money was still pouring in,” said Greathouse. “Even now, days after the event, students are still bringing their donations to me.”

The seven-day fundraiser produced over $2,500, which was presented to a representative from the American Red Cross at a special assembly on April 8, 2011. Mansfield Chamber of Commerce President Lucretia Mills also attended the assembly to show her support to Cross Timbers and Mansfield ISD.

“It’s because of the generous donations from Cross Timbers Intermediate School and so many other gracious individuals across the country that we are able to provide support for Japan,” said Tammy Ripple, Director of Volunteer and Corporate Programs for the American Red Cross.

Learn more about donating funds to the American Red Cross.

Check out more photos from the Penny War program.

Groups Sponsor Special Olympics Area Track Meet

2011-04-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

The Mansfield ISD Athletics Department and the Mansfield ISD All Star s teamed up to sponsor the first invitational track meet for Special Olympics groups throughout the Greater Fort Worth Area.

The event was held on Saturday, April 2 at Timberview High School. Of the 113 competitors, 23 were Mansfield ISD students. Over 85 volunteer athletes from all four Mansfield ISD high schools and several middle schools assisted by running with the competitors and offering encouragement.

The event was also supported by Kirk Thor, MISD Assistant Athletic Director, Coach Mark Walker, Athletic Coordinator from Timberview High School and several other middle and high school coaches who helped make sure the event ran smoothly.

The Special Olympics competitors and the Mansfield ISD volunteer athletes enjoyed the experience that allowed them to learn and be inspired by one another.

Congratulations to the Mansfield ISD All Stars on a successful event!

The mission of the All Stars is to provide year-round sports training, education and athletic competition in a variety of sports for children with intellectual disabilities. The organization was started in 1986 by Harriet Kaker and Maurie James, with the help of Imogene Gideon and the MISD Director of Special Education at that time. The team has grown from having only six athletes and two coaches, to now having over 75 athletes and 20 coaches.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Special Olympics or the Mansfield ISD All Stars, please contact Joan Hart, or visit the website.

Short Cuts - Dress 4 Success

2011-04-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

Students from Della Icenhower Intermediate School participated in the school-wide Dress 4 Success event on March 30. This event is intended to encourage positive behavior and teach students about the importance of presenting themselves in professional manner.

The idea for this event stemmed from the 6th grade boys' Men in Training program, coordinated by Associate Principal Reginald Rhines. Rhines spends time mentoring young men and teaching them about etiquette and how to properly tie a necktie. As the Men in Training program became more popular, Rhines and Principal Duane Thurston decided to extend the program to all Icenhower students.

Dress 4 Success had an outstanding turnout this year! Students exhibited excellent classroom performance and wonderful behavior while dressed in their finest attire.

Want to see more Dress 4 Success Photos? Click here.

HOSA Students Prove the Value of a Vial

2011-04-08T08:01:00.000-05:00

The Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) of Ben Barber Career Tech Academy (BBCTA) have launched a service project that will allow them to give back to the community while offering a potentially life-saving resource.

The Vial of L.I.F.E. (Lifesaving Information for Emergencies) is a container that stores important medical information, which can be accessed by emergency personnel in the event of a crisis in a person’s home.

Gary Welborn, the Health Science Instructor at BBCTA heard about this project from multiple sources and saw a great opportunity to reach out to the citizens of the Mansfield ISD community.

“If a paramedic needs instant access to a patient’s medical history, the vial is easy to get to,” said Welborn. “It’s also very useful in the event that a patient is unconscious or unable to quickly remember all of the prescriptions they are taking.”

With the help of donations from the Meadows Foundation and Ray’s Pharmacy, the materials for the project were obtained at no cost. A $500 donation from the Meadows Foundation covered printing expenses and Ray’s Pharmacy provided the plastic vials. Students assisted with the graphic design aspects of the project as well as the assembly of the materials.

So, what exactly is inside these vials?

The outside of each plastic vial is marked with a red and white label which reads, “Vial of Life: Look Inside Refrigerator for Complete Medical Information.” There are two additional labels inside the vial; one to be placed on the door of the individual’s home and the other (which is adhered to a magnet) to be mounted on the refrigerator. Most importantly, a medical history sheet is folded inside the vial. Keeping the vial in the fridge allows paramedics to locate it quickly.

The HOSA students will assist with the distribution of the vials, offering them to their parents, grandparents and neighbors. Their goal is to get these vials into the hands of as many people that need them as possible.

“I plan to go around my neighborhood to offer the vials to people and tell them about the program,” said HOSA student Angela Tetteh. “It can really help save a life, so I believe it’s very important.”

How can I get a Vial of L.I.F.E. for myself?

The vials can be picked up from Mrs. Mullins in the front office of BBCTA (1120 W. Debbie Lane). For additional requests, contact Gary Welborn (garywelborn@misdmail.org or 817.299.1916).

Supplies are limited, so don’t wait!

How can I return the kindness of these students?

While the HOSA students are proud to present this resource to community members at no cost, they hope people will “pay it forward” and keep the chain of kindness going by offering a donation to the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life.” You can donate online or drop off your contribution to the BBCTA bookkeeper.

A donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. Donations will be accepted through June 10, 2011.

Students and Parents Jive in the Gym

2011-03-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

The students of Boren Elementary put on their dancing shoes for the 8th annual Jivin' in the Gym event. This program gives students the opportunity to invite their parents to P.E. class to learn a series of fun dances.

Boren P.E. teacher Cheryl Stranahan started this event to encourage parent involvement with students on campus. It has been very successful over the past several years and very well received.

In addition to the program being good exercise for parents and students, it also serves as a great way for parents to get to know some of the Mansfield ISD staff.

(Editor's note: The Jivin' in the Gym activities at Boren Elementary took place mid January, but we thought it was still cool enough to share.)

Harmon Hero Award Winner Never Misses a Beat

2011-03-29T08:57:00.002-05:00

Updated April 18, 2011
Each year, the Score a Goal in the Classroom organization selects one outstanding educator to receive the prestigious Chesapeake Energy Hero Award. This award honors the day-to-day commitment of hardworking school employees; the true heroes of education!

We are proud to announce that our very own Catherine Schulze, the music teacher at Glenn Harmon Elementary School has been selected as the 2011 Chesapeake Energy Hero Award winner!

So what makes Ms. Schulze stand out above 600 other nominees?

In addition to skillfully keeping the attention of a class full of elementary school children, Schulze is known for her exceptional classroom organization and order. She also exudes compassion and energy throughout each school day.

Schulze, who holds a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas, is a continuous learner of different teaching methods. She implements an original technique she calls Focus Movement, which incorporates motion into the music. This activity allows students to express the music through their bodies while increasing rhythm, coordination and balance.

“I want the kids to feel like music is natural and playful,” said Schulze.

Schulze also engages students through the use of the Promethean Interactive Whiteboard in her classroom.

“The kids are so techno-savvy,” Schulze said. “Sometimes they catch on to the tech tools even quicker than I do!”

Soon to complete her 14th year of teaching for Mansfield ISD, Schulze’s love of musical instruction is as strong as ever. Her joy and devotion to music shine through as she interacts with her students each day.

“She sets her expectations up front and the kids know what they are,” said Glenn Harmon Principal Sharon Ferguson. “They are on task and focused because they enjoy what they are doing. They want to be there and they want to be active.”

Principal Ferguson made it clear that there is no shortage of kind things to say about Schulze. She pours her heart into every music lesson and the students are captivated by each note.

“I feel I am so lucky to be honored for something I love to do,” said Schulze. “I can’t wait to get to work every day!”

Shulze received the Hero Award at a concert by the world-renowned Schola Cantorum of Texas Choir. The concert was held at Mansfield First United Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2011.

Seven from Ben Barber Qualify for TSA State Contest

2011-03-28T13:42:00.030-05:00

Midlothian, TX - Students from the Ben Barber chapter of the Technology Student Association (TSA) competed at the TSA Regional Contest on March 24 and 25. Students competed in projects such as Webmastering, Biotechnology, Technical Sketching, Engineering, Video Game Design, and many more.

Although Ben Barber TSA has been housed in many buildings over the years, it has always had the same purpose: To give all Mansfield ISD high school students the experiences and friendships that TSA has to offer.

Present at the TSA Regional Contest were two Texas TSA State Officers, Travis Welborn (State Reporter) and Justin Ehlert (State Secretary). Travis attends Mansfield High School and Justin Timberview High School, both in MISD. Travis and Justin work with the other state officers to prepare the annual leadership conference, update the state delegation through newsletters, and represented Texas at the national conference in Baltimore, Maryland this past summer.

Ben Barber TSA has had a rising number of students attend conferences each year, as well as competing at the national TSA conferences in Nashville, Tennessee, Orlando, Florida, Denver, Colorado, and Baltimore, Maryland. Ready to continue competing, members will be attending the Texas TSA State Contest at the Waco Convention Center in Waco, Texas May 5-7, 2011.

The following National Qualifying Events advanced to compete at the Texas TSA State Contest:

1st Biotechnology Design – Travis Welborn, Lynn Nguyen
1st Scientific Visualization (SciVis) – Travis Welborn, Justin Ehlert
1st Video Game Design – Justin Ehlert, Travis Welborn
2nd Desktop Publishing – Lynn Nguyen
2nd Prepared Presentation – Clancy Taylor
2nd Webmastering – Travis Welborn, Lynn Nguyen
3rd Engineering Design – Ryan Thompson, Christian Negratti
3rd Technical Sketching – Ryan Thompson
State Qualifier – Ross Kelly
State Qualifier – Ryan Thompson

Advisor Shyla Vire, who teaches Flash Based Game Design at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy and Concepts of Engineering at Mansfield High School, leads Ben Barber TSA. If you would like more information about TSA is, you can contact Mrs. Vire via email or visit the Ben Barber TSA website.

Superintendent Update - March 2011

2011-03-28T13:42:00.006-05:00

Dr. Bob Morrison shares an update on the financial status of the district, new schedules for intermediate and middle school students for next year, the naming procedure for high school #5 and the Mansfield ISD parent survey:

Watch more videos on the MISDTV channel.

Two Destination ImagiNation Teams Advance to State

2011-03-24T10:55:00.001-05:00

Mansfield ISD was represented at the regional Destination ImagiNation competition by 14 campus teams. The contest took place on March 5 at Byron Nelson High School.

A total of 252 teams from the Greater Fort Worth Region competed in six different problem-solving challenges ranging from architectural design to improvisational acting.

We are proud to announce that teams from Elizabeth Smith Elementary and Mary Lillard Intermediate will compete at the state tournament in Lubbock, Texas on April 1 – 2.

Please join us in congratulating these creative kids!

The Giant Munchkins Team from Mary Lillard Intermediate

Rising Star Teams
Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary (2)
Roberta Tipps Elementary (2)
Thelma Jones Elementary (1)

Competitive Teams
Challenge A: Technical
6th Place, D.P. Morris Elementary

Challenge C: Fine Arts
2nd Place & Advancing to State, Elizabeth Smith Elementary

Challenge D: Improvisational
2nd Place, Asa Low Intermediate
4th Place, Anna May Daulton Elementary
5th Place, Mary Orr Intermediate

Challenge E: Structural
4th Place, Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary

Challenge E: Structural
2nd Place & Advancing to State, Mary Lillard Intermediate

MISD Destination ImagiNation Representative: Hope Hutchison

About Destination ImagiNation:
Destination ImagiNation Inc. is an innovative organization that teaches creativity, teamwork and problem solving to students across the U.S. and in more than 30 countries. Destination ImagiNation is an unconventional team learning experience where student teams all over the world solve mind-bending challenges. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work as a team and devise original solutions.

Students Prove the Power of Pennies at Willie Brown Elementary

2011-03-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

The students of Willie E. Brown Elementary School helped save lives by participating in the Pennies for Patients campaign benefiting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).

For three weeks, students brought in spare change to donate to those whose lives have been affected by blood cancers, such as leukemia, which strikes more children and young adults under the age of 20 than any other type of cancer.

This was Brown’s fifth consecutive year to participate in the fundraiser, and this year they were on a mission to break their previous record.

The school counselor, Lisa Arnold, encouraged the students by displaying the progress of each class on a chart in the cafeteria.

“I counted each and every penny to make sure I recognized the hard work of each classroom,” said Arnold. “When it comes to giving, these kids really dig deep.”

The students that made donations were entered into a drawing for ice cream, but not all students were in it for the reward.

“Some kids donated their birthday money and said they didn’t want their name included in the drawings,” said Arnold. “They just wanted to give!”

Two 3^rd graders from Mrs. Cortez’s class raised $140 over the weekend by setting up a booth in their neighborhood and selling homemade cookies and fresh fruit.

We are so proud to announce that the students of Willie E. Brown were successful in breaking their previous record, bringing in a total of $3,050.93! This brings their grand total over the past 5 years to $9,473.06!

To thank the students of Willie Brown Elementary, the LLS will present the school with an award packet including a certificate, a letter of appreciation, a gift card for school supplies and special pennants for classrooms who donated $100 or more. In addition, the Olive Garden in Mansfield will provide a free pasta lunch to the top donating classroom.

“When a school comes together the way Willie E. Brown has, it truly demonstrates what a difference pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters can make,” said Steve Abrey, Manager of School and Youth Programs for the LLS.

The money raised by Brown Elementary goes specifically toward cancer research, and has proven to make a significant difference in the research progress. In 2009 - 2010, over $22 million was raised by schools throughout the country which participated in School and Youth Programs like Pennies for Patients.

“These kids are truly making a difference and saving lives,” said Abrey. “Every little bit counts, and it goes a long way.”

For more information on the Pennies for Patients campaign, please contact Steve Abrey, Campaign Manager at 972.996.5935 or 800.800.6702 at ext. 5935.

Saving Lives Is Everybody's Business: Every 15 Minutes Program

2011-03-22T12:02:00.000-05:00

The following is from an email sent from the local community sponsor of an event that will serve as a fundraiser for the 'Every 15 Minutes' program:

Community Comes Together For Our High School Students
by Daryle Perez, Alternative Funeral Services
March 10, 2011

As funeral professionals in our community, we have had to experience the difficult process of making funeral arrangements for a student that has died due to an alcohol related collision.

We as a community feel the loss and come together to greive in our own way and at times thinking that it could have happened to my family.

Life's lessons are best learned though experience. Unfortunately, when the target audience is teens and the topic is drinking and texting while driving, experience is not the teacher of choice.

So what can we do? Educate.

Every 15 Minutes Program
The Every 15 Minutes Program offers real-life experience without the real-life risks. This emotionally charged program, entitled Every 15 Minutes, is an event designed to dramatically instill teenagers with the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol and texting while driving. This powerful program will challenge students to think about drinking, texting while driving, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions when lives are involved.

Historically, only two high schools in the Mansfield ISD participated. The decision was made to share the experience with all four MISD high schools. Funding is provided by the Mansfield Police Department's "Every 15 Minutes" program and the addition of two more schools created the need for additional funding from the individual schools.

We believe that this program greatly impacts our high school students and that it is the responsibility of our business community to ensure that these types of programs continue in the future.

Benefit Art Show
We would like to invite your to an evening of art and music as we help to raise monies for the "Every 15 Minutes" program.

Saving Lives: Benefit Art Show
3/26/11 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Alternative Funeral Services

1556 W. Heritage Parkway at HWY 287

Admission is Free - Donations will be accepted

Donated artwork will be auctioned and all proceeds will be given to the Mansfield Police Department's "Every 15 Minutes" fund.

Get directions and information about AFS Gallery Night Benefit Art Show.
Donations can be made payable to: AFS-1556 Heritage Parkway, Mansfield, TX 76063

Mary Orr Student Council Helps Old Bikes Find New Homes

2011-03-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

In these tough economic times, there are endless opportunities to lend a helping hand to someone in need. Although we may be facing financial challenges of our own, there are still many ways we can make a positive impact in the lives’ of others.

The Student Council members of Mary Orr Intermediate demonstrated that vision of goodwill by hosting the “Wheelie Big Bike Drive,” benefitting a local nonprofit organization called Pedal Power.

Pedal Power, whose motto is, “help us put the 'cycle' in recycle,” is based in North Texas and was founded by mountain bike enthusiasts. The volunteer organization is dedicated to collecting, refurbishing and distributing second-hand bicycles to those in need locally and abroad.

The Student Council members of Mary Orr put the pedal to the metal to plan, promote and execute the bike drive. Blake Lindsey, the Student Council sponsor played a key role in the process.

“It was a pleasure for the Student Council to carry out its mission of serving our community and world by working with Pedal Power,” said Student Council sponsor Blake Lindsey. “Their organization is dedicated to helping others both locally and abroad.”

Weeks of hard work culminated on the chilly afternoon of March 5. Despite the brisk breeze, many warm-hearted Mansfield residents came out to support the Student Council students in this worthy cause.

Among the supporters was Principal Alma Martinez, who braved the weather to facilitate the event.

At the close of the event, the students were proud to present a collection of 40 bicycles as well as $100. Congratulations to these students, whose hard work amounted to a “wheelie” generous gesture!

Legacy High School Lip Dub for Cancer Patient

2011-03-11T14:46:00.000-06:00

After three weeks of rehearsal and preparation, Ethan Hallmark, Legacy’s 2011 L.U.C.K. Week recipient, viewed the lip dub created by Legacy clubs, sports teams and organizations. The “one-take” video debuted at the Miss LHS pageant and then shown at the pep rally in Ethan’s honor.

L.U.C.K. Week stands for Legacy United in Caring and Kindness and was held March 7-11.

Student Council and Legacy Student Media combined talents to make a lip dub music video for the L.U.C.K. Week adoptee, Ethan Hallmark. The two songs used were Don’t Stop Believin’ by Glee and Get Back Up by Toby Mac, Ethan’s favorite singer.

Read more on Legacy High School's student newspaper, The Rider Online.

Mansfield High School Students Fall for Physics

2011-03-11T11:13:00.000-06:00

Image by danieljohnsonjr via FlickrEver wonder what goes on inside your body as it drops 300 feet at 75 miles per hour from the peak of a rollercoaster? With the help of an Apple iPod Touch device and a little bravery, the physics students from Mansfield High School were able to solve this thrilling mystery.

It all began last school year, when Physics teacher Michael Strange received a grant from the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation for his program, “iTouch, iDo, iLearn… Better!”

The grant funds were used to purchase Apple iPod Touch devices as well as an app called Accelplot, which measures G force with a tool called an accelerometer.

The physics students and teachers visited Six Flags Over Texas for Physics Day, where they spent the afternoon measuring motion, acceleration and velocity on various rollercoasters. The students strapped their iPod Touch devices to their arms as they rode each ride, all the while, the accelerometer tool measured motion on a second-by-second scale.

After conducting their experiments at the amusement park, students returned to the classroom to create 3D digital replicas of each roller coaster. By comparing the data collected during their experiments to the 3D images, they were able to determine the maximum and minimum points of kinetic energy. They were also able to determine that the body felt lightest as they were descending from the highest point of the rollercoaster.

This program transformed a classroom lesson into a fun and creative experiment for students. Physics teachers Michael Strange and Byron Barrett had the opportunity to share this program with other educators at the state Science conference through the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).

“We hope that this will allow other teachers to imitate what we a doing at Mansfield High to promote and encourage future projects,” said Strange. “Our main goal was to merge Physics learning with today’s technologies.”

Video by: Jacob Pritchard, Sergio Almendariz and Jonathan Harris.

DECA Students Make History at State Competition

2011-03-10T10:13:00.000-06:00

After a record-breaking outcome at the Regional competition in January, 26 DECA students from Ben Barber Career Tech Academy advanced to the 2011 Texas DECA State Career Development Conference (CDC) February 24 – 26 in Fort Worth, where they continued to make history for the district with nine wins and the election of Jordan Robinson for 2011 – 2012 Texas DECA State President.

As the first ever State Officer from the district, Robinson (pictured at right) will have many opportunities to represent Mansfield ISD and Texas DECA throughout the year. Robinson’s campaign tag line was, “Now that’s a plan,” with his platform focusing on a plan for Texas DECA. Robinson ran with 6 other extremely qualified candidates, but in the end, he was elected by 3,000 students attending the Texas DECA State Conference and Competition.

Ben Barber DECA will be well represented by a group of outstanding young men and women at the DECA International Competition in Orlando, Florida, April 29 - May 3, 2011.

Congratulations to the nine students advancing in the competition:
(Student, Event, Place, High School)

Maliz Mahop, MET Job, Interview Event, 1st Place, Timberview
Washima Huq, Internet Marketing Plan, 1st Place, Summit
Jordan Robinson, Internet Marketing Plan, 1st Place, Timberview
Anjola Coker, Free Enterprise, 1st Place, Mansfield
Joshlyn Willis, Principles of Business Administration, 1st Place, Summit
Kelli McQuesten, Learn and Earn Business Plan, 2nd Place, Legacy
Maliz Mahop, Learn and Earn Business Plan, 2nd Place, Timberview
Chad Lane, Internet Marketing, 2nd Place, Summit
Anjola Coker, Marketing Management, 2nd Place, Mansfield

Jordan Robinson – Elected 2011 – 2012 Texas DECA State President
Washima Huq – MARKETING EDUCATORS OF TEXAS $1,000.00 SCHOLARSHIP

Advisors: Cathy Dunn Slagle, Mark Roquemore, Mike Asato and Brooke Baker

Additional Information: Founded in 1946, the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) has touched the lives of more than 10 million students, educators, school administrators and business professionals. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

Robotics students inspire their sponsors

2011-03-10T09:26:00.000-06:00

Guest post from Susan Sevier, CS teacher at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy in Mansfield ISD

The Crusading Cucumbers from San Antonio contest

Well, we did it again. Mansfield ISD robotics swept Texas, taking the highest honors at the Alamo and SW Regional FIRST Robotics FTC (First Tech Challenge) contests in Texas.

The Crusading Cucumbers, team #3768, won the “Inspire,” on Thursday March 3, 2011 at the Alamo Regional Championship in San Antonio.

And the Fighting Pickles, team #127, won the same "Inspire" award at the SW Regional contest hosted by UTA two days later on Saturday March 5.

The Inspire award is the highest award FTC gives; it means the team embodies all the aspects FIRST perceives as the model team to promote STEM concepts.
(STEM refers to Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical concepts.)

Based on this accomplishment, both teams earned an automatic invite to the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Lewis, Missouri in late April.

As if that isn’t enough, The Crusading Cucumbers, also captained the winning alliance team at the Alamo contest and won the whole competitive portion of the Alamo FTC competition. This would also earn them an automatic invite to the world contest, but it got passed on to our friendly alliance partner, The Dragons, team #3937 of South Lake Carroll.

In addition, at the SW contest an 11th grade Summit HS computer science student, Clark Navidad, got offered an internship from a Richardson/Plano area software company. A parent sponsor of a Plano, Jasper HS, team offered this internship based on Clark’s ability to problem solve, communicate and use critical thinking skills to fix all his teams programming problems under the stress of the contest constraints. It was truly impressive. Without Clark’s help the Plano robot would not have been able to compete. Other programming students, helped with at least six other teams at the contest, from updating firmware to setting up and explaining the programming environment.

Finally, while still at the contest, Fighting Pickles programmers, Clark Navidad and Mike Kojder, received word that they had advanced to the national level contests for Business Professionals of America. Clark Navidad will compete in C++ and Mike Kojder will compete in Java programming, at the BPA National contest in Washington DC.

The students were all amazing and the success is almost overwhelming. James Wilson and I were blown away by how all these students went about taking care of business throughout the contest. To say we are beaming with pride would be an understatement. We had teams lining up waiting for our assistance, and even the contest officials were coming to us for help on occasion. We were without a doubt the most spirited teams at each contest.

Timberview High School's HOG Week 2011

2011-03-04T11:23:00.000-06:00

Timberview High School puts on an annnual HOG Week which stands for Helping Others Thru Giving. Thanks to THS for the following info on the history of the program and plans for this year.

Here is the HISTORY OF THE HOG:

In 2007, Timberview Student Council wanted to give back to the Mansfield Community, support a child in need and have fun while doing it! Thus HOG Week was created! HOG Week stands for 'Helping Others Thru Giving.' Collectively we have raised $63,000 supporting young children & organizations across the world! It is an exciting way to educate teens and our community about the importance of giving and positively affecting the life of someone in need...making wishes come true!
In 2006, THS partnered with Make-A-Wish and sent a young boy diagnosed with Sickle-Cell Anemia to the Pro Bowl.
In 2007, THS supported a faculty member's son, involved in a four-wheeling accident and is now successfully adjusting to life as a paraplegic.
In 2008, THS partnered with Make-A-Wish and sent a young girl diagnosed with Wilms Tumor to Disney World.
In 2009/10, THS partnered with TOMS Shoes and Make-A-Wish, sending over 500 shoes to children across the world, assisted in the start of 'Leah's Legacy 5K Run' supporting our '08 HOG Week recipient and helped send a Make-A-Wish recipient to Washington, D.C....all student led.

2011 HOG Information:
This year, our 10-year-old recipient, Hayley wishes to go to Disney World! And we are going to make it happen in cooperation with Make-A-Wish. Hayley has been diagnosed with severe mitral stenosis.

Student Council has an amazing week jam-packed with everything from messy pep rallies to a male beauty pageant - event after event to make memories and raise money for a great cause.

(HOG Week starts Friday, March 4 - Friday, March 11) HOG WEEK SCHEDULE: We look forward to seeing you all at our fun-filled week of crazy HOG events! Please view our calendar for dates, times, locations and prices! If you have any questions, please see Ms. Mills.

Also, read The Outlook, THS student newspaper, story on HOG Week.

Two Campuses Named 2010 NCEA Higher Performing Schools

2011-02-16T14:10:00.000-06:00

The National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) recognized Mansfield ISD for having two schools make the NCEA Higher Performing Schools List for 2010. Please join us in congratulating the campuses that received the honor and Higher Performing recognition in the following areas:

Cora Spencer Elementary, Writing

Roberta Tipps Elementary, Mathematics

The Higher Performing Schools (formerly known as Just for the Kids Schools) are identified by two measures: academic growth of the students at the school and/or absolute achievement of students using the TAKS’ Commended Performance level.

NCEA’s higher performing methodology controls for school and student demographics 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.

“We are honored and humbled to receive recognition for our student achievement,” said Elna Davis, Principal at Tipps Elementary. “This would not be possible if it were not for the support of the district and focused efforts of the staff, parents, and students. We will continue to work hard to meet the needs of every student here at Roberta Tipps.”

Hats off to the students, teachers and staff at Spencer and Tipps. Job well done!

To view the 2010 NCEA Higher Performing Schools List for Texas, please visit www.nc4ea.org/txHPfaq.

Budget impact from proposed Texas education funding cuts

2011-02-11T15:10:00.000-06:00

Mansfield ISD Superintendent, Dr. Bob Morrison, discusses the financial state of the district as he details the impending Texas state education funding cuts and the possible effects on the District.

Superintendent Budget Letter for the District Community
(Get a printable PDF version.)

Dear MISD Family:

The reports about Texas’ budget concerns are getting a lot of publicity, and you are probably reading about many school districts who are having serious financial difficulties. Mansfield ISD is in sound financial condition, and the purpose of this letter is to inform you of our plans to deal with the state’s budget difficulty and its impact on our district.

Mansfield is taking a wait and see what happens approach to the state’s budget. It is very early in the state’s budget process, and we know from experience that the first budget drafts will change dramatically as the legislative session continues. We do not want to respond to rumors. Early projections have Mansfield ISD’s 2011-2012 budget being cut between $10-$30 million. Obviously, a $30 million funding decrease would be very difficult to absorb without deep cuts. A $10 million funding decrease would be difficult as well, but the District would be able to absorb the loss with some operating and program adjustments. Our strong fund balance will allow us to wait until we have facts before we respond. The actual amount of the decrease will determine exactly how we respond.

Our Board and executive council are committed to providing quality instruction for our students and a good working environment for our employees. A recent staffing audit of the District revealed that Mansfield ISD is staffed very conservatively. According to the report, we have 512 fewer administrators, teachers, and support personnel than comparable districts of our size. Because we are already so lean, we do not feel we will have to make any personnel cuts for the 2011-2012 school year. However, depending on the budget reductions, we may not replace the positions of some who retire or voluntarily leave our district. Until we have the facts, I cannot make predictions or guarantees for the 2012-2013 and beyond school years.

We recognize that the state of Texas is in a tough financial situation, and Mansfield ISD is willing to do our part to help our state during this budget crisis. We are committed to operating on a balanced budget and will remain conservative with our staffing. Tighter budgets in the coming years are a reality. However, if you share our concerns with the impending decrease in state funding to public education in Mansfield ISD, I encourage you to contact your legislators. Tell your elected officials that a balanced state budget should not sacrifice the quality of education.

Thank you,

Dr. Bob Morrison
Superintendent, Mansfield ISD
____________________________________________________________

Contact your state representative. Find who represents you. http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
____________________________________________________________

Nine Campuses Receive Honor from Texas PTA

2011-01-20T16:19:00.000-06:00

When it comes to promoting the success of students, the MISD faculty and staff are known to take a front row seat in the cheering section. Every now and then, we are presented with an opportunity to shift our perspective and tip our hats to those behind-the-scenes supporters.

The Texas PTA reserves a special honor for PTA councils that have recruited 100% of their campus faculty, The Golden Apple Award.

The Golden Apple Award represents unity and teamwork between parents, community members and faculty.

We are pleased to announce the nine MISD campuses that have received this award so far in the 2010 – 2011 school year:

Alice Ponder Elementary
Anna May Daulton Elementary
Charlotte Anderson Elementary
Della Icenhower Intermediate
Janet Brockett Elementary
Linda Jobe Middle
Mansfield Legacy High
Martha Reid Elementary
Roberta Tipps Elementary

We are so proud of these campuses for demonstrating such steadfast support for the MISD through their commitment to the PTA.

“The Charlotte Anderson Elementary faculty and staff have received the Golden Apple Award six years in a row,” said Principal, Dr. Miller Beaird. “We believe strongly in the benefits of a strong relationship between teachers and parents. One of the main reasons CAE continues to be an excellent campus is the teamwork and collaboration between the faculty and our wonderful PTA.”

The PTA strives to engage families and communities to advocate for all children, and this list of award recipients is proof that the MISD faculty, staff and parents are working diligently to make that mutual vision a reality.

It’s not too late to submit a Golden Apple Award application for your campus PTA! This award is presented year-round to PTAs meeting the requirements.

Mansfield Wrestling event benefits Education Foundation

2011-01-07T14:51:00.004-06:00

The temperatures may be dropping but the heat is being turned up for a pro wrestling event in Mansfield ISD.

“Big Time Pro Wrestling” is coming to Mansfield. Mark your calendars for the Mansfield ISD Smackdown on January 29, 2011 benefiting the Education Foundation.

The back story...

A war of words started back before the winter break when the wrestlers from the North American Wrestling Allegiance (N.A.W.A.) called out the MISD staff wrestlers...

And then things heated up when the MISD coaches responded...

Watch more of these videos.

Here are the details..

Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011
Place: Mansfield High School Gym
Time: 7:00 pm

Ticket Prices Presale:
Ringside - $20
Floor - $15
Lower Bowl - $12
General Admission - $8
Kids 12 and under - $6
Note: $2 will be added to the ticket prices at the door

Tickets are on sale at all MISD high school and middle school campuses or at these locations: MISD Education Foundation Office, 1016 Magnolia #200, Mansfield, TX 76063 and Texas Trust Credit Union, 1900 Country Club Drive, Mansfield, TX 76063.

Get the poster PDF (10.33 Mb)

There will be four bouts preceding the main event and a Main Event will feature a four man tag team of MISD Staff members vs. N.A.W.A. wrestlers.

Representing MISD are the following:
Jason (Lil Peezy) Pounds – T.A. Howard Middle School
Mark (The Terminator) Walker – Timberview High School
Chris (Buck Wild) Melson – Legacy High School
Andrew (The Marshmallow) Marsh – Danny Jones Middle School

Managers:
Jeff Hulme – Mansfield High School
Jason Mutterer – Summit High School
Justin Dearing – Ben Barber/Frontier
Dave Hodgson – Wester Middle School
Brandon Johnson – Jobe Middle School

Commissioner: Byron McCollum – Coble Middle School
Ring Valet: Bethany Smith – Worley Middle School
Celebrity Referee for Main Event and Announcer: John Rhadigan, Sports anchor from FSN

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mansfield ISD Education Foundation:

Is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit tax-exempt philanthropic organization of citizens;
Shares a vision of enhancing education in the Mansfield ISD;
Works to increase private support for educational activities in the Mansfield ISD;
Benefits Mansfield ISD students and teachers by supporting activities not funded by tax dollar;
Fosters creative approaches to education through private grants and involvement; and
Awards Foundation funds through a volunteer Board of Directors made up of business, community and education leaders.

‘Bikes for Angels’ Program a Record-Breaking Success

2010-12-17T11:29:00.000-06:00

The annual ‘Bikes for Angels’ program came to a close this week and the results were fantastic. After about six weeks of fundraising, $26,400 was used to purchase bikes for needy children in the metroplex.

The Auto-Tech students at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy worked diligently to build 603 bikes, which were delivered to thirty-five MISD campuses and fifteen additional organizations this week.

Not only was this year’s donation exceed the previous record by almost $5,000, it was enough to allow the program to fulfill each application received.

The students and staff involved have put a great deal of time and energy forth to make the 2010 ‘Bikes for Angels’ project such a huge success.

“We are so proud of these kids,” said Rick Curlee, Auto-Tech teacher from Ben Barber. “They have worked so hard to get this done and to help provide a better Christmas for hundreds of needy children.”

Reid 4th grade fills assisted living center with holiday joy

2010-12-16T11:58:00.001-06:00

On the sunny morning of December 10, the fourth grade students and teachers from Martha Reid Elementary cheerfully dashed down Country Club Drive to the Walnut Creek Assisted Living Center nearby. The half-mile power walk was only just the beginning of what proved to be a spirited new holiday program.

Students entered Walnut Creek to a warm greeting from an audience of smiling residents, gathered around a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Music teacher Bridgett Wigley took a seat at the piano and began playing holiday favorites as students sang for the residents.

“We really enjoyed the Martha Reid students singing carols and spreading cheer,” said Lisa Collins, Life Enrichment Director at Walnut Creek. “They enriched our residents’ lives in such a special way!”

In the true spirit of giving, students presented a generous donation of goodies (items ranging from decks of cards to scented hand lotion) for the residents to share. Special hand-made holiday cards were also given.

Updated December 17 for added MISD Short Cuts video:

The new program was warmly received by the staff and residents of Walnut Creek, and the students enjoyed fresh air, exercise and true holiday spirit!

Check out the online gallery:

Mansfield ISD among top-rated districts in new FAST report

2010-12-10T16:34:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week the Texas Comptroller's Office released the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) report. The report grades districts on how well they spend money compared to student performance.

"The 2009 Legislature required the comptroller’s office to develop a way to determine how well districts were spending money compared to how well their students performed.

"Each campus and district were rated based on how well students performed on math and reading tests from year to year, whether it was a 'very low' to 'very high' spending district and compared to peer districts of similar size and student makeup." [SOURCE: Extra Credit]

The Mansfield ISD was among the top-rated districts, with 4.5 stars and a "very low" (which is good) spending index according to the report.

When asked by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram how MISD has such a good balance between spending and academic success, Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountabilitysay said it was because of two things:

"First, we give our principals a great deal of latitude on how they spend their professional development campus funds, and they do a very good job of spending those monies on trainings that focus on instructional improvement.

"Second, we try to closely align our professional development with our district curriculum. Some of the best and least expensive professional development we have is simply giving our teachers time to talk with each other and time to collaboratively produce quality lessons for our students. It’s a really exciting time to be a part of Mansfield ISD."

Since the study is still so new, we will need more time to closely analyze it. However, we are encouraged by seeing these types of results.

Read more about the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) report or read the study.

Ben Barber's 'Bikes for Angels' campaign featured on local news station

2010-12-02T15:00:00.000-06:00

The annual Bikes for Angels campaign at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy was featured earlier today during a segment entitled 'Our Neighbors' on WFAA News 8.

The 2010 goal is to purchase 600 bikes to give away to needy children who would otherwise not get bikes for Christmas.

This is just one of the many holiday charity drives in the District. We are working on putting a list together and posting it to the District website of as many as we can share in the next few days.

Our Neighbor: [Ben] Barber Career Tech Academy

If you have any questions about this campaign or would like to support, contact Mr. Rick Curlee at Ben Barber Career Tech Academy via e-mail RickCurlee [at] misdmail.org or by phone at 817-299-1939. If you help the campaign via a check, please make it out to: MISD Auto Tech and put "Bikes for Angels" in the memo of the check. All monies raised during this campaign go to bicycles.

Related: 2009 Bikes for Angels campaign

Basketball teams tip off for Kay Yow Cancer Fund

2010-11-29T11:55:00.000-06:00

The Mansfield ISD high school basketball programs are raising money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund on Tuesday, November 30 and Tuesday, December 7.

The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund™ is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women's cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause.

"The late Kay Yow, the Fund's namesake and former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach, was a past president and founding member of the WBCA, and a galvanizing voice for the Association.Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and passed away on January 24, 2009, after facing her third bout with the disease."
[Women's Basketball Coaches Association]

"In her 38 years as a head coach at the college-level, Yow is one of only six Division I head women's basketball mentors to achieve 700 career victories. Yow was also the head coach of the 1988 US Olympic Team that won the gold medal in Seoul."
[The V Foundation]

Local Connection
This year the Texas Girls’ Coaches Association has chosen the Kay Yow Cancer Fund as their charity of choice. The girls’ basketball coaches in Mansfield ISD, all members of TGCA, decided it would be a great cause to bring awareness to as well as raise money.

According to Tammy Lusinger, Summit High School Athletic Coordinator and Girls' Basketball Head Coach, the MISD basketball teams will have pink t-shirts for sale for $5.00. They will also pass around buckets for fans to donate. All proceeds will go to the cancer fund.

Details:
Tuesday, November 30 – Mansfield girls play Arlington at Mansfield High School, Timberview girls play Crowley at Timberview High School, Summit boys and girls play Legacy boys and girls at Summit High School.

Tuesday, December 7 – Mansfield girls play North Crowley at Mansfield High School and Timberview boys and girls play Summit at Timberview High School.

Related information: Kay Yow biography

Happy Thanksgiving from Mansfield ISD

2010-11-18T10:55:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is just a quick post from the Communications Department to share a few things for which we are thankful:

We're thankful for the 32,223 students we serve in the District.
We're thankful for the 3,900 teachers, staff, and administrators with whom we work.
We're thankful for support (and patience) of the parents in the District community.

We hope you enjoy the Thanksgiving Break.

Mansfield ISD will be closed November 22-26. (Note: The MISD Police Department along with our Maintenance and Custodial staff will work through the break so save them some turkey.)

And just in case you were curious, here's some History on Thanksgiving Day:

What are you thankful for?

Peers Making Peace at Shepard Intermediate

2010-11-12T09:46:00.006-06:00

Twenty-two fifth and sixth grade Donna Shepard Intermediate School students have completed nine hours of conflict resolution training to officially become drug-free role models and neutral third-parties through a program called Peers Making Peace. The program is designed to help students provide peer mediation services for their peers who lack the skills to successfully resolve their conflicts. The goal of the Peers Making Peace program is to improve the school environment by reducing violence, assaults, discipline referrals, and increasing academic performance.

The program was purchased through an innovative teaching grant awarded by the Mansfield ISD Education Foundation in the fall of 2009. The project title of the grant: Mustang/Colt Care Team - Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary (Colt Mascot) and Donna Shepard Intermediate School (Mustang Mascot) teamed up to submit this grant to address school leadership and character on both campuses.

On Friday, November 12, 2010, twenty-two students received their certificates of completion in a graduation ceremony in the Donna Shepard Intermediate School's library. Parents, teachers, and administrators were on hand to congratulate these students for successfully completing the Peer Mediation Training to become a Peer Mediators at Donna Shepard Intermediate School. (Photo: Jerry Cooper, Shepard Assistant Principal, shakes hands with a new Peer Mediator at the graduation ceremony.)

For more information about the Peers Making Peace program, visit paxUnited - The National Mediation Center website.

Help to reduce gangs and youth violence

2010-11-03T16:08:00.009-05:00

Arlington and Mansfield area leaders launched a new collaboration called Our Community, Our Kids to support strategies that reduce gangs and youth violence.

Our Community, Our Kids is a newly formed collaboration that is working toward a coordinated and comprehensive plan for addressing the needs of youth. Its purpose is to address gangs and violence, and increase support for youth in southeast Tarrant County.

According to a release by the City of Arlington, the initiative grew out of a 2006 United Way Arlington study on child abuse and neglect. The effort was renewed when area leaders agreed to focus their collective strengths and resources on providing at-risk youth with alternatives to gangs as part of a Gang Summit and Gang Intervention Committee hosted by the Arlington school district in 2008.

The collaborative effort held a kick-off breakfast on September 30, 2010 at the Mac Bernd Professional Development Center in Arlington ISD. MISD Superintendent, Dr. Bob Morrison, was unable to attend the event, but sent the following supportive video message:

Our Community, Our Kids from MISDTV on Vimeo.

The partners in the effort include the City of Arlington, Arlington ISD, City of Mansfield, Mansfield ISD, Arlington Police Department, Arlington Chamber of Commerce, YMCA of Arlington, Arlington Alliance for Youth, Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington, Cornerstone Baptist Church, United Way of Tarrant County, Tarrant County Juvenile Services and the University of Texas at Arlington.

In case you are wondering why MISD is involved in this effort since it seems primarily focused to our north, 40% of the students in the District come from the city of Arlington.

We'll provide more information as this initiative developes. Check out the program flyer (PDF) for more information.

Superintendent Update - October 2010

2010-10-27T14:36:00.004-05:00

District Superintendent Dr. Bob Morrison shares his monthly video series for the District community. This month he discusses our new phone notification system, health and fitness initiative with employees, and an update on the Center for the Performing Arts. in this October update.

(This video was shared on the District's YouTube channel earlier this month.)

Common Ground Network Holiday Assistance

2010-10-11T09:40:00.005-05:00

Many families in the Mansfield community struggle throughout the year to meet their basic needs. For some of these families, the additional burden of providing Christmas gifts for their children is beyond their ability. Through Common Ground Network, these families can apply for Christmas gift assistance. Common Ground coordinates the application process, enabling our local churches, businesses and organizations to provide for these children.

The Common Ground Network is a group of churches and organizations who work together to help families in the Mansfield area. If you live in the Mansfield ISD and your family is not able to provide any Christmas gifts for your children, you may qualify for assistance through their Christmas program.

If your church or organization would like to participate as a sponsor for some of the children, please contact Pam Brady at Pamela.brady[at]ymail.com.

Also, if you know of a family who could benefit from this program, please download the Common Ground Christmas Assistance Flyer and share with them.

Mansfield ISD is a partner with the Common Ground Network.