Thursday, January 31, 2013

Community-Minded: C-FB Students Care about Their Community




Students in C-FB ISD are community-minded. I have said this before, but it bears repeating: Our students in C-FB ISD care deeply about the world around them. The next generation of leaders is caring, thoughtful and articulate. Rest assured – the students graduating from C-FB ISD schools are prepared to lead our nation and to tackle the challenges ahead. The students in C-FB ISD are making our future bright through their positive attitude, care, concern and empathy for others. I am so honored and proud to serve our students as their superintendent. Our students inspire me every day.

I want to share a story with you about a group of students who are giving of their time and energy to serve others. In C-FB ISD, we have a program called “Moving on Up”. The Moving on Up students have volunteered at the PTA’s Gently Used Book Sale. The C-FB Council PTAs Gently Used Book Sale requires many volunteers and volunteer hours to organize the thousands of items donated.

Barbara Morgan, the book sale chair shared: “The special contribution by the Moving on Up students has been to organize the hundreds of CDs, DVDs, and other media to make them sale-ready. This requires a lot of work. These students take pride in their work and are the major reason this section of the sale is so well-received by our customers."

Character Counts! In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, we teach the character values of pride, cooperation, responsibility, respect, integrity, service, and citizenship. Our Moving on Up students are an excellent example of the culture of service that C-FB ISD students exhibit. Well done.

Monday, January 28, 2013

A Better Place: Diversity in C-FB ISD

**We apologize for the technical difficulty in sending Focus Points on Friday. Here is the correct version.**



Watch Dr. Burns' Focus Points

In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, we believe that diversity strengthens the community and enriches the fabric of our society. Respect for the diversity of others is a matter of character. As educators, we instill in our students a respect for others and their differences.

Our staff members in C-FB ISD are innovators. They value creativity, relevance and rigor in learning. They respect and honor the diversity of our families. They impact all aspects of corporate and family life in the six communities C-FB ISD serves. They do not compromise high expectations for themselves or their students. They live the character values of cooperation, integrity, pride, respect, responsibility, service and citizenship. And more importantly, they teach these values to our students.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

The diversity of our community is a jewel for C-FB ISD and makes us a strong community. Our students in C-FB ISD celebrated our diversity on Saturday, January 19 by participating in the Martin Luther King Day Parade in Carrollton. Our students can think intensively and critically and they exhibit true character. I am proud of our students and their commitment to making our community, state and nation a better place for us all.



View photos from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade in Carrollton.



Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Calling All Kindergarteners!

Parent Preview and Kindergarten Roundup Events: Coming Up THIS Week: January 22 Davis Elementary, 8:30-9:30am Blanton Elementary, 9-10:30am and 1-2:30pm McKamy Elementary, 9am - 1pm (...

Friday, January 18, 2013

Your Child Deserves the Best Education

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Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”  And I want you to be able to choose wisely about your child’s education.

If you don’t have school-aged children – please don’t stop reading. You are impacted by education as well – your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends – all deserve the highest quality education. And you need to know that your tax dollars are being used wisely to provide the best education possible for all students. 

As parents, we want our children to accomplish their dreams and to have a wonderful life filled with amazing opportunities. 

That life – those dreams – start in C-FB ISD. 

Over the next several months, I am going to share with you the best CHOICE in education for your child – C-FB ISD. It will be my own Top 10 list. As a superintendent and a father, I know that parents want their children to have a firm educational foundation so that they can have a bright, strong future. Your child will have that strong foundation graduating from C-FB ISD – I guarantee it.

Reason number one that your child will achieve their dreams in C-FB: Our school district focuses on one goal – high achievement for all students. We are single-minded in our determination and effort. We will not stop until every student succeeds.

And this is the first reason why C-FB ISD is the right choice for your child – HIGH ACHIEVEMENT.



High achievement doesn't just magically happen. It begins with a well-developed strategic plan. And the crux of that plan is hiring the very best staff. In C-FB, 100% of our teachers are highly qualified. We hire the best teachers with solid educational backgrounds and then we provide exceptional and on-going staff development to help them continue to develop their craft. Count on this: our instructional practice is top-notched and we have high expectations for our staff members.

Along with quality staff members, achievement comes through a quality and research-based curriculum. In C-FB ISD, we have developed our own curriculum which districts from around the state ask to use often. Our curriculum meets the ever-changing needs of all our students.


Achievement in C-FB is at an all-time high. We have top-ranked schools in the nation because of our commitment to our one goal – high achievement for all students. Did you know? According to the Education Resource Group (ERG), C-FB is ranked 8th out of the 200 largest school districts in Texas for our academic achievements and financial efficiency.


If you haven’t considered C-FB as an educational choice for your child – come explore your many options at one of our parent previews. Each campus will be holding events specifically designed for parents to explore the opportunities available and see how your child will benefit from an education in C-FB ISD. Choose C-FB!



Our menu of campus Parent Previews is available at www.cfbisd.edu/preview. Kindergarten Registration information is also available.

Visit our WHY C-FB section of our website for more information.

Friday, January 11, 2013

A Whole New World of Opportunities: Thank You C-FB ISD School Board

January is School Board Appreciation Month. The definition of a volunteer is “a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.” The seven School Board members in C-FB ISD are the ultimate volunteers. They give tirelessly in service of our students, staff and families. I thank them for their thoughtful leadership of this district keeping us on course towards high achievement for all students.

The theme of this year’s School Board Appreciation Month is “Rising to New Heights.” As I was contemplating the many ways that our Board helps our staff and students reach new heights, I was reminded of the possibilities – the opportunities – that our students have at their fingertips. The array of programs to meet the needs of our students is vast. And each and every opportunity helps our students reach the district goal of high achievement for all students. Thank you School Board members for your commitment to providing a world-class education for our students.

The dedication of our School Board does not stop there. They are also dedicated to the men and women who work in C-FB ISD. Time and time again, our Board focuses on making C-FB ISD the best place to work. Whether through the most competitive benefits package or top-notch staff development, they want to reward the amazing staff in C-FB for their commitment to our students and families.

We will celebrate our School Board members during the January 17 Board Meeting. Students and staff will honor their service and commitment. Please join us in thanking the seven volunteers elected to serve as the C-FB ISD School Board.

To find out more information, visit our School Board webpage.

View photos of the School Board Members in action:

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Stay Connected Even in Bad Weather

Do you want to be one of the first people to know information about what’s happening in C-FB ISD? Do you want to be an informed parent or community member? We have the solution for you.

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cfbisd 
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cfbisd 
Sign up for the district's E-Communications Network e-newsletters at www.cfbisd.edu/enews. You can choose to receive news and accolades in Innovation Details, special alerts, and more.


Visit this page for more information about the various communication methods in C-FB.

As we are relaxing over the winter holidays, it is a great time to review our procedures for bad weather.

How to find out if schools are closed
Cold weather has finally arrived, bringing with it the chance of icy roads and conditions. If those conditions make it necessary for C-FB ISD schools to be delayed or closed for the safety of students and staff, the district has procedures in place.

If schools are delayed or closed due to inclement weather:
• Families and staff will be notified through the district's mass notification message system called Blackboard Connect.
• A Special Alert email newsletter will be sent to subscribers advising them of the decision.
• An announcement will be posted on the district's website, www.cfbisd.edu, as soon as the decision has been made.
• We will post messages on Facebook, Twitter and our blogs.

C-FB ISD families and residents are advised to listen to local radio or television stations for updated weather reports. Local media outlets also post information on their websites, so families and other residents may want to check those sites for the latest weather information.

Media Notified about Inclement Weather
We will inform television and radio stations. It is their decision whether to air the information. Media outlets notified include:

Local Television Stations:
KDFW-TV Channel 4
KXAS-TV Channel 5
WFAA-TV Channel 8
KTVT-TV Channel 11
Univision 23

The district also posts closing information on its TV station. CFB-TV is available on Time Warner Channel 98 in Carrollton, Time Warner Channel 95 in Farmers Branch or Channel 38 on Verizon in Carrollton. CFB-TV is also streamed live on the district's website.
Find out more at www.cfbisd.edu/weather.

C-FB ISD Bad Weather Days
March 29 and May 24 are designated as bad weather/emergency make-up days for any days missed. These days are not considered holidays; they will be used as instructional days if the district closes for inclement weather or an emergency situation.