It's Winter: Time To Review Our Inclement Weather Procedure

Now that it's winter in North Texas, it's time to remind C-FB ISD staff, families and the community about our district's procedures if schools are closed or delayed.  With the unprecedented number of days missed last year because of the unusual cold weather, the district wants to make sure you have the information early if we have icy roads or conditions.

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.   For families and staff, it is extremely important that you keep your telephone numbers up-to-date so that you receive these calls from the district, and any other calls that are made during the year. 
  
  Please check with your campus to get your information up-to-date before an emergency occurs; it takes time for our Technology team to get data updated for 26,000 students and just over 3,000 staff members.

• A Special Alert email newsletter will be sent to subscribers advising them of the decision. If you wish to subscribe, you can sign up here: http://www.cfbisd.edu/enews

• An announcement will be posted on the district's website, http://www.cfbisd.edu/, as soon as the decision has been made. 

• The district will post messages on our Facebook page, Twitter feed and blog.

We also encourage C-FB ISD families and residents to listen to the 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 Closings
We will inform television and radio stations about the district's decision to close schools or delay the start.  Please note that it is the local media station's decision to air the information. Many media outlets are now posting the information on their websites instead of reading the information on air.

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

Local Radio Stations Notified, include:
KRLD
KVIL
WBAP
KDMX
KHKS
KZPS
KDGE
KEGL
KTRA
CBS Network
Metro Radio Network
Total Traffic Network

The district does post closing information on its TV station. CFB-TV is now digital. It can be viewed on a digital TV on channel 15.5 without a cable box in Carrollton and Farmers Branch. If you have a cable box, you can view CFB-TV on channels 95 & 98 on Time Warner in Carrollton and Farmers Branch. It is also available on Verizon Channel 38.  CFB-TV is also streamed lived on district's website.


C-FB ISD Bad Weather Days
April 6 and April 9 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.

2011-2012 C-FB ISD Approved Academic Calendar

Have You Shared Your Thoughts About Next Year's Calendar?

Our school district is closed for the Winter Break, and we hope that you and your family are having a joyful holiday season. Just a reminder to our staff, parents, and community that you have until January 2, 2012, to give the district your thoughts about next year's Academic Calendar.

Designing an academic calendar for a school district is a complex issue; however, in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, we keep student achievement in the forefront when making decisions.

At the end of this week's Focus Points are two links: a link to a survey and a link to the proposed academic calendar.

The proposed academic calendar is very similar to this year’s calendar in terms of the following:

• The same basic holiday schedule including Thanksgiving and Winter Break
• Ending the first semester before the Winter Break (that means our middle and high school students will take their first semester exams before Winter Break)

When we develop an academic school calendar in C-FB ISD, there are criteria that the district must follow. These include:

• State law requires that we cannot start school before the fourth Monday in August. (Texas Education Code 25.0811) This law went into effect with the 2007-08 school year.

• Texas currently requires that the public school year contain 180 days for students; however, districts may obtain waivers for up to five fewer student attendance days for professional development purposes.

• The 2012-13 school calendar proposal includes 177 days for students, and the district will ask for a waiver for three student days for professional development time for staff. These days are Oct. 8 (Fair Day), Nov. 19, 21 (days before Thanksgiving). This request is consistent with previous C-FB ISD calendars. 

• Under the expedited waiver system, a school district may apply for six early release days. These days are allowable through Texas Education Code 25.082. The current calendar proposal has six early release days already scheduled (two days at the end of each semester) and two for staff development (October 3 and February 3 – consistent with this year’s calendar dates).

The Texas Education Agency has not provided a testing calendar for 2012-2013 at this time. We don’t know when the agency will determine state testing dates. As soon as the state’s testing calendar is available, we will make it available to the campuses, parents and community.

That is the basic information about the 2012-2013 C-FB ISD Proposed Academic Calendar.  We hope that you will take time to review the proposed academic calendar and then give us your input.

Link to the 2012-2013 C-FB ISD Proposed Academic Calendar

 

Link to the calendar survey

C-FB ISD Has Much To Celebrate

It's hard to believe that the year 2011 is almost over and we are wrapping up the first semester of the 2011-2012 school year. We have much to celebrate in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District.  Focusing on the single goal of "high achievement of all students," we have had many successes.  While working on our goal, we also have taken time to help others and emphasize the district's character values. (See our video)

I spend every Wednesday in schools visiting classrooms seeing our outstanding teachers and students. We have many "Bright Spots" in our schools. We want to thank the principals, the teachers, and all of our staff for the work they do to help our students achieve academically. These academic "Bright Spots" would not be possible without their tremendous effort. And, of course, we know that effort produces achievement so the time our students spend on their own learning is invaluable.

Just a few academic "Bright Spots":

• For the second year, C-FB ISD earned a Recognized Rating under the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Accountability Rating System; 12 campuses received Exemplary ratings; 19 campuses, Recognized ratings. The district received Gold Performance Acknowledgments on the percentage of students who earned commended status on the Social Studies TAKS and the percentage of College-Ready Graduates in the Class of 2010.

• Davis, Kent, La Villita, and McCoy Elementary Schools were among the schools named to the 2011 Honor Roll by the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC).The schools were recognized for consistent, high performance in all subjects compared to other schools serving similar student populations for three years.

• The Education Resource Group (ERG) annually measures the academic and financial performance of all Texas school districts. By using multiple data, ERG determines the educational productivity of individual school districts in three areas: overall educational value, academic performance and finance performance. For 2010: C-FB ISD ranked 11 out of the 200 Texas largest school districts in overall educational value. For 2010, C-FB ISD ranked 17 out of the 200 largest school districts in academic performance and 49 in finance performance. What this tells our community is that C-FB ISD is achieving at academically high levels while spending tax dollars wisely.

• In early 2012, we will have updated information from ERG with 2010-2011 data.

• Newman Smith’s International Business Academy students J. J. Echaniz,Stephanie Nguyen, David Chi, Shannon Lu, Brian Ng, Mitchell Powell and Mariko Nakamura won the New Venture Creation Contest from the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of North Texas. This team was the first high school group to win the New Venture Creation Contest, a prestigious entrepreneurship competition. They received the grand prize of $30,000 for the development of Forward Tutoring, an online tutoring program.

Just a Few Arts and Athletic "Bright Spots":

• For the fifth time, C-FB ISD was named one of the Best 100 Communities for Music Education in 2011. C-FB ISD was also chosen in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Newman Smith Band

• The Newman Smith Trojan Band, one of the top 24 4A Marching Bands in Texas, finished fourteenth overall at the UIL State Marching Band competition in November. This was the Newman Smith's marching band's second consecutive trip to the state contest.

• Our music students continue to excel on the competition road to the All-State Music performance groups which perform at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) conference in February.    You can keep up with their success as well as our other Fine Arts students who are excelling in theatre, debate, art and other areas on our website's Accolades page or our district blog,  Blogabilities. In the 2010-2011 school year, 12 C-FB ISD students performed in the All-State groups in February 2011.

Courtney Okolo

• Newman Smith High School junior Courtney Okolo was the 2011 UIL State Track 400-meter champion for the second year in a row. She also placed third in the 800-meter dash. Courtney was named a Gatorade Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year Nominee.
• The Newman Smith High School 1600 meter relay team of Kaila James, Mia James, Adriana De LaRue and Courtney Okolo won the 2011 UIL State Championship with the time of 3:39:75, a personal best for the team.
• R. L. Turner High School athlete Christina Machado was named All-American Female Wrestler and Texas State Wrestling Free Style Champion in 2011.
• Creevkiew High School’s Bobbi Navarrete was named Free Style All-American Female Wrestle in 2011.

• Creekview High School’s Melissa Gonzalez ran one of the top two 300-meter hurdle times in the country in 2011.

• Our C-FB ISD athletes continue shine this school year.  Our athletes involved in fall sports have already begun receiving recognition for their efforts.  Some of the links from Blogabilities are below; however, but to keep up with the successes of our athletes, check out our website's Accolades page or our district blog,  Blogabilities.
  All District Volleyball, All-District Team, All-District 4-A Team

Just a few Character Values "Bright Spots":

June R. Thompson staff help at
the Navidad Holiday Wrap at Fair Park.

Over the last year, Focus Points has featured our students and staff helping others.  The most recent post was late November 2011.  Other posts were (March 29 and November 4 ). In those writings, you learned how our students honored our veterans and the men and women serving in the armed forces.  Our students also helped local service agencies by donating canned goods, clothing items, toys as well as volunteering their time.  They also raised funds for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless.

Congratulations to the Blalack Middle School students, parents and community.  The school was named as one of the top 10 schools in the state of Texas for raising money through Hoops for Heart for the American Heart Association. The campus raised $8,086.22.

In 2011, our students helped with Special Olympics and Kacie's Run, and they are already making plans for the 2012 events.  So mark Sat., March 24, 2012 on your calendar, and make Kacie's Run one of your "favorites" so you will be knowlegeable about the event notices and scheduling.

In the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, we have a rich legacy of parents, educators and the community-at-large working together for students.  This commitment gives us a great road map to follow as we help our students achieve at high levels and learn about helping others.  As we continue this holiday season, let's take time to celebrate the many "Bright Spots" that abound in C-FB ISD.

The District's Bilingual and ESL Programs

For the December School Board meeting, our student achievement presentation focused on the district's Bilingual-English As A Second Language (ESL) programs. Each year, the district provides a review and presents an assessment of our programs in accordance with the state commissioner's rules.

Dr. Isabella Pina-Hinojosa, director of the district's Bilingual-ESL programs, outlined how C-FB ISD's programs are organized to meet our district's goal of high achievement for all students.

In studying the research of  Dr. Wayne Thomas and Dr. Virgina Collier on dual language instruction, the district's instructional team learned that the English reading performance of English Language Learners dramatically improved in dual language classrooms.  That is why we began moving to those models in our Bilingual classrooms.

In our elementary schools, we offer a one-way dual language Bilingual program for fluent Spanish speakers. In these classrooms, our students receive instruction in both English and Spanish.  

We also have elementary classrooms where English-speaking students and fluent Spanish-speakers receive instruction in two languages (English and Spanish). Our two-way dual language classes are available on two campuses:  Janie Stark and June R. Thompson Elementary Schools.

We have many different languages spoken in our Bilingual-ESL classrooms, and the primary objective of the teachers is to help our students learn the English they need so they can be academically successful in math, science, social studies and eventually become productive citizens.

The most recent survey indicated that other than English, our Bilingual-ESL students and their families speak 52 different languages.  Of course, Spanish is the language that most of our families speak other than English; the top three languages most frequently spoken are Vietnamese, Korean, and Telegu.

We provide multiple learning options for our English Language Learners.  In our elementary schools, most teachers have taken additional coursework to earn their ESL certification. By becoming ESL-certified, our teachers have learned additional strategies that helps understands the needs of English Language Learners. The ESL program provides intensive instruction that develops academic vocabulary orally, reading vocabulary as well as written comprehension skills in English.

In middle school, the district has a newcomer's course for students who have been in the country for less than 12 months.  We also provide ESL I, II and III classes as well as Read 180, a intensive online reading intervention program. In high school, we also provide a newcomer's course and specialized coursework for students who have been in an American school for four years or less.

The Learning the Language summer school
program is part of the district's |
Bilingual-ESL offerings.

C-FB ISD is known for its professional development.  In our annual staff survey, 93% of our staff said that the district provides the training they need to do their jobs effectively. And, the Bilingual-ESL Department has been offering such training to our staff who teach our students in these programs.  The STELLAR and GLAD professional development programs are designed to assist our teachers to improve the achievement of our English Language Learners in all subject areas.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has designed the PBMAS (Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System) to monitor the achievement of the English Language Learners.  C-FB ISD met the minimum standard for each testing group and content group for 2011.  In our district, we will analyze these results to see how we can improve the academic achievement of our English Language Learners.

We continue to make great strides in our Bilingual-ESL programs. We are committed to support the learning needs of our English Language Learners so they can achieve at high levels.  Remember in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, we believe in high achievement for all students.

Department of Bilingual-ESL webpage


Bilingual Report

We Believe In Helping Others



Since we began Focus Points in February 2011, I have written two posts (March 29 and November 4 ) about how our students believe in helping others. Our students understand "what counts." Helping others is part of "our DNA" just as "high achievement for all students" is the "C-FB ISD way."

C-FB ISD students believe in helping others because they just know it's the "right way of life," and in our district, we follow our character values. The seven traits are respect, pride, integrity, service, responsibility, cooperation, and citizenship. You can find our students modeling these values in our classrooms, on our playing fields, in the performance halls, and out in our communities. Although our students have service projects throughout the school year, November and December seem to be the two months when they are extremely busy working to help those in need.


McLaughlin artists Georgia Harris, Alexis Robledo,
Kevin Puente and Ceasar Torres
along with art teacher Jeannie Dewar
hold pumpkins that brightened patients' trays.



We value and appreciate the service agencies and organizations that work with our students to show them how to conduct projects that will better the world not only in our community but sometimes in a country half way around the world as Sheffield Primary students have been doing. The pre-kindergartners through second graders recently raised funds for "Pennies for Africa" which builds schools in Zambia, Africa.

An ongoing project for the McLaughlin Art Club is creating hospital tray favors for the Dallas Medical Center. The students design tray favors for every holiday. The students brighten up food trays of the people who are spending their holidays as patients in the local hospital.

Freeman students make
PB&J sandwiches.

Ranchview High School and Bernice Chatman Freeman Elementary students joined forces for a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich drive for the Irving homeless. The Freeman students collected 183 jars of peanut butter, 139 jars of jelly, 84 loaves of bread, and 51 boxes of sandwich bags. The student council members of both schools made 2,790 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.

Canned food, toys and clothing are items our students collect for local agencies this time of year. For example, the Freeman Elementary community collected 429 pounds of food for Irving Cares, and June R. Thompson Elementary collected 435 cans for Metrocrest Social Services. Other school organizations donating to Metrocrest Social Services include R. L. Turner's METSA, Ted Polk's Student Council, the Furneaux Elementary fourth graders, Creekview's Wrestling Team, DECA, Cross Country Team while the Creekview Student Council is working with Scottish Rite Hospital.


The Creekview Cheerleaders raised $7,000
for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Often times our schools join forces with other groups. For example, since our Early College High School is located on the Brookhaven College campus, the students and staff are working with the Brookhaven Police Department and Brookhaven College Student Government to provide gifts to 50 “angels” from The Family Place.

Our students not only run collection drives, but they also volunteer at various agencies. The Ted Polk Student Council will be helping the Salvation Army and Metrocrest Social Services this holiday season while the Creekview girls' soccer team will visit the Corinthians to sing carols and provide special goodies for the residents.

The projects listed here are just samplings of what our students, faculty and staff do for others. Our C-FB ISD students along with the educational team often times work quietly behind the scene taking care of individuals or developing special projects that make a difference in our schools and community.  We appreciate those students and our team members who realize the importance of being involved and giving to others.

Photos of Freeman and Ranchview Making PB&J Sandwiches

Photos - June R. Thompson Donates Food To Metrocrest Social Services

Photos - A Sampling of Service Projects

A Time of Thanksgiving

This week in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, our students and most staff are out for a  week-long break due to the Thanksgiving Holidays. Thanksgiving has been an important time throughout our country's history, with President Abraham Lincoln issuing the first Presidential Proclamation designating a Thanksgiving Day.

 Forty-Year Pin Recipients  Kay Edmondson, Sara Gambrell
with Board President Nancy Cline and Dr. Burns

We in C-FB ISD have much to be thankful for when it comes our public school system.  We have great facilities and the latest technology.  But, what really makes our school district stand out from all the rest are the people who have chosen our district as their professional home. 

In early November, your Board of Trustees hosted a service awards dinner for district staff members. The individuals honored had completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and even 40 years of service in C-FB ISD.  In fact, we had 273 staff members with those years of service.  These team members have made life-long commitments to C-FB ISD and make our district what it is today.

Along with a service award pin, the School Board approved a compensation plan to honor these employees for theirs years of service.  For every 5 years, an individual is a C-FB ISD staff member, he receives $500.  For example, a 10-year staff member receives a $1,000 service award check.  This is the fourth year that we’ve included this incentive for employees who return to C-FB ISD year after year. I've heard some staff members call it “longetivity pay.”   This project is just another way that we thank our team members for their loyalty to our district, to our students and our goal of "high achievement for all students."

Thirty-five Year Pin Recipients Deborah Holmes, Cathy Webb
Mary Bass with Board President Nancy Cline and Dr. Burns

Mark Twain once wrote, “Your work is a self-portrait, autograph it with excellence.” This quotation describes the people who are C-FB ISD employees. Our staff strives for excellence in every assignment. Our team members give incredible hours. Regardless of the job or role, our staff goes the extra mile. And, they believe in this district.  For the past two years, we have asked the Human Resources Department of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) to conduct a survey of C-FB ISD employees.

We have used the information to determine how our team perceives specific issues and also learned how they feel about C-FB ISD.  As community members, you should be proud that nearly all (99%) like the work they do.

Ninety-two percent indicated they would recommend C-FB ISD to a friend as a good place to work. The vast majority of the participants say that they have the support of their co-workers, and there is a sense of camaraderie within their work group.  Our C-FB ISD team members are the "unsung heroes" who are shaping tomorrow's leaders.
What our educational team thinks about C-FB ISD mirrors the viewpoints from our annual parent survey. Our 2011 parent survey told us that 90 % of our parents were satisfied with their child’s campus. 

We in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District are thankful that our parents are satisfied with their child's campus.  However, in our district, we believe in a model of continuous improvement, which means that we are always striving to do better.  After all, our goal is "high achievement for all students."

More 'Share Your Stories'; Be a Part of Our Campaign

As we approach this season of thanksgiving, this is a great time for you to participate in our "Share Your Story" campaign. For the last year, we have been encouraging people to tell their special positive stories about C-FB ISD.

We want people to share their success stories that they usually tell their friends, family and neighbors about their schools, teachers and district with us. We are looking for the stories that set C-FB ISD apart from the other public school systems in Texas and the nation.

We appreciate the wonderful experiences that former and current students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and community members have written and even videotaped. Our Strategic Communication Services team has been to Homecoming games, Senior Honor Breakfasts, Employee Appreciation Events and other activities  recording these messages. You can see the already taped stories on our Vimeo Channel or at Share Your Stories Videos.

Here are just a few of the written stories that have been shared:

"Excellent opportunities for the students, and the administrators and staff are fantastic to work with as parent volunteer. C-FB ISD is our home."  

Story From C-FB ISD Facebook

"After I attended C-FB ISD my entire school career, I wanted my son to also attend school in C-FB. My son currently attends Farmers Branch Elementary.  From the first day of kindergarten, the school has been very supportive of me and my son.  ...  I work very closely with the administrators and teachers. Parent involvement really does go a long way. The more you support your child the more the staff of the school can help your child improve. "

Former C-FB ISD Student and Current C-FB ISD Parent

“The teachers at McKamy truly care about the future of each child and focus on ways to challenge each student to reach their full potential. Their lesson plans hold the child's interests and make learning fun. The staff have always been caring and attentive to each student's unique needs. I'm starting our tenth year at McKamy and I cannot imagine our children anywhere else.”

Parent of former and current McKamy Elementary School students

The Share Your Story section on our website is available for anyone but especially for prospective families and future C-FB ISD team members to hear from "real C-FBers" on what makes our district special for students and of course, families. And, we believe the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District is one of the best professional homes for educators too!

Do you have a story to share?

We know that there are hundreds and hundreds of stories about the spirit of our district and how a C-FB ISD team member made a difference in the life of a student or a family.  We also know that our signature instructional programs set our graduates on their chosen career paths. And, our fine arts and athletic programs even impact the lives of our students. Or, if you are a C-FB ISD educational team member, you may want to tell us why you made the decision to make our district your professional home.

Are you willing to share?  We've made it really easy for you. We've created a form where you can write your story. We simply ask you to limit your story to less than 250 words. Share Your Story Form

We know that C-FB ISD is a great place to learn and to work. We have outstanding students. We have a great community that supports our students and believes in our work. We have an educational team who believes in our goal of high achievement for all students.

We encourage you to share your positive story about C-FB ISD today!

Everything Ties Together

At our November School Board meeting, we shared the restructured 2011-12 District Improvement Plan along with the updated 2011-12 Strategic Improvement Plan.  The updated Strategic Plan focuses on performance targets aligned with the district goal of "high achievement for all students" and our four supporting objectives.

District Improvement Council Chairman Matthew Pruitt, sixth-grade teacher from Ted Polk Middle School, presented an overview of the district plan.  Mr. Pruitt did an excellent job outlining the plan and the council's role.  State law mandates all Texas school districts have a District Improvement Council.

In C-FB ISD, we take the District Improvement Council's role seriously.  Our council's members represent teachers, parents, community members, principals and district administrators. The council meets regularly during the school year. Members learn about and give input on the budget, the district calendar, instructional matters and special annual topics such as school start times.

The District Improvement Plan follows the district's vision, mission, statement of beliefs and graduate profile. All of these can be found on the district website.  In the District Improvement Plan, there are numerous action strategies outlined for the C-FB ISD team to accomplish the four supporting objectives.  At the School Board meeting, we highlighted strategies that our team will be working on to move our district forward this school year. To see the strategies we highlighted, please click through our PowerPoint presentation below.

Our Strategic Improvement Plan outlines district-wide performance targets being used to measure our four strategic objectives.  The Education Resource Group (ERG) provides much of the data that the district uses.  The ERG performance matrix was developed to identify school districts that obtain high academic performance in the most financially efficient manner. An October Focus Points outlined the benefits of ERG's work.  Other student achievement data that we will use to evaluate our performance include STAAR (the new state accountability system),  SAT and ACT (college entrance exams) results and the high school graduation rate.

As we work to improve to the learning environment for our students and staff, we will evaluate our student attendance rate and disciplinary placements.  We will use the results from the annual staff survey conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) to monitor our success as well.

Increasing operational effectiveness has always been a priority, but in today's world, we are working through even greater major financial shortfalls than ever before.  At the same time, we are staying the course for high academic achievement. We will be using the ERG data as we measure our financial effectiveness among the 200 largest Texas school districts.

Our fourth objective revolves around increasing the stakeholder confidence of the district. We will measure our efforts through our annual parent survey and our employee survey.  For example, in our 2011 parent survey, 88.6% of our parents said that they were satisfied with the district.  We continue to build confidence through open communication as well face-to-face communication with parents, staff, community and business leaders.

As you look through our documents, you will see C-FB ISD has a plan to move our work forward.  We in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District are committed to high achievement for all students.  We know that the community will join us in our efforts to help all of our students achieve high levels in the A's: academics, the arts and athletics.

Board District Improvement Plan 2011-2012

Serving and Honoring Others



Newman Smith Vocal Ensemble

 In C-FB ISD, we always talk about our singular goal of high achievement for all students.  We believe that it is important that our team knows what our purpose is as we move our students' learning forward.  Along with our students learning reading, writing and math, we also emphasize the ideals on which this country was established.

In 1996, a group of parents, teachers, and students worked with the School Board to develop the district’s character values. They selected seven standards that they believed were concepts on which this country was founded. The seven traits are

• respect
• pride
• integrity
• service
• responsibility
• cooperation
• citizenship

R. L. Turner ROTC

Our goal as educators is to model these principles throughout our district whether in the classrooms, on the playing fields or in district offices. We want our students, families and the entire community to know that character values are alive and well in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District.

In November, our students and staff model respect and citizenship as they celebrate Veterans Day. The students hold assemblies, special ceremonies and other projects where they welcome veterans as well as men and women who are currently serving in the armed services.  These activities are planned by our students because they understand the sacrifices made by these men and women.

One of Our Heroes at R. L. Turner

Earlier this week, R. L. Turner and Newman Smith High Schools held assemblies.  Our students are so honored to have these men and women on their campuses. Sometimes, we are not sure who benefits more from these events – the students or the individuals being recognized.


In C-FB ISD, we so appreciate the staff members who collaborate with the students who participate in the assembly as members of the color guard, the choir, and other performance groups.  Your talents provide such inspiration to the veterans and armed service members whom your schools are honoring, but at the same time, you are showing them what is right with public education in C-FB ISD. 

 



Mr. Tom Lytle, retired Special Forces,
presents Newman Smith Principal
Joe Pouncy a commemorative coin



We are also proud of the respect and admiration that the students in audience have for those who have given so much for our country.  Our students are models of the seven character values adopted by our district.

We have two more assemblies scheduled to honor Veterans Day.  If you are veteran in our community and wish to attend, please contact the principal's office of that school.  We would like to thank you for your service.

Some of Our Heroes at Newman Smith

Blalack Middle School Veterans Day Celebration, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m.

Vivian Field Middle School Veterans Day Celebration, Nov. 15 at 2:45 p.m.



Or, if you are a community member, please join us for these special celebrations to honor those who serve our nation and community.  You will be encouraged by the outpouring of support C-FB ISD students give to the men and women who have given service to our great country.  

We encourage everyone to model the district character values of respect, pride, integrity, service, responsibility, cooperation, and citizenship and to remember that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

To view more photos from R. L. Turner's assembly: RLT

To view more photos from Newman Smith's assembly: NSHS

Staying THE Course As We Work Through Financial Issues

Our teachers, principals, and our instructional team remain focused on high achievement for all students. However, school finance and the district's financial status are major conversational topics among staff, parents, and even some community members.  The major funding shortfalls that occurred in the last Texas Legislature are having major effects on the district's financial structure and its future academic and operational structure.

Approved by the School Board in August, the 2011-2012 district budget, has a deficit of $9.7 million. However, the staff is already taking steps to reduce that deficit amount. For the first time, the district requested state waivers for kindergarten through fourth grade that exceed 22 students in a classroom because of financial circumstances. We currently have 63 classrooms in those grades with more than 22 students. By electing not to hire 63 additional elementary teachers, we saved about $3.4 million.  C-FB ISD is not alone in making this decision; neighboring North Texas districts also submitted the same type of state waiver to the Texas Education Agency due to financial constraints.

From 2008 to 2011, we reduced our staffing ranks by 239 through attrition and retirements. These positions included educational aides, teachers, administrators, and auxiliary staff. Since last school year until we started classes this August, another 120 jobs went away through attrition and retirements. Our goal has been to look everywhere and anywhere to reduce costs.

As we look to the 2012-13 school budget, we estimate a shortfall of $20 million based on the state financial data. As our governing organization, the School Board has developed three guiding objectives for us to use to prioritize our programs, operations and compensation.  These objectives will help us evaluate what will cause the least harm to our programs and operations.

Guiding Objectives

• Minimize the impact on student academic achievement
• Minimize the impact on non-academic special services and programs for all students, i.e., extra-curricular and co-curricular programming
• Minimize the impact on the ability to retain and attract quality staff

We will use these guiding objectives to determine how the programs and operations stack up based on their level of importance to the objectives.  This is a systems-based approach in analyzing the programs, operations, and services that C-FB ISD provides. Once we have this information, we will prioritize the proposed cost containments based on which have the least impact on the district's goal of high achievement.  This is no easy to task. 

When the School Board meets on February 16, 2012 in a work-study session on Resource Allocation, we will discuss if there are any cost containments that can be made to help with the pending shortfall. Not only do we to have to think about the impact of these decisions on the district today, but also what impact will these decisions have on the district in the future. 

Revenue Options
There are only two ways under current state law for a public school district to get additional revenue: 1) a tax ratification election and 2) more students. 

First, under current state law, a school district can hold an election to ask its voters to approve taxes for the maintenance and operation of the school district. 

Second, increased enrollment also means more dollars.  When a school district is growing, then that means more money.  Another way to get more students is to open your district to students who live out of your district through open enrollment.  At the November 17 work-study session, the School Board will hear a report on a limited open enrollment policy.  Several North Texas school districts currently have limited open enrollment policies, including Coppell ISD.

Understanding the revenue structure of school finance structure is complex.  This short video, "Texas School Finance Explained," which was produced during the last state legislature gives an excellent overview of how Texas school finance works. Video

We know that any changes that we make due to financial constraints can impact our students and staff. But, these reductions and others will be necessary to adjust to a reduced state funding level.  We believe that everyone who is associated with the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District needs to be aware of the financial implications affecting our schools.  As we work through these serious financial issues, we will continue our commitment to high achievement for all students.

  

Health Services Team Impacts Learning Environment

An environment that is safe, secure and conducive to learning is necessary to our goal of "high achievement for all students."  That is why, one of our strategic objectives relates to the learning environment for our students and educational team.

A department that plays a vital role in "continuously improving the learning environment for students and staff" is Health Services.  We believe that there is a strong connection between academic achievement and the overall health and well being of students.

In C-FB ISD, we are fortunate to have registered nurses (RNs) on our educational team.  These individuals play integral roles in helping C-FB ISD meet the core value: "learning occurs best in a safe, orderly and nurturing environment."

Not only is it important academically for students to attend school each day, but district finances are tied directly to their attendance. Of course, we never want students to attend school if they are sick, but we do want students in school every day if they are well.  District nurses help all students feel safe and supported especially those students who have acute, chronic, episodic and emergency medical needs.

The registered nurses' expertise in clinical assessment and critical thinking skills enable them to:

• Provide care and support to students to maximize time in the classroom.
• Reduce the number of students sent home unnecessarily.
• Provide appropriate nursing interventions and community referrals to maximize instructional time.
• Provide follow-up care within the school setting to reduce absences.
• Reduce spread of contagious illnesses, resulting in fewer sick days for students and staff.

Our health services team is the front line for our local medical community for communicable diseases such as the chickenpox, pertussis (whooping cough), meningitis, influenza, and staph infections. Your school health team is well respected by local medical community. For example, they notify the local county health departments on signs of illness and absences.

Your school nurses play an integral role in monitoring influenza.    In fact, their data has been presented at national epidemiology conferences. Dallas County is currently the only county in the nation to have such detailed school flu and absence data. C-FB ISD schools are the only ones reporting on a daily basis communicable disease information in Denton County to its health department.

Immunizations/Health Screenings
Our school nurses work with families to ensure their students have all state-required immunizations.  Every year, the nurses notify families of the needed immunizations.  In 2010, the district had a 99.9% compliance rate for all immunizations required by Texas.   We hope that this good news will mean less instructional time lost to illness.

Hearing, vision, spinal and diabetes screenings are required by the Texas Department of Health Services.  Our Health Services team screens all students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, third, fifth and seventh grades as well as any new students for vision, hearing and diabetes risk. Scoliosis screenings occur in grades 5 and 8.  Our nurses then refer students to physicians if needed.

Health Education/Partnerships
Our nurses provide classroom instruction on various topics.  The nurses may speak in our elementary schools on dental health and hand washing and in other schools about nutrition.  They may address other topics as requested by the teachers and principals.

Our Health Services Department has formed numerous community partnerships. For example, they work with the Carrollton Evening Lions Club in their vision clinics held twice a year at Vivian Field Middle School. The nurses also volunteer with the Care Van Immunization clinic at McDonald's every other month to provide free vaccines to students.

Our Health Services Department assists the district in improving the learning environment for our students and staff.  To learn more about the district's Health Services, visit the department's website: Health Services.

In C-FB ISD, we have one goal, “high student achievement for all students.” Students need to be  in school every day ready to learn because we know that effort produces achievement. With the knowledge and collaboration of our Health Services Department team, C-FB ISD is joining forces with community resources to support families and keep students in the classrooms. We are working to provide a positive learning environment for students and staff.

Supporting Gifted Learners

The student achievement presentation at the October School Board meeting focused on the Advanced Academics Services Department.  Executive Director Gerry Charlebois highlighted how the department works collaboratively with our principals and teachers.  Together, they design a quality education for all students while supporting the needs of the gifted learners.  In C-FB ISD, we are very fortunate to have the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Association for Gifted and Talented who works along side the educational team

in supporting our gifted education program, students and families.

As the Advanced Academic Services team members implement the district's advanced-level instructional programs, they follow three critical goals: identification, quality services and high academic performance.

Identification

Early assessment is important, and we begin identification as early as kindergarten.  Our identification process is comprehensive throughout our elementary and secondary schools.  Along with assessments, a key instrument that we are using to identify students are portfolios.  Our Advanced Academic Specialists are working with our teachers and counselors in helping them identify what to look for in student portfolios.  Almost 9% of our students are identified for the ACE (Academic Creative Education) program.

Quality Services

C-FB ISD is well known for its gifted services.  The LEAP program for the highly gifted attracts families to the district. Although the elementary and middle school programs are housed at McCoy Elementary and DeWitt Perry Middle Schools, respectively, eligible students transfer into the two schools from across the district.

Our International Baccalaureate (IB) offerings at Good Elementary, Las Colinas Elementary, Barbara Bush Middle and Ranchview High Schools also bring families to our community.  C-FB ISD is one of 146 elite districts and schools in the world that offer an IB continuum from kindergarten through grade 12 through Las Colinas, Barbara Bush and Ranchview. Only 17 schools in North America claim this distinction. C-FB ISD was the second public school district in North Texas to offer the IB continuum.

Good Elementary was the district’s first IB school, and the first elementary school in North Texas to receive IB primary years programme authorization in March 2008. The school received its reauthorization in June. We have had 33 IB candidates graduate from Ranchview High School in the last two graduating classes (2010 and 2011).

Parents are highly involved in the C-FB ISD Association for the Gifted and Talented (AGT).  Organized in 1979, AGT offers much support and learning opportunities for parents and students.  On October 19, the group will host Dr. Sylvia Rimm, a leading expert on gifted education.  Special Seminar 

The Advanced Academic Services team also works with our campuses to offer other services such as the annual UIL Middle School Academic Competition.  This competition builds awareness and expertise for high school academic contests.  Last year, more than 600 middle school students participated thanks to the efforts of our middle school faculty and staff and Advanced Academic Services department.  We also encourage students to participate in the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP).  Qualifying seventh graders take the SAT or ACT, and last year, 686 C-FB ISD students were eligible.

High Performance
In keeping with the district's goal of "high achievement for all students," the Advanced Academic Services Department also monitors the success of students enrolled in advanced course work.  The district has initiatives and partnerships in place to increase their academic performance. 

The district offers prep sessions on the PSAT and SAT; these classes provide firsthand practice for the SAT and a chance for students to enter the National Merit Scholarship program. The district has just entered into a partnership with Advanced Placement Strategies and R. L. Turner High School.  The $502,250 grant from LBJ Infrastructure Express will focus on increasing the number of students taking and receiving qualifying scores on Advanced Placement math, science, and English exams.

We have seen an increase in the number of students taking the SAT, and the district scores remain above the state scores.  This is good news because, hopefully, the more students who take college-entrance exams will mean more C-FB ISD graduates will enter college.

Finally, the Advanced Academic Services team monitors Advanced Placement enrollment and performance.  We are pleased to see growth over a five-year period.  Although we did see a slight dip in the number of test takers from 2008-09 and 2009-2010, overall, the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses is exceptional.  However, we would like more students to earn 3, 4, or 5's on the exams, but we are pleased with the results.  The C-FB ISD team will  continue to work on improving our performance in this area.

The Department of Advanced Academic Services works closely with our campuses to increase achievement for all students while supporting the needs of the gifted learners.  If you wish to learn more about the programs supported by Advanced Academic Services, visit the website: Advanced Academic Services.  Remember in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District, we are all working toward one goal: "high achievement for all students."

Performing In The Top 5% Of Texas School Districts

Public education is complex whether you are talking about schools in Oklahoma, California, New York, or here in Texas.  Consequently, it is critical for public school leaders to find a performance management system that will help move their school district forward academically as well as identify models of high performance and efficiency.

For the last year, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch School District has been working with an organization that focuses on public education performance management.  The Education Resource Group (ERG) performance matrix was developed to identify school districts that provide high academic performance in the most financially efficient manner.

In C-FB ISD, we use multiple measures to evaluate how the district is doing in terms of student performance.  For example, the staff reviews the state's Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS), the federal Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)  reports, SAT and ACT data, and other student assessment measures.  We always want to provide an instructional program that will keep all students achieving at high levels.

We believe that the ERG performance management system provides key data for C-FB ISD.  By analyzing the student performance and financial data from the 200 largest school districts in Texas, ERG can determine the annual educational productivity of individual school districts in three areas: overall educational value, academic performance and financial performance.

You may wonder why it is important to look at the 200 largest Texas school districts when there are more than 1,000 school districts in our state.  Since about 81% of students in Texas attend these 200 school districts, we believe analyzing their academic and financial performance will tell us where the "bright spots" in education are.

The other "good news" about the ERG performance system is that unlike the state's accountability rating system it ranks performance. For example, the ERG performance matrix integrates academic and financial measures into a relatively clear framework of performance management.  This performance matrix can identify school districts that provide strong academic performance while spending the lowest amount per student.

In the chart above, the districts in the "green" box (1-1) are achieving at high academic levels while spending tax dollars wisely compared to the districts in the "red" box.  The good news for the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD community is your district is one of eight in the "1-1" box.  The districts in the "1-1" box are among the top 5% of the Texas school districts providing a high return on investment to their stakeholders. 

For 2010: C-FB ISD ranked 11 out of the 200 Texas largest school districts in overall educational value. For 2010, the district ranked 17 out of 200 in academic performance and 49 out of 200 in financial performance.

The ERG performance management system is instrumental to our work.  In the district's Strategic Improvement Plan, we have outlined strategies under each of our four objectives to move our rankings forward until C-FB ISD is at the top.  In Carrollton-Farmers Branch, we have one goal: "high achievement for all students."  By working toward this one goal, we will continue to improve our performance.

Involvement Is Key

Carrollton-Farmers Branch Schools do a remarkable job of educating your students, but the educational team does not work alone. We have many supportive organizations, businesses and individuals who work ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ with us to help our students and families. One such supporting organization is the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).

The local school PTA units along with the C-FB ISD Council PTA compose the largest child advocacy organization that the district has. The C-FB ISD Council PTA currently works with 37 PTAs, including 3 early childhood PTAs, 24 elementary PTAs, 6 middle school PTAs, and 4 high school PTSAs. The council provides training, information and services to local PTAs.

Volunteers

We want parents and other adults to be actively involved in the schools. Volunteers provide much expertise and assistance for the faculty and staff. Individuals may assist in classrooms, libraries, offices -- it just depends on the needs of a campus and the skill of the volunteer.

If you know of businesses and other organizations that may be willing to support your school through volunteers, share that information with your school’s PTA president and/or your school principal. We know that a personal contact can open the doors to volunteers and partnerships.  If you are donating your time as a volunteer, thank you for helping the district focus on its goal of "high achievement for all students."

The local school PTAs are key connectors as they work with families, students, faculty and staff.  These involved parents and family members are always looking for ways to help families support their children’s education. Most C-FB ISD schools are finishing up their PTA membership drives, but it's never to late to join. Click on PTA Sites to find more information about local PTAs or your individual school.


Two Council Projects
Two Council PTA projects that benefit C-FB ISD in huge ways are:

• The Clothes Closet -- A long-time project of the council, the Clothes Closet, assists district students and their families with "gently-used" clothing items. The Closet is not-for-profit and is maintained solely by local volunteers. The PTA is always in need of monetary donations and volunteers to maintain the closet. For more information, you may email the Council PTA or visit the Clothes Closet website page.

• Gently Used Book Sale -- Now in its eleventh year, the sale is the Council's main fundraiser.  The book sale also increases the organization's community awareness and promotes literacy as well as provides funds for grants and scholarships.  If you have items for donation, you may drop them off at any campus. Visit the Book Sale website for information. 

Other Parent Involvement
Take time to visit with your child’s teacher(s) so that you know what your child needs academically to be successful this school year. If you have not already signed up, check out the district’s Parent Self Serve. It is an online information system for parents/guardians.

Through the system, parents can check student attendance and academic progress. For more information about Parent Self Serve, click on its website: Parent Self Serve.  If parents have any concerns with the district's Parent Serve, they should contact the district's Technology Help Desk (972-968-4357).

The work of the PTA and volunteers assist C-FB ISD in providing a safe and caring environment as well as support systems for families. These partnerships enable the district to meet its strategic objective: "continuously improve the learning environment for students and staff." By combining our resources and efforts, we make sure that our schools are places where students feel accepted and challenged to learn.