Lockhart I.S.D. News

Transcription

1 Lockhart Independent School District June 2012 LHS Tennis Courts Complex Groundbreaking Inside this issue: During the March 27th Regular School Board meeting the Administration presented to the Board a recommendation to approve a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Tennis Courts. At the April 23, 2012 Regular School Board meeting the School Board approved the Administration s recommendation to authorize D. Wilson Construction who provided the District with the best valued proposal of $1,325, A $132,500 contingency fee was necessary to initiate the project. The LHS Tennis Courts Complex Groundbreaking was held on Wednesday, May 9th at 5:30 p.m. Superintendent Parra welcomed all who participated and introduced the School Board members as well as distinguished guests. School Board President Timoteo Tim Juarez, Jr. shared some remarks, which were followed by Coach Kathryn Kat Lemmons who shared quotes from some of her LHS tennis students. We want to thank D. Wilson Construction and Pfluger Associates Architects for providing the shovels and hard hats for the groundbreaking. Meet our New Elementary Principals 2 Risk Management Fund Grant Received 3 Lockhart ISD Summer Job Fair 3 From the Special Education Office 4 District Names and Faces 5 Employee Spotlight 5 Meet the newest School Board Member 6 A Message from the Superintendent of Schools Superintendent Jose L. Parra, Ed.D. The Lockhart ISD (LISD) has achieved phenomenal success over the past four years. From earning the second -highest state accountability rating of Recognized each year, being honored as an H-E-B Excellence in Education Award 2012 Semi- Finalist, and then capping the school year by seeing the largest graduating class of 290 students, amazing things have been happening in the LISD. Beginning with new principals at Lockhart High School, Bluebonnet Elementary, Carver Kindergarten, a new assistant superintendent, and a new Human Resources Director, things have changed significantly in the District s administrative leadership during By the time we begin the school year, we will also see new principals at Navarro Elementary and Plum Creek Elementary, and a new Athletic Director. From August 2011 to August 2012, there will have been a total of 8 new faces filling key leadership roles in the District. Although there will be leadership changes, rest assured that the LISD will continue building on its tradition of success. We understand how important it is to honor the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future. In the LISD we honor the valuable contributions made by those retiring at the end of , celebrate the numerous successes that we are having, and are carefully planning for how we will achieve even greater success for our students. It has been said that The more things change, the more they stay the same. Although change is a given, it is the ability of the organization to build on its successes in the face of change that distinguishes great organizations from good organizations. In the Lockhart ISD the faces may change, but the excellence continues.

2 Page 2 Did you know We have two new principals for the School Year. Carver Kindergarten Karen Nixon Bluebonnet Elementary Barbara Bernal Clear Fork Elementary Deanna Juarez Navarro Elementary Anna H. Buentello Plum Creek Elementary Mark Estrada Lockhart Jr. High John Henk LHS M.L. Cisneros Freshman Campus Heather Stull Lockhart High School Monica Guillory Pride High School Sam Lockhart Lockhart DMC Lora Hardway New Plum Creek Elementary Principal Named On May 21st, Mr. Mark Estrada was named as the new Principal for Plum Creek Elementary School for the school year. Mr. Estrada brings elementary principal experience to the position, having served most recently as principal of Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary School (a PK-5 campus) in the Del Valle ISD. He has also served as an instructional New Navarro Elementary Principal Named On May 14th, Ms. Anna H. Buentello was named the new Principal for Navarro Elementary School for the school year. Ms. Buentello has served as a administrator/assistant principal and as a teacher at the middle school level in the Del Valle ISD. He holds a Bachelor s degree and a Master s degree from Texas State University. Areas in which he holds educator certification include Principal EC-12, Social Studies 4-8, History 8-12, and PE EC-12. At the campus level Mr. Estrada has designed and implemented school wide academic intervention processes, professional development programs, new teacher induction programs, and mathematics and English Language Arts & Reading RTI (Response to Intervention) programs. At the district level he has served as a districtwide trainer of Professional Learning Community (PLC) practices and as a conference presenter on leadership, community building, and parental involvement. In addition, he has served as a guest professor on classroom management at Texas State University, and has served on the Candidate Assessment and Selection Committee for the Texas State University Teacher Residency Program. principal, an assistant principal, and as a teacher at the elementary level in both Austin ISD and Aldine ISD. She has also served as the principal of private schools for eight years. She has taught at the elementary level in the Gregory-Portland ISD, the Corpus Christi ISD, and the Aldine ISD, with teaching assignments in both Chapter 1 and bilingual education programs. She holds a Bachelor s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master s Degree in Education (Administration). Her educator certification includes elementary Bilingual/ESL (1-8), Elementary Self- Contained (1-8), and Pre -K-Kindergarten).

3 Page 3 Lockhart ISD Receives Risk Management Fund Grant In April 2012 Lockhart ISD was awarded a loss prevention grant of $2,000 from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Risk Management Fund. Grant monies help implement loss prevention and safety initiatives to raise awareness of safety issues and reduce the potential for property losses and on-the-job HEB Excellence in Education Award Lockhart ISD was selected as a Semi-Finalist for the H-E-B Excellence in Education awards. There were more than 800 applications submitted from educators allover Texas. The 8 dis- Please bring three copies of your resume for distribution to principals and direc- Lockhart ISD Summer Job Fair June 6, 2012 Summer Job Fair nity Wednesday, June 6, :00 AM 11:30 AM Job Fair Location: Bluebonnet Elementary 211 S. Mockingbird Lane Lockhart, TX tors. A completed online application with the Lockhart ISD Human Recourse Office is recommended. Please apply by visiting Representatives from all school campuses as well as Alternative programs, Special Education, Commu- injuries. This award is part of $550,000 in grants the Fund gave this year to 242 school districts and education entities. The 2012 grants were awarded to 227 school districts, 5 regional education service centers, 2 county appraisal districts, 7 community colleges, and 1 shared service agreement. Facilities security initiatives, driver improvement, and vehicle safety were the primary areas receiving grants under the property and auto programs. This year s program was highly competitive, and the selection is always a hard task because applicants closely examine their exposures and how to best address their needs. trict Finalists, 5 large and 3 small, along with 5 Early Childhood applicants were notified and a panel of judges visited the districts/campuses during the month of February. In March 2012 the District received a letter in the mail announcing Lockhart ISD as a Statewide Semi-Finalist. By achieving this award H-E-B sent the District two $ H-E-B gift card. Education, Nursing, and Maintenance will be available to meet you! There will be guaranteed interviews with the principals and directors for ALL attendees. Lockhart ISD Phone: (512) Fax: (512) Student Success... Lockhart High School Senior Graduate Nate Moore has won both the Texas and Kansas Relays in the steeplechase. In the process Moore has also established the meet records for both races. Lockhart Senior Nate Moore began his running career as a 7th grader. As a Freshman Moore won the District Championship in the two-mile and in the process became the first Lockhart Freshman to ever win the District Title. Moore went on to become one of the greatest distance runners in Lockhart history. Moore has earned 8 Varsity letters in Track and Cross Country. Moore has been named All-State 3 times, won 6 District titles, 2 Regional titles, and has 3 victories at the Kansas Relays. Moore is the owner of 5 Lockhart distance records and in March became the all-time fastest runner in Texas history in the 2,000 meter steeplechase. Moore will attend the University of Texas in the fall of Congratulations, Nate!

4 Page 4 From the Office of Administration/Operations Assistant Superintendent. Larry Ramirez Amazing happenings at LISD!! Our school board approved funding for many district-wide projects. Most of those projects will be completed this summer. Barring any unforeseen delays, Navarro Elementary will have a new roof and should have a new south driveway. We are excited to share that plans are in place to replace the Lockhart High School Competition Gym HVAC System. The goal is to replace the current HVAC arrangement with 80 ton systems. Units of that increased tonnage will provide the cooling power needed for an area of that size. Other campuses that will be seeing upgrades in their HVAC systems are: MLCFC Adams Gym and Annex building and the Plum Creek Annex. Kudos go out to: Mr. Bill Coleman, LISD Maintenance Director, and his entire Maintenance Crew. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that all run efficiently. The 2012 Commencement ceremonies went smoothly due in large part to the proficient staging of the bleachers, field seating and podium. His crew sets up the seating and podium stage and takes it down every year. Thank you for a job well done...every year!! From the Office of Special Education Director Of Special Education Monica Parks This is a busy time in the Special Education office. By the end of every school year, all students in Special Education have had at least one Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meeting. We are busy checking special education folders and planning for next year. There are over 590 students in Special Education in Lockhart ISD and each student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Students who are in Special Education have qualified for one or more of the following handicapping conditions: Learning Disability, Deaf- Blindness, Emotional Disturbance, Other Health Impairment, Intellectually Disabled, Noncategorical Early Childhood, Orthopedic Impairment, Speech Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, Visual Impairment, Auditory Impairment, Multiply Disabled and Autism. If a student qualifies for Special Education, they may receive physical therapy, and/or occupational therapy services. Some student s may attend Content Mastery or Resource classes, where they learn in a small setting. Lockhart ISD also serves students who are visually impaired and/or auditory impaired. Our goal is to keep students in the mainstream classes as much as possible. We serve students ages 3-21, so if you know of a child who may not be learning at the same rate as their peers, please give us a call at

5 District Names and Faces Cristina Suarez Yolanda Vasquez Stefanie Cisneros Cristina Suarez is our LISD Human Resources Employee Leave Specialist. Ms. Suarez has served LISD for 5 years. Yolanda Vasquez is the Administrative Assistant to the HR Director and the Employee Compensation Specialist. She has served Lockhart ISD for 14 years. Stefanie Cisneros is the newest staff member at the Central Office. She is the new Payroll & Employee Benefits Clerk and has served as an LISD Employee for 5 years. LISD Employee Spotlight Assistant Superintendent Janie Wright Assistant Superintendent Janie Wright recently began training to become a Lockhart Volunteer Firefighter for the Lockhart Fire Department. Ms. Wright was required to endure rigorous training before she became a certified volunteer. She decided to become a firefighter because of the Bastrop fires. I wanted to serve the people in Bastrop, but the only way they would allow me to volunteer was if I was a volunteer firefighter, she stated. After that she signed up to become a volunteer firefighter so she would be ready if something in the future were to happen like it did in Bastrop. Ms. Janie Wright graduated as a Lockhart Fireman cadet on Saturday, April 21, Page 5 From the Business Office He who dares to teach must never cease to learn. - Unknown Source Chief Financial Officer Tina Knudsen The newest member of the Business Office staff is Stefanie Cisneros, who replaced Tonya Lott as the new Payroll and Benefits Specialist. Stefanie has been with the District since 2007 as a Bluebonnet Elementary secretary. Stefanie is a Lockhart High School graduate and is the proud mother of two boys. Stefanie has 5 years experi- ence in payroll and benefits with a previous employer and she is bilingual, which will be a great asset to serve all employees needs. We are so excited that she has joined our team! Please join us in welcoming Stefanie in the Business Office!

6 Page 6 Lockhart ISD 105 S. Colorado Street Lockhart, TX Phone: Fax: LISD Newsletter published quarterly (March, June, September, and December) Calendar of Events Summer Hours June 4 thru August 6, 2012 the district office will be open Monday Wednesdays from 7:30 AM 5:30 PM, and Thursdays from 7:30 AM 5:00 PM. The District will be closed on Fridays. Human Resources will be open on Fridays from 8:00 AM 12:00 PM. (See the district website for details.) The School District will be shut down the week of July 3-7, November Election November 6, 2012 General Election. The District s four singlemember district seats (District 1., 2, 3, and 4) will be up for election. Please look for further details in our October 2012 newsletter. The LISD Board of Trustees typically hold regular monthly board meetings on the fourth Monday of each month starting at 6:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend Board meetings, including any Special Called meetings. Meeting agendas and Boardbook packets are located on the district s web-site on the School Board homepage. The Board will hear comments from individuals who have signed up to speak. This portion of the meeting is set aside for parents, students, and community members to speak to the board about any matter of interest to them pertaining to the school program. For more details please visit the School Board web page. Future Board meetings: July 23, 2012 ( TBD) Board of Trustee Terms District 3 President Susan K. Brooks At-Large Vice-President Rick Womble Current Term Expiration: November 2014 District 4 Secretary Alfredo Munoz (appointed 2011) District 1 Timoteo Tim Juarez, Jr. District 2 Brenda Spillmann At-Large Juan Alvarez, Jr. Current Term Expiration: November 2014 At-Large Tom Guyton Current Term Expiration: November 2014 How to Address the School Board Meet our Newest School Board Member Trustee Rick Womble On Saturday, May 12, 2012 the Lockhart ISD Board of Trustees held a Special Election to fill the vacant at-large seat. During the May 21, 2012 Regular School Board meeting Trustee Rick Womble was sworn in and became the new Board Vice-President. Please help us welcome the newest member of the Team of Eight, Trustee Rick Womble.