On February 13, 2012, Lewisville ISD’s (LISD) Board of Trustees adopted the 2012-2013 school calendar. The approved calendar reflects the Texas Educations Agency’s (TEA) requirement to include two bad weather days (April 1, 2013 and June 7, 2013). After approval, TEA informed LISD that April 1, 2013 is scheduled for English I and II End-of-Course (EOC) writing exams. This texting day cannot be changed, due to exam security concerns. As a result, the Board approved a revision of the 2012-2013 school calendar during it’s regular meeting May 14. Bad weather days for the 2012-2013 school calendar are now April 12, 2013 and June 7, 2013. Click here to see a copy of the revised calendar.
When McAuliffe Elementary (McAuliffe) Principal Jennifer Mattingly walked into second-grade classrooms, she whipped out her phone to capture the disruptive innovation she saw.
“I encouraged the teachers to try project learning and be willing to take a risk, even if it fails,” Mattingly said. “As we strive to foster a 21st century learning environment, it is crucial that teachers be willing to take risks in order to improve student learning.”
What Mattingly saw was exactly that, teachers taking risks to engage students. In second-grade, students were studying the parts of plants and each part’s function. Rather than doing traditional worksheets, teachers gave the lesson over to students and let them come up with ways to present the information to the class.
“The children took ownership of their learning and came up with some really clever products,” second-grade teacher Tamberly Wheeler said.
Puppet shows, puzzles, songs, posters and dramatic plays were the most popular presentation methods. After the presentations were over, the teachers gathered to evaluate if their risk paid off!
“As teachers, we discussed later that although it was loud, there was a lot of learning going on and the students were so invested,” Wheeler said. “It was definitely how the students want to learn and we’re becoming more comfortable letting the control shift to them.”
Students at Rockbrook Elementary engage in math lessons with members of the MHS black history club.
This year, the Marcus High School‘s (Marcus) black history club sponsored a new tutoring program with Rockbrook Elementary (Rockbrook). Since November, Marcus students scheduled monthly Saturday math tutoring sessions for third- through fifth-graders at Rockbrook.
The teachers prepared math packets with fun exercises and math games for the students, and the black history club completed the work with Rockbrook students. The tutoring program, although new to both campuses, has been extremely successful.
“Our kids really look forward to the Saturdays when the tutors are coming,” Rockbrook principal Elisa Wittrock said. “Our students look up to high school kids, and so to have them come and help out with learning math is an amazing gift.”
This program is one example of Lewisville ISD’s goal to continuously involve our students to use their strengths, resources and talents to provide engaging, innovative experiences for all learners.
Lamar Middle School (Lamar) is very quiet when you pull into the parking lot at 6:45 a.m. There is almost no activity, except on the west side of the building where parents drop their students off for archery practice. Every Monday through Friday, from September until May, the Lamar sixth-grade archery team practices from 6:45-7:30 a.m. and 7:30-8:15 a.m. The team has to split practice time because there are only eight targets down range.
The sixth-grade archery team takes aim down range.
The silence continues when you walk into the archery range, where students sit focused and quiet in their chairs, while they wait for the whistle to be blown twice. With that sound, students rise to their feet, grab their bows and approach the shooting line. They shoot with precision and an intense focus, which is necessary according to archery coach, and outdoor learning teacher, Ferris Bavousett.
“There is more to it than just teaching the kids how to shoot a bow and arrow,” Bavousett said. “I try to teach the students discipline, dedication and determination.”
These lessons have paid off. This is the first year Lamar has had a sixth-grade archery team, and earlier this semester they won state. Additionally, Lamar archers placed first through tenth (there are 19 team members) in the individual portion of the competition. The team leaves this week to take aim at the national competition.
“This is a huge deal for our students,” Bavousett said. “We could not have dreamed of a better first-year for the sixth-grade archery team.”
LISD is extremely proud of the Lamar Longhorn archery team and we wish them the best of luck at nationals!
Tuesday, NBC5 reporter Sara Story visited Lamar to do a piece on the Longhorns. Click here to check out some photos from her visit and watch the NBC5 news story below:
Fifth-grade students utilized thinking maps to help create math videos for younger grade levels.
Heritage Elementary (Heritage) fifth-grade students are leaving their legacy at the school through the production of math videos for students in lower grades.
The project started when fifth-graders issued a survey to teachers to determine the areas of math curriculum in which others struggle. The survey data was then analyzed and students selected which grade level and math topic they wanted to focus on.
“Fifth-graders researched by watching other math videos, through websites such as Khan Academy, Math TV and WatchKnowLearn, to determine characteristics of good videos and to clarify appropriate instructional methods,” fifth-grade math teacher Jennifer Evans said. “Students also consulted the Lewisville ISD to determine content accuracy.”
To determine the scope for the video, students looked in eduphoria and researched what kindergarten through fourth-grade math teachers are required to cover. After they examined what teachers believe students struggle with, fifth-grade students researched exactly what students were required to learn for each skill.
After research was complete, students worked in groups to create a storyboard and chose a variety of technology tools to create their videos. Some of these tools included: Educreations app for iPad, Smart Recorder and Smartboard. The final products were then posted to SchoolWeb in hopes of making math meaningful for students at Heritage.
MHS AFJROTC second period.
MHS AFJROTC first period.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Marcus High School (MHS) Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) earned the Distinguished Unit Award. This award is limited to the best of the best of the United States 882 AFJROTC units.
“The award recognizes AFJROTC units that have performed above and beyond normal expectations and distinguished themselves through academic excellence, physical fitness, drill expertise and outstanding service to their school and community,” Colonel Martin Sayles, MHS AFJROTC instructor, said. “During the 2011-2012 school year, the cadets volunteered more than 2,100 hours of community service in support of our school, district and local community.”
This is the highest award the Air Force can bestow upon an AFJROTC unit.
MHS AFJROTC fourth period
“We are extremely proud of these cadets,” MHS principal Gary Shafferman said. “They exemplify one of the district’s core beliefs that an educated citizenry is essential for equal opportunity and a prosperous society.”
When you think about a school, what are some of the traditional elements that come to mind? A cafeteria, library, lockers, standard classrooms and static furniture just to name a few. When you step on the campuses of the Flower Mound High School (FMHS) and Marcus High School (MHS) ninth-grade campus in August 2014, you will not see those traditional staples. Instead, the proposed design features open spaces full of natural light, classrooms with the flexibility to open up to a common area and plenty of nooks throughout the building for studying.
Members of the MHS design charrette committee listen to a presentation by PBK Architects.
These innovative designs came together through the recent design charrette process led by PBK Architects. The term “charrette” refers to an intensive planning session where citizens, designers and others collaborate on a vision for development.
“We want to create buildings that will adapt and welcome new technology,” LISD Superintendent Dr. Stephen Waddell said. “These new ninth-grade campuses need to represent not only what our students currently need, but what they could need in the future.”
To include the community in this process, a charrette committee was established for the FMHS and MHS feeder patterns. The committee was comprised of administrators, teachers, parents, community members and most importantly, students.
“If you look at how schools are traditionally built, there is no community involvement or teacher/student input,” LISD Chief Financial Officer Dr. Quentin Burnett said. “Under Dr. Waddell’s leadership, the district has opened the door for discussions about what we, as a community, want our schools to look like moving forward.”
The charrette process kicked off with a guest speaker who is an innovator in education. Milton Chen, senior fellow of “The George Lucas Educational Foundation,” spoke to both the FMHS and MHS committees about 21st century learning, spaces and places.
Dr. Waddell, LISD superintendent, listens to guest speaker Milton Chen.
Chen stressed to the committees that the work of teachers and students is vastly different than it used to be, especially the role of educators in contributing to social and emotional learning.
“It is not enough to simply fill students’ brains with facts,” Chen explained. “Educators must also help children develop the skills to manage their emotions, resolve conflicts nonviolently and make responsible decisions.”
In order to facilitate the social and emotional learning its crucial to have buildings that foster collaboration and disruptive innovation.
MHS Charrette; April 3-5
On the first day of the design charrette process, members of the committee started with a discussion about what they liked and disliked about current education buildings, including MHS, as well as what they would hope to see in the future.
Suggestions included more windows and outdoor learning areas, creating additional seating and study areas, having a larger space for active learning and having multi-use spaces.
After discussing the interior of the building, the committee discussed how they wanted the entrance to look.
“It is important to us that we keep the columns from the current building so there is continuity between the two campuses,” MHS principal Gary Shafferman said. “The columns distinguish our campus from other high schools and that is something that the committee members want to see in the new ninth-grade campus.”
Once the MHS committee adjourned for the day, PBK Architects remained on-site and developed seven proposals for the new ninth-grade campus. The committee discussed the pros and cons of each design concept, and then PBK refined the proposal.
When members returned on the third and final day of the MHS charrette process, they were able to see the finished product. A building that has a formal entry, flexible learning communities and a learning hub, which serves as a multi-function purpose.
Now that the design charrette process is complete, PBK will present the schematic design to the LISD Board of Trustees during the May 14 Board meeting. Currently, the construction phase is scheduled to begin in mid-January and continue through June 2014. The campuses will open in August 2014.
Both the FMHS and MHS ninth-grade campuses are a direct reflection of LISD’s core belief that uninhibited learning depends on a flexible environment. Due to the charrette process, the ninth-grade campuses will reflect a collaborative learning environment needed today and for generations to come.
Marshall Smith and Marie Bell pose with Bell's class during the "Celebration Hat Day".
Earlier this semester, Highland Village Elementary (HVE) teacher Marie Bell donated her kidney to Marshall Smith, a former student’s father. On Monday, Bell returned to campus and HVE celebrated her return Wednesday, with a “Celebration Hat Day”. Students could wear a hat to school if they made a donation to the Kidney Foundation in Dallas, which provides free kidney screenings and participates in numerous health fairs.
Marshall Smith passes out bells to students who donated to the Kidney Foundation.
act of kindness in making a donation to help a kidney transplant patient. Both Bell and Smith were on hand to distribute bells to the students.
“The whole experience, from learning about the power of giving from a role model and spreading kindness, has been powerful for our school and the community,” HVE principal Shawna Miller said. “We are honored and excited to celebrate this amazing act of kindness and successful transplant with Mrs. Bell and the Smith family!”
The winners were recently announced in the annual Marcus Art Show. There were 229 entries and jurors chose the following winners:
Best of Show – Sidney Elliott
Juror’s Award – Adelaide Theriault
Painting:
1st – Julia Aijkens
2nd – Morgan Mahoney
3rd – Michael Mensik
Honorable Mention: Morgan Edgerton, Danielle Barozinsky, Loren Follett, Nathalie Trapp, Courtnie Thomas
Drawing:
1st – Evy Venkateswaren
2nd – Kaytie Nielsen
3rd – Stephen Robinson
Honorable Mention: Lauren Harris, John Patrick, Ashley Skidmore, Courtnie Thomas, Bridget Price
2-D Mixed Media:
1st – Ludivine Varga
2nd – Morgan Edgerton
3rd – Danielle Barozinsky
Honorable Mention: Carmen Marxuach, Stephanie Williams, Courtnie Thomas
Ceramics:
1st – Kevin Kim
2nd – Elizabeth Murphy
3rd – Ryan Thomson
Honorable Mention: Jeri Turner, Anacaren Luviano, Brandon Thomas, Melissa Sinclair
Sculpture:
1st – Chelsea Fernelius
2nd – Kelly Fisher
3rd – Kaci Carroll
Honorable Mention: Christian Lindeman
Black and white photography:
1st – Catherine Arndt
2nd – Savannah Hutton
3rd – Alex Coleman
Honorable Mention: Ashley Hagan, Drew Hastings
Color photography:
1st – Katy Herber
2nd – Ashley Hagan
3rd – Alex Coleman
Honorable Mention: Jacob Orr, Brooks Marrow
Third-grade students at PTE walked the red carpet.
Friday, April 20, Prairie Trail Elementary (PTE) third-graders were celebrated during “You’re a STAAR” day.
Students walked into their classroom along the red carpet while wearing movie star shades. In typical movie ‘STAAR’ fashion, paparazzi snapped pictures as the third-grade students walked down the hall.
“The intent was to remind the students how hard they have worked, and to ease some anxieties about the upcoming STAAR test,” PTE third-grade teacher Jill Erickson, said.
After walking the red carpet in style, students participated in activities to help prepare them for the STAAR test: reading a passage to find the main idea and summary, reading and interpreting poetry, Math Jeopardy, and more!
“The students already knew the material, so the day merely served as a refresher,” Erickson said. “It was great to see students reviewing the curriculum while having fun.”
Prairie Trail Elementary "STAARS"!
In addition to being treated like a “STAAR”, each student drew another third-grader’s name and wrote them a note of encouragement. At the end of the day, the “STAAR”s got back together as a group and distributed the notes. This “STAAR” studded day would not be complete without an Oscar style awards show. Students were called up by group and presented with an individual trophy to encourage them for the test.
Every student in LISD is a “STAAR” and we hope everyone had a successful test week!
