I think it would be great if a lot of us could attend this.
A DISD community forum this is set for this Sat (Feb 24), from 10:am ‘til noon. There will be introductions and talk about Dallas Achieves and brokering the system. Then will break off into groups including:
Mr. Flores regarding Dual Language
Ms. Ellis regarding the Arts
Mr. Price regarding Athletics
Sounds like a good opportunity to find out more and to get involved. I hope to see you all there!
Dallas ISD board trustees to hold community forum on Feb. 24 at Skyline
A public meeting hosted by Dallas ISD board trustees will be held on Saturday, February 24 at Skyline High School, 7777 Forney Road. The meeting is to receive comments and suggestions on academics, governance, and support of the Dallas ISD and to increase public awareness and participation in issues facing the district. Trustees Leigh Ann Ellis, District 3; Edwin Flores, District 1; Ron Price, District 9; and General Superintendent Michael Hinojosa are hosting the meeting. For more information, call (972) 925-5555.
According to the DISD official that answers that phone, the event is from 10:am til noon.
There will be introductions and talk about Dallas Achieves and brokering the system. Then will break off into groups including
Mr. Flores regarding Dual Language
Ms. Ellis regarding the Arts
Mr. Price regarding Athletics
Sounds like a good opportunity to find out more and to get involved. We already have GWRA t-shirts (baby to adult sizes) if you would like to wear them to find one another and let the district know we are there. Please let me know if you would like one.
Laura
Friday, February 23, 2007
Dallas ISD board trustees to hold community forum on Feb. 24 at Skyline
Monday, February 19, 2007
The Road to Broad
This is why you should be excited about Dallas Schools and Lee's march to the forefront.
Michael Hinojosa: A district transformed
I'm willing to put in on the line, says Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent says DISD will win this urban prize by 2010.
10:23 AM CST on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 from Dallas Morning News
"And the nominees are ..."
The worldwide media will buzz next week when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the nominees for the 79th annual Academy Awards. But who will take note in April, when the Broad Foundation, located just blocks away on L.A.'s glittering Wilshire Boulevard, reveals the finalists for the 2007 Broad Prize for Urban Education?
We will, here at the Dallas Independent School District – because we are determined that, no later than 2010, Dallas ISD will be one of the five districts on that list. The $1 million Broad (rhymes with "road") Prize recognizes the urban school district that, of all the districts in America, has made the greatest strides toward providing every single child a superb education – exactly what we at Dallas ISD are committed to do. That commitment dates back to November 2005, when the board of trustees joined me in defining that ambitious goal.
We are not alone in that commitment. A remarkable coalition of 65 leaders from throughout Dallas has come together as the Dallas Achieves Commission to help us transform Dallas ISD using successful districts such as the Broad Prize finalists as models. Today, we will publicly unveil a new catchphrase to describe the transformation process: "The Road to Broad."
A rhyming slogan is nice, but it won't get the job done. Dallas ISD is blessed to have the talents of thousands of dedicated educators. Our students are bright and ambitious. Their families want them to achieve their dreams. Voters have given us the resources to build first-class facilities. But still too many children fail to graduate or, if they graduate, fail to have the skills they need to succeed in college or at a good job.
That can mean only one thing: In some critical ways, the system itself is broken. So Dallas ISD has done what major corporations that are in trouble do – with the help of generous donors to Dallas Achieves, we have partnered with some of the nation's most respected strategic consultants, including The Boston Consulting Group and the Public Strategies Group. They are analyzing every aspect of our operation, using best practices and data-driven research to form the roadmap for transformation.
Already, based on the consultants' research, we are implementing reforms to central office operations that should save us as much as $20 million a year. In April, the consultant team will present Phase II of their recommendations to the Dallas Achieves Commission and then to me and the trustees.
Those recommendations will enshrine a new academic rigor – raising benchmarks to the level required to equip every student for college and a career (for instance, making "commended" rather than "passing" performance on the TAKS the baseline measure of college readiness). Teachers will be supported to ensure that students are meeting the tougher benchmarks, and principals will be accountable for making sure their teachers have the skills and the resources to do so.
Central administration will be accountable for serving the schools (rather than the other way around) and for putting the money where it will produce academic gains. Engaged parents and the larger community will be called on to participate, supporting and challenging all of us along the way.
If you don't think we're serious, consider the assessment of the National Center for Educational Accountability, which reviewed Dallas ISD's curriculum and proposed significant changes a year ago. When they came back recently to assess our progress, they said they had never seen a district accomplish so much so quickly.
Publicly declaring that we are on the Road to Broad carries a risk. The trustees and I are willing to take that risk because we believe in our students, our families, our teachers, our administrators and you – the people of Dallas. We do not intend to fail.
Dr. Michael Hinojosa is general superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District. His e-mail address is suptresponse@dallasisd.org.
A great memo concerning your involvement...
The following includes important dates to the Parents of Lee and a blueprint of the important issues facing us.
“Parents of Lee” areas of interest
Opportunities through DISD
• Dual Language Program
• Expanded Pre-K
• 2 Phases
o Logistics meeting Feb 26 or March 6 (waiting for confirmation from Dual Lang. & Early Childhood reps)
• Attendees
• Area 3 Superintendent Mr. Castro
• Principal Zapata
• DISD Dual Language representatives
• DISD Early Childhood representatives
• GWRA Early Childhood representative, Laura Legg
• General Purpose
• Learn about general aspects of programs
• Learn about logistics of implementation and requirements
• Learn about process going forward
o Town Hall meeting date to be set with Dual Lang., Early Childhood & Principal Zapata through Castro’s office
Kindergarten Round Up
• Goal is to increase awareness of Lee and increase student population (above current 40% capacity)
• 2 Key dates
o CiCi’s Pizza Lee benefit night, Wed. March 7
• General Purpose
• Introduction opportunity between existing Parents of Lee and GWRA Early Childhood group
• Provide opportunity to get to know one another and find common ground on goals for general life at Lee
• Support Lee’s fundraising set up through CiCi’s pizza
• Solicit willing volunteers to get involved with Round-up event
o Round-up, Friday, March 23 6:00 – verify date and time with Ms. Zapata
• General Purpose
• Educate potential future Lee parents about the school and future
• Provide a means to meet Pre-k and Kinder teachers and see their classroom
• Provide a means to show various extra curricular opportunities available to students
75th Anniversary Celebration
• Week of May 14-18 put on by Robert E. Lee celebration committee
• Parents of Lee can offer help in the form of volunteers, suggestions and publicity.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
To the Parents of Lee,
I wanted to let you all know that I had a really positive meeting with Principal Zapata today. One of the things that I got from her is that she would like to keep communication lines open and clear. She is looking for me to be her main point of contact for our "Parents of Lee" group in order to avoid miscommunication and overwhelming calls. Please feel free to let me know anything that you would like passed on to her. I will do my best to attend the SBDM meetings. The following is what I proposed to her and I invite you all to any and all meetings and events. We have made a lot of progress and have a lot of work to go to see some real improvements happen. Principal Zapata was very encouraging, particularly for the expanded Pre-K program! She had actually asked to implement this previously. I guess the stars are all aligning for us to work together and make it happen. I think many of you will be very excited to hear the details as they are revealed to us all.
All events are open to all, so if you know of anyone who is interested in attending, please pass the word on! We are working hard to set a town hall meeting that will be the ideal setting for us all to learn more and have a chance to have our voices heard. I will announce meeting time as soon as I am able to get it! -Laura
Friday, February 9, 2007
A great meeting at Ozona
What a wonderful night last night for Robert E. Lee Elementary. There is so much energy and involvement that is building towards our goal of transforming our school. Thank you to all the parents who came out to Ozona for our first Parents of Lee get-together/hoedown.
We will begin working this weekend on building a full website which we hope will be a one stop shop for all info regarding our school and our efforts. Please, if you know of any other parents in our Lee attendance zone with kids of elementary school age, have them get on our emailing list. Email info to parentsoflee@gmail.com. You can make a difference!
Sunday, February 4, 2007
The Ball is Rolling for R.E. Lee!!!!
Please join us at 7:00PM this Thursday, Feb 8th, at Ozona Restaurant for a casual meet and greet/ brainstorming session. We’ll talk about:
the current state of affairs
what we expect out of a neighborhood school
what we can do to help
what we get from the district
You can help by distributing flyers and helping to spread the word to your neighbors. There is a lot of great momentum starting and I hope you will be a part of it!
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Become a volunteer at Lee
Voluteers can help in many ways. The kids need YOU to help them have a great and rewarding school life. The first step is... Parent volunteers should complete a Volunteer Application, and all new volunteers must also participate in an orientation. DISD ensures safety by performing a criminal records check.
DISD Parent Resource Center
A great website for DISD parents
Volunteers can …
* Work with students at and away from school
* Become tutors or mentors
* Serve as readers, listeners or speakers
* Help in all areas of a school building, particularly in the lunchroom and library
* Be “Principal for a Day”
* Help a specific student, teacher, administrator, or the school in general
* Sponsor events, activities or programs
* Serve as advisory committee members
Volunteers can …
* Chaperone a field trip
* Create a telephone network to communicate with parents
* Design displays and bulletin boards
* Prepare refreshments for students and teachers
* Donate materials, supplies, in-kind services, or motivational incentives for teachers and students
* Serve as advocates for students, teachers and public education
* Share professional development sessions with teachers and administrators
* Facilitate information dissemination where they work or within organizations that they belong to
Volunteers can ...
* Help build students’ self-esteem and self-confidence
* Give students extra chances for success
* Inspire enthusiasm for and encourage academic pursuits
* Give students instant feedback
* Add another adult friend to a student’s experience
* Increase a student’s knowledge about the world
* Introduce volunteerism to our youth
* Establish school/community/business links for quality education
