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RISD Spelling Bee Winners Advance |
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| Winning word: Referendum |
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Winning word: Linguistically |
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| Winning word: Niagara |
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Winning word: Simulcast |
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Four RISD students are advancing to the Dallas County Public Schools Spelling Bee, to take place Feb. 9 at UTD. Each won his or her school's spelling bee and then a district spelling bee against other students from their high school's feeder pattern.
Second-place finishers at the district level were named alternates.
Congratulations to:
Berkner area:
Winner: Cynthia Corsiga – Yale Elementary
Winning word: Referendum
Alternate: Camille Fontenot – Big Springs Elementary
Lake Highlands area:
Winner: Kendall Powers – Lake Highlands Junior High
Winning word: Niagara
Alternate: Annie Hutton – White Rock Elementary
Pearce area:
Winner: Richard Li – Brentfield Elementary
Winning word: Simulcast
Alternate: Omar Itani – Parkhill Elementary
Richardson area:
Winner: Julia Ukattah – Heights Elementary
Winning word: Linguistically
Alternate: Paloma Renteria – Arapaho Classical Magnet >Top |
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RISD To Implement New Visitor management System |
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A new visitor and volunteer management system and guidelines will be implemented in February and March 2012 throughout RISD. Under the new guidelines, all campus visitors and volunteers will be required to furnish a valid, government-issued photo identification to gain admittance to an RISD school or facility.
One of RISD's top priorities is to maintain a safe and secure environment for all students and employees, and the new system will help to achieve that goal. It is not designed to and will not be used to unreasonably deny parents the opportunity to participate in their child's education.
Raptorware V-soft (Raptor) equipment will be installed at all schools Feb. 17-24. At high schools, the new policies and procedures will go into effect upon installation. A "grace period" will be in effect at elementary schools and junior highs until the new visitor guidelines become mandatory March 19.
When visitors arrive at a campus, front office staff will scan visitors' IDs through the Raptor system, and they will be issued a badge to be worn throughout that day's visit to a campus. The badge should be returned to the office at the completion of the visit.
The Raptor system will identify a visitor who is a registered sex offender or otherwise restricted from being on campus. District staff will be alerted, and an administrator will determine whether to approve the on-campus visit with proper supervision.
Acceptable forms of government-issued identification include: driver's license, state identification card, passport, concealed handgun license, military identification card, government identification card, police or firefighter identification, or Homeland Security-approved identification cards.
Use of the Raptor system will typically occur during regular school or facility operating hours and may be suspended for certain large events for which it is deemed inappropriate. Information stored in the Raptor system will be treated as confidential.
RISD will join a number of area districts in implementing a visitor management system.
To read the full RISD Visitor and Volunteer Registration System Operating Guidelines, please click here. >Top |
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Trustee Davis Not Seeking Re-Election |
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RISD Board of Trustees member Luke Davis recently announced that he will not seek re-election this May, creating an open seat in Place 1 on the Board.
Since Mr. Davis was first elected to the Board in 2000, he has served as both president and treasurer. In addition, he is recognized as a Master Trustee by the Texas Association of School Boards.
Mr. Davis said he has been honored to serve the district and is proud of the accomplishments RISD has achieved over the past 12 years.
"After proudly serving the Richardson ISD community since 2000, I have decided to not seek re-election to the Board of Trustees in May, 2012," he said. "It has been an honor to represent the RISD community, but it is time for another person to serve as the Place 1 Trustee.
"My goals as a Trustee were to be a tireless advocate for RISD students and staff, and a faithful steward for the community that entrusted me with decisions about children, school budgets, and public resources. My passion, commitment, and advocacy for the very best public education opportunities for all students will continue after my term expires in May.
"During my service, all school districts in Texas, including RISD, confronted numerous challenges including increased federal and state unfunded mandates, onerous state-imposed testing, deep cuts in state funding, an unfair and unduly burdensome school finance system, and an ever-increasing spectrum of students we serve. I am proud that RISD trustees and staff viewed each challenge through the lens of our vision, mission, and goals. As a result of our Board's focus and commitment, together with the efforts of staff and students, RISD continues to maintain its legacy of educational excellence, financial stability, efficient operations, and community support.
"My public service was only possible with the support, encouragement, love, tolerance, and sacrifices of my wife, Paula, and our children, Meredith and Oz. This was truly a family effort.
"I encourage our community to continue its support of RISD staff and quality programs for RISD students. I have the utmost confidence that RISD Superintendent Dr. Kay Waggoner and RISD Trustees will continue to work in the best interest of RISD and its students and staff."
The deadline for candidates to file to run for either of the two Board of Trustee places on the ballot this year is March 5. Election Day is May 12.
The Board's Election Calendar can be found here. >Top |
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The RISD Board of Trustees met Monday evening and discussed several issues, including RISD's current budget situation and the employee salary freeze.
For more information, please read the January 24 edition of Board Brief. (PDF) >Top |
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Parents Step Ahead Sponsors Parental Involvement Event At LHHS |
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| Parents speak to Community Council of Greater Dallas representatives. |
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Approximately 80 Lake Highlands-area parents learned about opportunities to get more involved in their children's education this week at an event cosponsored by RISD and a new partner, Parents Step Ahead.
The event at Lake Highlands High School included motivational speeches and a Community Resources Fair to introduce parents to services available through community organizations and RISD that can assist them and their children.
Speakers included a parent, a student, teachers, administrators and State Rep. Stefani Carter. They all spoke to parents about the importance of strong involvement in education and about ways that parents can work with schools to improve educational opportunities for their children.
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The LHHS event was the first that RISD and Parents Step Ahead have worked on together. Parents Step Ahead is a nonprofit organization that works with school districts in the Dallas area to recognize, educate, enable and empower parents to play an active role in their children's educational and personal development.
Corporate support came from El Hispano News, McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Educational Testing Service, LATINA Style Magazine and AT&T. Among the many exhibitors were HACER (McDonald's scholarship program), Primerica, UT Dallas, Community Council of Greater Dallas, STARS Program (UT Southwestern), MetroCare, ETA Cuisenaire, Proyecto Inmigrante, El Hispano News and Texas Tuition Promise Fund.
Thank you to Parents Step Ahead for helping to bring this event to RISD families. >Top |
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2012 Richardson Civic Art Society Young People's Scholarship Show Winners |
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Terrace Students Celebrate Academic Achievement |
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Forest Meadow Junior High Charger Depot |
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RISD Council of PTAs Used Book Fair - Feb. 16 |
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 The RISD Council of PTAs, the umbrella organization for all local school PTA units in the school district, is holding its 30th annual Used Book Fair. Proceeds from the book fair are designated for college scholarships to high school seniors chosen from all four RISD high schools.
The Used Book Fair will be held at Dal-Rich Village, on the southeast corner of Belt Line and Coit roads. Fair dates and hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 16-18 and noon-6 p.m. Feb. 19.
Books, collectible books, DVDs and CDs range in price from $0.25 to $2. There are 25 categories, including children's, chapter books, detective/mysteries, nonfiction, Westerns, cookbooks, romance, textbooks, art, music and religion.
To donate books, you can call your local school PTA, bring them to the book store site from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 8-10 or 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 11, or call Council of PTAs President Linda Holstien at 972-931-6353. >Top |
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SCHOOL TIMES NOW! ARCHIVE |
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Did you miss an issue of School Times Now!? Click here to view the archives. >Top |
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All the hot gamblers are in town, and they're depending on Nathan Detroit to set up this week's game. Berkner Theatre invites you to attend one of our performances of Guys and Dolls to find out whether Nathan marries Adelaide, whether Sky gambles on love with Sarah, or if everyone rocks the boat.
The Berkner Ramblers will hold a dance workshop for school-aged children ages 5 and up from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 in the Berkner cafeteria. Registration is $25, and people who register by Jan. 25 will receive a T-shirt. On-site registration is available as well.
Informing parents and teachers about the services provided by the RISD Transition Program. Discuss graduation options depending on what STAAR tests students take during the year and how the Transition Program connects students to careers and the community after high school. These services are provided to all students in all special education programs.
