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RISD FIRST IN NATION TO IMPLEMENT NEW ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAM |
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Springridge third grade teacher Ellen Sidweber talks to students during RTime.
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A little common courtesy and social development goes a long way for elementary students in Richardson ISD. Imagine seven year olds from all ethnicities, economic and social backgrounds greeting each other warmly, working cooperatively on tasks, and expressing real gratitude to each other along with other kind words.
This is how a new anti-bullying program called RTime works, and RISD is the first district in the United States to implement the program, which has been used in England since 2002 with impressive results. RTime was introduced at three pilot campuses in RISD during the first week of classes, Bukhair, Mohawk and Springridge Elementary Schools.
Using just 15 minutes of class time each week, RTime seeks to teach social behavior and skills to students from Kindergarten through 6th-grade. The lessons learned are then reinforced by teachers and administrators throughout the week.
“This is the most impressive anti-bullying program I’ve ever seen, said RISD Director of Student Assistance Programs Jill Darling. “Starting from their first day at school, students learn to see their peers as people, get a chance to work one on one with them, learn about them, and form the foundation for friendship. The lessons learned through RTime are consistently reinforced throughout the year, at every level, to the point that a culture of mutual respect and understanding pervades the campus. It’s extraordinary.”
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RISD is already seeing RTime yield positive results, and is tentatively planning to expand the program to additional campuses next year.
While RTime is an acronym for Relationships To Improve Education, some RISD students already have a different name for their weekly sessions: “Our Time.”
For more information about RTime, please visit www.RTime.info. >Top |
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HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY PAYS TRIBUTE TO THOSE LOST ON 9/11 |
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Students at Richardson Heights Elementary school held a special flag ceremony on September 11 to remember and honor the individuals whose lives were lost because of the terrorist attacks on the same day in 2001. Members of the Richardson Police and Fire Departments attended and were recognized, along with Richardson’s mayor, Steve Mitchell and city council member John Murphy.
Cub Scout troop 584 began the ceremony by raising the flag and then lowering it to half staff. The troop then led all participants in the pledge to the U.S. and Texas flag.
Similar remembrances of 9/11 were held throughout RISD. >Top |
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BIG SPRINGS ELEMENTARY NAMED NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL |
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Richardson ISD announced today that Big Springs Elementary School has been named as the district’s twentieth No Child Left Behind National Blue Ribbon School, a recognition determined by the United States Department of Education (USDE).
“We congratulate Big Springs for earning this honor and continuing RISD’s tradition of achievement,” said RISD Superintendent Dr. David Simmons. “The students, parents and staff have a right to be proud of this recognition of their consistently high performance.”
Schools can earn No Child Left Behind National Blue Ribbon School recognition for being either academically superior in their states or demonstrating dramatic gains in student achievement. Big Springs was initially nominated by the Texas Education Agency.
The USDE based this designation on site evaluation visits, student academic performance and comprehensive nomination information.
In 2006, Yale Elementary school marked the nineteenth RISD school to earn National Blue Ribbon honors.
For additional information regarding No Child Left Behind National Blue Ribbon School recognition, please visit the U.S. Department of Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html. >Top |
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BOARD PRESIDENT KIM QUIRK EARNS MASTER TRUSTEE DESIGNATION |
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RISD trustee and board president Kim Quirk has earned the prestigious designation of Master Trustee upon completion of Leadership TASB, a program sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards.
The designation is available to school board trustees in Texas who go above and beyond with training and preparation, making them highly qualified to serve their communities.
Congratulations to Ms. Quirk! >Top |
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MOSS HAVEN WELCOMES SOLIDER HOME FROM IRAQ |
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BUKHAIR ELEMENTARY PEP RALLY |
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BIG SPRINGS' FLAT BOB MEETS OLYMPIC CHAMPION MICHAEL PHELPS |
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Eight-time gold medalist Michael Phelps hung out with Flat Bob between world records.
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At the end of school in June, Big Springs Elementary unveiled “Flat Bob, the Bobcat,” a meld of the school’s mascot and popular children’s book about Flat Stanley.
Blue cardstock was provided to each student and staff member with their own Flat Bob, along with instructions to take him along anywhere and everywhere during the summer. Children and grownups were asked to bring him back in August as a means of sharing news of their busy summer.
Little did anyone know that Flat Bob would travel the world, including to Beijing and the Olympics, thanks to parent Jay Gray, who works for NBC. >Top |
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AUDELIA CREEK WEIGHTS IN ON THE IMPORTANCE OF VOTING |
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NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALIST ANNOUNCED |
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Richardson Independent School District has announced that 9 seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists for the 2008-2009 academic year, making them eligible for consideration to receive a National Merit Scholarship.
The students represent some of the top academic performers in the United States.
More than 1.4 million juniors in nearly 21,000 high schools entered the 2008 National Merit Program by taking the 2005 PSAT which serves as the initial screen of program entrants. They represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and the highest scoring entrants in each state.
The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
“These outstanding students deserve congratulations for a job well done,” said RISD Superintendent Dr. David Simmons. “To be named among the best is a great boost for them in anticipation of their college years ahead. The district is proud of them.”
Students enter the National Merit competition by scoring well on PSAT tests, usually taken junior year, and advance in the program based on their skills, accomplishments and subsequent SAT scores. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition to receive one or more of 8,200 merit scholarships worth more than $30 million.
Richardson ISD’s 2008-2009 National Merit Semifinalists
Drew Albert, Pearce HS
James Anderson, Pearce HS
Alex Devine, Pearce HS
Alexandru Firan, Pearce HS
Young Lee, Pearce HS
Hua, Lee, Pearce HS
Kevin Wang, Lake Highlands HS
Andrew Weinberger, Lake Highlands HS
Matthew Weir, Pearce HS
Approximately 90 percent of semifinalists are expected to be named National Merit Finalists in February.
For more information, please visit www.nationalmerit.org. |
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MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT AND BOARD PRESIDENT |
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Superintendent David Simmons, Ph.D., & Board President Kim Quirk |
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The RISD Board of Trustees and Superintendent's Advisory Council spent a considerable amount of time reviewing RISD's vision statement, district beliefs and goals. It was not a full scale rewrite, but an update to BETTER reflect who we are today. These statements provide the foundation for all the plans and decisions made at a district level.
What’s different? Not much really, but you will notice the addition of words such as “inclusive,” “safe,” and “trust.” We also changed from “recognizing” to “retaining” our staff, as it is important to us that we foster an environment where our district employees feel appreciated and know we want them to stay and flourish. Additionally, we added a belief statement on educators, which was missing before. We know that nothing else matters without dedicated and skilled educators, so it was imperative to us in our discussion that this was reflected in our beliefs.
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In our review of the vision, beliefs and goals, we also talked about what we really want for every child. And putting into words the ultimate task for RISD, we created a tag line we hope you will embrace. In RISD, we unlock potential, provide opportunities and enable dreams…for every student.
To us, it describes our desire to be less about test results and more about making sure each child performs to his or her highest potential. And while state ratings are important, if we focus on unlocking potential, providing opportunities and enabling dreams for all students, the accolades and recognitions will take care of themselves.
Because our vision, mission and goals for RISD are the underlying motivation for all that we do, we felt it was important to unveil them to you as soon as possible. >Top |
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| Vision Statement |
| To educate each student in an academically excellent, individually responsive, innovative and inclusive learning community |
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| We Believe That |
- All students must be challenged.
- High performance requires high expectations.
- Innovative educators and dynamic curriculum are essential for student achievement.
- Diversity strengthens RISD.
- The spirit of community is central to RISD.
- Continuous improvement yields excellence.
- A supportive, safe and secure environment is essential to learning.
- Trust and respect form the cornerstone of the RISD culture.
- Public education is vital to a democratic society.
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| Goals |
- We will expect our students to achieve personal academic success.
- We will recruit, develop and retain a high-performing and diverse staff.
- We will develop individual and civic responsibility.
- We will ensure a safe and inclusive environment.
- We will foster a high degree of school and community engagement and trust.
- We will be fiscally responsible, efficient and effective in all operations.
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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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