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Skyview Named Inaugural
$10,000 Pogue Flame
Award Winner
PHS Girl's Soccer Ranks in
Top Ten Nationally
Mighty Ram Band in
State's Top Ten Again
523 RISD Students
Named AP Scholars
North JH Student Named
To All American Team
Spirit Run 2010
Lights on After School
Fright Night Family Reading
at Arapaho Classical Magnet
RISD Teams, Boosters, Fans
Support Injured Player
Care Packages
for LH Heroes
SRE Gives Back
Bowie Welcomes
Troy Dungan
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2010-11 Academic Calendar
2011-2012
Proposed Calendar
RISD wants your feedback
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Proposed Calendar (PDF)
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Skyview Named Inaugural $10,000 Pogue Flame Award Winner
Skyview Elementary has been named the winner of the 2011 Pogue Construction Flame Award, which includes $10,000 for campus use. Students and staff learned of the award at a surprise presentation last week at a school assembly.

Pogue Construction President & CEO Ben Pogue, RISD Superintendent Dr. Kay Waggoner, RISD Excellence in Education Foundation President & CEO Elizabeth Hart and Foundation President of the Board Richard Ramey made the surprise presentation to Skyview Principal Philip Bates as hundreds of students and staff cheered.

The Pogue Construction Flame Award is administered through the RISD Excellence in Education Foundation and is awarded to an elementary school that demonstrates the following criteria:
  • Has earned a TEA Exemplary rating
  • Superior integration of technology
  • A nurturing learning environment and engaged student body
  • High percentage of student success and achievement
Skyview was selected after a comprehensive application and evaluation process administered by the RISD Excellence in Education Foundation. They can spend the $10,000 award on resources to support the school and students.

Every RISD school was eligible to submit an application.

Thanks to Pogue Construction for sponsoring the award, and congratulations to Skyview Elementary students and staff! >Top
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PHS Girls' soccer ranks in top ten nationally

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Adidas have recognized J.J. Pearce High School as one of the top 10 high school girls' soccer teams in America for 2010.

Pearce is Number 8 in the National final poll which includes both 4A and 5A teams. >Top
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Mighty Ram Band in state's Top Ten Again
The Berkner H.S. Mighty Ram Band earned another state top 10 finish this week at the Texas UIL 5A Marching Band Competition in San Antonio, finishing 8th. The band, led by director Frank Troyka, was making its ninth consecutive appearance at the state UIL 5A band competition, which is held every two years. The state competition hosts 36 bands that advanced through regional and area competitions from across Texas.

This year's finish marks the fourth top 10 placement in the last five state competitions for the Berkner Marching Band.

Congratulations to the students, staff, parents and boosters of the 2010 Mighty Ram Band! >Top
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523 RISD Students Named AP Scholars

The College Board recently announced that 523 students in Richardson ISD have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on Advanced Placement Exams.

RISD offers the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Program to provide willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous, college-level course while still in high school. Students can earn college credit, advanced placement, or both through successful performance on AP Exams.

The 523 RISD students performing at this level are among the top 18 percent students worldwide who took an AP Exam. Within the AP Scholar framework are several levels of achievement, based on AP Exam performance:

  • 306 RISD Students earned the status of AP Scholars by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher on a five-point scale.

  • 90 RISD students earned the status of AP Scholars with Honor by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on at least four exams.

  • 127 RISD students earned the status of AP Scholars with Distinction by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on at least five exams.

Among the AP Scholars with Distinction, 19 RISD Students earned the highest status possible of National AP Scholar, by earning an average score of 4 or higher on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on at least eight exams.

RISD's 2010 National AP Scholars include: >Top
 
Award Category BHS PHS LHHS RHS Total
AP Scholars 77 82 57 90 306
AP Scholars with Honor 22 28 18 22 90
AP Scholars with Distinction 42 40 13 32 127
National AP Scholars 7 7 2 3 19
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North JH Student Named To All American Team
Richardson North Junior High student Hank Hughes was recently named to the 2011 Eastbay Youth All American Football Team. He is one of just 48 student athletes in the United States to be selected for the team, and Hank will compete in an All-Star Game in January in San Antonio in advance of the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Game for high school seniors.

Hughes was selected after his area nomination as an elite player in his age group and a comprehensive review of his game footage. He has contributed to the North Junior High 7th Grade Football Team's great record this season.

Anthony Travis is the North JH 7th Grade Football Coach.

Congratulations to Hank! >Top
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Spirit Run 2010
Run "The Spirit Run" and enjoy entertainment every step of the race! Four High Schools will compete for bragging rights and a coveted traveling Spirit Trophy based on your end-of-race votes for the most spirited High School.

Each High School will be assigned one of four water stops and have their Drum Lines, Jazz bands, and others entertain you and cheer you to the finish!

This year's Spirit Run will be held on Sat., Nov. 13 at 8:30 a.m. in Galatyn Park (George Bush Turnpike & Central Expressway). Registration is open now. The registration fee is $30. (the registration is $35 on race day, so register early).

Click here for more event details. >Top
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Lights On After School
RISD's PACE After School Programs, including the programs funded through the 21st Century Grant and provided free of charge to economically disadvantaged RISD families, recently participated in a national effort to raise awareness about the importance of after school programming called Lights On After School.

Partnering with the Dallas After School Network, residents were invited on a bus tour through Richardson to tour three after school program providers, the Boys and Girls Club of Dallas, The Richardson Youth Services Council, and the RISD 21st Century PACE Program at West Junior High.

Residents learned about the shortage of quality, supervised after school care in the Richardson area, and some of the successes and challenges the programs face.
     
Afterwards, an open house event at RISD's Professional Development Center specifically showcased the RISD's PACE Programs for parents and community members.

PACE students performed, displayed projects and demonstrated the breadth and quality that PACE Programming offers RISD students and parents. >Top
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Fright Night Family Reading at Arapaho Classical Magnet
Arapaho Classical Magnet held its second Fright Night Family Reading Night, Thursday, October 28th and entertained many parents and current and future ACM students.

Students have been participating in a Story Book Pumpkin Contest for many years where students choose a book and make a pumpkin depicting one of the characters or a setting in the book. But in recent years the pumpkins became so extravagant that the parents and families were brought in to help with the task of choosing their favorites.

That's how Fright Night Family Reading Night was born! The event includes stories, a craft for children to make, and of course voting for your favorite pumpkins. Stories, old and new, were read by ACM teachers Ruth Ward, Jill Hickey and PACE Site Coordinator Kerry Bryant.

Teacher Heather Jackson also entertained the group with the making of "The Witch's Brew." >Top
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RISD Teams, Boosters, Fans Support Injured Player
RISD's three District 9-5A high schools, Berkner, Lake Highlands and Richardson, each chose home football games this year to raise funds in support of paralyzed Molina H.S. football player Diondre Preston.

Preston, Molina's quarterback, was injured in a game earlier this season and is currently confined to a wheelchair. Molina H.S. was a district rival of the three RISD schools in 2008 and 2009, and many current RISD players played against Preston.

At four games this year, RISD students went into the stands, home and away, to 'pass the helmet' for fans and boosters to offer donations.

In all, RISD collected more than $7,000 in benefit of Diondre, an overwhelming outpouring of support for a former rival, and a strong lesson learned for students about things much more important than winning or losing. >Top
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Care Packages for LH Heroes
Pamela Karnavas, Katie Barrett, Veta Parker, Suzanne McKown, and Melissa Herber write letters and pack a box for their soldier.
LHHS faculty and staff started the school year with a patriotic service project! On the first day of our August staff development, each person returned to school with items to go into "care packages" for someone serving overseas.

Rhonda Russell, a former LHHS teacher and founder of the LH Military Moms, helped us organize our packing and mailing lists, plus several staff members shared stories of their loved ones currently serving in the military. We divided the staff into small groups, wrote letters to our assigned serviceman (who was a graduate of LHHS or a family member of someone at LHHS), and created a box of goodies for each person.

Paul Matchniff, our video tech teacher, filmed the afternoon and created a DVD of our packing day and messages of well-wishes. Each box was filled with snacks and treats, toiletries, notes, a DVD, and lots of love from Lake Highlands. After filling and mailing over 30 boxes, we still had donations remaining, so other organizations at LHHS, most recently the girls' soccer team, repeated the project. It was a wonderful way to begin the school year, and we were happy to be honoring some of Lake Highlands' Heroes. >Top
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SRE Gives Back
Springridge Elementary students visited a local retirement community recently as part of a program called "SRE Gives Back." "SRE Gives Back" is a Enrichment Cluster facilitated by teacher Stacy Hefner.

Their cluster is devoted to service for the elderly community. They have been communicating with the activities coordinator, learning about the people that live there and what they like to do. They planned a field trip and visited to play games and meet the people they have been learning about. >Top
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Bowie elementary welcomes troy dungan
Bowie Elementary welcomed a special guest, Troy Dungan, retired meteorologist, who visited the Bowie TV Station on October 25. Mr. Dungan answered the students' questions and gave excellent advice on delivering the news. >Top
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