January 2024

We are so thrilled to welcome everyone back for the 2024 spring semester! We hope you and your students had a great holiday break and feel rejuvenated to start the 3rd nine weeks. Report cards will be coming home with students this week and will be sent home by January 10, 2024.

January is School Board Appreciation Month. We are so grateful for our school board for their leadership, commitment to education, and the time they have each given to invest in KISD students and staff. A big THANK YOU to our School Board!

Jan. 8- Student Holiday, Teacher PD Day

Jan. 9- Welcome back students!

Jan. 11- Killeen ISD Academic Planning Fair, 5:30 p.m., KISD Career Center

Jan. 15- Martin Luther King Jr. Day, District Closed

Jan. 16- KISD Board Workshop, 9:00 a.m., Central Admin

Jan. 17- Student Health Advisory Council, 12:00 p.m., JPLC

Jan. 23- KISD School Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m., Central Admin

Looking Ahead to February

Feb. 13- KISD School Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m., Central Admin

Feb. 19- Bad Weather Makeup Day

Officers at the Killeen ISD Police Department are committed to creating a safe working and educational environment and protecting our future by providing diverse services to our community. Our officers are committed to building positive lasting partnerships with our students and community. Therefore, we always look for the best qualifying applicants willing to dedicate themselves to professional public service, becoming a member of the KISD family, and positively affecting students' lives, staff, and the community.

We will have 10 police cadet vacancies for the April Academy - posting will be open on KISD website Jan. 16, 2024-Feb. 6, 2024.

• Earn a salary while earning a Peace Officer License
• Duty Equipment and uniform provided
• Promotion and pay raise upon graduation

The Killeen ISD Police Department held it’s annual Blue Elf Toy Drive to benefit the KISD HARP and foster care program. This year’s drive brought over 400 toys with a last minute donation. The police department is extremely proud of the support this drive has received and gracious that these donations will make an impact for those who truly can use the boost during the holiday season. Officers see the need day in and day out while working in the district and are some of the biggest contributors to the toy drive’s success.

This is a come and go event designed to provide parents & students with an opportunity to explore programs available to students in middle and high school, such as our Early College High School, Middle & High School STEM Academies, the KISD Career Center, the KISD Firefighter Academy, the KISD Culinary Arts program, Advanced Placement courses, Athletics, Fine Arts, JROTC and so much more.

There are multiple pathways for students to earn college credits, up to an associate degree, while in high school, academic programs with over 40 industry certifications, such as pharmacy technician, registered dental assistant, welding, and Comp TIA computer certifications. Killeen ISD also offers a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities like sports, band, choir, orchestra and JROTC.

Join us on January 11 at the KISD Career Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to learn more about our student opportunities.

Absolutely! We have a way to keep your student engaged in learning whenever they are away from school, especially during the holiday season. The district provides research-based resources to help students improve and sharpen their math and reading skills in grades PK-5. Students can access both programs by logging into Clever.

• Istation is a supplement to the literacy instruction in PK-5th grade. This program is based on the Science of Teaching Reading. Students will work on Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension. This blended learning program is a great resource to meet students' needs and can be used at home.
• ST Math is a visual instructional program that leverages the brain's innate spatial-temporal reasoning ability to solve mathematical problems. It is a supplement to the math instruction in PK-5th grade. MIND Research Institute shows that students who used the ST Math program made significantly higher gains in math proficiency.

Students can access ST Math and Istation at home through the Clever portal. To access Clever, click here. ST Math can be used as often as need for the student.

District 12-6A and 22-5A basketball is in full swing, and there have been many exciting games already.

Follow us! Visit killeenisd.org/athletics for recaps and follow @KilleenISD_ on X (formally Twitter) for updates.

UIL Realignments

The University Interscholastic League announced realignment and reclassification enrollment cutoff numbers for the 2024-26 cycle and those numbers show Shoemaker (2,362), Harker Heights (2,351), and Killeen High (2,286) will compete at the Class 6A level starting with the Fall 2024 season. Additionally, Chaparral (1,999) will move from 5A Division II in football to 5A Division I while Ellison (1,799) does the opposite –– from 5A-I to 5A-II.

Three KISD student-athletes utilized the early signing period for Division I football and inked their Letters of Intent to play at the next level. Harker Heights’ Kabriel Anderson-Dale is headed to North Texas. Shoemaker’s Malik Esquerra and Kmare’ Balfour signed with Texas Tech and Lamar, respectively.

Click the links below to see where your favorite middle school basketball team stands this season.

• Boys

• Girls

Are you looking to improve your computer skills? Killeen ISD offers Computer Classes for Parents and Community. Our instructor provides hands-on practice with basic computer skills, internet safety, Microsoft Office, and more. Expect to level up your computer skills!

For more information, visit www.killeenisd.org/pfce

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is LIVE.

Completing and submitting the FAFSA form is free and easier than ever, and it gives you access to federal student aid—the largest source of aid— to help you pay for college or career/trade school.

Visit fafsa.gov to get started.

Squire Strings Camp

Calling all 4th and 5th graders who want to learn more about orchestra!!!

On January 20th KISD Orchestra Program will be providing a one day Strings Camp at Nolan Middle School. Students will get to see live demonstrations of each of the instruments by professional performers, try out each instrument, and pick one to learn to play for the day. Students will receive a camp t-shirt and pizza for lunch. To conclude camp, campers, KISD Orchestra staff and student helpers will put on a mini concert to show off what they have learned! Don’t hesitate if you would like to participate, spots in this camp go fast!

Fee: $12 payable online.

Save the Date for the Harker Heights HS TMEA Preview Concert

On January 25th, the Harker Heights HS Master Singers, under the direction of Spencer Wiley, will give a free preview performance to the community of their Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) concert material. Please come out and support the Master Singers at 7:00 p.m. at the First Methodist Church in Killeen. The Master Singers performance at TMEA will be on Thursday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the HB Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

Upcoming Theatre Events:

Jan. 15- The Edgar Allan Poe Afterlife Radio Show, 5:30 p.m., Rancier Middle School Cafeteria

Jan. 18- Emotional Baggage, 7 p.m., Killeen High School Auditorium

Jan. 23- MS UIL One Act Play Contest Zone A ,11 a.m., Killeen High School Auditorium

Jan. 26- MS UIL One Act Play Contest Zone B, 11 a.m., Shoemaker High School Auditorium

Jan. 28- Bard’s Banter: An Improv Shakespearience, 6:30 p.m., Harker Heights High School Black Box