December Parent Newsletter

As the 2024 year comes to a close, I want to express my gratitude for the incredible efforts of our students, staff, and community. This year, under our Strive-Thrive-Achieve theme, we’ve made a tremendous effort—whether through continued efforts at multiple levels to strengthen our academic programs, the positive impacts of our targeted teacher training programs, or fostering deeper connections across our district. While things are never perfect, we continue to strive for progress.

I cannot close the year without mentioning the November 5th Election Season. Despite a dedicated effort and extensive community outreach, Tarkington Independent School District (TISD) must regroup following the November 2024 bond referendum's results, which required more support to pass. We are encouraged by the community's support.

Nov. 5th FOR: 47% - 2,178 votes and AGAINST: 53% - 2,469 votes Total Votes Cast - 4,647

First, I want to invite everyone to join me in thanking Pete Vandver and Cory Anderson for their years of service on the Tarkington ISD board and in the community. Mr. Vandver served 12 years, and Mr. Anderson has served for 4 years. This is a volunteer role where you give hours of your time to serve the children of this community. Thank you for your service.

Please join me in welcoming two new board members, Jaclyn Flores and Jason Ward, who are committed to serving the TISD school community. They will be sworn in on December 16th. I look forward to continuing the work as a Team of Eight in service of our students, staff, and parents.

As we look ahead to the new year 2025, I’m excited about the opportunities before us. Together, we will continue building on what we know, who we have, and what we have learned from them. This will ensure every student has the support they need to thrive. Let’s embrace the new year's possibilities with positivity, renewed energy, collaboration, respect, and a shared commitment to excellence.

Thank you for being an essential part of our journey. I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season and a bright start to the new year!

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new. - Dan Millman

Thank you for redirecting your energy…so we can win!

Merry Christmas! The students at TECS and TES are gearing up for the end of the semester and also for those Christmas parties and activities! Please make sure to be checking your child's folder and your emails from their teacher for important dates and times of upcoming events.

• Benchmark Test: 12/9 Math, 12/11 ELAR, 12/12 Science.
• Christmas Parties - 12/19 (More Details in grade level newsletters)
• No parent lunches for the month of December due to the testing calendar.
• Half Day of School on 12/19; early release is at 1:10pm.
• Looking for volunteers to read with students, contact Ms. DeYoung at: cdeyoung@tarkingtonisd.net for additional information.

Volunteer Opportunities

We invite you to join our school community by volunteering! Your involvement not only enriches our students’ experiences but also strengthens the bonds between our school and the community. Whether helping in the classroom, organizing events, helping with student incentives, mentoring students, or sharing your insights and skills, every little bit makes a big difference. Together, we can create a vibrant learning environment that benefits our children and fosters lasting connections. Thank you for considering the following opportunities to make a positive impact!

• Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) - Next Meeting December 10th @ 5:30 pm
• Campus Improvement Committee - Next Meeting Coming in January
• DAD Squad - Virtual Meeting - December 9 @ 6:00 pm
• meeting link: meet.google.com/tex-tpsu-vre
• Second Cup of Coffee - Next Meeting December 3 @ 9:00 am

Striving for Success

Our teachers are working diligently to create engaging, hands-on lessons that make learning both meaningful and enjoyable while ensuring students receive the tools they need for success. This week, our ELAR department energized their classrooms with relay stations covering essay structure, narrative elements, poetry, and informational text, culminating in a lively game of figurative language bingo. In 8th-grade history, Coach Ratliff’s class dove into the Monroe Doctrine’s impact on the Western Hemisphere through a creative game of Red Rover. Mrs. Cook’s 7th-grade science students explored Thermal Energy—conduction, convection, and radiation—by making popcorn using three different methods. Meanwhile, Mrs. Tooley’s Flight Plans class gained real-world insights during a gallery walk focused on careers in business management and administration. Our TMS teachers truly shine in blending education with excitement, helping our students soar to new heights!

EOC Testing

The end of December is full of events to gather with friends and family, but it also brings the end of the semester and End of Course Exams. We encourage all our students to take their time with exams and to do their best as these exams are a graduation requirement.

Dec. 3 English I EOC

Dec. 4 English II EOC

Dec. 5 Algebra I EOC

Dec. 9 Biology EOC

Dec. 10 US History EOC

Congratulations to the following volleyball players on being selected to the District 19-4A All-District Teams. Also, shoutout to the following varsity players on making the Academic All-District Team:

Gracie Morrison

Natalie Deck

Alaina Lott

Maddy Kelly

Monica Rodriguez

Abigail Rodriguez

Rosie Ellington

Kylee Rich

Paisley Hearn

Basketball Season is here! Schedules for girls and boys can be found below or you can access them on the district website at: https://www.tarkingtonisd.net/departments/athletics

In response to the challenges of serving a growing number of English learners (EB students), our district will implement a comprehensive professional development plan designed to enhance instructional strategies across content areas. One major challenge we faced is ensuring all teachers feel equipped to support English learners in their classrooms, especially in facilitating student participation and comprehension. To address this, we are introducing the QSSSA strategy (Question, Signal, Stem, Share, Assess), which provides a structured framework for engaging EB students in speaking and listening activities. The professional development for QSSSA empowered teachers with tools to: Ask higher-order thinking questions to stimulate deeper understanding. Use signals to gauge student readiness and encourage participation. Provide sentence stems to guide students' responses in a structured way. Encourage sharing of responses to promote active participation. Quickly assess responses to provide immediate, targeted feedback. This professional development has been piloted by Mrs. Amber Keith at TMS with great success.

The TISD Child Nutrition Department takes pride in providing students with nutritious meals each day. Research shows that students who participate in the school meal programs consume more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables during meal times and have better overall diet quality, than nonparticipants. With that being said, we understand that there are families within our community who are struggling to pay for their student's meals. Students from households where the total income falls below $40,560 annually for a family of four—qualify for free lunch. (A family of four earning under $57,720 is eligible for a reduced-price meal.) However, when families who do qualify for free and reduced lunch meals finally sign up for the federal program, any lunch debt they accrued beforehand doesn’t disappear. This is why it is so important for the meal applications that are made available be filled out and returned as early as possible. These applications are made available to families as early as late July each year. Tarkington ISD is aware that there are several school districts in our area that are participating in the community eligibility program (CEP) that allows students to eat meals free of charge. There are many factors that play in to becoming eligible to participate in the CEP program, one of which is that in order for the District (TISD) to be eligible to participate we must have a minimum of 40 percent of identified students certified for free school meals without an application based on the students’ enrollment in a designated assistance program, and at this time TISD does not meet this criteria. The Child Nutrition Department makes applications available on the TISD website, at each school front office, at each cafeteria, by requests, and they are sent home with students who often have a negative balance.

Charge letters are sent home and emailed to parents each week to make them aware of their student's negative balance. Parents who opt in to the schoolcafe app are also able to set low balance alerts and monitor their students' accounts.

This month Communications focus will be on the most frequently asked questions and answers.

How do I find teacher emails?

To find teacher information go to the campus website, click the tab "Our Campus" and then click "Staff Directory." Teachers are listed by subject area for TMS and THS, and by grade level for TECS and TES.

How do I get my child's transcript?

To obtain a transcript or to have one sent to a college; please contact the registrar Kathryn Hudman at khudman@tarkingtonisd.net

How can I get a VOE (verification of enrollment)?

You might find that you need verification of enrollment for many different reasons, including obtaining a drivers license. To obtain a VOE, please email Marilyn Dumas at THS: mdumas@tarkingtonisd.net

How can a grandparent, family member, or someone in the community get on a mailing list for newsletters?

Do you know of someone who does not have children in TISD and would like to be on the district email list for important information and newsletters? If so, please share this link: https://forms.gle/g3b7uHagB4pL3faCA

Just in Case Information for the Holidays

If you are one who enjoys all the wonderful holiday movies, but you just don't know which streaming channel to look for them on, then use the handy chart below. It is not an all inclusive list, but it does have a variety of movies and the channel to stream it on.

The HR department is midway through planning for the Teacher Incentive Allotment, having completed three Zoom meetings with our TEA application consultant. We're excited about this opportunity for our teachers. Mrs. Bradberry attended a Shepherd ISD workshop on innovative staffing for student success, with education partners Teachworthy and Indiana Wesleyan University, where we toured elementary campuses and held a productive roundtable on strategies to address Texas's teacher shortage.

Directional Signs Installed!
We are excited to announce the installation of new directional signs across the district, which will help guide staff, students, and visitors more efficiently. A special shout-out goes to the Ag Department for their amazing work in crafting the frames for the signs!

Work Order Progress
Since August 1st, we have received a total of 456 work orders. Of those, an impressive 402 have been completed! This figure doesn’t even include the numerous daily operations and tasks that are handled without formal work orders. With only five maintenance crew members managing the entire district, this level of productivity is nothing short of remarkable.

Please join us in thanking our dedicated crew for their incredible effort and commitment to keeping our district running smoothly! We are truly proud of what they’ve accomplished.

Attendance Matters

Did you know that consistent school attendance is one of the biggest factors in a child’s academic success? Every day counts!

When students attend school regularly, they:

✅ Build better academic skills 📖
✅ Strengthen connections with teachers and classmates 🤝
✅ Develop important habits for future success 🚀

The district attendance goal is 97% or greater. Currently, attendance is: TECS 93.4%, TES 95.09%, TMS 94.45%, THS 94.58% and overall TISD 94.64%. Parents and guardians, your partnership is key! Encourage your child to be present and ready to learn every day. Together, we can help our students Strive, Thrive, and Achieve this school year!

It was a great pleasure to recognize two students this past week at our school board meeting. In our ‘See Something, Say Something” campaign, they did just that. They helped another student in need. It is refreshing to watch our students show kindness, compassion, communication, and report to staff when something doesn't seem right.

Communication, conflict resolution, handling peer pressure….. they are not innate. We are not born with these abilities. They must be learned and practiced.

In the past two weeks, I have witnessed Tarkington 4-H collect socks and pajamas for students in need. I have seen High School students come up to the school on their day off to hand out coats to those that didn’t have one. Today, I witnessed 3 girls at the highschool buy a brand new pair of shoes for a student. Things are being done confidentially, respectfully…with not shaming or judgment.

Thank you students! Continue to shine your bright light. Stand up for those less fortunate, for those that don’t have a voice. Be the one to “See Something and Say Something”. You make a difference!

Anonymous reporting though the StopIt App is available to anyone to use at any time and is located on our school website.

https://www.tarkingtonisd.net/families/stopit-report-bullying

I am excited to share some important updates regarding our ongoing efforts to enhance the safety and security of our schools. The well-being of our students and staff remains our top priority, and I am proud of our progress in recent months. The Raptor Visitor Management System is fully operational at all campuses, streamlining our visitor check-in process and strengthening our safety protocols. All campuses have two iPads available for visitors to sign in and be cleared to visit the campus. Visitors will need to bring a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, to utilize the system. Visitors will select the visitor option, scan both sides of their ID, take a picture, indicate the reason for their visit, and the system will print them a paper visitor badge. Upon exiting the building, visitors will stop at one of the kiosks, select the sign-out option, and scan the barcode on the paper visitor badge they were issued upon arrival. Not only will this process screen the visitors entering TISD campuses, but it will also give an accurate list of visitors in the building in case of an emergency.

Thank you for your support as we continue to prioritize the safety and security of our school community. Together, we can ensure a safe learning environment for all our students.

Tarkington ISD Technology Department: Empowering Innovation in the Classroom

We’re committed to enhancing both student and staff learning experiences through innovative technology solutions. Our Tech Ninjas have been working diligently behind the scenes to support teachers and administrators in the implementation of Chromebook classroom expectations. Through Tech Tips Tuesday, these tech experts have shared valuable insights, tips, and tricks to make everyday technology use seamless and efficient for our educators.

Our Tech Ninjas have also taken a hands-on approach to staff training and personal development, providing ongoing professional development opportunities to ensure everyone is equipped with the skills to succeed in a digital learning environment.

Alongside our Tech Ninjas, our school principals have been instrumental in shaping and supporting these classroom processes, ensuring that students and teachers can fully integrate technology into their learning spaces.

In addition to Chromebook implementation, we continue to add Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs) in classrooms, offering a more engaging and interactive way to present lessons and collaborate. We also upgraded our network infrastructure to support devices as they travel off-site for trainings and competitions, ensuring smooth connectivity and continued safe access to resources no matter the location.

DID YOU KNOW?

The World's First Computer Programmer Was a Woman

Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician, worked with Charles Babbage on his early mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. In 1843, she wrote the first algorithm meant to be carried out by a machine, making her the first computer programmer. Ada showed that computing was not just a field for men.

On October 10th, the Transportation Department conducted a successful Bus Evacuation Drill at Tarkington Early Childhood and Tarkington Elementary. During this drill, our team worked with students to teach them how to safely evacuate a school bus in the event of an emergency. The safety of our students is always our top priority, and drills like these help ensure that they are well-prepared in case of unexpected situations.

In addition to practicing evacuation procedures, students learned valuable bus safety tips that will help keep them safe throughout the school year.

We'd like to extend a special thank you to the following transportation staff members who assisted in the drill:
- Mr. Tilton

- Mr. Smith
- Mr. Bonvillain
- Ms. Young
- Ms. Laird
- Ms. Jackson

Their dedication and professionalism helped make this drill a success!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about bus safety, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Transportation Department at transportation@tarkingtonisd.net. We are committed to ensuring a safe and secure experience for all students.