Cougar Community Newsletter

A public hearing was held to discuss the results of the Financial Integrity Ratings System of Texas (FIRST). Chief Financial Officer Robert Navarro reviewed the criteria set by the state and how Jarrell ISD is meeting those requirements. The state awarded the district's Business and Finance Department an "A" for their work.

Character Trait of the Month: Service

This month's essay was written and presented by Henry Martone, a senior at Jarrell High School. He spoke about the act of service and how being a servant leader is about the impact we have on those around us. Click on the link below to download his essay.

• Double Creek Elementary: Tyler Greatting (Student), Kurt Petter (Staff)

• Jarrell Elementary: Isaias Santos (Student - Not Present), Kylie Norwood (Staff)

• Igo Elementary: Savannah Spell (Student), Thomas Tomczuk (Staff)

• Jarrell Middle School: Antonio Melendrez (Student), Amy Brown (Staff - Not Present)

• Jarrell High School: Kaliyah Winters (Student), Wes McCarley (Staff)

The Jarrell ISD Business and Finance Department was honored with a "Superior Achievement" award from the Financial Integrity Ratings System of Texas (FIRST). Receiving such an honor from the state illustrates how well our Business and Finance Department manages taxpayer dollars and is fiscally responsible.

The Business and Finance Department team:

Robert Navarro - Chief Financial Officer (Pictured center)

Andrea Maldonado - Accounts Payable (Pictured center)

Michelle Viera - Payroll (Not Pictured)

Tanya Edgar - Child Nutrition Coordinator (Not Pictured)

Communication and Informational Items:

- Student Outcomes presented by Superintendent Dr. Toni Hicks

- Chief Financial Officer Robert Navarro presented the proposed 2025 - 26 Budget Calendar

- Student Voice Presentation: JHS student Ayla Crane presented an update about FCCLA and the student leadership opportunities it presents

- Laura Buckley, Assistant Superintendent of Students Service, presented information about the 2025 - 26 Academic Calendar

- Kelly Blair, Director of Secondary Education, presented the school board with new course options students will have next school year

- Sledge Engineering presented the monthly 2023 Bond update

Action Items:

In addition to the monthly consent agenda, the board approved:

- Updates to policy EIC(Local)

All presentations are attached below.

Construction on Jarrell Ranch Middle School is making incredible progress. The new middle school is on the east side of 487 and will open in August 2025. Below is a link to drone video taken earlier this month.

December Drone Video

Jarrell Ranch Middle School will open in August 2025, requiring new attendance zones. Earlier this fall, an Attendance Zone Committee was formed to help establish the new boundaries. The committee has been reviewing, analyzing, and making recommendations. Due to short-term capacity issues, the committee eliminated Draft Plans #1 and #2, leaving two of the four plans for community input. Please click the links below to view these options and the survey link to provide feedback.

Plan #3 https://drive.google.com/.../1e7rKOgt...

Plan #4 https://drive.google.com/.../1_GwVERWiz_nDBlteV...

Survey Link: https://shorturl.at/HDzLa

To learn more about Jarrell Ranch Middle School, click on the link: www.jarrellisd.org/Page/654

Jarrell Ranch Middle School will open in August 2025 for the 25 - 26 academic school year.

NOTE: These attendance zones are not final. They are recommendations made by a separate committee, not the school district. They will be presented to the school board in the spring. The school board makes the final decision.

Jarrell ISD has partnered with Sphere Realty, a locally owned and managed real estate company, to offer our employees discounts on rental properties. The exclusive discounts are for all Jarrell ISD employees and apply to select rental properties as part of this partnership.

The special offer varies by property. Discounts range from $500 off the first month's rent to the equivalent of one full month of free rent, split between the first two months.

Click on the link to search for local properties. Look for the "JC" code in the property description.

Sphere Realty Property Search. Please share the news with your friends who are employees of the district or who are searching for a job in education.

For more information, you can contact Sphere Realty at 512-746-8338.

The Texas Board of Nursing has updated its medication policies, including changes to how over the counter medicine is administered. The new policy requires that all medications distributed in a school setting be administered by the school nurse and have a note from the student's doctor. The policy includes over the counter medications.

If there is over the counter medication kept in the Nurse's Clinic for your child, you must provide a Physician Order upon return after winter break. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's school nurse.

Igo Elementary School: julie.faulkner@jarrellisd.org
Double Creek Elementary School: michelle.taylor@jarrellisd.org
Jarrell Elementary School: audrey.zuniga@jarrellisd.org
Jarrell Middle School: taylor.mullins@jarrellisd.org
Jarrell High School: deborah.childress@jarrellisd.org

Click on the link for more information from the Texas Board of Nursing.

The Jarrell ISD Police Department has a new officer. Officer Robert Broomhall has twenty-five years of law enforcement experience. He started his career in 1999 with the Georgetown Police Department, where he spent time as a patrol officer and worked undercover in their narcotics division.

In 2002, Officer Broomhall joined the Austin Police Department. There, he worked in Northeast Area Command until 2006, when he started working as a member of the DTAC (Downtown Area Command) on 6th Street. Officer Broomhall retired from the Austin Police Department in 2022.

Officer Broomhall is a Master Peace Officer with nearly 3500 training hours and is a certified mental health officer. Join us in welcoming Officer Robert Broomhall to the Cougar family.

The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. In addition to having police officers on every campus and security measures and protocols, the district also follows the Standard Response Protocol (SRP). School districts across the country use the SRP format. Please download the information sheets to learn about the protocols and their meaning. It's crucial we all know the difference, especially in the event of an emergency.

Jarrell ISD has partnered with ParentSquare to facilitate teacher-to-parent communication. This secure platform keeps parents informed of school news and classroom updates. Click on the link to learn more about ParentSquare and to download the app.

ParentSquare Training Portal

Jarrell ISD now has a mobile app. The app is a centralized platform for students, parents, teachers, and the community to stay connected and informed with real-time announcements and important notifications. The app is available to download in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Search "Jarrell ISD" to download the app and join the digital hub of your child's campus and district information.

Follow us on social media.

Jarrell ISD has a clear bag policy for athletic events. Please review the documents below to see what an acceptable bag is and isn't.

Email: communications@jarrellisd.org
Website: www.jarrellisd.org
Location: 504 N. 5th Street, Jarrell, TX 76537
Phone: 512-746-2124
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JarrellIndependentSchoolDistrict
Instagram: @Jarrell_ISD

Twitter: @Jarrell_ISD