Week of April 29

The San Marcos Education Foundation hosted the annual SMCISD Gala in honor of our 13 Teachers of the Year, Retirees and Years-of-Service Employees celebrating their 20-year milestones and above. Mrs. Kristina Woody was named the 2024 Rattler Resilience honoree for her inspiring efforts, dedicated leadership and overall resilient attitude she brings everyday to her staff, students and families of Mendez Elementary and truly all of Rattler Nation! Thank you to the San Marcos Education Foundation for helping coordinate such a special celebration for San Marcos CISD employees.

A special shoutout to Mrs. Fallon Drennan and her CTE Floral Design students who hand crafted the arrangements for this years Gala. This year's theme was Fiesta and the colorful centerpieces and succulents really brought the entire room together!

Congratulations to our Diamond Line Dance team for another successful year of drill season, competition and of course their Spring Show spectacular!

Our Rodriguez Knights visited "H-E-B" during their annual H-E-B Financial Literacy Day. Our kindergarten and 1st grade Knights visited a mini-H-E-B set up on campus, where they put their money sense skills in action by shopping for items on a list and making sure they had enough money to make their purchases. Thank you to our student cashiers, volunteers and H-E-B for making this experience possible for our Knights!

San Marcos CISD's elementary schools showed off their literary prowess during the Office of Academics' annual Battle of the Books on Monday, May 6. Congratulations to the Rodriguez Knights for winning this year's competition. Rounding out the top three finishers were Bowie Elementary and Crockett Elementary. We're proud of all of our student competitors and our campus librarians!

Oompa Loompa Doompety-Doo, our Goodnight performers had a tale to tell. Our Goodnight Middle School Fine Arts gave us golden tickets to two outstanding showings of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka Jr. on Thursday, May 2 and Friday, May 3. Congratulations to our Goodnight actors and actresses, and their director Ms. Gaston for their wonderful performances!

San Marcos High School's Mariachi Nuevo Cascabel visited each campus on Friday, May 3 for an early Cinco de Mayo celebration. Thank you to our SMHS Mariachi Program for informing our students about taking part in the program in the future, and performing wonderful music!

Congratulations to 24 San Marcos High School students who are Certified Nurses Assistants and just became certified phlebotomists! These Rattlers passed the State CNA certification exam in December after a rigorous semester of learning and clinical hours. On Friday, May 3, our Rattlers took their phlebotomy certification exam. Congratulations to Laila Araf, Sarahi Cante, Briana Janet Carr, Isabella Carr, Ariana Castro, Jaquelinne Contreras, Andrea Flores, Zubaeda Hassoun, Victoria Martinez, Rebeka Onofre, Akayla Sanchez, Ysabel Castillo, Addyson Chomel, Pamela Contreras, Brianna Estrada, Shaela Fletcher, Halynn Hernandez, Crystal Jimenez, Betania Martinez, Christopher Martinez, Alexander Pelaez Ortega Jr., Kimberlyn Salinas, Aliya Soliz, and Montserrat Yanez Lopez! We're proud of your hard work and tremendous accomplishments!

The Marvelous Miller Theater Department took audiences on an unforgettable journey during their performances of Suessical Jr. on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4. Our outstanding Miller performers brought Horton the Elephant, the Cat in the Hat and all of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters to life onstage. Congratulations to the Miller cast, crew and their director Mr. Oden for three fantastic showings!

Our Bonham Bears and their families took part in the annual Bear Walk on Thursday, May 9. The fun event featured a 1-mile walk, snow cones, music and fun activities. Our Bears received medals and prizes for completing the fun walk!

San Marcos High School students took part in the first ever Forensics and Law Enforcement Conference on Wednesday, May 1. The all-day event featured field trips to the San Marcos Police Department, Hays County Government Center, the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, Texas State University and Austin Community College. Juniors and seniors who took part in the conference returned to campus for an interactive exhibit hall, law enforcement panel and breakout session. Thank you to our SMHS Forensics Science teacher, Ms. AJ Bryant, Criminal Justice teacher John Roppolo, Director of CTE CJ Odam and GEAR UP for planning a unique and insightful opportunity for our Rattlers.

Mendez Elementary showcased their skills at their 3rd annual talent show on Thursday, May 9. From taekwando to musical performers, our Strikers have talent! Congratulations to the top 3 finishers: Abby, Lily, and Tutu! We're proud of all of our Striker performers for showing off your talent!

San Marcos CISD celebrated our first-year educators with graduation-style ceremonies hosted by the Office of Academics on Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 8. We’re grateful for our novice teachers' hard work in the classroom and dedication to their students!

Our Bonham Bears are getting ready for kindergarten! Pre-K students visited their future elementary campuses on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7. They toured kindergarten classrooms, met teachers, and said hello to next year’s schoolmates.

On Friday, May 3, we celebrated School Lunch Hero Day! We recognized and honored our amazing San Marcos CISD Child Nutrition Department! We're thankful for their dedication to ensuring all of our Rattlers are provided healthy and nutritious meals!

Let's give it up for Miller Middle School's Dance Classes! They took us on a journey through movement and rhythm during their spring dance show – Throwback: A Blast From The Past – on Tuesday, May 7! Your dedication, talent, and sheer passion for dance shone brightly! Congratulations Miller Dance Classes and to Coach Mac for a night of great performances!

Our Hernandez and Mendez kindergartners celebrated Día del Niño – a day dedicated to children – on Tuesday, April 30. Our Hernandez Heroes recognized the day with a Glow in the Dark party, and our Mendez Strikers enjoyed arts, crafts, and games in the courtyard.

The San Marcos CISD Office of Innovation's Hall of Fangs Prize Patrol awarded 10 elementary teachers and two principals a trip to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Live conference in Denver, Colorado in June for earning all of their Hall of Fangs badges. Hall of Fangs is a gamified classroom strategies and digital learning integration series. Congratulations to our Rattler teachers –Kyle Campbell, Goodnight; Alexis Kewish, Travis; Jennifer Christopher, Travis; Stephanie Henson, Travis; Rebekah Mahar, Crockett; Aliagha Brite, Bowie; Yvonne Rodriguez, Bowie; Amanda Cochran, Hernandez; Katie Carpenter, Hernandez; and Victoria Julian, Hernandez – and district leaders, Hernandez Principal Jennifer Gonzalez, and Crockett Principal Dr. Analeasa Holmes, for their tremendous accomplishment!

Our Bowie 1st Graders sang their hearts out to songs about the blooming seasons during a performance on Thursday, May 2. Our Champions performed songs such as De Colores and Mr. Sun. We're so proud of our students for their championship performance!

Congratulations to SMHS Assistant Principal, Joseph Martinez, who was awarded a National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award. Mr. Martinez received the honor for his work as a mathematics professor at Austin Community College. The NISOD accolade emphasizes the importance of teaching and leadership excellence in institutions of higher education. Mr. Martinez will be recognized for this distinguished accomplishment during the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence in Austin on Sunday, May 26.

All San Marcos CISD elementary campuses celebrated the end of the school year with their annual Field Day events this week. Each grade competed against each other in a variety of events, including tug of war, beach ball relays, jump rope competitions, three-legged races, relay runs and much more! Shoutout to the amazing teachers and staff for always organizing these fun days for our Rattlers!

Crockett Elementary's library went wild on Friday, May 3. Our Superstars brought in their favorite pets to show off to their fellow classmates. The library was filled with a bald python, tarantula, salamander, hermit crabs and much more!

Thank you to our San Marcos CISD Maintenance & Facilities Department for their hard work to clean debris and keep our district campuses safe after storms came through on Thursday, May 9!