District in Pictures

WFISD Elementary Schools celebrated the 100th Day of school this week - and the halls looked a little grayer than usual! Students and staff members dressed up to show their spirit and students had many "100th Day" themed activities throughout the day. Happy 100th Day, WFISD, don't go off your rockers yet!

On Friday morning, Executive Director of School Administration Debbie Dipprey and Director of Strategic Planning Misti Spear, visited Southern Hills Elementary for classroom walkthroughs. While there, they stopped for a glimpse of the 100th day activities created by the kindergarten students during an at-home family project.

On Tuesday, Robert Forrester, Dillard Distinguished Professor of Energy Finance, spoke with Rider, WFHS, and Hirschi students, giving students tips and tricks for disciplinary saving and spending. Students were equipped with knowledge on how to plan their spending to become millionaires by the time they retire. MSU’s Tim Stary, the lead admissions counselor for WFISD and the region around Wichita Falls, spoke about four-year scholarship opportunities by attending dual-credit courses. The college recruiting specialist, Adriana Brown, spoke on first-generation scholarships and study-abroad program funding.

This month, the Junior League of Wichita Falls has really spread the love across three WFISD schools:

• Congratulations to Southern Hills counselor, Jennifer Ferguson! This week, she was awarded a $500 grant. She plans to use the funds to develop a Cool Down Zone for students at Southern Hills.
• Congratulations to Mrs. Hooper, second grade teacher at Sheppard Elementary, who was awarded a $1,315 grant to use for her school Garden Club. She has her students plant vegetables and flowers in the spring. Students enjoy soups and sit in the beautiful garden throughout the year.
• Congratulations to Scotland Park Elementary. They were awarded a $2,217.50 grant to go toward their students' playground project.

Thank you, Junior League of Wichita Falls!

For the annual Kiwanis Pancake Festival last weekend, the Scotland Park Student Council students pulled on their aprons and hats and got to mixing! The students did a great job helping the volunteers mix pancake batter and make batter runs to the cooks!

Jared Jacobs, Assistant Principal of Cunningham Elementary, has been named the 2024 Region 9 TEPSAN of the Year. The accolade, awarded by TEPSA (Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association), recognizes outstanding service to the association, dedication to advancing the principalship, and advocacy for Texas students.

The TEPSA Awards, an annual event where members from the 20 TPESA Regions across the state come together to honor a colleague for their exemplary contributions, will take place at the Round Rock Kalahari on June 12, during the TEPSA Awards Dinner.

Harley Eckhart, the Executive Director of TEPSA, expressed appreciation for Jacobs' contributions, stating, "Jared lends his time and expertise to support Texas PK-8 leaders and ensure student success. We are proud to recognize his dedication and work on behalf of the Association."

Congratulations to Mr. Jacobs on this prestigious award.

During the month of January, Pre-K students served by the WFISD Early Childhood Language Facilitation Program at Southern Hills, Scotland Park, Booker T., Haynes Head Start, and Burgess received a bag of phonological awareness activities to take home to participate in with their families. By providing families with resources like their child uses at school, they will be able to strengthen and support their child’s phonological awareness development at home. The bags included the children's book "Dog on a Frog?," a set of rhyming activity cards, a set of syllabication clip cards, and four phonological awareness activities focusing on syllabication, rhyming, and alliteration from the Children's Learning Institute. Pre-K students from Burgess are pictured displaying some of the materials they received. The activities and materials were funded via an IDEA Grant titled "Phonological Fun at Home" that Amy Countiss, WFISD Early Childhood Language Facilitator, received in November.

Zundy 2nd graders had a blast at the Read 2 Learn Rally last Friday. Students enjoyed their "Reading Campout" by participating in several activities: they made a fun s'mores craft, ate yummy snacks, practiced reading with their flashlights, and had a surprise guest reading from their previous librarian, Mrs. Eakin.

This week's Staff Spotlight shines on Laura Saldana, Secretary at Southern Hills Elementary.

If you are a non-teaching staff member in WFISD, we want to feature you! Click here to complete the information form.

Region 9, through the Priddy Foundation, sent a few of the staff members from Fain Elementary School to the HRS (High Reliability Schools) Summit in San Antonio January 29-31. High Reliability Schools is a strategy-based system that focuses on each individual students' success through their leading/lagging indicators, and the campus' critical concepts of said leading/lagging indicators. Fain Elementary sent teachers Treneisha Williams (3rd RLA), Alyvia Cullar (4th Math), Alexis Cray (5th Math), Chelsie Friemel (Instructional Coach), and Molly Stone (Assistant Principal) to attend these few days of professional development. These staff members brought back a lot of really great strategies and ideas to implement at their campus and are incredibly grateful to the Priddy Foundation and Region 9 for giving them this opportunity.

The Counseling and Mental Health class at the CEC is studying communication this week. To learn about non-verbal communication, the students did Expressive Drawing to music. They listened to instrumental music and drew whatever the music made them feel. They learned a way, as counselors, you can work with non-verbal clients.

Select students from each WFISD elementary school participated in District Elementary Honor Choir this past Saturday. Students and their music teachers spent the day learning six new songs to perform for friends and family that afternoon. First United Methodist Church donated the use of their facility for the choir's special day. This is the 9th year WFISD has created an Elementary Honor Choir experience for students.

This week's Teacher Tuesday is on Jaci Hanes, Kindergarten Teacher at Booker T Washington Elementary.

If you're a teacher, click here to share your information so we can feature you!

There's a new crew in town! the ZEDEC has been established! The Zundy Elite Dream Eagle Crew, similar to a student council, has over 20 4th and 5th graders already nominated and selected as members. The ZEDEC helps kindergarten with reading, greets students in the morning, and helps with school events. They are led by At-Risk Coordinator, Mr. Jordan.

It was full of reading activities as well as amazing people from our community!

• 1st Guest Reader- Sergeant Banda, WFISD PD
• 2nd Guest Reader- Sandy Camp, School Board member
• 3rd Guest Reader- Chance Harmon, Director Backdoor Theatre
• 4th Guest Reader- Tim Short, Mayor of Wichita Falls

School Counselor Kacy Moses said, "It was amazing to see our students so engaged and invested in the importance of reading our guest readers shared with them about how reading plays a role in their career!"

Mrs. Camp's Counseling office at Milam Elementary was awarded a $500 grant from the Junior League of Wichita Falls. The grant is for the Kindness Club that is made up of 3rd-5th graders. Each month they meet and do a kindness project for the school.

The kindergarten classes at Booker T. Washington Elementary completed their Amplify unit on kings and queens by having a Royal Kindergarten Ball. The students dressed up, learned the waltz, made their own scepters, built castles with sugar cubes, and had a royal tea party! Mrs. Baird, Mrs. Jones, and Mrs. Zellner loved being able to wrap up such a fun unit with memories for a lifetime!

Liliana is a student in Mr. Gilbert's senior welding class at the Career Education Center. This week, she completed a dragonfly sculpture that really impressed the staff and students at the CEC!

Ms. Rivers' class at Zundy celebrated achieving one of their classroom goals this week. Their goal was to read 100 sight words by the 100th day of school, and they did it! McDonald's donated 17 happy meals for the students' Happy Meal Party. The students also made a 100th day of school project: "Kissing 100 Days of School Away."

Sarah Griego, the Curator of Education from Wichita Falls Museum of Arts, came to work with Fowler Pre-K students this week. They did some print making using Gelli plates. She also taught them what texture means and how to use different types of artist tools to make abstract art. It was a fun hands-on experience for the Pre-K students. "We love anytime that we can pull community members into our school to partner with us in their field expertise," said Fowler assistant principal Amanda Awtrey.

Mark your calendars for Monday, February 19! To celebrate CTE Month in February, the WFISD Career Education Center will be holding their annual Open House from 5:30 - 7 pm at 500 E. Hatton Rd. Take a tour of the facility, visit with CEC teachers, and learn more about the 26 career pathways that are offered!

Did you and your partner meet during your WFISD days? We’d love to share your story!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we would love to feature a few “WFISD Alumni Sweethearts". Share your love story with us! We want to know what you’re up to now, how you met, stories of your time at WFISD, and where life has taken you since.

If you’re comfortable sharing, we’d love to hear from you! Click here to share your Alumni Sweetheart Story!

District in Pictures is a weekly publication developed by the WFISD Community Relations department. If you have events, recognitions or classroom activities taking place on your campus that you would like us to feature, please let us know by completing the form at the following link: www.wfisd.net/dip. We would love to include you in our weekly district news.