BPE Monthly
February 2018
Keller ISD Visioning
Keller ISD is currently undergoing a Visioning process that will define the District's focus in the coming years and is built on the input from the KISD community.
The Visioning process continues to make great strides toward the development of the District's Core Beliefs and Strategies following several weeks of in-depth interviews, research, and data collection. Prior to December 15, 2017, consultants conducted all 120 scheduled one-on-one interviews with stakeholders representing all four KISD feeder patterns. A total of 2,926 questionnaires were completed, and 416 community members signed up to express interest in being involved in the process moving forward.
A Student Visioning Alignment Workshop (VAW) will take place from 4-8 p.m. Friday, February 2, and all day Saturday, February 3, at the KISD Education Center. VAW student participation will include a sophomore, two juniors, and one senior from each of the four Keller ISD high schools.
The Visioning Alignment Workshop (VAW) for adults will be held February 12-14 at Medical City Alliance. VAW participants will be reviewing the information gathered from the Visioning Questionnaires, the In-Depth Interviews, and District and Market Research.
The goal of this process is to develop a set of Core Beliefs and Strategies – or "core problems" that require innovation – to fulfill the expectations of the Core Beliefs. The following groups will be represented across the four feeder patterns as VAW participants:
- Board Members (2)
- Teachers (4)
- Parents (4)
- Community Members (4)
- Campus Administrators (4)
- Former Students (4)
- Central Administrators (4)
Immediately following the VAWs will be a Strategy Audit from February 26-April 13, followed by a Community Forum the week of April 23. A Confirmation Workshop will take place the first week of May, and finally, recommendations will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval at the May Regular Board Meeting.
Attendance Gaps Lead to Achievement Gaps
The cumulative affect of chronic absenteeism over a student's K-12 educational career significantly, and negatively, impacts the child's academic success. The research is clear and the impact is real. Attendance gaps lead to achievement gaps.
Students who miss more than ten percent of the school days are considered to be chronically absent. While there are times when absence from school is unavoidable, it's important to understand that a missed school day is a lost opportunity to learn. Every day matters.
February 7th will be our 100th day of school. If your child has missed ten or more days of school this year, he/she is considered to be chronically absent. Students who are chronically absent year after year are at risk of not mastering grade level learning expectations and, ultimately, not being college and career ready.
We need all of our BPE Patriots to be at school as much as possible. We ask for your help in maximizing your student's attendance to school because every day matters.
The following reflects what research tells us about student attendance.
Start Strong
Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict frequent absences later in the school year. Nearly half of all students that missed more than two days of school in September went on to miss almost a month of school.
Chronic Absences
An estimated 5 to 7.5 million students in the United States miss almost a month of school every year. This adds up to over a year missed by the time of graduation.
Early Absences Lead to Attendance Issues in Later Grades
Absenteeism starts early. One in 10 kindergarteners and first graders are considered to be “chronically absent.”
Chronic Absence = Missing two or more days per month
Research shows students who miss 10 percent of school, or two days per month, show negative academic progress. In some schools, that adds up to 18 days a school year and is considered to be chronic absence.
Third Grade Reading Level
Poor attendance can keep children from reading proficiently by the end of third grade, which is shown to negatively affect their chances of graduating on time.
Dropout Indicator
By sixth grade, a chronically absent student is shown to have a significantly higher chance of dropping out of high school.
Excused Absences Hurt Too
Excused absences are just as negative as unexcused ones.
Every Minute Matters
If a student is 10 minutes late to school each day, this adds up to missing more than 33 hours of class time. A student with a 90 percent attendance average for Kindergarten through 12th grade will miss over a year of accumulated time in the classroom.
Check Out the New Addition to our Outdoor Learning Center
Stay in the Know
Need to Know...
We have built an extra co-cur rotation into our schedule this school year. Each grade level has a designated day of the week on which the students attend their extra co-cur class. Below is a schedule you may find helpful as you plan for your week.
The additional rotation is at 2:25 each day. The designated days by grade level are:
Kindergarten on Monday; 1st grade on Tuesday; 2nd grade on Wednesday; 3rd grade on Thursday; 4th grade on Friday.
The schedule below lists which co-cur rotation students will be attending each week over the next nine weeks. For example, the week of January 8th your student's extra rotation will be with the co-cur class they typically attend each Tuesday.
February 5 - Monday
February 12 - Tuesday
February 19 - Wednesday
February 26 - Thursday
March 5 - Friday
Calendar Events
February 1 - APTT for 3rd grade
February 2 - Go Read Day
Let's all wear red
February 2 - PTA Board Meeting
February 6 - APTT
6:30 - 2nd grade
February 7 - APTT
February 8 - PTA General Body Meeting
Bullying presentation sponsored by Parenting Center
6:00