Luling ENews - October 2020
Go Eagles!
It is hard to believe that we are ending our 7th week of school. We are happy to see our face-to-face learners on campus each day and our remote learners on screens. I am so impressed with our staff as they have had to quickly learn how to teach face-to-face and remotely at the same time! As expected, they saw the challenge, accepted, and have overcome. I also need to give a well-deserved shout out to the incredible maintenance, technology, custodial, and food service staff! Their work and dedication behind the scenes have been vital to our students' success.
I am humbled by the enthusiasm and love for students I witness each day by the LISD staff members. I have a great appreciation for the students, staff, and community members for creating a positive learning environment these past weeks. We continue to strive for academic excellence and to create a positive social, emotional atmosphere to help our young people grow. As a district, we look forward to meeting all learners' needs, ensuring that every student reaches their full potential, and preparing our graduates to have options in college and/or enter the workforce or the military. We have developed the LISD's Portrait of a Graduate. Graduate Portraits live at the heart of a district, driving fundamental components that will empower students to achieve their dreams and goals. Simultaneously, these portraits house the expectations the world will have of students upon graduation. Our Strategic Plan Committee worked collaboratively to ensure that all stakeholders had a voice in this creation.
Our schools continue to be the heart of our community, and we appreciate everyone who has made it possible for our students to be back in school, or remote, and learning. Thank you, parents and families, for your support to teachers and staff during this trying time and for making education a priority.
-Mrs. Warren
Superintendent
LISD - PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
Ascender Parent Portal
You can access Ascender directly from the district website (see above). If you have questions about Ascender access, please contact your student's campus.
October spotlight staff of the month
Mrs. Ramos is one of our fabulous Special Education teachers at Luling High School. She is ALWAYS willing to help everyone, from student to teacher to administration. She works the concession stands at games, ticket booths and she attends home volleyball games too. She volunteered to take individual pictures of our Graduates in May and did an amazing job! She will help any and all students, not just the ones in her class. She is an excellent resource for all teachers with helping kids and in technology for the classroom. She is one of the hardest working staff members at the high school and in the district. We are SO lucky to have you as part of the Luling ISD team, Mrs. Ramos!
October Spotlight Student of the Month - Primary/Elementary
Elizabeth has the most calm and patient disposition and the students look to her for guidance. She always seems to be one beat ahead of the pack and never leaves her friends far behind. I see her quietly advise her fellow students to make sure they are keeping up or troubleshoots any technical issues they may be having. Mrs. Gorner is so appreciative of her help and the way she assists in the classroom.
Elizabeth Castillo is an awesome example of a Luling Eagle!
October Spotlight Student of the Month - JH/HS
Paige Campos has exemplified excellence in the classroom, a positive attitude in all situations, and leadership amongst her peers. From the beginning of the changes in learning last semester, Paige made sure to ask any and all of the questions her mind could formulate, she made sure she had all of the tools required to be successful and she overcame the difficulties of the new learning platform. Paige displays to all her classmates as well as her teammates that they can grow, learn and overcome any adversities they face. Paige is by far a leader not only academically but socially and emotionally. As a student Athletic Trainer, Paige's dedication to our athletes shows every day when she chooses to show up not just on time but often early, when she chooses to be observant of people's needs, when she chooses to do tasks that cause her to stay late, or to work harder or get dirty. The way Paige cares, through her dedication, leadership, and communication all derives from her attitude; an attitude of selflessness.
Paige Campos is an AWESOME Luling Eagle!
teaching face-to-face and remotely
Rock Star Teachers Rollin’ with Technology
September 14, 2020 marked a significant day for our teachers. They had spent six months missing their students and planning for this day. They were excited to see the smiling faces of their students; however, many were nervous about how students would learn in a digital environment.
Teachers prepared relentlessly during the summer to learn strategies and gain skills to support remote learning. Before school even started, teachers trained in Google Classroom, Google Meet, Jamboard, Flipgrid, EdPuzzle, and many other resources to enrich their instruction with technology. For the first four weeks of school, teachers worked tirelessly to improve virtual instruction while they learned more tools to support their classroom instruction. When students returned for face-to-face learning, our tenacious teachers worked through technical difficulties and typical beginning-of-year struggles to create effective learning environments in their classrooms. Teachers took what had been seen as “virtually” impossible and made it possible, teaching students in their classrooms and students remotely — at the same time. Now it is common to walk past a classroom and see a teacher looking like a rock star, wearing a wireless bluetooth headset and microphone. The headset, along with an iPad and stand, allow teachers to connect seamlessly with both remote and face-to-face learners. And just like the rock stars they are, our teachers and students are rocking the learning and rolling with the challenges — together. -Mrs. Jennings, C&I Director
Construction update
We hosted a rededication at Eagle Memorial Stadium on Friday, September 25th to celebrate the completion of the construction. As part of the ceremony, the district dedicated a Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action Chair of Honor. At the 50 yard line on the home side of the stadium sits the POW/MIA Chair of Honor. The Chair of Honor is to remain perpetually empty to help us remember that even though our soldiers are not here, there is still a space for them.
The Chair of Honor has a laser etched American Flag that was done by our CTE Director, David Smith . Additionally, a bronze plaque will be placed by the chair with the words: POW/MIA You Are Not Forgotten. This unoccupied seat is dedicated to the memory of these brave souls. We honor the sacrifices of our American men and women serving our country. God Bless America.
Gerdes Junior High
The Gerdes Junior High construction is complete and the staff and students are excited about their renovated school! The new windows, paint, and tile give the campus a fresh look while the new plumbing and HVAC systems are keeping everyone comfortable.
Shanklin Elementary
The construction at Shanklin is ongoing. The cement foundation has been poured, the foundation footing work is continuing, and steel reinforcement is being installed. Lots of action at the construction site and we are so excited to watch the building be erected! Read the article on the Drone Project below.
Drone Project
We are so thankful for the partnership with Claycomb and their generous donation!
purple out drive
Thank you HS Cheerleaders for organizing this awesome drive!
Primary News
On September 14, 2020, Luling Primary students returned to face-to-face instruction. Teachers
at all grade levels worked with the instructional coaches to focus on writing skills and the
writing process. With teacher guidance, students used a mentor text to generate ideas using a
circle map then organized their ideas using a tree map. Students generated sentences and
practiced revising and editing to create a final draft. Starting the writing process in PreK will
help our students develop into great writers.
During the week of September 21st , Luling Primary students engaged in activities to promote
connectedness. Students started the week learning to say hello to everyone they saw to build
an inclusive community. Students practiced saying hello in different languages and using social distance greetings. Students also practiced doing random acts of kindness to increase the positivity of the campus community. It was a great week of connecting with each other that we will continue throughout the school year.
Students in Kindergarten and 1st grade are composing numbers using manipulatives and writing number sentences. Building foundational numeracy at these grades gives students the greatest opportunity for success as we grow them through elementary school, junior high, and high school. These students are confident active learners. Students are also developing problem solving skills using Ozobots in their STEM elective.
We are off to a great year of learning at the Primary School!
-Mr. Weikert, Principal
Shanklin news
Shanklin students have been excited to be back on campus! We’ve been reading, writing, and
practicing our math skills while using strategies taught by our awesome teachers. Some great
writing papers were submitted for our Principal’s Writing Challenge! We are definitely creating
writers that are worth celebrating!
We celebrated our Start With Hello Week with students practicing different ways to engage
with each other and make each other feel accepted and welcome just by saying hello! Students
said hello in different languages and showed ways they can say hi with air bumps,
waving, and just a smile!
Rock Your School Day was a success here at Shanklin as teachers, students, and staff had fun
dressing up to “Rock Out” here on campus! We encourage our students to participate in these
activities for fun while continuing to keep our expectations high for learning!
-Ms. Schwarzlose, Principal
Gerdes JH News
Making Connections with Students
With our safety protocols in place to minimize person to person contact, our teachers are using a variety of strategies to continue to connect with our students and greet them as they physically enter the room and for greeting online learners too. Face-to-face learners are often greeted with elbow bumps and foot “shakes,” as well as verbal welcomes. Online learners are greeted by name as they are entering their Google Meet at the beginning of each class, asked to type a word in the chat box that describes how they are feeling for the day, or share an emoji icon. Our teachers are also working to build connections between students who are face-to-face learners and those who are online learners. Students are able to work in small groups even though they are in different learning platforms using Google Meet. This structure helps our online learners know who is in their classroom and have conversations with other students about their learning.
GJH Receives Interactive TVs
Our GJH teachers have been working diligently to increase the effectiveness of digital instructional practices. Every classroom at our junior high now has a 72” interactive mobile TV to support digital and virtual learning. Teachers are able to use the TV to develop common experiences for both online learners and face-to-face learners. Since all students are spending a large amount of time behind their personal devices, the TV helps to bring all of our students together to build our classroom communities.
-Mrs. Meshell, Principal
Luling HS News
Students visiting with a Coast Guard recruiter
CNA Classroom
CNA Classroom
Luling High School’s College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) department strives to
expand learning, opportunity, and preparation towards a student's more successful post-high
school experience.
During the first part of October, students will have the opportunity to take part in a virtual college fair. Representatives from the different universities, colleges, trade schools, and military branches will be available to provide information and answer questions.
Luling High School’s partnership with Austin Community College (ACC) is entering its fourth
year to provide the Certified Nursing Aide (CNA) program on campus. The CNA program is
ideal for students who want to explore nursing or the medical profession as a possible career.
The course throughout the year provides training for students to obtain the skills necessary to
take the state exam to become a CNA. Upon successful completion of the exam, students will
be state licensed and will be eligible to work as a CNA in hospitals, nursing homes, and health
care agencies.
The CNA program is part of the health science pathway at LHS which includes the following
courses: Anatomy and Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Medical Terminology. Mrs. Helen Barnes is the instructor for the CNA program and is part of the ACC faculty and staff.
-Mr. Alvarez, Principal
Luling Athletics
JH Cross Country Runners
Lady Eagle Volleyball
Eagle Football
School is off to a great start and our athletes are getting into their daily and weekly routines. With the craziness that 2020 has brought, we feel blessed to have the opportunity to play and want to thank everyone that is making that possible. From the Administration, teachers, maintenance department, custodians, and of course parents, Thank You.
Our Fall sports are competing hard. Volleyball ins in the middle of a tough district schedule and we have seen tremendous improvement from the girls each and every week. The junior high girls are working hard also, and we can’t wait to see them continue to grow this year.
Football will begin district next week at all levels. Our district is super tough, but we feel that our boys will rise to the challenge and raise the standard each week. We have faced a lot of adversity but believe that we are sitting on the edge of great things.
Cross Country is approaching their championship season. District, Regional, and The State Meet are on the horizon. These runners put in a lot of work while everyone is still asleep. What is done in the dark is shown in the light.
October also means our winter sports are quickly approaching. We will have basketball and powerlifting starting soon. Be on the lookout for these young men and women as they begin practices as well. Games will begin in early November.
We would like each and every parent to become more involved in their students’ academics and athletics. Academic and athletic performance are closely tied in and we will hold these athletes to high expectations. Through our core principles we talk about “The Standard”. The standard here for Luling Athletics is 100% commitment, 100% passing rate, and 100% accountability. We will do everything we can to reach these goals, but we must have, YOU, the parents deliver the same message daily. We can and we will do this together.
A lot of great things are going on in Luling Athletics and we would encourage everyone to come out and support these young men and women as they compete for Luling.
Luling ISD Athletic Core Values
Toughness-Commitment-Discipline-Energy-Pride
Coach Martin
Go Eagles and #TalonsUp
lisd strategic plan
The LISD Strategic Plan committees met on September 24th to kick off year two in implementing the district’s five-year strategic plan. The Luling ISD Five-Year Strategic Plan includes four strands identified to target continuous improvement in the district:
1. Creating a Culture of High Expectations,
2. High Quality Curriculum and Instruction,
3. Internal and External Communication Systems, and
4. Staff Recruitment and Retention.
Thirty members representing each of the four strand committees met to review the initiatives
accomplished in 2019-2020 and to plan and begin work on the initiatives for this year. Major goals accomplished in the last year were the creation of a Luling ISD Graduate Profile and Communication Plan, the completion of a curriculum audit, major improvements to the curriculum, the development of the profile of a highly effective teacher, and creation of the criteria for a quality induction and mentoring program. Work on the Strategic Plan will continue throughout the 2020-2021 school year.
If you have any questions about the LISD Strategic Plan or would like to join a committee, contact Glenda Thacker at glenda.thacker@luling.isd.txed.net.
pink out day
Erin Warren, Superintendent
Email: Erin.Warren@luling.txed.net
Website: www.luling.txed.net
Location: 212 East Bowie Street, Luling, TX, USA
Phone: 830-875-3191
Facebook: facebook.com/LulingISD
Twitter: @LulingISD