Westwood Way
Happenings In Panther Nation - April 2019
Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to work with many different groups as we finalized the May 4 Bond Proposal. This group includes architects, construction personnel, vendors, staff, students, parents, and community members. While all of the interactions have been productive, I have noticed that most of these people were either broadcasting positive energy or negative energy.
The people that were broadcasting positive energy were continually finding solutions, displaying their passion, and on a mission to accomplish their purpose. The ones that were transmitting negative energy were persistently communicating everything wrong while offering no solutions, exhibiting a noticeable lack of care for their craft, and conveying a lack of concern for the projects in which they were involved.
You may read this and think that using words such as broadcasting and transmitting is strange when talking about people and energy. But there is research from HeartMath Institute that shows that feelings from the heart travel to every cell in the body and then outward and other people can sense those feelings up to 10 feet away. Take a minute to think about that!! Kind of scary that everybody we come in contact with can feel what is occurring in our heart!!
As a district, we are committed to ensuring that promoting and developing positive energy will be a priority. During the 2019-2020 school year, we will implement vertically aligned materials that will be the foundational piece as we begin this powerful journey. Our goal is for this initiative to be far-reaching and sustainable as it has a positive impact on students, staff, parents, and community members.
I look forward to sharing exciting details as we finish out the school year!!
Wade
School Board Update
During the April Board Meeting, the following items came before the School Board:
Mrs. Perez and Ms. Harrison presented a Pre-K update. They discussed the advantages of Pre-K, shared data from across Region 7, and the impact of the Pre-K program. Community survey results were also shared.
Josh Schultz presented the yearly Maintenance Report in which he gave an overview of the department, reviewed highlights of the year for the department including safety items, maintenance, and facility projects.
Christine Bedre presented a curriculum update. Mrs. Bedre described “gallery walks” where students display work and they examine the work and its alignment to standards.
Christine Bedre Bedre reviewed summer school plans for the 2018-2019 school year. Dates and focuses for respective campuses were shared, as well as anticipated staff needs.
Kyle Penn presented a fiance update in which he shared budget spend percentages to date along with revenue projections for the remainder of the year.
Kyle Penn discussed the potential partnership with a food service management company for the 2019-2020 school year. Dr. Penn covered the benefits and the process required to accomplish this if the District decides to choose this option.
Wade Stanford discussed several pre-bond projects that the District needed to pursue. These included a comprehensive land survey and geotechnical evaluation. Conceptual estimate costs provided by Jackson Construction were discussed.
Board President Dr. Don Rice announced all board members were up to date on continuing
educational hours.
The School Board and administrative staff continued discussing the book Instructional Rounds in Education. Chapter 3 was discussed this month, and the board and administrative staff will continue this discussion over the next several months.
Curriculum
Constant improvement of teaching practices continues to shine across the district. Having a desire to try new activities, increase student engagement, and shift from the front of the classroom to the facilitator role takes intense pre-planning, practice, and patience as this craft evolves. In a book written by David Contrell, he states “for you to be the very best, you cannot allow yourself to become complacent in your comfort zone. You need to be reaching for improvement” (Contrell, pg. 85). Throughout March and start of April, it is very evident our district as a whole wants to break out of the comfort zone, learn from one another, and improve teaching practices.
Evolving instructional practice continues to be on the forefront to increase student improvement as we finish up this semester and begin planning for the 2019-2020 school year. As we continue this instructional journey a shift will occur with a few current positions to have a specific instructional focus. Instructional coaches will have clearly defined direction to impact the district’s instruction. A few examples of instructional assistance provided will be: use of data to create differentiated instruction, ensure task and TEKS alignment, create high-impact lessons to improve student engagement, shift teacher-led instruction to hands-on activities, lead teacher learning and gallery walks, engage with professional learning during weekly PLC meetings, dig deep with non-evaluative reflective teacher coaching conversations, as well as empowering teachers with strategies to implement technology fluidly into their lessons. Coaches will be assigned to the primary campus, elementary campus, and one to secondary (junior high and high school) campus. These instructional position shifts will occur across the district as we enter the 2019-2020 school year.
Our last planning day will occur on Monday, April 22, 2019. The backward design will continue to be used to create final unit assessments, specialized instruction based on data, student intervention re-grouping, and start lesson planning for the rest of the semester. ELAR teachers PK-8 will begin their journey of learning the Literacy Continuum with Mrs. Crista Black. This session will focus on the Interactive Read-ALoud, Shared Reading, and Writing About Reading. We will meet in the High School Drama Lab at 8:30 AM. Please bring your Literacy Continuum book that will be checked out to you the week prior.
Special Programs
As mentioned in the January department report, we use this time to reflect on the current school year as we begin to update our District and Campus Improvement Plans for the upcoming school year. In going through this process, it is imperative to have input from students, families, and staff to identify and address our district’s needs. Our Primary and Elementary campuses have already completed some surveys. Please take a moment to respond to the appropriate survey below to assist with our needs assessment. Westwood ISD’s District Advisory Team will meet next Thursday, April 18th to go through our needs assessment and make necessary changes to our District Improvement Plan to address these needs. If you are a parent or community member and would like to be a part of this committee, please contact Tiffany Carwell at (903)723-9332 or tncarwell@westwoodisd.net. We would love to have your participation and voice in our planning.
Junior High and High School Personnel - School Climate Survey
Westwood High School - Parent Survey
Westwood Junior High - Parent Survey
Westwood Elementary - Parent Survey
Planning amounts have already been released for our Carl D. Perkins, and ESSA Consolidated grant which includes our Title I funding. These planning amounts are typically not sent out until summertime. The early release will allow us to plan effectively much earlier and, in turn, be prepared to submit our grant application earlier as well. Our Title I Planning Meeting will be held on May 7th at 5:00-6:00 p.m. at our Westwood Elementary Library. Parents, community, and staff are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please click here to view the flyer. We will review our current Title I program at our Primary and Elementary campuses and discuss any possible changes. We will also review the Parent and Family Engagement Plan and Parent-Student-Teacher Compacts at both of those campuses.
As you all know, we are currently in the midst of April STAAR testing. Each campus has had smooth operation thus far, and our students have demonstrated high attendance. Special shout-out to our 4th and 7th graders and their parents for 100% attendance on the Writing test day! Of course, we are always going to have small issues that arise during testing, but we appreciate the effort from ALL involved in following procedures and maintaining a positive attitude. Those two things will always carry us through a successful testing season!
Business & Finance
In the business office, we are beginning preparation for next year. This includes creating the calendars with the different days for different contracts, multiple items for back-to-school and convocation (it’s a secret, sorry), and beginning projections for next year’s budget. There is increased optimism the legislature will increase school funding for next year, and the state funding drives a lot of our decisions. At the same time, we are watching this year and scheduling out expenses we will face throughout the rest of the fiscal year and keeping accounting up-to-date.
Also, if you haven’t heard, Westwood ISD School Board has called a bond! If the community approves the bond proposition, a number of tasks get set in motion quickly, so district staff has been working to build a knowledge base to effectively and efficiently manage the project on all fronts. Management and selling of the bonds are an important part of a project of this magnitude, in addition to the actual physical buildings.
The business office is beginning to hit a stride and is operating with increased efficiency. Many team members are new to their role or the district within the past year and a half, and it is exciting to watch the performance level increase as the team continues to develop.
PEIMS
The PEIMS department is in full gear with the end of the last day in sight! There is so much to be done. New online enrollment is almost complete! We will be implementing our new process for registration with our PK roundup and dates will be posted soon!
Civil Rights Data Collection, also known as CRDC is due this month. This data is collection is nationwide for all public schools. The submission will include student enrollment, educational programs, and services, disaggregated by race/ethnicity, sex, English Learner, and disability. This year we will be submitting data from the 2017-18 school year.
Looking ahead we are seeing change, one including Stephanie Phillips resigning from her position as the Primary PEIMS clerk. Stephanie has worked with the district since 2013. She has decided to make a career change that will best suit her family, and we couldn't be more happy for her. She will for sure be missed. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Stephanie, we all appreciate you.
Food Service
Westwood ISD’s Food Service department has completed all the requirements for the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Compliance Review and has received word the review is now closed.
The food service staff is working very hard as a team to implement the offering of new menu items. We are now in the process of testing new products and recipes. The latter part of April has seen the introduction of two entrée choices on the lunch menu and a broader selection of vegetables each day. The feedback so far from the students has been positive, and the teaching staff is starting to check out the offerings. The month of May will see continued expansion of the menu; please come check out the cafeteria offerings.
Facilities Services
Looks and feels like spring is in full swing! The sights, sounds, and smells overwhelm the senses. I know exactly what it feels like because my eyes itch, ears feel like they have cotton in them, and my nose is running out of control. With days getting longer, the change in trees budding and blooming is amazing. Migrating birds moving through our little part of the world, and the beautiful, sweet-smelling flowers make spring my favorite time of the year!
Our Facility Services personnel have been very busy cleaning up after our sporting events and keeping up with the fresh spring growth. I have been with Westwood ISD for nearly fifteen years, and cannot remember a year with so many events in the spring. We are truly grateful to see so many people out enjoying our facilities. With the end of the school year getting close, we are collecting summer work requests, and making plans to complete these orders over the summer. Students and teachers are likely counting down the days to the freedom of summer.
Our agriculture facility improvements will begin after Easter. We have been talking about these improvements for a very long time, and I know everyone is looking forward to its completion. They have also made progress on their new greenhouse behind the High School. Seeing students outdoors getting their hands dirty, and learning what this program is teaching is a step in the right direction. We all have a tendency to spend too much time indoors glued to some piece of technology, and any program that gets us up, out, and about is a good thing.
Thank you for taking the time to keep up with the happenings here at Westwood ISD. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to call or email me at (903) 373-5108 jkshultz@westwoodisd.net
Transportation
The Westwood ISD Transportation Department continues to meet the needs of students in our District. The bus driver, a lot of times, is the first person to see students in the mornings. It takes someone special to build a good rapport with students and maintain a good relationship with their riders. It takes making right decisions in regards to doing what is safe for our students daily. It also takes excellent communication with everyone to meet the needs of our department.
The 2018-2019 School year has had minimal problems that have all been met. As we finish up on spring sports, class field trips, and planning for the next school year I would like to commend the Transportation Department employees for the great job they have done. I did have the privilege to meet with the district school board in March to discuss our yearly report. This summer we will be very busy with our summer maintenance program on buses and also driving for our summer school. In March our department monthly safety topic was bus basics-pre trip/ post trip inspections on buses. This summer will we will be busy on our end of the year report, routes and assignments, and a lot of planning.
In closing, I ask that everyone continue to be safe and stay focused to complete the school year and keep student safety at the top of the list. If at any time I can assist you with a Transportation Issue feel free to contact me at 903-723-0425.
Technology
As the end of school quickly approaches and we start to prepare for graduation, the Technology Department is gearing up for Summer 2019. Summer is the time we make those changes that we identified throughout the school year. It’s also the time to deploy new technology, applications, and systems that will further prepare our students for a positive and engaging educational environment.
We have been working on and finalizing the plans for several summer projects. The main project is to wipe and reload the operating system to all classroom computers and Chromebook devices. As we touch each device, the plan is to remove any dust that may have accumulated on the computer. We also plan on cleaning and sanitizing all Chromebooks. Keep a look-out for our end of year email to help prepare the technology on your campus and in your classroom for our Summer 2019 process.
State testing is always a fun and exciting time of the year. Now that we are in the middle of the testing schedule, I’m super excited about how easy and smooth online testing is going so far. My team has done a fantastic job preparing and supporting technology for online testing. I’m incredibly thankful that we had enough devices at each campus to support online testing. Earlier this school year, we were shuffling carts and devices around for testing. It makes it easier on the entire process when we have enough new technology available for our students. As we continue to test and grow device numbers, it won’t be too long before Westwood has enough devices to have 100% online testing.
Once online testing is complete, we will resume our Windows 7 to Windows 10 upgrade project with full force. On the Identity Management front, the design document for automating user accounts in our systems has been completed, and the project has moved into the implementation phase.
Technology continues to maintain and support our current systems and infrastructure by monitoring, tweaking, and resolving technical problems as they arise.
Athletics
We are focusing on building Champions instead of Winning Championships.
Habits reflect the mission. The habits of our athletes
On and off the field
are being held to a higher standard
And our student-athletes are meeting the challenge.
Philosophy
The Panther Mission Statement: (program/coach’s part)
To GROW men and women of integrity who relentlessly pursue excellence.
The Panther Vision Statement: (athlete’s part)
GROW Everyday
Execute Westwood DNA
Be the toughest program in Texas
WESTWOOD DNA (core values):
Energy/Tempo Monday - relentless effort. We will attack with tenacity and make them quit.
Competition Tuesday - 1-0 Mentality. We are one play warriors who always compete.
Toughness Wednesday - comfortable being uncomfortable. We will impose our will and dominate with toughness.
Family Appreciation Thursday - value others above ourselves. We are a team of ‘foxhole’ brothers.
Discipline/Finish Friday - Discipline - always doing what needs to be done. We will continue to row the boat every day.
Finish - do more than is expected. We are a freight train that terrorizes with our finish.
Updated results from Softball, Baseball, Girls and Boys Track:
Softball:
The Lady Panther Softball finished the season at 7-5 in the district standings and ended up as the fourth seed overall. The Bi-District playoff game vs Rogers will be Thursday, April 25th at 7:00 PM in Madisonville.
Baseball:
The Panther Baseball team has made great strides from last season till now. They have already doubled their win total from last season and are primed to reel off some more wins in the near future.
They sit at 2-7 in district play and travel to Buffalo on Friday as well.
Girls and Boys Track: We hosted the District Track Meet last week at Westwood. Both the JV Girls and Boys walked away as the DISTRICT CHAMPIONS. As a team, the Varsity Girls and Boys both finished the District Meet in 3rd Place. Both the Varsity Girls and Boys had 10 qualifiers each advance to the Area Track Meet. At the Area Meet the girls and boys combined to get 12 athletes to the regional track meet in Waco on April 26 and 27th. Area Champion Tomy Umanzor lead the way on the boy's side along with the 4x200m relay. Area Champion Jaysa Coney in the 400m (qualified for regionals in 4 events) also anchored the Area Championship girls 4x200m relay. The girls also qualified in the 4x100m relay as well as Jaysa in the high jump and 200m dash. As a team, the girls finished 4th in the Area standings while the boys finished 9th. Freshman Jaysa Coney finished 2nd in the Top Athlete point standings.