District in Pictures
August 30, 2019
Jefferson Elementary Becomes Second Satellite Library Site
New this year: Jefferson Elementary is WFISD’s second satellite Wichita Falls Public Library site. Last year, McNiel Middle School became the District's first satellite library site. Now, students can place hold requests for books through the Wichita Falls Public Library, then check out and return the books at Jefferson. They can even return books to Jefferson that were originally checked out at the downtown library. How to take advantage of this new convenience? Just log into your Wichita Falls Public Library account online, place book requests, and select Jefferson as the pick-up location.
Head Start Children Receive Free T-Shirts in a Community First
For the first time, community sponsors have banded together to provide 500 free T-shirts to all Head Start students in WFISD’s Head Start program. This is the first time the Head Start program has been able to provide school spirit T-shirts to their students at no cost to families. The following sponsors extended this warm “welcome back to school” gift: Alcoa Inc., Bryant Edwards Foundation Inc., Fain Foundation, Guinn Foundation, Inc., J.S. Bridwell Foundation, Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott LLP, Star Brite Cleaners, Sweet Texas Tees, Texoma Community Credit Union, Union Square Credit Union, United Supermarkets, and Wichita Falls Teachers Federal Credit Union. On August 23, all Head Start staff and students wore their T-shirts. Pictured here, (top) Farris Head Start teacher Lindsey Duncan and her students; (bottom) Selinda Taylor’s class at Northwest Head Start.
Haynes Northwest Academy Students Use Tally Marks to Gather Data
In Cathy Nielsen’s class, Haynes students will be gathering data all year to create pictographs and bar graphs. But first things first: This week, they learned how to make tally marks, which will help them count by fives as they gather information.
Rider High School AP Seminar Students Delve into One Another’s Personalities, Then Their Own
In Chris Preston’s AP Seminar class, teamwork is so important that students have already begun the first of many get-to-know-you team-building exercises. First came the basic interviews of one another – with only students they did not know prior to this year. They asked questions like, “Do you binge watch shows on Netflix/Hulu/Prime? If so, what is your favorite?”, “If I needed tutorials, in which class would you likely be able to help me?”, and “If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be?” The next day, students began self-reflection. They took a personality test by Myers-Briggs, then analyzed their personal strengths, weaknesses, workplace habits and interpersonal relationships. “They consider their previous roles when performing group work and deconstruct what personality traits contributed to success,” said Mr. Preston. “They evaluate how they can more effectively use their strengths.” When the self-reflection is complete, each student creates a presentation about themselves called “A Journey of Me” and presents it to their classmates. “They will soon find out the journey is just beginning, and it now includes a new group of friends,” said Mr. Preston.
Wichita Falls High School Art Students Learn Basics with Op Art
New WFHS art students in Chris Mayfield’s Art I class are exploring the ideas of lines and mark-making through a concept called Op Art. Students begin by studying optical illusion pictures online. “That’s a starting point for us to work from,” said Mr. Mayfield. “The students are encouraged to customize the examples and make them more of their own personal expression.” Pictured here are some of his students' first finished pieces.
Zundy Elementary Teacher Makes Cloudy Sky for Her First-Graders
Zundy first-grade teacher Desiree Morkin created a cozy reading nook for her students by hanging clouds from her classroom ceiling. “It’s calming and a neat focal point for them, and they love sitting in their reading corner,” she said. She made the realistic looking clouds out of paper lanterns, batting and white Christmas lights.
Barwise Middle School Students Choose ‘This’ or ‘That’
Barwise 6th grade reading teacher Amy Yeary made a decision this year to give students more choices for what they do in class. So when she planned a recent lesson, instead of choosing the text she wanted students to read, she selected two poems, two fiction pieces, two news articles or two writing prompts and let each student choose to read the one that most interested them. “I have always enjoyed giving students choice and voice when it comes to what we do in class,” said Ms. Yeary. “This year I want them to feel like we, together, can create learning experiences based on what they need, how they learn best, and what interests them.”
WFISD Sub Pool Expected to Grow to 400
WFISD Sub Coordinator Vanessa Dishman said WFISD currently has 254 substitute teachers and is taking in new applications all the time. The challenge in getting subs is not so much a shortage of people who want to sub, but finding applicants who meet all requirements, she said. “It can be a time-consuming process with them completing the sub pre-hire test, sub training, getting fingerprinted, and attending sub orientation,” said Ms. Dishman. “With the number of applicants we have had so far, I don’t see a problem meeting our goal of 400 subs.” The Sub Pool includes many retirees as well as recent college graduates who want classroom experience, she said. Pictured here: Dane “Cuzzo” Beck subs frequently at the Career Education Center and at Rider; he was at the CEC on Wednesday. This is his fifth year subbing; he spent 15 years in the oil field but said he has always enjoyed working with students.
Kirby and McNiel Middle Schools Welcome Back 7th Grade Health Classes
Once upon a time, all middle school campuses offered a 7th grade Health class. Then two years ago, Kirby dropped Health classes due to International Baccalaureate requirements; one year ago, McNiel dropped its health class. But this year both schools reinstated 7th Grade Health Class to meet several health requirements. The 7th grade Health class is the handy vehicle to educate students about tobacco use, CPR and other hot topics. This year’s students will also receive education on suicide prevention with the help of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Pictured here: Teacher Helen Spyra (far right) leads a Health class Thursday at Barwise Middle School. Students played Kahoot! on their Chromebooks as a review and preparation for Friday's test on self-image and personality traits.
Fain Elementary Students Enjoy a Rainy Day in New Library Haunts
This year, there are all sorts of nooks and crannies to curl up in at the Fain Elementary library, according to Fain librarian Mary Coleman. Here, students spent a rainy afternoon reading books in the library’s comfort seating, which includes egg-shaped chairs and couches. “Comfort seating is new to our library,” said Ms. Coleman. “The kids are loving it!” The rocket ship reading nook pictured here was created when some of the book shelves were removed, leaving open spaces. Danielle Chavez constructed the ships from heavy cardboard, then painted them, said Ms. Coleman.
Family Donates School Supplies in Memory of Burgess Alumni
Believing that it takes a village to educate a child, the Sowards family recently donated school supplies to Burgess Elementary in memory of Burgess alumni Linda Huffaker and Sophia Leija. Pictured: Mr. Sowards (left) and Burgess Principal Jeff Hill (right).
Rider High School Honor Spanish Students Sing Their Vocabulary
“All my classes love to sing,” said Maria Cruz, Rider Spanish 3 teacher. So she had her Spanish students singing out their review of vocabulary words for body parts to the song Juanito Cuando Baila by Jose Luis Orozco. “It’s less stressful when they repeat out loud vocabulary,” she said. Next, they will sing out the months of the year to the tune of La Macarena. “It’s all repetition,” she said. “Students have to get up and dance.”
Zundy Elementary Features New Feather Art Wall
The enormous butterfly mural on a wall near the Zundy Elementary entry includes a feather made by every student in third, fourth and fifth grades. That’s nearly 500 feathers assembled and decoupaged shortly before school dismissed in the spring by Reanna Lee, then a first-year teacher at Zundy. She recently married and moved on to New Jersey. But her masterpiece remains to remind students to soar. Zundy Assistant Principal Megan Scroggins shows off the enormous art project.
Jefferson 4th Grade Teacher Takes Students Outside for Team-Building Activity
Erin Evans, a 4th grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary, introduced a meaningful team-building activity to her class. With a ball of yarn in one hand, she held one end of the string and told the students something about herself. Holding her end, she tossed the ball to a student, who shared something about herself. She held her part of the string and threw the ball to another student. “As the web became more detailed, I discussed how we are all connected and can work together and support each other this year,” said Ms. Evans. “At the end, we gathered the string to make a tighter rope, and we talked about how much stronger we are when we are friends. The kids loved it and learned a lot about each other.”
Kirby Middle School Tin Foil Boat Challenge Floats Record 58 Pennies
How do you teach students to problem-solve? You put a challenge before them. In Stacey Hohertz’s class, students built small boats out of aluminum foil and tested their designs to perfect them so they would hold as many pennies as possible. “I like the lesson because it shows kids that failure is part of the process and a great learning experience,” she said. So far, the winning team put 58 pennies in their boat before it sank. This lesson is a great precursor to tackling coding in computer science, she said.
Kirby Middle School IB MYP Coordinator Rates ‘PDF Candy’ as ‘Best Free Tool’ and Her New Favorite
School Board Members Make Long-Range Facility Plans
It’s not easy -- but it’s important -- to look down the corridor of time 25 to 50 years and make plans for district facilities. WFISD school board members met Tuesday for three hours to continue the work they’ve been doing all summer -- formulating a long-range facility plan. Discussion Tuesday focused on a 10-year plan for the District’s elementary schools that could be stretched out or shortened. When one board member said he was being inundated by questions from community members about when this would all happen, Superintendent Mike Kuhrt said that was a good sign. “Everybody is saying ‘when?’ and not ‘why?’” he said.
Rider High School Color Guard Gets Parents Marching, Too
There’s nothing like walking in the shoes of someone else to understand them. Rider’s Color Guard wasted no time getting parents out on the field to get a taste of the challenge they face -- and the fun they experience.
Fain Elementary Teacher Uses Stage and Microphone to Get Kids Writing, Talking
Even Tammy Spray’s shy students like this project. First, they write a “Squiggle Story,” which is a line, zigzag or squiggle that the students turn into a picture, then write a story about the drawing. “After writing, we share our work with a partner. Then a few students share with the class,” said Ms. Spray. Students mount the classroom “stage,” sit in a special chair or stand, and use the classroom microphone, which is a favorite. This little tool works magic, drawing out even the shyest student, said Ms. Spray.
Lamar Kinders End Day with Dance Party
It's a blur of activity at the end of the day in kindergarten teacher Stephanie Roberts' class. Students dance and wiggle at a special party in their honor. Ms. Roberts uses disco lights and a dance party to underscore their hard work. “My students work hard, so why not celebrate?” she said. Actually, she will reward them daily with a dance party to celebrate whatever they worked on that day, she said.
Milam 2nd Graders Reach Reading Goal to Earn Flashlight Friday
When 2nd graders in Reagan Carroll’s classroom reach their independent reading goals, they receive a reward: They get to read even more with flashlights on Friday. Last week, they worked their way up to 10 minutes of reading without having to reset and review expectations, said Ms. Carroll. So on Friday, they read silently with flashlights for 20 minutes. “It was a fun twist to something we do every day,” she said.
Former McNiel Middle School Student Shows Up with Book for Teacher’s Library
When one of Missy McCartney’s former students dropped by her McNiel classroom last week, she thought he came to pay her a visit and tell her how his year was going. But he surprised her. He gave her a book, Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard, for her class library. It was a payback for something that happened last year. “He had borrowed a book from my classroom library last year and spilled water on it,” said Ms. McCartney. “I had told him not to worry about it and, honestly, I had forgotten all about it.” But he had returned to give her a new book for her library. “I was so touched,” she said. “I will always remember that.”
Fowler Kinder Teacher Calls Parents to Brag on Students
This year, Michelle McBride decided one of her goals would be to celebrate more. So, on Fridays, she rounds up her class and, together, they call one classmate’s parent and brag on him or her. The routine encourages good behavior throughout the week, said Ms. McBride. “Parents sometimes only get the dreaded bad-news phone calls, and I thought it would make their day to hear good news for a change,” she said. “I try to make a specific comment about what behavior we noticed. The class had so much fun sharing the good news.”
WFISD Nurses Ride in Hotter ‘N Hell
Fain Elementary 2nd Grade Class Practices Squiggle Spelling
It’s funny how writing with markers on a paper with squiggly lines can make practicing spelling words fun. Fain 2nd grade teacher Erica Brown kept her students engaged in vocabulary work on long vowels by giving them a paper with squiggly-lined spaces. The students helped her make a list of words with long vowels, then they used their markers to write out each one in a squiggle space. “It helps with spelling because of the repetition,” said Ms. Brown.
Jefferson Elementary Teacher’s ‘Brag Board’ Highlights Hard Work, Achievements
When you give out the first math assignment of the year and 20 students get a 100, what do you do to brag about their fine work? You create a Brag Board, of course. Jefferson teacher Kristin Howard set up her Brag Board so she could brag on students throughout the year. Sometimes she features students’ grades, or an example of them working extra hard or doing something kind.
Note Reminds Math/Science Curriculum Specialist That Relationships Trump Subject Matter
After 17 years of teaching and now taking the role of a 3-5 grade math/science curriculum specialist, Kellie Hare has a pile of notes, pictures and cards from students. This one, which lived under her calendar for years, is her favorite: “Dear Mrs. Hare, Thank you for treating me like a person and talking to me individually.” The note was from a young man, now graduated. “Teaching is a difficult job," said Mrs. Hare. "When I would feel overwhelmed and want to quit, I would just read them to remind myself why I work so hard. I loved this note because it did not mention anything about math or science. Just a great reminder that relationships with students should always be #1.”
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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 cover, please let us know by emailing Ashley Thomas at athomas@wfisd.net or Ann Work Goodrich at awork@wfisd.net. We would love to include you in our weekly district news. (Please know that we will do our best to cover every story idea submitted but it may not be possible to include everything every week due to time constraints.)
Email: athomas@wfisd.net
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