INSIDE DSISD
The latest news from Dripping Springs ISD
Week of November 1, 2021
TIGER BAND PLACES NINTH AT UIL STATE MARCHING CONTEST
The Dripping Springs High School Tiger Band earned a ninth-place finish with their show “So Many Possibilities…” at the UIL 5A State Marching Contest at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
The Tiger Band scored 58 points in the finals, the best score coming in the Content/Design category. DSHS was one of 12 bands advancing to the finals after finishing in seventh place out of 33 bands in the preliminary round on Monday.
The ninth-place finish is the seventh top-10 finish for DSHS in the last eight state competitions.
Cedar Park High School won the state title with 14 points, followed by Leander Rouse (19 points) and Leander (23 points) in second and third place, respectively.
DSHS advanced to the state competition after finishing in third place at the Area D Marching Contest. All three Area D state qualifiers advanced to the finals with Austin McCallum placing sixth with 49 points and Pflugerville Hendrickson placing 10th with 65 points.
DSHS has made 16 trips to the UIL State Marching Contest and advanced to the finals 13 times.
DSISD SCHOOLS TO HONOR VETERANS
Many Dripping Springs ISD campuses will be holding events to recognize Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 10, and Thursday, Nov. 11. Veterans from all branches of military service, as well as families of students, are welcome to attend. Campus visitors should stop by the front office for a visitor’s badge. A complete list of events can be found here.
DSHS VOLLEYBALL ADVANCES TO AREA
DSHS SENIOR WALK
READING ACADEMY
Reading is the most fundamental academic skill that young students learn. In recognition of the importance of quality reading instruction, House Bill 3 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2019 included a mandate that public school teachers in kindergarten through third grade and elementary principals complete a rigorous Reading Academy developed by the Texas Education Agency.
Dripping Springs ISD jumped in to create a plan to provide this training to our early elementary teachers, who have started the program this fall. The TEA (Texas Education Agency) Reading Academy is an 11-month online program that is 60 hours in length and includes 12 separate modules. Teachers must complete learning checks and participate in discussion groups to produce “artifacts” that demonstrate their learning. These artifacts are reviewed and graded by TEA. In addition to K-3 teachers and elementary principals who are required to complete the Reading Academy, DSISD assistant principals, pre-K teachers, elementary instructional coaches, and district instructional leaders are participating in the program.
To organize the academy and facilitate the process, the district added a Reading Academy Cohort Leader to work with approximately 200 teachers and staff. Shannon Voges, formerly a teacher at Walnut Springs Elementary, moved to the Learning and Innovation Department to take on that role. She helps cohort members stay on track with modules, apply the material, facilitate discussions, and provide support for teachers to be successful in the academy.
“The reading academy is reinforcing many things that our district was already doing really well, while providing an opportunity for our teachers and staff to sharpen their skills,” said Voges.
The DSISD cohort will conclude in July, 2022. All teachers in Texas at the K-3 grade levels will be required to have completed the Reading Academy starting in 2023.