INSIDE DSISD
The latest news from Dripping Springs ISD
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 28, 2022
FUTURE TIGER REGISTRATION BEGINS MONDAY, MARCH 7
Online registration for 2022-23 Dripping Springs ISD pre-K and kindergarten students opens Monday, March 7, 2022. In addition, new students enrolling in DSISD schools for the 2022-23 school year can also begin online registration on this date. For pre-K students, DSISD offers a full-day program at each of the district's elementary campuses. The program is available to all eligible students on a tuition basis; students may qualify under the state-mandated free program. More information on our Pre-Kindergarten Program can be found here. For more information on the registration process, please visit dsisdtx.us/registration or contact your campus registrar (contact information listed at the bottom of registration page).
DSISD SEEKING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON USE OF FEDERAL ESSER GRANT PROGRAMS
Dripping Springs ISD is seeking community feedback from stakeholders on the use of funds from the Federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant Programs, specifically ESSER III and ESSER Supplemental funds. ESSER funds provide additional resources to school districts for unreimbursed costs due to the coronavirus pandemic and for intensive educational supports for learning loss.
Dripping Springs ISD has met the criteria to receive the funds and was allocated 2.4 million dollars in ESSER III funds and 2.5 million dollars in ESSER Supplemental funds to be used by 2024. As required in the grant, school districts must expend a minimum of 20 percent of the grant fund on evidence-based interventions; and, ensure interventions respond to students’ academic, social and emotional needs, and address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain student populations.
DSISD is required to review and revise, as applicable, its plan every six months—including receiving stakeholder input. In an effort to obtain parent and community feedback, the district has developed a Community Survey. Community members are encouraged to share their input and opinions about how they would like the District to use these funds. The survey will be open to the public until Monday, March 14, 2022.
Community feedback will be reviewed and considered as the district creates and updates its plans. Community members are invited to learn more about the district’s use of ESSER funds through this page on the district’s website. Citizens can learn more about the ESSER program here on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website.
PARENT UNIVERSITY SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 31
Dripping Springs ISD will hold a Parent University on the topic of substance abuse on Thursday, March 31, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Dripping Springs High School Lecture Hall. Former DSHS School Resource Officer (SRO) Sirenna Cumberland will be the presenter. Some of the topics covered will include when/how parents should start talking to their children about drugs, risk factors of youth substance abuse, signs and symptoms of substance abuse, common ways/places drugs are hidden, local/national resources, and much more. The presentation will also be recorded for parents who can’t attend.
DSISD MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ADVANCE TO TEXAS HISTORY DAY CONTEST
Dripping Springs ISD will be represented by six middle school students at the Texas History Day Contest after they placed in the top two of their respective events at the regional competition.
Dripping Springs Middle School eighth-grader Grant Gillum placed first in the region with his individual website, “The 1959 Soviet American Exhibition: Cultural Diplomacy”. Gillum captured a state title and was a third-place national finisher in 2021.
Sycamore Springs Middle School had five seventh-grade students advance to the state level. Blaine Lovett captured first place with his individual performance “Chernobyl: Through the Eyes of an Old Man”. Amir Banky and Cooper Gray teamed up for first in the group exhibit “Why Normandy? The Allies Debate Where to Land”. In addition, Landon Treague and Diego Barreto place second with their group documentary titled “Pearl Harbor”.
The National History Day® contest encourages students to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice. Each year, a theme is chosen for broad application to world, national, or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past. The 2021-2022 theme is “Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences”.
The state competition will be held Saturday, April 23, in Austin.
DSHS SPEECH AND DEBATE QUALIFIES 14 STUDENTS FOR TFA STATE TOURNAMENT
Fourteen Dripping Springs High School speech and debate students have qualified for the Texas Forensic Association’s (TFA) State Tournament. The state competition will take place Mar. 10-12 at Gregory-Portland High School in Portland.
Five Dripping Springs students qualified for state in multiple events: Brett Banks (World Schools Debate, Public Forum Debate), Jake Broyles (Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Original Oratory), Eli Craddock (Humorous Interpretation, Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking), Lizzie Galassini (World Schools Debate, Congressional Debate, Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking) and Daniel Hearne (World Schools Debate, Public Forum Debate).
Also qualifying for World Schools Debate was Jackson Berthelsen, AJ Bergeron, Zoe Costanza, Calvin Green, Chase Menjivar, Alexander Seshan and Jackie Truesdell. Rounding out the state qualifiers is Audrey Edwards and Mia Perez in Public Forum Debate.
In order to qualify for the TFA state tournament, students must earn at least 10 points, which are awarded by placing at TFA invitational qualifying tournaments.
TFA State Qualifiers:
Brett Banks - World Schools Debate and Public Forum Debate
AJ Bergeron - World Schools Debate
Jackson Berthelsen - World Schools Debate
Jake Broyles - Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, and Original Oratory
Zoe Costanza - World Schools Debate
Eli Craddock - Humorous Interpretation and Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
Audrey Edwards - Public Forum Debate
Lizzie Galassini - World Schools Debate, Congressional Debate, and Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
Calvin Green - World Schools Debate
Daniel Hearne - World Schools Debate and Public Forum Debate
Chase Menjivar - World Schools Debate
Mia Perez - Public Forum Debate
Alexander Seshan - World Schools Debate
Jackie Truesdell - World Schools Debate
EIGHTEEN DSHS CHOIR STUDENTS ADVANCE TO UIL STATE SOLO AND ENSEMBLE CONTEST
A school-record 18 Dripping Springs High School choir students qualified for the UIL State Solo and Ensemble Contest after earning a Superior Rating on a Class 1 solo at the regional competition on Saturday, Feb. 26, at McCallum High School in Austin.
All 27 Dripping Springs soloists and two ensembles received Superior Ratings.
Students qualifying for the state contest are:
Grayson Dunham
Liliana Dyck
Isabel Fernandez
Camila Gutierrez
Sloan Handley
Michelle Hinojosa
Isaiah Hoffman
Aibha Jennings
Jonathan Jensen
Brody Lane
Amelie Lawrence
Daniel McIver
Kate Nolen
Kaylee Ritchey
Portia Schaeffer-Preston
Cole Thomas
Colin Tuohy
Marshall Williams
The UIL State Solo and Ensemble Contest will be held May 28 and May 30 in Austin.