PONY NEWS DECEMBER 19TH
HELLO PONIES- A LITTLE TO SHARE ABOUT MRS. VANDERMIER
The easiest way to explain my family dynamic is simply, I have two sisters and two brothers. My dad has always been a huge support for us. We lost my mom when I was 14 years old. We found out a few years later that she had given a baby girl up for adoption when she was 16. Soon after we met our sister, and it felt like she had always been a part of us. Meeting her helped with the loss of our mother. Even though they never met, she had mom’s laugh. I feel very blessed for my family! I have 3 nieces, 3 nephews, and a 3-year old son named Dean.
My mom got a GED, and my dad “barely graduated high school.” I now know that he had a learning disability, likely dyslexia. Neither of my parents even considered college, so it was never discussed growing up. I began my college expedition with my associate’s degree from Richland College, and then realized that I could actually get my bachelors degree. The thought hadn’t occurred to me before, so I didn’t have a plan and needed to decide on a major. After some soul searching, I realized I belonged in education. I went to UTD for undergrad and TWU for grad school. I taught 5th and 6th grade Reading and Language Arts before realizing my heart was with special needs children. I taught special education for 6 years, and was briefly a diagnostician before coming to Lewisville ISD. I absolutely love our district! There is a tremendous support system here, always a lifeline to reach out to when I need guidance.
Before Lewisville, I lived in downtown Dallas and Bishop Arts District for many years. Dean’s daycare was downtown, and sometimes I would take the DART Streetcar to go pick him up. I loved the freedom of the city, but it was time to move to safer suburbs. I hope to return once Dean goes off to college
A minute with the LASes...
Click here to watch and example for older grade levels
Early Release SCHEDULE
Inclement Weather Updates
All communications with LISD staff and parents for inclement weather days will come from the district. With that being said, some of you may need to update your Employee Self Service Site with the correct phone number (if you already receive Skylert calls you should be fine).
Now you may be asking how do I find the Employee Self Service Site?
Here you go:
- LISD Website - http://lisd.net/
- Choose the Staff Lock at the top corner
- Choose Employee Self Service - https://selfservice.lisd.net/MSS/default.aspx
- Log-In with normal LISD login
- Choose Personal Information
- Choose Add Telephone
- You will add
- Description
- Telephone Number
- And choose Skylert Phone # from the drop down menu
- Hit Add and you should be good to go
January 17th - District Professional Learning Day
Teacher of the Year Antoinette Boston
Hi, Ponies! I grew up in Waco, Texas, in different homes very similar to our students. I was homeless on and off again for more than half of my childhood. Living with family members and friends was the norm for myself, five siblings, and a single mother. I attended three different elementary schools and two middle schools. Through all of this, I always had teachers who genuinely cared about me. Not having the material possessions that my peers had, I always used my brain to get attention. I excelled in every subject and stood out amongst my GT counterparts. In middle school, my responsibilities as the oldest child grew. I was the parent when my mother worked. These new responsibilities affected my behavior at school. I viewed myself as a grown up and didn’t allow adults to discipline me or give me consequences. My noncompliant behavior continued into high school. My grades dropped, and I became a teenage parent. The year after I graduated, I met my now husband. We moved from Waco to Memphis, TN, when I was twenty years old. We moved to Mississippi two years later. This is when I grew in faith and took control of my destiny. I knew I wanted a different future for my three daughters, so I went to college as an adult. As my daughters did their homework at the table, so did I. I received my associate degree from Northwest Community College and my bachelor’s from Ole Miss; both are in Elementary Education. My husband, an air traffic controller, moved us back to Texas for his job two months after I graduated in 2014. I substituted frequently at LVES that year and began my teaching career here in 2015. I remember repeating over and over again in my LVES interview that my greatest strength is the ability to make connections and build relationships with students. I understand our student population. I am empathetic to their needs. I was one of them. I vowed to be for them what my teachers were for me.
Fun Facts: Disney is life! I’ve visited with my family eight times since 2011. I was a stay at home mom for ten years. I’m known as the “Christmas Tree Lady” because I travel near and far to professionally decorate Christmas trees during the holidays. This year I decorated a tree for a Dallas Cowboy and a former Dallas Maverick. During my free time, I enjoy nostalgia through my Nintendo and Sega game systems. Cucumbers are my absolute favorite food. I’ve been married for ten and a half years. My oldest daughter is a senior and has been accepted into the business school at The University of Alabama to major in accounting. Imagine my tolerance being an Ole Miss Rebel, married to an Arkansas Razorback fan, and raising a future Bama undergrad!
Enjoy these Holiday Songs Performed by our Ponies!
STAFF SHOUT-OUTS
Thanks for the Shout-Outs!
Mrs. McGraw for helping out Running Club! Appreciate your support while I was gone!
Beth Hayes- You're a glue gun master and Science ornament guru! Thank you for all of your help getting ready for Winter Celebration!
Mrs. McNamara- Thanks for helping every week and your continued support with Running Club.
Mrs. Sneed Thank you for all your help in and out of school, especially last week.
Mrs. Sammon & Mrs. Wier Thank you for your patience and flexibility with me and the PE schedule.
Submit a Shout-Out to someone else HERE and we will share it in future Monday Messages.