District in Pictures
February 16, 2024
Inaugural WFISD Foundation Golf Tournament Was a "Swinging" Success!
Twenty-five teams meet up February 8-10 for the WFISD Foundation's first ever golf tournament! This was an indoor golf tournament held at Next Level Golf. Trophies and prizes were awarded to the top three teams. Additional prizes were awarded to longest drive for men, longest drive for women, and closest to the pin. The WFISD Foundation is thrilled to announce that $13,650 was raised! This money will support WFISD teachers and students through grants and scholarships.
Watch the video recap with more information here.
Western Day at Scotland Park Elementary
Scotland Park students celebrated "Go Western Day" by dressing up in their best boots, hats, and other western wear!
Barwise Counselors Receive PIE Grant
The Barwise Counseling department received a Partners In Education Grant from the Junior League of Wichita Falls to use for their hygiene initiative. Pictured below are Mrs. Boutwell and Mrs. Rogers accepting the grant from JLWF.
WFISD Fine Arts Teachers Honored at TMEA Midwestern State University Reception
Great things are happening in Fine Arts! Two WFISD educators were honored at the TMEA Midwestern State University Reception. Sarah Cook, choir director at WFHS, was presented with the outstanding alumni award, and Abi Parker, music teacher at Franklin Elementary, was presented with the outstanding cooperating teacher award.
Zundy Class Wins Courtside Seats to Harlem Globetrotters
Last week, Ms. Garcia's class at Zundy Elementary won a contest sponsored by Townsquare Media that allowed her entire class to go see the Harlem Globetrotters at Kay Yeager Coliseum. On February 12, the students sat court-side and enjoyed the entertainment. In addition to the tickets, the students also received a $100 gift card toward a class pizza party! Ms. Garcia and Ms. Cipolla had so much fun taking their students to see the show!
Hirschi Athletes Celebrate Signing Day
- Sammy Worthy Jr. - Midwestern State
- Corby Wingfield Jr. - McMurry University
- Reginald Demps - Midwestern State
- Kristian Perry - Midwestern State
- Javian Frazier - Midwestern State
Kindness Week at Ben Milam Elementary
Milam students celebrated Kindness Week this week! It was complete with Kindness-themed dress up days; staff, student, and class Kindness challenges; and special greeters each morning. Every student filled out an Act of Kindness and they were linked together to form a Kindness chain throughout the halls. It was a great week!
Franklin Students are "101 Days Smarter!"
Franklin students celebrated 101 days of being smarter with a special day! Students wore Dalmatian-themed outfits or shirts decorated with 101 objects. The kindergarten and first grade classes engaged in counting and math activities up to 101.
Staff Spotlight
This week's Staff Spotlight shines on Jessica Davis, a dedicated para at Crockett Elementary.
If you are a non-teaching staff member in WFISD, we want to feature you! Click here to complete the information form.
Zundy Showers Paraprofessional Chanell Hurd With Appreciation
Zundy staff celebrated paraprofessional, Ms. Chanell Hurd this week for the work she does daily! Principal Becky Hernandez shared about Ms. Hurd, "She does everything from cover classes to tutoring students to cafeteria/recess duty. We appreciate her flexibility!" #soaring
Student Teacher Makes Impact on Franklin 5th Grade Class
Mrs. Perry's 5th grade class was blessed to have Javier Bernal from the CEC as a student teacher during the first semester. The students loved seeing Javier each week. He read them books, helped with assignments and greeted them at the door each week. When it came time for goodbyes, Javier had to miss due to other obligations. The class wanted to express their gratitude for all he had done so they wrote thank you notes and sent them to him. The story doesn't stop there! Javier reached out to Mrs. Perry about bringing goodies on Valentines Day for the class. Each student received a bag full of goodies and gifts. Javier is a great example of the going above and beyond. He blessed Mrs. Perry's 5th grade class beyond measure.
Haynes Head Start Students Enjoy Fun with Science Experiments!
At Haynes Head Start, the theme this week was experimenting! Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Halverson, and Mrs. Pollard's classes went outside to test some fun experiments. The first experiment was baking soda, food coloring, and white vinegar that made the colors bubble, pour over, and mix! The second experiment was Coke and Mentos. The students got to make predictions about what would happen and then see it in action. They had so much fun!
Teacher Tuesday
This week's Teacher Tuesday is on Erin Mitchell, the creative force behind Fowler Elementary's art program.
If you're a teacher, click here to share your information so we can feature you!
Franklin Faculty & Staff Celebrate Valentine's Day
Franklin faculty and staff enjoyed a fun Valentine's Day activity thanks to counselor Gladys Pando. Each person had half a heart with the picture of a famous character and had to find their missing half! The famous couples were all reunited before students arrived. Special prizes were given to the first five couples to find each other.
North Texas Home Builders Association Donates to the CEC
On Thursday afternoon, the Career Education Center construction students were surprised with a generous check totaling $5,760. The funds were a donated to the program by the North Texas Home Builders Association. Thank you, NTHBA!
Kirby Students Meet MAP Goals & Celebrate With a Movie Theater!
This week, the staff at Kirby Middle School celebrated their 6-8 graders who met their middle of the year MAP goals in reading or math. Students had to meet their growth goal in order to attend and were rewarded with popcorn, candy, and a drink of their choice. Kirby principal, Del Hardaway, generously donated the candy and drinks for the students. The students met up in the cafeteria during their enrichment period to find that is had been transformed into a movie theater!
Southern Hills Building Technician Supports Kindness & Art Club
Southern Hills building technician, Tony Owens, supported the Kindness & Art Club fundraiser by special ordering a bracelet. Principal Amanda Garcia says, "Our maintenance employees aren’t just at school to make repairs, they become a part of our team."
Fain 4th Grade Teacher Goes Above & Beyond to Teach Significance of the Titanic
This week, Mrs. Wetzel's 4th Grade ELAR class was in the unit of investigating informational text, and she decided she wanted to focus on a historical topic that all her students could enjoy. "I have some very special boys in my class who are fascinated with the Titanic, so I wanted to introduce a mini project about the Titanic in honor of them," said Ms. Wetzel. "I wanted to set my goals very high and use this project as a cross curriculum activity." First, students acted in a drama to show what occurred from the moment of building the Titanic until the unforgettable sinking of the ship. The students researched the events from the time of approval to build until the fateful day of the sinking of the ship. Then, students wrote an informational text about characters on the ship. They had to research the characters and how they impacted the history of the Titanic. Next, they had to find the exact coordinates of where the ship sank and what the weather and sea currents were like, and write an opinion piece of how this tragedy could have been prevented. Once they were done, the students learned how the rivets from the ship had an impact on the night of April 15, 1912. The students used that piece of information and made “rivets" out of modeling clay and spaghetti. Both materials helped explain how the weight of water and its strength could break a rivet. After that demonstration, the students made lifeboats out of foil and used marbles to determine how many “people” they could save based on their design. The project was a huge success! These students were able to combine curriculum to achieve their learning goals.
Golden Chick Donates to Scotland Park
This week, Mr. Clement at Scotland Park Elementary happily accepted a donation totaling $432 from Golden Chick manager Angela Gentry. The donation will be used to help students in need at Scotland Park. Thank you, Golden Chick!
Grand Canyon University Sponsors Pop-Up Breakfast at Southern Hills Elementary
This morning, Southern Hills Elementary staff members were treated to breakfast pizzas from Market Street and warm scones and coffee courtesy of Chartwells. Thank you, Grand Canyon University, for caring for our Southern Hills staff!
Celebrate CTE Month at the WFISD Career Education Center!
Mark your calendars for Monday, February 19! To celebrate CTE Month in February, the WFISD Career Education Center will be holding their annual Open House from 5:30 - 7 pm at 500 E. Hatton Rd. Take a tour of the facility, visit with CEC teachers, and learn more about the 26 career pathways that are offered!
Student Holiday on Monday, February 19
Reminder! Monday, February 19 is President's Day! It is a holiday for all students and a Staff Development Day for all district staff members.
#TellYourWFISDStory
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 feature, please let us know by completing the form at the following link: www.wfisd.net/dip. We would love to include you in our weekly district news.