Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us! My how time flies! Students will be out during the week of Thanksgiving. I hope that you all will be able to spend some quality time with family and loved ones. We have much to be thankful for this year.

Christmas will be here before you know it. Our school will have Early Release on December 19 and December 20. This is to allow for semester exams. Students will then be out of school until January 7.

We appreciate your willingness to share your children with us. It is our honor and privilege to serve our students, and we thank you for allowing us to be a part of their lives. Have a great holiday season!

House Bill 5

The end of the first reporting period has come and gone. We are well into October, and the Holiday season will soon be upon us. My how time flies. We are all so busy, and our children are involved in so many activities. I hope you will be able to find time during the next few months, as we celebrate the holidays, to sit back and relax and spend some quality time with your family, friends, and loved ones.

If you have not heard much about it yet, you will soon hear more and more. I'm referring to a law that was passed during the last legislative session that is entitled HB5. This is the law that reduced the number of End-of-course exams that our high school students are required to take. The bill also established different pathways students can choose that lead to graduation allowing more flexibility to meet students' individual needs. I believe that this law will be good for students. Of course, there will be some bumps along the way as all of the kinks are worked out, but any time we have more local control and the ability to do what is best for the child is the best of scenarios. If you would like to find out more about HB5, the Texas Education Agency has a website that gives information concerning this law. The information can be found at this link:  http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=25769806149

As always, I thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child's life. Thank you for your support.

Progress Reports

The first progress reports will be sent to parents on Friday. Can you believe that it's already time? I appreciate the start that we have had, and I am thankful that we were able to begin school without more challenges. I appreciate your willingness to work with us and your patience as we worked to overcome the electrical issues that we faced at the beginning of school.

There are a lot of activities taking place around the district. Keep in mind that Homecoming is quickly approaching. September 20 will be the Homecoming game and activities. We invite you to join us!

We appreciate that you allow us to be a part of your child's life. It takes all of us working together to provide every child with the opportunity for success. We are thankful for the partnership that we have with our parents and community members. Thank you.

Thanks for a Great Start!

I just want to say "Thank You," to everyone for your patience and understanding as we worked to overcome a last minute set back to the start of school. I believe things went well, and some actually liked having the shortened day for the beginning of school. This allowed the students to meet their teachers and learn about rules and procedures and then take a break to let it all sink in before having a full day of classes.

I'm looking forward to a great year in 2013-2014. I am excited about the possibilities that are ahead of us, and I am excited about the opportunities that await our students. I welcome your help and partnership as we work together to create the premiere district in Texas.

2013-2014 School Year

There's always something thrilling about the days before the start of another school year. I don't know what it is exactly that causes the excitement, but it's there all the same. Maybe it's the thought of all of the new possibilities the year holds or the idea that you are getting a fresh start that does it? Anyway, I always get a rush before the start of the new year. This year is no exception.

I know it's difficult to get the students back into a routine of going to bed at a decent hour and waking up early. We struggle with that at our house, as well. If you start now and ease your children into that routine, it will make it easier when school starts. Also, don't forget to make any changes in your information and make sure the school campus has those changes.

I look forward to a great year in 2013-2014! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child's life.

April 2013

I can't believe that April is already here, and we are quickly moving towards the end of another school year. It seems that the years seem to move faster and faster as I get older. We have many activities taking place during this month, and we invite you to come to the school and participate with us.

We have had students that have been successful in Academic UIL, One-Act Play, golf, tennis, track, baseball, and softball. These activities will continue throughout the month. We are very proud of our students, coaches, and teachers for their hard work and success.

The 83rd Legislature is halfway complete, and there have been many bills filed. A couple of major issues face public education: 1) Testing and accountability; and, 2) public school funding. Please contact our representatives and let them hear from you about the issues. Representative Chris Paddie is our state representative, and our senator is Kevin Eltife.

83rd Legislature

If you're not aware, the 83rd session of the Texas Legislature is in session. During the course of this session there will be thousands of bills filed, usually between 1-3 thousand bills dealing specifically with public education alone. One of the Constitutionally created duties of the Legislature is to provide for a general diffusion of knowledge. This means that all children in Texas receive access to an adequate education. The recent sessions have not been kind to Texas schoolchildren, and we are seeing the same ideas permeate the 83rd session. Please take time to contact your legislators and representatives and let them know that you expect them to meet their Constitutional duty. You can visit the following link to see the Texas Legislature online: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

School Funding

Yesterday, the judge in the lawsuit over the system used to finance public schooling in Texas ruled that the current funding system in Texas is unconstitutional. He stated that the funding system was inadequate, inequitable, and constituted a de facto state property tax. Over 600 school districts in the state were involved with this lawsuit, including Harleton ISD. Although the state will likely appeal this ruling, the ruling does at least open the conversation concerning how we finance schools and the future of our great state.