Message from Dr. Kirk London - HCISD Superintendent

Let me be among the first to welcome all of the students and staff of Hays CISD to a brand new school year.

 We celebrate the opening of two new schools this year—Blanco Vista Elementary School and Camino Real Elementary School—and look forward to making even greater strides in student performance.
  
Construction on the new middle school, located on Highway 150, east of Interstate 35, near Hemphill Elementary School, is on the fast track and we hope to open the 6th-8th grade campus by August 2009. Because of the burgeoning middle school enrollment numbers, we have given Barton Middle School back its third wing.
  
Since its inception in 1999, The Academy@Hays, the district’s alternative high school of choice, has been housed at Barton Middle School. This year the school has a new name, Academy High School, and a new location, the South Campus of Hays High School.
  
We celebrate an exemplary campus, Elm Grove Elementary School and a handful of recognized campuses—Fuentes Elementary, Buda Elementary, Kyle Elementary and Negley Elementary School. Most importantly, we celebrate progress made by all campuses. We are moving in the right direction.
  
We will have a full staff of enthusiastic educators, ready to make a difference in our students’ lives. The hiring flurry has not let up throughout the summer; more than 200 new teachers are joining our ranks this year. I ask that you, as parents, join the ranks of the involved this year. We have wonderful teachers, but our students don’t learn in a vacuum. You play a critical role in their development. Together we all make Hays CISD - A Place Where Ideas Grow.
  
I am excited about this school year. Let’s make it the best one yet. It will surely take all of our efforts.
  
Sincerely,
Dr. Kirk London

Message from Mr. Chip DuPont - HCISD Board of Trustees President
 
As we continue our drive toward exemplary, I encourage you to join hundreds of other parents and community members to help make our school district and community stronger.
 
Parent and community involvement is a critical component of student success. Take time to learn about our schools and see if you can find your niche for involvement.
 
At the district level, the Hays CISD Education Foundation rewards innovation and academic excellence to our students and teachers. The Foundation’s fundraising season begins in the fall with the annual Denim & Diamonds celebration. They can use your help.
  
At the campus level, you can volunteer, mentor, or become a Partner in Education. Read to your child’s class. Work a water booth at Field Day. The opportunities for your involvement are limitless and the related academic achievement is unarguable.
  
This year we have a record number of “recognized” campuses, an “exemplary” campus and another crop of campuses that are merely a handful of students away from “recognized.” Next year will be the year, with your help.

The Hays CISD Board of Trustees on Thursday took the first step in locating a new superintendent by hiring the search firm of School Executive Consulting Inc., and targeting a start date of March 2009 for the new person.

Dr. Kirk London announced his plans for retirement at the June School Board meeting. He earned his five-year pin with Hays CISD in May and has devoted his 35-year career to education.

Dr. Mike Moses and David Thompson, the same firm that brought Dr. London to Hays CISD, spent three hours with the Board answering questions about the process and discussing the time required.

“We have followed closely the progress this district has made over the years,” Thompson told the Board. “You have managed a lot of hard issues related to finance and growth. We enjoyed working with you several years ago and I believe it was a good experience for the broad community. We hope the search will be a positive, uniting experience for the Board. We hope you have as much success with your selection as we believe you had with the selection last time.”

Moses described the community input aspect of the search, which will be similar to the process five years ago. Approximately 50 people representing a broad spectrum of the Hays CISD community—students, parents, teachers, auxiliary staff, community members with no children in the schools, pastors, business owners, civic leaders, for example—will participate in one of several 15-member focus groups led by Moses and Thompson. In these groups, a superintendent profile will be developed. School Board members will appoint the members of the focus groups.

“We find that it works better when they’re mixed and talking and listening to one another in these focus groups,” Moses said. “They walk out of these meetings feeling a little more united.”

“We have followed with interest this district,” he said. “We do not do that many searches. We did two last year. We take this real seriously. We try to be selective and work with outstanding districts.”

Moses saluted Dr. London’s work and Hays CISD.

“There is a culture here and the culture here is working,” he told the School Board. “You’re in a good location with quality people and a competitive salary. Dr. London’s reputation as a good steward works to your benefit.”
  

The Hays CISD Board of Trustees will receive a "State of the District" report that will include a district TAKS performance review and an update of curriculum initiatives during a special meeting on Thursday, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Central Administration Office. A public hearing on the $132.5 million budget and the tax rate is scheduled 6:15 p.m., at the Central Administration Office. Following the public hearing, the Board will vote on the budget and set the tax rate, which reflects no increase.
  

Welcome to administrators who have joined Hays CISD for the 2008-09 school year. They are: Michelle Barrera as executive director of Human Resources; Dina Webb as executive director of Curriculum and Instruction; Laura Sanchez Fowler as Director of Professional Development; Jason Certain as assistant principal of Dahlstrom Middle School; Christine Kent as assistant principal of Chapa Middle School; Kevin Malandruccolo as assistant principal of Wallace Middle School; Robert Hensarling as assistant principal of Hays High School; Teri Eubank as academic dean of Hays High School; Lisa Baum as elementary science coordinator; Kathy Faulks as assistant principal of Elm Grove Elementary School. Nearly 250 teachers start new with Hays CISD this year.
  

Open House and Meet the Teachers Night at Wallace Middle School will be on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. Parents will "walk" the students' schedules, get questions answers and have opportunities to purchase planners and T-shirts.
  

Shirley Reich, principal of Hays High School, is among only 100 principals throughout Texas selected to attend a leadership institute at Harvard University. The program is dedicated to the support, development and improvement of school principals. During the workshops, principals received training from national and international experts in the fields of education and leadership. Raise Your Hand Texas funded the institutes.
  

Students in grades 1 through 5 who are new to Hays CISD may be nominated for the district's gifted and talented program, called ALPHA-H.  Please ask your homeroom teacher for a nomination packet or contact the ALPHA-H teacher on your elementary campus for nomination information. All nominations are due by September 5.  Please remember this is only for those students who are new to the district this fall. 
  

It is time for the 2008/2009 school year to begin. All public schools in Hays County will begin classes on Monday, August 25, 2008. The Hays County Sheriff's Office will be out in force monitoring school zones and traffic around the many schools in Hays County.
 
The Hays County Sheriff's Office is asking for the cooperation of the motoring public in the county by slowing down in school zones, watching for pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the area of schools and stopping for buses as they are loading or unloading school children. Always remember, you must stop when approaching a school bus from either direction if it has it's signals activated and you may not proceed until the signal is turned off or the driver motions for you to proceed. An operator on a highway having separate (divided by a concrete or grassy median) roadways is not required to stop.
  
The fine for passing a stopped school bus is $560.00 and speeding in school zones is $98.00 plus $9.00 for each mile over the limit.
   

No Shots. No School.  Hays County Health Department  393-5520
  
In August, the Hays County Personal Health Department will be continuing their annual campaign to immunize children for the upcoming school year.
  
During this campaign, the Hays County Personal Health Department will be offering immunization clinics at a variety of locations and times .The Hays County Personal Health Department wants to make certain that every child receives their needed immunizations.  State law and guidelines require that students have up-to-date immunizations before the first day of school. Please call Hays County Health Department,  393-5520, for information about immunization clinics.

• Memorial Presbyterian Church in San Marcos (601 S. Guadalupe) is having FREE shot clinic from 9am-2pm, Saturday, August 23, 2008.

• United Methodist Church in Wimberley is having a shot clinic from 10am-1pm, Saturday, August 23, 2008. There will be a $10 charge per child (not per shot).

• Both locations for the Health Department in Kyle and San Marcos are also open Monday from 8am-6pm and Tuesday from 8am-4pm.