Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District                                                April 2006
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RECOGNITIONS

The Board of Trustees recognized the following students and staff members for their achievements:

• Timm Gleason, a volunteer at Lamkin Elementary, is the district and state award winner as the Outstanding Adult Volunteer. Gleason has selflessly devoted his time every Tuesday for the past eight years with district PPCD and pre-kindergarten students. He works with 111 children per week.
• The Cy-Fair ISD VIPS General Committee is the district and state award winner as the Most Outstanding Parent Involvement Partnership. The VIPS General Committee is comprised of a volunteer coordinator and a volunteer liaison from each of the 67 campuses and the 23 members of the VIPS Executive Board. The General Committee drives the volunteer business of the district and communicates important information throughout the district regarding available training to enable parent volunteers to work more effectively with students and teachers. Monthly meetings promote parental involvement in schools, offer networking opportunities and sharing of best practices.
• Fourteen high school government and economics students were recognized as participants in the Board Shadowing Project. These students were Gabriel Ramirez and Leslie Chastain of Cy-Fair; Allen Viverette and Christina Ma of Cypress Creek; Jansen Angima and Jessica Huettel of Cypress Falls; Denise Hernandez and Khuyen Tran of Cypress Ridge; Yvette Deming and Gina Bertoli of Cypress Springs; Adrianne Fore and Manal Khan of Jersey Village; Addison Reed and Caroline Goloby of Langham Creek. Each student sat with his or her designated Board member or administrator throughout the course of the meeting to observe the democratic process in action.

Additionally, the superintendent recognized students and staff members for honors and achievements earned in recent weeks. Congratulations were extended to the following:

• Cypress-Fairbanks ISD has been rated as one of the top public school districts in the United States by the Expansion Management Magazine. The magazine is one of the world’s leading site location and facility magazines, evaluating secondary school districts nationwide each year in order to provide its 45,000 corporate subscribers a way of comparing the type of work force they are likely to encounter in various communities around the country. All school districts in the United States with an enrollment of 3,300 or more students were evaluated. The district was awarded a Blue Ribbon certificate for being rated in the top 33 percent of the 2,800 school districts rated.  
• Beth Muyskens , a science teacher at Bleyl Middle School won the 2006 ExploraVision Inspiration Award from Toshiba and the Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program. Beth has been invited to Washington D.C. in June to be honored for this award.
• Tara Brantley from Cypress Creek High School was selected as a candidate for the 2006 Presidential Scholar Program. The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the president, to recognize and honor some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.  
• Kevin Johnson , a senior at Cy Falls High School, is one of 50 winners in the Oprah Winfrey Holocaust Essay Contest. Kevin will attend a taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago on April 24. He will meet Elie Wiesel, author of Night, the acclaimed memoir about Auschwitz that was the focus of the contest. First published in English in 1960, Night is again a bestseller after Winfrey chose it as the latest selection in her popular book club. The program will probably be aired some time in May.
• Brandon Lau , from Cypress Falls High School, is a finalist in the Coca-Cola Share the Dream Essay Contest. An awards reception to honor the finalists and announce the winners was held April 13 at Minute Maid Park.
• Hannah Wiedner , a first-grade student at Sampson Elementary, and Melanie Stratton, a fifth-grade student at Moore Elementary were first place winners in the National Public Health Week Poster contest. All winning posters are displayed on the website www.harriscountyhealth.com.
• Twelve district students were selected as finalists in the Do the Write Thing Challenge and will be honored at a recognition ceremony and dinner in May. The contest featured 660 entries from CFISD seventh- and eighth-grade students in a writing competition designed to prevent violence and to promote safety in schools and the community. Selected as finalists are:   Priyanka Vaidya and Omar Alvarez, Goodson; Courtney Treadwell and Daniel Villalobos, Arnold; Tamra Dale and Dominique Roberson, Thornton; David Wojack and Arly Nguyen, Labay; Parxann Counts and Jani Vilkki, Hamilton; and Wyatt David and Kelsey Newman, Bleyl.
• Nine district teams qualified to compete in the State Computer Science contest April 29 in San Antonio. There were only 70 teams from across the state invited to compete.
  Cypress Creek High School (sponsor, Tom Halbert); Cypress Falls High School (sponsor,  Stacey Armstrong); Cypress Ridge High School (sponsor, Khechar Boorla); and Langham Creek High School (sponsor, Fran Rettenmaier) all had two teams and Cy-Fair High School (sponsor, Mike Gray) had one team. Three of these nine teams placed in the top four out of the 50 teams in the area contest. Cypress Falls finished first and fourth, and Cypress Creek placed third.
• Several students from Cypress Creek were honored at Sam Houston State University National Broadcasting Society’s Eubie Awards. First place went to Dillon Menefee and David Love with second place going to Taylor Williamson for Sports Play by Play; second place winners were Dillon Menefee for Music Video, Amber Regian and Dillon Menefee for Documentary, and UCTV Staff for News; and third place winners for TV Promo were Dillon Menefee and Lindsay Calvert, and for Comedy/Drama was Dillon Menefee.
• Several students in the district’s radio/television program placed in the Museum of Fine Arts Young Moviemakers contest. Cypress Creek senior Dillon Menefee’s music video, “Slow Motion,” tied for first place.   Jersey Village students won first, second, and third place in the News category. Joe Harper placed first with his story on “Godspell,” while Angie Valadez and Katrina Akins placed second with their story on “The Blood Drive,” and Travis White placed third with his story on “Gas Prices.” Also from Jersey Village, Jordan Bontke placed third in the Public Service Announcement Category with his PSA titled “Hygiene,” and Kelli Jackson and Sebastian Garcia received an Honorable Mention for their PSA titled “Speak Your Mind.”
• Cypress Creek and Cy-Fair students represented District 17 5-A at the UIL Area One-Act Play competition, April 8.   A total of six one-act plays from three UIL districts competed and only two shows could be chosen to advance–both were from CFISD.   The regional One-Act Play competition will be held April 22.
• Eight students from the Truitt Technology Club placed 68 individual projects in the Technology Students Association regional contest at Sam Houston State University. The events students competed in ranged from computer-aided design, electronics, robotics, and digital photography.   All eight students qualified for the state competition to be held May 4, 5, and 6 in Waco. They are: Christopher Le, Nicholas Padovano, Kevin Faught, Julio Acosta, Adam Woodrum, Ali Dogo, Basit Farrukh, and Alfred Solis .   They were taught by Mike Bennett and Ed Malavase.
• The Lady Eagles of Cypress Falls captured the district championship in girls soccer and finished the season as area champions while the Cy-Fair Lady Bobcats and the Cypress Creek Lady Cougars ended their season as bi-district champions. The boys soccer season ended with the Cypress Creek Cougars, Cypress Falls Eagles and Cy-Fair Bobcats as bi-district champions. In golf, Cypress Creek’s team 1 won both the boys and girls district championships while Cypress Creek’s team 2 came in second in boys competition and the Cy-Fair girls won second. The Cypress Falls boys team finished third.

NEW PRINCIPALS NAMED

Following the approval of employee transactions during its regularly scheduled meeting for the month of April, trustees named John Steward as principal at Metcalf Elementary School and Mark McCord as principal at Thornton Middle School.

Steward has 27 years of experience in education and is returning to the Houston area after spending the past eight years as principal at an elementary school in the Indianapolis Public Schools system. Steward received his Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from Indiana University and his Master of Science in Elementary Education from Texas Southern University. He holds certification in elementary and mid-management administration.

McCord has 19 years of experience in education.   He began his teaching career in Beaumont ISD and joined the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD team in 1989 as a science teacher at Cook Middle School where he served for 11 years. He was promoted to the position of assistant principal at Cook and was then invited to move to Aragon Middle School to assist in the opening of the new campus. He has served as assistant principal at Aragon for the past five years.   In addition he has served as summer school principal for two years. He received his Bachelor of Science in Education from Lamar University and his Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Houston. He also completed the requirements for the Principal Certification from Prairie View A&M University.

BERRY CENTER UPDATE

The Board received a report regarding the district’s preparations for the opening of the Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center. Beth Wade, Berry Center general manager, has initially scheduled more than 65 events: College Board AP testing, Super Math Camps, student performances such as the Fifth Grade Choral Festival and the District International Festival, and an eighth - grade play, as well as staff development through July 2006. This does not include the graduation ceremonies to be held May 25-28 or staff development training prior to the beginning of school in August.

Wade is also currently in discussion with several promoters of family and children shows regarding the possible use of the Berry Center for events that will generate revenue to help off-set some of the facility’s operational costs. In order to generate additional revenue, Wade is in communication with district business partners interested in purchasing advertising space on the scoreboards at the Berry Center and Ken Pridgeon Stadium. To date, approximately 30 percent of the advertising space on the scoreboards has been sold.

The district will host a Berry Center Student Showcase and Community Open House from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, 2006. This event will include guided tours as well as many student performances in elementary, middle, and high school choir, band, and theater arts. There will also be a high school football seven-on-seven round-robin tournament in the stadium. The dedication of the Berry Center will be held Sunday, May 21, 2006, at 1:30 p.m.

BOND UPDATE

The Board approved the administration’s recommendation to award a contract to Prime Contractors, Inc. in the amount of $4,155,550 for miscellaneous renovations at Cypress Falls High School and Ault, Frazier and Lowery elementary schools. The contract award recommendation is $2,450 under the established construction budget. Bay Architects is the architect for this project.

Trustees approved the Easement for Certain Utilities with Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.; CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC (CNP Electric); CenterPoint Energy Houston, a division of CenterPoint Energy Resources Corporation (CNP Entex); and Texas Cable Partners, LLP for utility services to Joan Spillane Postma Elementary School (Elementary No. 44).

GRADUATION POLICY WAIVED

Trustees waived Board Policy EIF (LOCAL), Academic Achievement: Graduation for the 2005 – 2006 school year to specifically allow Hurricane Katrina evacuees from Louisiana who meet Louisiana graduation requirements to participate in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD graduation ceremonies.

SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFING

All Cypress-Fairbanks ISD schools will be closed Friday, April 14 for a student holiday. Classes will resume Monday, April 17 as the students return for the last five weeks of instruction for this academic year. Dr. Anthony said he hoped families enjoy the three-day weekend.

The superintendent called attention to the bright yellow sticker he was wearing in recognition of National Volunteer Week, April 23-29. He said that throughout the year, the Board of Trustees, parents and community business partners provide valuable volunteer services to the district’s students, teachers and support staff. He thanked all district volunteers in anticipation of National Volunteer Week.

CFISD students, as well as students across the state, will be taking the TAKS tests over the next few weeks:

• Fifth-grade students took the math test on April 4.
• The TAKS math LAT test will be administered to some of the district’s English language learners in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10 on April 17.
• On April 18 the TAKS math test will be administered to students in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10.   The SDAA II math test will be administered to some students receiving special education in grades 3 – 10.
• On April 19 the TAKS reading test will be administered to students in grades 4, 6, 7, and 8 and students in grade 11 will take the TAKS Exit math test. The SDAA II reading test will be administered to some students receiving special education services in grades 3 – 10.
• On   April 20 students in grades 5, 8, 10, and 11 will take the TAKS science test and grade 9 students will take the TAKS math test.
• On April 21 students in grades 8, 10, and 11 will take the TAKS social studies test.
• TAKS exit level retesting for ELA, math, social studies, and science will occur April 18, 19, 20, and 21.
• TAAS exit-level retesting for writing, math, and reading will occur April 18, 19, and 20.
• TAKS reading retests for students in grades 3 and 5 will occur April 19.  

Dr. Anthony said these are important dates for all students and thanked all in advance for supporting their children and encouraging them to do their very best.   He is confident that district students are well prepared and will do a great job.

The Board Candidate Forum will be held April 17 in the Board room at 10300 Jones Road.   Candidates running for Board of Trustees positions will introduce themselves, provide relevant information concerning their candidacy and participate in a question and answer session that includes questions submitted by the audience. The Forum will air live on Time-Warner Cable Channel 16 and can be viewed on CFTV Online on the district website at www.cfisd.net.

Parents of high school students are encouraged to attend any one of the seven meetings scheduled for April and May regarding random student drug testing in high schools. CFISD received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for student drug testing of students who participate in school-sponsored, competitive extracurricular activities in 2006-2007. High school students will be randomly tested for drugs and alcohol, and parents of current students in grades 8-11 may attend ANY one of the following meetings for information.   All meetings are from 7 - 8 p.m.

• Monday – April 24 - Cypress Creek H.S.
• Tuesday – April 25 – Langham Creek H.S.
• Tuesday – May 9 – Cy-Fair H.S.
• Wednesday – May 10 - Cypress Springs H.S.
• Thursday – May 11 - Cypress Falls H.S.
• Tuesday – May 16 – Jersey Village H.S.
• Wednesday – May 17 – Cypress Ridge H.S.

This meeting list is also posted on the district website.  

Dr. Anthony reminded registered voters in the district that the Board of Trustees election is scheduled for Saturday, May 13.   The Election Day hours are 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and the locations are posted on the district website.  

Early voting in the Trustee Election will be available at the Instructional Support Center, 10300 Jones Road from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., weekdays from May 1-5 and May 8-9. In addition, Saturday voting on May 6 is scheduled from 8 a.m. until noon, at the Instructional Support Center.  

Branch early voting will take place at the following locations from 2:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.

• Monday, May 1 – Carverdale Park Community Center
• Tuesday, May 2 – Matzke Elementary School
• Tuesday, May 2 – Francone Elementary School
• Wednesday, May 3 – Reed Elementary School
• Thursday, May 4 – Copeland Elementary School
• Monday, May 8 – Lieder Elementary School
• Tuesday, May 9 – Cy-Fair High School
• Tuesday, May 9 – Ault Elementary School

A special edition of Inside Cypress-Fairbanks ISD regarding the board election has been mailed to parents and taxpayers. This publication is available now on the district website at www.cfisd.net.

The Employee Service Banquet is schedule for Thursday, April 27, at the Berry Center beginning at 7 p.m. Honorees include district employees whose years of service total 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years as well as those employees who are retiring during this school year. Dr. Anthony said he has been told this event always provides an exciting evening of entertainment, fun and delicious food, and he is looking forward to attending the first CFISD Employees’ Service Banquet held at the Berry Center.

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, along with other Region IV districts, will participate in “Take Our Child to Work Day” Friday, June 9. Although the national event is scheduled for this month, students will not be excused from school on April 27. The district feels that June 9 is a better option for students so they can maximize their instructional days and utilize a summer day to accompany their parent to work.

AGENDA ITEMS

In other action, the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Board of Trustees:

• received a report on legislative issues and the activities of the State Board of Education, Texas School Alliance and the Fast Growth School Coalition;
• approved the district’s Annual Action Plan designed to carry out the goal priorities established for 2006-07;
• authorized the superintendent to negotiate and execute an amendment to the current tax collection contract with Linebarger, Heard;
• authorized the superintendent to negotiate a final resolution and/or agreement with an electrical power aggregator and/or a retail electrical provider (REP) to supply the district with electricity effective June 1, 2007;
• authorized tax refunds $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and/or the Harris County Education District in the amount of $ 133,892.48;
• approved bids and contracts from recommended vendors for goods and services;
• approved on second reading revisions to the following policies:
  • BBD (LOCAL) Board Members: Training and Orientation, and
• approved on first reading revisions to the following policies:
  • DBD (LOCAL) Employment Requirements and Restrictions: Conflict of Interest;
  • DBD (EXHIBIT) Employment Requirements and Restrictions: Conflict of Interest;
  • EEH (LOCAL) Instructional Arrangements Homebound;
  • EFAA (LOCAL) Instructional Materials Selections and Adoption: Textbook Selection and Adoption;
  • EIA (LOCAL) Academic Achievement: Grading/Progress Reports; and
  • FFA (LOCAL) Student Welfare:Wellness and Health Services.