Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District                                        September 2006
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RECOGNITIONS

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

• The Cy-Falls High School Percussion Group performed at the Greater Houston Partnership Education Workforce Advisory Committee luncheon, Aug. 23, which featured Dr. Shirley Neeley, Commissioner of Education. The group was led by band directors Shawn McAnear, Brian Eisemann and Robbie Green.
• Salam Kausam, English IV teacher at Cypress Falls High School, was selected as one of the nation’s top educators in Wal-Mart’s 11 th annual Teacher of the Year program. A surprise award ceremony was held for her in the school library on Sept. 11 and Wal-Mart also announced a donation of $10,000 to Cy-Falls.
• TASB/TASA School Architecture Competition PBK was notified that theirsubmission of the Danish Elementary School design was chosen for the Architectural Award of Excellence with distinction in VALUE and Architectural Award of Excellence with distinction in DESIGN in the TASB/TASA School Architecture Competition.   The Danish project will be showcased in a traveling architectural display throughout Texas through May 2007.

2007-2008 SCHOOL CALENDAR

A committee comprised of teachers, parents, ancillary personnel, campus administrators and district support staff will gather input on a calendar proposal for the 2007-2008 school year. HB1, passed by the Texas Legislature in special session, mandated a school start date no earlier than the fourth Monday in August, which would mean a student start date no earlier than Aug. 27.   As a result, there will be significant changes to the school calendar including fewer vacation days and a school year that extends beyond Memorial Day.

A district calendar committee will be organized with broad-based representation, including teachers, parents, campus administrators, paraprofessionals, ancillary personnel and district level administrators. We will gather input from parents and district staff members regarding the various calendar issues. This data will be gathered electronically, as well as during parent and staff meetings. After the committee evaluates the calendar input, it will arrive at a consensus for a calendar recommendation to be presented to the Board of Trustees.

BOND UPDATE

The Board approved the selection of the Construction Manager at Risk delivery method for the major renovations at Jersey Village and Cypress Creek high schools; Bleyl and Campbell middle schools; and Holbrook, Lamkin and Post elementary schools.

The Board approved the process for recommending attendance boundaries related to the opening of McFee Elementary School, Warner Elementary School, Hopper Middle School, Cypress Ranch High School and Cypress Lakes High School.

The Board approved Cy-Fair Annex as the name for the renovated facility previously housing the Carlton Center.

SUPERINTENDENT’S BRIEFING

Dr. Anthony provided the audience with the following post-Labor Day enrollment comparison: the district’s student enrollment on Sept. 5 was 91,652, representing a growth of 6,211 students when compared to last year’s post-Labor Day enrollment figures that included many of the hurricane Katrina student evacuees.  

The Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce will host its next general membership luncheon on Tuesday, Sept. 19, where Dr. Anthony will present the “State of the District” to business and community members.   The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Crown Plaza Hotel on the Northwest Freeway.   If you would like to attend, contact the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce at 281-955-1100.

All CFISD tenth-grade students will take the PSAT o n Wednesday, Oct. 18, which will take approximately two and a half hours. According to Dr. Anthony, this new initiative is a critical step in the district’s continued focus on developing high school students’ academic skills.   Benefits that will come from this testing include the following:

• For students, taking the PSAT: provides practice for the SAT and an evaluation of skill levels in reading, writing and math reasoning; identifies potential to succeed in advanced courses; provides information about level of college-readiness; and compares the individuals readiness for college-level work to that of his/her peers.
• For teachers, campuses and the district, the new initiative: identifies common threads of strengths and weaknesses in student performance that may affect curricular decisions; gives information about how students are performing compared to other campuses, districts, the state and the nation; improves SAT scores; and increases the number of National Merit semifinalists.

The Eighth Annual Salute to the Stars gala will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Berry Center, located at 8877 Barker Cypress. The event is held annually in honor of the district’s Spotlight Teachers.  

Salute to the Stars, hosted by the Cypress-Fairbanks Educational Foundation (CFEF) and CFISD, recognizes teachers of excellence from each of the district’s schools. The community’s sponsorship and support of the gala allows the Educational Foundation to provide Instructional Excellence grants for our teachers and scholarships for our students.

A dedication ceremony will be held for the three new elementary schools that opened last month. The ceremony for Joan Spillane Postma Elementary School, located at 18425 West Road, will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22. The dedication of Royce Black Elementary School, located at 14155 Grant Road, will begin at 4 p.m. also on Oct. 22. Woodie Coker Andre' Elementary, located at 8111 Fry Road, will have its dedication ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.

AGENDA ITEMS

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

• received a written report on legislative issues, State Board of Education, Texas School Alliance and the Fast Growth School Coalition activities;
• approved the list of students for Off-Campus Physical Education, Category I, for the school years 2006-2007 (Fall Addendum) through 2008-2009;
• approved bids and contracts from recommended vendors for goods and services;
• approved tax refunds of $500 or greater for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and/or the Harris County Education District in the amount of $1,105,553.34;
• approved the minutes of the Aug. 14 regular meeting;
• approved second-reading additions, deletions or revisions to the following district policies:
  • CPC (LOCAL) OFFICE MANAGEMENT: Records Management
  • DFE (LOCAL) TERMINATION OF CONTRACT: Resignation
• approved first-reading additions, deletions or revisions to the following district policy:
  • EHBB (LOCAL) SPECIAL PROGRAMS: Gifted and Talented Students
• authorized the following persons to act as the Superintendent’s designee for submitting requests to the Texas Education Agency for access to web applications through the Texas Education Agency Secure Environment (TEA SE) site from September 2006 through September 2007: Associate Superintendent for Technology and School Services; Director of Information Services; Coordinator for Secondary Instructional Technology; PEIMS Coordinator; Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction; Director of Compliance & Accreditation; Elementary Math Coordinator; Director of Elementary Special Programs and Services; Senior Director of Planning, Research & Evaluation; Director of Testing; Director of Program Evaluation and Research; Director of Human Resource Systems; Director of Student Services; Treasurer; Director of Financial Services; Assistant Director of Finance; Assistant Director of Financial Reporting; Accountant II; Director of Career and Technology; Grant Coordinator; Director of Special Education; and Assistant Superintendent for Educational Support Services;
• authorized the Superintendent or his designee to negotiate and execute a final contract for the procurement of electricity in response to proposal #06-08-9017RFP; and
• authorized the Superintendent or his designee to negotiate and execute a final contract for the procurement of electricity through any third party provider permissible under procurement laws.