Fort Bend Independent School District: Scoop From The Supe (3/11/2022)

Press release from Fort Bend Independent School District:

3/11/2022

Hello, I’m Supt. Dr. Christie Whitbeck,

And I am one proud supt when it comes to the Dulles High School Academic Decathlon team. They recently brought home another state championship. This is the 6th one in a row! Dulles now has the longest “Large School” winning streak in state history and Coach Kelsey Halfen won Coach of the Year! These outstanding scholars will now represent Texas at the U.S. Academic Decathlon! It takes place virtually next month. Congratulations and I know you will make us proud!

Congratulations to the Clements boys’ basketball team. They made it to the regional semifinals for the first time in school history before falling to Atascocita. The other day when I was out and about in the District, I got to attend a play-off game and it was a nail-biter! Thank you, Rangers! It was fun being with all of you and great job on a fantastic season!

Ridge Point High School has been designated a national AVID College Readiness Demonstration Site. Such schools serve as global models for closing the opportunity gap so that all students are prepared for college, careers and success in life.

I want to give a big shoutout to all our students who are headed to the state’s Destination Imagination science, engineering and math competition in Arlington on March 25th and 26th. Teams include students from Dulles and Clements high schools, Garcia, Sartartia and Quail Valley middle schools, and Highlands and Scanlon Oaks elementary schools.

Seventy-five Fort Bend ISD students representing Austin, Clements, Dulles, Elkins, Kempner, Ridge Point and Travis high schools have qualified to compete at the Distributive Education Clubs of America conference in Atlanta in April. Congratulations to our business leaders of tomorrow.

And now a couple of staff shoutouts, congratulations to the District’s communications team for receiving numerous awards, including the prestigious Crystal Commendation, at the annual Texas School Public Relations Association conference. We appreciate all the creative and innovative ways they tell the stories of our great District.

Congratulations also to our first-year teachers who have been named 2022 Rookie Teachers of the Year. The Elementary Rookie Teachers of the Year are Ridgemont’s Samantha Andrade, Madden’s Laura DeJesus, and Blue Ridge’s Amber Wilson Pettway. Secondary Rookie Teachers of the Year are Travis High School’s Jennifer Escobedo, Sugar Land Middle School’s Lauren Catoe(k-toe), and Garcia Middle School’s Erin Weber. I also want to congratulate our 2022 Principals of the Year. They are Lavanta Williams at Hunters Glen Elementary and Keith Fickel at Sugar Land Middle School. These educators are making a positive difference in our classrooms.

I am excited to give you an update on our Teacher Feedback action plan that has been created based on extensive feedback received from District educators.  Staff sorted the feedback into 13 themes related to curriculum and assessment, campus procedures for lesson plans, master schedule, discipline, special populations, and the pace of change in the District.

Within the themes, we have identified three categories:  Immediate Quick Wins, Areas to Explore for Change, and Things We Cannot Change because of state or other requirements.

When it comes to Immediate Quick Wins, teachers have been allowed to wear jeans, we removed limits on making copies, and job-embedded professional development artifacts and campus support walks were made optional.

When it comes to Areas to Explore for Change, we are reviewing a reduction in district assessments, evaluating master schedules, and monitoring class sizes. We are also looking at feedback about lesson plan requirements and opportunities to collaborate with peers in Professional Learning Communities.

This press release was produced by Fort Bend Independent School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.