Friday, May 17, 2024
Greetings! I cannot believe we are only two weeks away from having all our Elks back in school - it is such a fun time of year as we plan for back-to-school events, fall sports, pep rallies, and all the things!
This summer has flown by, but it has certainly been a very busy summer throughout Evant ISD. Our student athletes have been putting in so much work this summer and I could not be more proud of their dedication to be the best version of themselves. In addition to our students, our teachers have spent an incredible amount of time in professional learning activities throughout the summer as well so that they can be the very best teachers for our students. Our maintenance team and student workers have put in lots of time this summer to renovate our building. We have painted and painted and painted! In addition, we have installed new flowing throughout the main hallways and will be finishing that up over the next week to be ready to open our doors in August. We have also added several Newline TVs to our inventory so that almost every classroom will be equipped with the smart technology suited for engaging and interactive instruction.
As we enter the school year, it is important that we recognize the work it takes to be successful. One initiative that we will begin this year is Earned Not Given. As we work to develop future leaders, it is important to teach our students that leadership is about service to others, the trust that you are given in that leadership role, and the character that you embody each and every day. There is a work ethic that comes with leadership that we want our Elks to exemplify in their efforts across campus. Therefore, as we begin our Earned Not Given campaign, we will celebrate individual and group efforts as we recognize students and teachers alike by awarding them with a newly designed ENG t-shirt. The only way to get this shirt is to EARN it by displaying the Elk core values consistently and guiding others to do the same. This will be a district-wide initiative and we cannot wait to present our first shirts very soon…watch our social media pages as we begin these celebrations!
From an academic standpoint, this is shaping up to be a very exciting year. Region 12 has awarded EISD with a grant to participate in a pilot program with Region 12 and TEA to align instructional materials and classroom teaching and learning. In addition to that grant, EISD recently received notice that we were awarded a 2nd grant allowing us to focus on strengthening our campus and district systems and supports. Through these two grant programs, EISD will partner with Region 12 curriculum specialists as we host these specialists on-site routinely throughout the school year to provide support and curriculum expertise to our staff. These grants will assist EISD in strengthening campus systems, building capacity in teachers and leaders, and ultimately improving student outcomes.
In addition to these academic support grants, Evant ISD was awarded a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant to sustain the ACE after school program. While we have participated in this grant for the last five years, the previous cycle ended, and the future of the program was questionable without an extension of funding. Thus, for the new cycle of grants, Evant ISD partnered with Brady ISD, Walnut Springs ISD, and Morgan ISD and was awarded the most recent cycle to run over the course of the next five years. This is great news for our students and parents as we will now be able to fund the program and increase opportunities for further academic intervention and support for students as well as be able to offer varied enrichment opportunities to engage students in activities that support their overall growth and development outside of the academic realm. We are currently putting our ACE staff together and plan to kick that program off during the 2nd week of school.
Speaking of school, our first day is just around the corner on August 8 as classes will begin at 7:45 a.m. I am very excited to be able to announce that EISD will once again be able to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students each day. In addition, we will continue to run a 4-day instructional week with Mondays off each week throughout the year. Classes will be Tuesday-Friday from 7:45 a.m. until 4:15 p.m., just like last year. On Mondays, students may be involved in extracurricular practices or specialized tutoring. However, Mondays offer a great opportunity for scheduling doctor and dental visits, trips, and other family activities that can be enjoyed together.
It is an exciting time to be an Evant Elk! Staff, teachers, and administrators have all put in a lot of time and effort this summer to ensure that our Elks get the very best from us in the coming school year. There has been a lot of work put in – but the work is worth it when our students succeed. It takes work to build programs, renovate buildings, increase technology, improve student outcomes, and maximize learning opportunities. But…at Evant ISD, we believe it is WORTH THE WORK! We are completely invested in our students, our community, and our school and I know that 2023-24 will be the best year yet! #ELKSinvest
