Happy Cinco de Mayo!
It is hard to believe that we are not in the final month of the 2024-2025 school year. So many lessons have been learned in our classroom and life since August 2024. We have been excited about the growth of our students have made since the beginning of the school year. Now that the STAAR in grades 3- 8 and high school End of Course tests have been completed, our students will begin taking the MAP growth assessment at all grade levels to measure how much they have grown since the start of the school year. Information on accessing individual student reports will be shared with parents upon completion.
The district has been reviewing the results of many of the parent, student, and staff surveys that were recently submitted. We are planning to address some of the areas highlighted by our stakeholders. Currently, we are working on the administration building parking area to create more conducive parking for visitors to include handicap accessible parking to welcome guests at the administration building.
Many will be very excited to know that our school board recently approved utilizing money from fund balance to fix B.B. Brown Road from the I-35 access road by the softball field up to the Connally Early Childhood Center drop-off zone. This includes the CECC and the daycare parking area. This has been an area of concern over the years and requires adequate time and money to fix. I am happy to report that it is on the summer work list.
Another area that is being addressed over the summer for full implementation next year is a parent communication system. We heard that communication between teachers and families is difficult, and at times confusing due the varying systems used by the campuses. We initially thought having the Rooms application would resolve this issue. However, it only complicated communication further. Therefore, the district will be moving our website and parent communication platform for all grade levels and associate organizations to Parent Square. The new platform does not require the parent to download an app or tie their students together as a family. Parents can receive and respond directly to the sending teacher without having to log in to a specified website or application. However, there are perks to having a Parent Square login. Parents can sign permissions slips, pay for school activities, and see other events and communication posted by the campus or district on the new platform. We have visited with other districts and parents who currently use Parent Square. The platform received many positive reviews from district employees and parents. We are excited to roll out the new platform over the summer. There are other exciting opportunities coming our way that will be sharing with you in the upcoming weeks!
Over the weekend, Connally ISD had a school board election. There are 7 places on the CISD Board of Trustees. Seats 1 and 2 were up for election. The Place 2 incumbent, Mr. Keith Lowery, ran unopposed. Three Connally community members campaigned for the Place 1 position on the board. The preliminary results of the election indicate that Heather McCarty-Johnston won the May 3rd election and will continue to serve as the Place 1 trustee. I am thankful that we had four community members interested and willing to serve our community and in the interest of our students and teachers. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 12th at 6:30 p.m. The members will be installed during this meeting.
We also had six Cadet track athletes make an appearance at the UIL State Track Meet last week. It is a tremendous accomplishment to make it to the state competition, regardless of the end result. However, I am thrilled to report the following results:
Shot Put- Daniel Hancock- 6th place
400 Meter Run- Adrian Renteria 7th place
4 X 400 Meter Relay- Adrian Renteria, Jha’Mikal Benson, KD Linville, CJ Evan, (Jamarion Vincent- alternate) 5th place
Congratulations to all of these young men and their accomplishments at the state meet!
During the UIL State Track Meet in Austin, Coach Lisa Baucom was presented with the UIL Sponsor of Excellence Award. This award is recognize outstanding UIL sponsors who assist students in developing and refining their talents to the highest degree. The criteria used to identify the recipient is:
Accomplishments of UIL participants as a result of sponsor leadership (a five-year minimum).
Indication that the sponsor made maximum use of existing resources and student aptitude
.Principal recommendation of the sponsor as an effective teacher in non-UIL classroom activities.
A statement regarding the relative importance of competitive activities in the sponsor’s personal educational philosophy.
The UIL selection committee desire to award individuals in athletics, music or academics. Coach Baucom is one of the few who could be selected for her athletics or academics. She has has developed students in both realms and has taken many students to the state competitions in both athletics and academics. She has dedicated her entire career as an educator to the students of Connally ISD. She truly is the best person to receive this recognition!
This morning we celebrated the Top 10% of the Class of 2025. These top graduates, their parents, and their most inspirational teacher sat down together for a delicious breakfast catered by our Culinary Cadets. I enjoy hearing and seeing who our students select as their most inspiring teacher. It can make a teacher’s day knowing what they did to elevate their top 10 graduate. There are always tears and smiles during this celebration. Theses graduates and guests were also blessed to hear from Mrs. Linda Peoples Lindsay, a 1981 Connally graduate whose father, Mac Peoples, had an unwavering love and dedication to Connally ISD. Mrs. Lindsay also serves as the president of the Connally Cadet Education Foundation.
There is a student spotlight event almost night this week. Please come see all of the great things our students are doing!
Monday-
6th-12th grade band students will showcase their talents in their end of the year band concert. The event will take place in the high school auditorium beginning at 6:00
Tuesday-
CHS Fine Arts Showcase in the high school commons area from 5:30 to 7:00. Come see what our creative students have been working on in art, theater arts and our solo and ensemble.
CES Hawaiian Family Night from 5:30 to 7:00- Come luau at the elementary! Everyone is invited to play educational games, enjoy free food, visit our book fair, and see what our GT students have been working on this year. This is also a great opportunity to meet the principal, Mr. Ellis!
Wednesday-
Cadet Athletic Recognition at 6:30 in the high school auditorium. All are welcome to come celebrate the individual and team accomplishments of our high school student athletes.
Have a great week Cadet Nation!
Sincerely,
Jill Bottelberghe
Superintendent
