HIGH SCHOOL - Lance Bernard

HIGH SCHOOL - Lance Bernard
We have been extremely busy this semester! The students are finishing their third round of
benchmarks and closing up the third six-weeks. Basketball is well under way and the band
concert was Sunday, December 9th. We are very proud of our students, teachers,
and staff as we head into the Christmas break.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Garrison High School!
Garrison ISD Band has 3 students that will represent our school at the Region 21 Honor Band
Concert on January 19th in Chapel Hill. Alcira Sanchez will perform on percussion in the
Middle School All-Region Concert Band and Matt Skelton will play tenor sax in the Middle
School Symphonic Band. Urias Quetzala earned 8th chair to High School Symphonic Band.
These students have been working for months to prepare and auditioned against thousands of
other band students from across the region. Congratulations to these fine young musicians!
GARRISON ISD
December 2012
459 N. US Hwy 59
Garrison, TX 75946
936-347-7000
Superintendent—Darren Webb
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
As 2012 comes to an end, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope we all
remember the reason for the season. Christmas Break allows our teachers and students to recharge their batteries for the spring semester.
With the end of 2012, I hope the old accountability system is ending as well. As educators, we hope our state
legislators will change the current accountability system so schools will not be evaluated on their weakest area.
There are many schools who are labeled as “Unacceptable” by TEA because one area may not meet
“Acceptable” status, yet all other areas are at “Recognized” or above. But, because the one area is
“Unacceptable” the whole campus carries that label. Is that fair? As business owners, would you want your
business to be judged in its weakest area? Educators believe in an accountability system, but it is how we are
measured that concerns us. There are several new accountability plans being discussed and with these plans,
new graduation plans are being discussed as well as a reduction in the total number of test that are given to students each year. One plan would allow multiple pathways to graduation, which would include:
 STEM track that includes Technology, Math and Engineering
 Business/Industry track which includes Marketing, Architecture, Welding, and HVAC
 Human Services track that includes Health Science, Education, Law and Hospitality
 Humanities track that includes Political Science, History and Fine Arts
Commissioner Williams has deferred the 15% rule for (EOC’s) End of Course Exams. This next Legislative
session will shape the course of education for many years to come.
Elementary
Middle School
Lisa McKnight
Allan Metcalf
Merry Christmas! After such a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, I am eager to see what the Christmas season
holds for us all. Our Santa letters have been sent to the Timpson Tenaha newspaper, so be sure to watch for
those. We have wonderful students, so I am sure that they are all on Santa’s “good” list!
In grades 3-5, we have completed the benchmark testing. This helps us to assess the knowledge and skills our
students have mastered independently in relation to the state curriculum. We use the benchmarks to diagnose
weaknesses in individual student skills, as well as in the grade level as a whole. We will use the data to determine what lessons need to be taught or re-taught in the classroom, and what each individual student needs to
work on in computer lab, content mastery, and tutorials. The STAAR tests will begin in third grade. Third
grade will take a math and reading test; fourth grade will take writing, math, and reading; and fifth grade will
take math, reading and science. Students must pass these tests in order to be successful each year. At certain
grade levels, state law mandates students who do not pass the STAAR tests must be automatically retained in
their grade level.
Please make sure your child is at school, on time, all day, every day, so they will not get behind in class and
miss crucial instruction.
I wish you all a blessed Christmas filled with family, laughter, and love! I look forward to seeing everyone in
January 2013.
Kindergarten has been busy learning to read!!
We are taking home readers and surprising our
parents at how well we can read! First grade, we
are getting ready! We are also busy with our
Christmas activities. Ms. Keri is helping us
paint reindeer shirts, thank you Ms. Keri! We
are going to mail our letters to Santa, and even
going to watch a movie about Santa. We are so
excited about our trip to the North Pole aboard
the Polar Express. We are hoping to see Santa
there. We have been visited by Zero the Hero 7
times now! We are getting closer to 100 each
day. We can’t wait until the 100th day!
1st grade has been busy getting ready for Christmas by
reading traditional Christmas Literature and activities.
We took a trip to the North Pole to see Santa and his
workshop on the Polar Express. Our Santa letters were
mailed and we can’t wait for Santa’s arrival. We want
to wish all of our friends and family a very Merry
Christmas!
Our Garrison 4th graders have NOT stopped talking about (and writing about) the recess they will
never forget! They tell stories of how the Garrison Football players rushed their playground and
flooded it with moments they will always remember: The football players swinging on the swings
with them, throwing perfect football passes to them, joining in on their soccer match, and EVEN PLAYING
“LITTLE SALLY WALKER” with a group of girls! The smiles on these faces as they retell these stories are
priceless. Thank you, football players and coaches, for taking the time to make memories with these kiddos
and not being too cool to enjoy recess again!
5th grade is working hard to prepare for the upcoming STAAR test. Vocabulary is one of our biggest obstacles in reading. Therefore, we have really been working hard to build a good, strong vocabulary. In math, the
students have been working on testing strategies and doing a daily warm-up to get them prepared for that
“rigorous” test. Perimeter is also a new skill the students are working on. Ask your child to explain it to you!
In social studies, the students are learning about the American Revolution. They are really enjoying getting
into their early American roots! Science has been about the different landforms and the students are getting to
do a really fun experiment in the science lab. Mrs. Gresham wants to thank all the parents for their help getting the supplies together. Some of the experiments can be very costly unless we spread it out amongst the
kids. They love going to the lab, so thanks again and have a VERY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Here we are...it is hard to believe that it is already Christmas. Garrison Middle School
has had a very good first semester. Everyone has worked hard and is looking forward to
this much needed holiday break. Boys and girls basketball is in full swing. Teams are
looking good and improving every game. Our students have been involved in band,
FFA, cheering, football, cross country, FCA, and twirling while scoring well on benchmark
tests
and
maintaining
their
grades.
Middle School students have a field trip to Triple Play in Carthage, Texas on December
20th. This is a skating rink with indoor games and pizza for lunch. MS students have
earned this trip for not having over 2 office referrals in the first semester.
School
starts
back
Monday,
January
7,
2013.
I hope you and your family have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The middle school FCA would like to thank Rexanna Powers, Mrs. Lloyd, Mrs. Huggins, and Coach
Hylander for bringing our Christmas message. We are so blessed to live in a community that comes
together in worship and in prayer. Merry Christmas from the Middle School!
The 8th grade history classes have finished learning about the Revolutionary Era and the 7th graders
know where various Native American tribes lived as well as the physical features that they chose to
live near. The Middle School students are looking forward to their skating party and Christmas break!
The 8th grade reading students are enjoying Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. They are studying the life
of Ebenezer Scrooge and the influence of the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future on his life.
Scrooge undergoes a complete transformation from a greedy miser to a man of great love and compassion.
The students will celebrate the culmination of the novel with a Cratchitt Luncheon where they will prepare the
food and dress in period costumes sometime in January of next year due to the illness of so many students.
The 7th grade reading students are reading Where the Lilies Bloom by Vera and Bill Cleaver. This is a realistic story of one Appalachian family who survives great loss and hardship but survive with the help of their
mountain friends. The students are enjoying the exploits of the 4 children in the story.
I can’t believe that our school year is half over.
Ms. Jean Davidson recently brought her Yell
and Tell program to our campus. She is the
grand-daughter of the Harley Davidson Founder. Her program was brought about by the
personal tragedy of her grandson’s drowning.
This program was a great message about safety
to our children. Please stop by the foyer and
visit our Citizen of the Month display. I would
like to congratulate these students on their exemplary behavior. I hope that you and your
family have a Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year. Mrs. Lloyd