School News by David J. Faltys Ed.D., Superintendent CISD
Thanks for thebrbirthday wishes! It's hard to fathom that I am half a century old, and therebrare some days that I'm physically reminded I'm not as young as I used to be.brFor many, one of the first signs of aging is blurred vision — taking care ofbryourself and having clear vision is important both personally andbrprofessionally. The older you get, the faster time seems to go, and looking atbrschool pictures of my children is a constant reminder of that fact.
It's already November in Carroll ISD, and soon we'll be halfwaybrthrough another school year. Test scores on Advanced Placement tests, STAAR,brACT and SAT show that our students continue to outpace their peers in Texas andbrin the United States; Carroll athletic teams are on pace to help defend their back-to-backbrLone Star Cup championships; we had one of the strongest finishes ever in the UILbrMarching Band Contest with fourth place; and our Theatre Department wowedbraudiences with Les Miserables.
In turn, this year we enrolled 120 students in our new STEM (Science,brTechnology Education and Math) program, launched Operation SAFEdragon, receivedbra sizable grant from The Hudson Foundation to build a new astronomy observatorybrfor our students, and we are wrapping up the last of the projects approved bybrvoters in the 2009 bond program.
Day-to-day we are doing great, but we have to ensure we maintainbrvision clarity. That's why the CISD School Board and Administration is interestedbrin developing a roadmap to success for the future. Work will soon begin on abr12- to 18- month process to create a written, five-year Strategic Plan forbrCarroll ISD. A consulting firm will work closely with a Strategic PlanningbrCommittee, which will be comprised of employees and community representatives.
The group will focus on the following areas: a profile of Dragonbrlearners; student engagement in the learning process; personal and emotionalbrskills for learning; quality school leadership; effective teaching and learningbrfor district staff; supportive facilities and budgeting for learning; andbrengaging and partnering with parents, our workforce and the community in orderbrto maximize support for Carroll ISD's 2020 vision.
Opportunities will exist for staff and patrons to provide input andbrfeedback, even for those who are not sitting members of the actual StrategicbrPlanning Committee. More details on the selection and makeup of that committeebrwill be shared in the coming weeks and months, but I could not be more excitedbrabout working to identify a strategic plan that will take the Carroll Dragonsbrto the year 2020.
Our mission, vision and core values provide us with a strong foundationbrfor making decisions for student success. Our District Improvement Plan helpsbrus continue to raise the bar and rigor for our students annually. But it's alsobra good idea to have a plan that forecasts out another three to five years. Thebrdiscussion alone is going to be challenging, and I believe the process willbrland us a 2020 vision that will guide us successfully through the next halfbrdecade.
To stay in touch withbrwhat’s happening in your public schools, follow us on Twitter @Carrollisd or onbrour Facebook page and on Instagram. If you haven't yet downloaded the CarrollbrISD Mobile Dragon app, you'll want to visit the app store on your smartphone today.brYou can also get district, academic, fine arts, sports and community news bybrreading the daily eBlasts and MySouthlakeNews.com. Handbooks, policies andbrdepartmental information are all available on the district website. Visit Southlake Carroll Edu.
Dr. David Faltys serves as Superintendent of Carroll Independent School District, the largest 5A Exemplary district in the state of Texas. He was named by the 2010 Region XI Superintendent of the Year after being nominated for the award by his local School Board.