Dear CISD Family,

I cannot believe it is the first full week in February.  The school year is flying by! I want to update you on the flu cases in Coppell ISD. Though, we continue to experience a normal increase in students and staff being absent with flu or flu-like symptoms, our numbers are nothing like they were last week at some of our campuses. Our attendance rates are typical for the first week of February. Once again, we are sharing tips with our families to combat the flu in our district, which you can read more about in this newsletter.

Switching topics, our elementary schools celebrated the 100th and 101st days of school last week with dress up days, parades, counting of 100 items and more. In addition to being fun, these “centennial” celebrations allow our youngest students to bask in all they have achieved so far in the school year, which ties into our Core Value of Redefining Success. This week is National School Counseling Week, and I want to thank our CISD school counselors for all they do for our students and staff. We are so fortunate to have such wonderful counselors who do an excellent job of supporting our kids by promoting social and emotional well-being.

I want to thank everyone who attended yesterday’s Parent University presentation on “Exploring the Myths of Marijuana & Vaping.” These issues, especially vaping, are on the rise in our district and community, as we continue to see an increase in our students violating the Student Code of Conduct by bringing and using these devices on campus. For those of you who could not make last night’s presentation, it was videotaped, and we will make it available for you online shortly.

Finally, I want to end by recognizing that February is Black History Month. Over the next few weeks, you will see our campuses honor the contributions of African Americans in history via displays, papers and reports, book readings and more. We look forward to sharing our story of how we’ve commemorated this month in our next issue.

As you are planning ahead, please remember Friday, February 15 is a Professional Development Day for our teachers. There is no school for students. Monday, February 18 was designated as a "bad weather" day and since we did not need to use it for that purpose, it will be a holiday for students and staff.

Enjoy this weekend with your family,  

Brad Hunt

Superintendent

Boundary Realignment Board Workshop Feb. 11

The fifth Board Workshop on Boundary Realignment will be held Monday, Feb. 11 at 5:00 p.m. Reminder, Board Workshops are held for the purpose of allowing CISD Board of Trustees to receive more information, and discuss and debate pending matters with CISD staff and amongst themselves before taking a formal vote at a later date. However, since no action is being decided or taken at a Board workshop, there is no “Open Forum” or other opportunities for the public to address the Board during a Board Workshop. The Board Workshop will be broadcast live and then archived at www.coppellisd.com/page/167. Details about the Boundary Realignment process can be found at www.coppellisd.com/realignment. The CISD community can share additional feedback on the process by emailing input@coppellisd.com. The Board will consider and adopt the final Boundary Realignment Model at its Feb. 25 Regular Board Meeting.

Fighting the Flu in CISD

It isn’t unusual for Coppell ISD to see an increase in students and staff absences during flu season at this time of year. CISD Health Services is monitoring these illnesses in our district and communicates frequently with our custodial partner, Aramark, to ensure our campuses receive thorough cleanings. The actions of students and staff also can help prevent or slow the incidence of flu. The most important of these is to keep children at home while sick and until they are free of a fever for 24 hours without the aid of medication, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. According to the CDC, the first line of defense is getting the flu shot. Other preventative measures include covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands and keeping sick people away from others. As a reminder, though CISD is required to send an automatic email after three unexcused absences within a four-week period (all excused absences will be corrected in the parent portal once a note is received), the district understands that recovery from the flu and other illnesses often takes several days. Keeping a sick child at home prevents the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child an opportunity to rest and recover. Click here for more information on the district’s health attendance guidelines.

State Comptroller Recognizes CISD for Financial Transparency

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar recently announced CISD is the latest local government entity to achieve specific transparency goals through the Comptroller’s Transparency Stars program. CISD received a star in the area of Traditional Finances, which recognizes entities for their outstanding efforts in making their spending and revenue information available. The district’s finance information can be found at www.coppellisd.com/financial .

CHS Swimmers to Compete at State

Congratulations to Coppell High School juniors Aurelie Migault and Johan Pretorius who performed well enough at the Regional Swim meet Feb. 1-2 to advance to the State Swimming Championship to be held at the University of Texas at Austin Feb. 15-16. Aurelie will compete in the 100 breastroke and Johan will compete in the 100 backstroke.

HOSA Students Advance State

Congratulations to the high school members of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) who placed well enough at the Regional III conference to advance to State. Seniors Hannah Tucker and Natalia Routhier qualified in Forensic Science, seniors Jenna Brown and Peyton Storch qualified in First Aid/CPR, senior Namratha Mohan qualified for Pharmacology, seniors Amanda Kouaho and Carrie Chen qualified for Healthy Lifestyle, and junior Aditi Manjrekar qualified for Medical Arts Poster. The Texas HOSA Conference will take place March 28-30 in San Antonio.

National Signing Day

Congratulations to the Coppell student athletes who participated in National Signing Day at the CHS Arena Feb. 6. Cowgirl Addison Ramirez committed to play women’s soccer at Hardin Simmons University. In addition, these Cowboy football players signed letters of intent for their college athletic careers: Ricardo Guevara at Texas A&M Kingsville, Ryan Hirt at Howard Payne University; Justin Murray at Bucknell University, Rasheed Noel at Emporia State University and Khalil Rasheed at Emporia State University.

Cottonwood Creek's Roxanne Krautkramer to be Summer International Educator in Japan

Roxann Krautkramer, ESL Facilitator for Cottonwood Creek Elementary, has been selected as a summer 2019 International Educator in Japan. Mrs. Krautkramer will spend about two weeks this summer visiting schools, staying with host families and touring historical and cultural areas in Japan. Congratulations!

CHS Students Win Tech Titans Video Contest

Congratulations to CHS Students Fiona Lopez, Abigail Simon, Brandon Potts and Matthew O'Quinn who won first place in the High School category in the Tech Titans STEM video contest. Their video was on the topic "Waste Management in a Smart City" and is available here.

CHS Student Surprised with ASBO Scholarship

As an Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) 2018 Distinguished Eagle Award Recipient, retired CISD Chief Financial Officer Kelly Penny received a $2,500 scholarship to give to a deserving high school student. CHS Senior Jalen Ramirez was surprised with the scholarship at CHS Jan. 31, and plans to use the funds to pursue a nursing degree at Texas Woman’s University.

High School Students Host Chinese New Year Celebration at Coppell Library 

High School students from CHS, CHS9 and New Tech High @ Coppell hosted an event celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year on February 2 at the Coppell Public Library. More than 400 community members attended this student-designed experience and learned about the origins and traditions of the Chinese New Year, and participated in games, storytelling, face painting and more. February 5 marked the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2019, which is the "Year of the Pig."

Celebrating World Read Aloud Day

CISD Board members, administration leaders, staff, community, parents, and student volunteers helped the district celebrate World Read Aloud Day 2019 on Feb. 1 and showed our students they matter by reading to learners at elementary schools. Each year, people all around the globe read aloud together on this day to promote literacy and a love of reading. Studies show that reading aloud to children every day puts them approximately a year ahead of children who do not hear stories read to them daily.

Board Applications for May Elections Due Feb. 15

The deadline to apply for a place on the ballot of the May 4, 2019, CISD School Board Election is Friday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Places 1, 2 and 3 are up for election. For more information, visit www.coppellisd.com/Page/8719 or contact Kay Ryon at kryon@coppellisd.com or 214-496-8002.

New Attendance Notification Times

CISD recently changed the attendance notifications for elementary school students. Parents or guardians of elementary students, except for Austin Elementary, will be notified by 11 a.m. of their child's absence. Austin Elementary School’s absence notifications are now at 1 p.m. to account for afternoon Pre-Kindergarten times. Absence notifications for middle and high school students will be at 5:30 p.m. If you receive a call from your child’s school at these times, it is the district/school notification of your child's absence. If you don't answer this automatic phone call, it will leave a voicemail message.

New Tech @ Nite Feb. 12

Parents and students interested in New Tech High @ Coppell for their four-year high school education are invited to attend New Tech @ Nite Feb. 12. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at New Tech High @ Coppell, 113 Samuel Blvd. For more information, visit www.coppellisd.com/newtech.

CISD will host three meetings for Prospective Dual Language Immersion (DLI) families. These meetings will be held:

• Tuesday, Feb. 12 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Wilson Elementary Cafeteria
• Tuesday, Feb.  19 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Denton Creek Elementary Cafeteria and
• Tuesday, March 5 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Vonita White Administration Building in the Boardroom. For more information, visit www.coppellisd.com/duallanguage.

Public Hearing on Texas Academic Performance Report Feb. 25

CISD will hold a Public Hearing to discuss its Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) during the monthly School Board meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019.  

• Feb. 11 - Special Board Meeting - 8:00 a.m.
• Feb. 11 - Board Workshop Boundary Realignment - 5:00 p.m.
• Feb. 13 - Bond Oversight Committee Meeting - 6:30 p.m.
• Feb. 15 - Professional Development Day - No School for Students
• Feb. 18 - Bad Weather Day - No School
• Feb. 25 - Regular Board Meeting - 7:00 p.m.