Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Texas Retired Teachers' Association Meeting 2/26

Are you interested in learning about retirement?

The Northwest Harris County unit of the Texas Retired Teachers’ Association will sponsor a Pre-Retirement Seminar Tuesday, February 26th, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. SBISD Board Room, 955 Campbell Road.

A knowledgeable consultant from the Teacher Retirement System will conduct the meeting and there will be a question and answer period following the presentation. This seminar is being presented strictly as a benefit to you and attendance is optional.

Anyone is welcome to attend, even if you are not planning on retiring at the end of this year or even in the near future. It would be beneficial to learn of retirement benefits you might look forward to in the future . Retirement is a wonderful time to refocus your energy and look forward to new aspects of life.

This seminar will help you be prepared to take your first step into that new life on the right foot. It is important that we have adequate materials for everyone. Please indicate your intention to attend by e-mail: cbjp@flash.net or by calling 713-462-4750; please respond not later than Monday, February 18th. Please share this information.

Additional seminars are being conducted as follows: Katy ISD – the Merrill Center, Monday, February 25th Klein ISD – Klein Multi-Purpose Center, Thursday, February 28th Cypress-Fairbanks ISD – the Berry Center, Thursday, March 7th

If one of these dates and locations would be more convenient, you may choose to attend one of them. The same presentation will be given at all seminars.

Board of Trustees approve two new program choices for students

The Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees voted during its regular monthly meeting to approve two new program choices for SBISD families beginning August 2013 – a School for Highly Gifted Students with up to 30 students in kindergarten through fourth grade in its first year, and expanded Secondary Dual Language programming offered at two middle schools to serve students matriculating from the district’s two-way and one-way elementary dual language programs.

New program choices for 2013-2014 include the following: 

The School for Highly Gifted Students, which is the second public program or school of its kind in Texas, is designed to meet the needs of SBISD students who are highly, exceptionally or profoundly gifted, with tested IQs from 145 or above. This school-within-a-school program to meet the needs of gifted students will be housed at Valley Oaks Elementary School with a director and core educators.

For more information on this program, contact Lynette Breedlove, Ph.D., Director of Advanced Studies and Secondary Counseling at 713-251-1901 or lynette.breedlove@springbranchisd.com.

The Secondary Dual Language Program will prepare SBISD students to be bilingual, bi-literate and bicultural in Spanish and English during their secondary years. The program will be open to graduates of SBISD’s elementary two-way and one-way dual language programs. It will begin next August at Spring Forest and Spring Woods middle schools. Westchester Academy for International Studies will continue to offer secondary dual language programming for 20 students per its chartering document. An application process for the Secondary Dual Language Program will be available soon and will coincide with the district’s transfer policy timeline.

For more information on this program, please contact Vivian Pratts, SBISD Secondary Dual Language at 713-251-1585 or vivian.pratts@springbranchisd.com.