Friday, February 22, 2013

Mentor in the Spotlight: Kathy Walsh

Kathy Walsh is a very special mentor according to BOTH of her mentees. Jazminique, a fourth grader at Spring Shadows Elementary, and Fatima, an eighth grader at Westchester Academy of International Studies (WAIS), used many of the same words to describe their mentor, ‘Ms. Kathy’: Nice, caring, funny, creative, amazing, loving, pretty, and the list goes on.

Both girls also mentioned they know Ms. Kathy believes in them, and this provides confidence to do their best in school and other situations. It is clear Ms. Kathy has earned the respect of both of these young ladies.

Fatima and Kathy Walsh
Kathy Walsh is currently also the partner coordinator for a large group of mentors from Pentair Valves and Controls at Spring Shadows Elementary, tirelessly recruiting new mentors, and making sure the mentors from her company are showing up and making a positive difference for their mentees. She also helps to organize holiday parties for the students and the mentors to help deepen the relationships.  
Principal Jerona Williams said, “The relationship and mentoring service that Ms. Walsh and her company provide for our students is ‘priceless.’ I wish we could have a mentor for every one of our 781 students.”

Jazminique—or Jazze as everyone calls her-- and Ms. Walsh are in the third year of their mentoring relationship at Spring Shadows Elementary. They first got to know each other well when Ms. Walsh gave Jazze a disposable camera to capture pictures of friends and family for a scrapbook they later made together. Photos from Ms. Walsh’s life were put into another book for Jazze to have to get to know her mentor better. Jazze recommends other students should have a mentor because “kids need to have other friends besides young people.”

Kathy with mentee Jazze
Jazze and Ms. Walsh enjoy playing games, looking at fashion design books in the library, and just talking—and more talking! Interests in art and fashion inspire Jazze to think about a career in fashion design at this point in her life. An idea for the name of her fashion line that she came up with is Jazze’s Fashion Adventures. Ms. Walsh plans to follow her mentee through middle and high school to encourage and help her stay on the right course to reach this aspiration. She says Jazze is a “smart, creative, bright student, with good sensibilities,” whose parents are shaping her to be a very well-rounded and successful citizen.  Jazze reports she knows being a good student will help her get a good job, make good money, and not become a “weird hobo living on the side of the road!”

Ms. Walsh became Fatima’s mentor when she was at Spring Shadows Elementary as a fifth grader.  They lost track of each other when Fatima moved to WAIS in 6th grade, but through some excellent detective work by Counselor Steven Schlabach and Mentor Specialist Monica Creixell, they were able to reconnect last school year. Fatima said it was “weird” not having a mentor during sixth grade, and she was so excited and happy to find Ms. Kathy again as she is a good sounding board to help talk through situations. “I tell her about school, my family, my grades, my problems… I get it all out. It is nice to have someone to hear you,” Fatima said. “Ms. Kathy gives me advice. She knows I have the capability to do well in high school.” Ms. Kathy recommended Fatima focus on what is going on in the classroom, and save her friendly socializing for the hallway and afterschool, to which Fatima’s broad smile agreed!

Ms. Walsh says she often counsels Fatima, who is very “goal-oriented,” that she can do whatever she wants to do with her future as long as she puts her mind to it and studies hard.  Becoming a doctor is a goal Fatima has had since she was little, but she also enjoys creative writing, so will also explore careers that could utilize that skill.

“Both of my mentees are very diverse, and both make such a positive impact on my life,” said Ms. Walsh. “It is like a vacation for me when I get to come see them at their schools.”   She is very thankful to the leadership at Pentair Valves and Controls allowing her the time each week to mentor Fatima and Jazze, and thus make a positive impact on the future stories of both students.
Thank you, Pentair Valves and Controls, and thank you, Kathy.


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College Board Destination College Feb. 26

CollegeBoard Logo

Destination: College
Feb. 26, 2013
5–8 p.m. EST

Join us for the first of five online events to help you and your family prepare for the college admissions process. These presentations will be given in both English and Spanish and will serve as a great opportunity for middle and high school students and their parents to successfully plan and pay for college.
Presentations: See Spanish Agenda

5–6 p.m. Financial Aid Basics: What Students Need to Know
Learn the basics for financing higher education. You'll learn how to make college affordable and to stay ahead of important college deadline dates. You will gain step-by-step guidance to help you navigate college admissions for the coming year.

6–7 p.m. Get College Ready Now
Early planning is necessary for long-term college success. This session will help you and your parents prepare for college, with action plans for middle school through senior year in high school. The presentation includes handy online tools to help you prepare for college admissions.

7–8 p.m. Admissions 101
Get expert advice on applying for and enrolling in four-year universities. Knowing about admissions practices will make the process go much smoother as you prepare for your college future.


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Positive PR

Spring Branch ISD’s Communications and Community Relations teams won six awards at the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) conference held in Corpus Christi earlier this week.

SBISD Community Relations earned a Gold Star in the TSPRA Star Awards competition for an Image/Identity Package created for the Share a Smile internal, customer-service campaign.

A TSPRA Gold Star is given to an entry that not only achieves its purpose with noticeable skill, craft and creativity, but does so in an exceptional way in the opinion of judges.

In addition, SBISD’s Communications and Community Relations team members won six Silver Star Awards for submissions ranging from 2007 Bond Program marketing to the school district electronic newsletter known as eCurrent.

A Silver Star is given to an entry that achieves its purpose with noticeable creativity, craft and skill.

The TSPRA Star Awards honor and recognize excellence in education communications projects. Impartial and independent judges evaluate each entry for overall effectiveness as public relations and communications tools. Not all entries receive an award.

Spring Branch ISD TSPRA Awards 

(School Districts with more than 30,000 students) 

Gold Star Award Winner 

  • Identity Package, Share a Smile, Linda Buchman, Becky Wuerth and Melissa Wiland 

Silver Star Award Winners

  • Posters, Be the Change, Melissa Wiland 
  • Published News Release(Edited), Westchester Academy – Blue Ribbon School, Steve Brunsman 
  • E-Newsletter External, eCurrent: SBISD e-Newsletter, Steve Brunsman, Melissa Wiland, Linda Buchman 
  • Marketing Campaign, SBISD Bond Program, Linda Buchman, Steve Brunsman, Melissa Wiland and Paul Bryant 
  • Marketing Campaign, SKY: A Partnership for Change, Linda Buchman, Steve Brunsman, Melissa Wiland and Paul Bryant 
The TSPRA meeting in Corpus Christi this week was the group’s 51st annual meeting. TSPRA is a professional organization whose members are dedicated to improving public education in Texas by promoting effective public relations practices; providing professional development for its members; and improving communication between Texans and their public schools.


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Chinese Educators Visit Spring Branch

On Jan. 28, a delegation of Chinese teachers and education leaders from an elite school district in Beijing learned about Spring Branch ISD in a specially arranged visit. Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D., spoke with the group of about 20 educators about the difference in educational organization and practice at the district, state and national level.

Superintendent Klussmann has visited Chinese schools and met with educators there recently. He visited several school systems in major cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, as well as systems in smaller cities. “I really enjoyed meeting with school leaders,” he said of his trip to China. “We had a really enjoyable visit, and I learned so much during my time there.”

The Chinese delegation visit to Houston and Spring Branch was sponsored by the local Mayor’s International Trade & Development Office. The visiting teachers and educators were part of the Educational Committee of Haidian District’s fact-finding mission to learn about how well-rated, or exemplary, school systems are organized in the United States.

According to the Mayor’s Office, the Haidian District is an elite school district, one where many of China’s future leaders are educated. The visiting group included educators and administration officials with Beijing Haidian Teachers Training College, 16 high schools and middle schools. In China, several of these secondary schools are attached to universities and colleges.

“The delegation’s interests center on high-performing school districts, whose rigorous academic standards match their own most closely, and where they feel they would profit most from visits. They requested a visit with Spring Branch ISD to learn more about the standards that you use in selecting and training educators, and in reviewing the performance of these educators,” reported Matthew Shailer, a special assistant in the Houston Mayor’s Office.

In a sign of how small the world can be, Superintendent Klussmann discovered that the touring group that he traveled with to China may have visited or stopped over at one of the delegation’s campuses. The delegation met with the district superintendent in the Board Room at the Wayne F. Schaper, Sr. Leadership Center.


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Matthew’s Camp Challenge

In the past six years, Memorial High’s Matthew Stephenson has raised more than $40,000 for disabled children. Now, 15-year-old freshman Matthew has begun an ambitious, new fund-raising effort called “Matthew’s Camp Challenge” that has a goal or changing the lives of 30 children.

Matthew was born with mild cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that often affect muscle tone, coordination and motor skills. As a child with a disability, Matthew has made it his responsibility since he was 9 years old to help other kids just like him.

On Feb. 11, Matthew gave a speech to the junior class at Memorial High School, presenting a challenge to raise money that will send 30 kids to Camp Smile—a United Cerebral Palsy-sponsored, residential summer camp for individuals with and without disabilities. The camp is located in Mobile, Ala.

Matthew attended the week-long camp last year. He wants to give other kids the chance to experience a camp that is specially designed for disabled children. His fund-raising campaign will take place online, with donations collected there.

“My goal is to raise $30,000 so I can send 30 kids to summer camp. I am so lucky because my parents send me every year. I get to ride horses, canoe, play basketball, archery and swim. I love the rock wall with a zip line – a lot! It is so much fun.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids that don’t get to go because their parents can’t afford it and space is limited. My goal is to open three more cabins so more disabled kids like me can enjoy summer just like any other kid,” he stated online.

His Easter Seals of Greater Houston donation site is found here: http://www.eastersealshouston.org//Donations/matthews-challenge.html 

KHOU Channel 11 reporter Dee Brown talked to Matthew about his passion for helping others at Memorial High earlier this month. His interview was set to be broadcast on the local television station.

Communications Department intern Kali Venable helped compile this report.


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Dancing in the Streets

The Stratford High Spartanaire Dance Team has been invited to perform this November in the 2013 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

The famous 3-hour, parade dates back to 1924 when many Macy’s department store employees were first-generation immigrants, proud to celebrate their new American heritage.

The 53-member Spartanaire team will spend seven full days and six nights in New York during Thanksgiving Week. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is shown nationwide on NBC television. More than 40 million Americans tune in annually.

“We are so incredibly excited to have received our official invitation to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! We are looking forward to representing our dance team organization, our school and the Spring Branch community well,” says Spartanaire Dance Team Director Astrid Gonzalez.

The group has already held several fund-raising events. More are planned so all 53 students can attend the parade and visit New York City. For details, please visit the team’s website at www.spartanaires.weebly.com.

The Spartanaire Dance Team is a year-round organization that gives female high school students an opportunity to perform at football games, pep rallies and local basketball games. The dance team attends performance competitions and it hosts an annual Spring Show.

As members, Spartanaires learn dance terminology and movement, but also gain valuable skills like time management, commitment and self-discipline. “Being involved in the Spartanaires is a wonderful opportunity to meet people, to travel, be involved in an extracurricular activity, and learn life lessons needed for success beyond high school,” Director Gonzalez says.

Team auditions are held in early December. If accepted, members are placed into a spring semester training class to fine tune their dance technique and skills.



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Partner in Scouting Award

Valley Oaks Elementary Principal Gary Henry accepted the 2012 Partner in Scouting Award on behalf of Spring Branch ISD during the Mustang District Leadership Appreciation Dinner, which was held Feb. 1 at the Cockrell Scout Center in Houston.

The Scouting award was presented to Principal Henry at the dinner by District Director Paul Cowan.

District officials report the Partner in Scouting Award was created to recognize organizations that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support and promote Scouting through their direct involvement within Scouting and to the community at large.

“Scouting cannot exist without such dedicated support,” Mustang District leaders state. “This organization has supported the Boy Scouts of America from the very earliest introduction of Scouting in the early decades of the 20th century. As the population of the area grew in the 1930s and 1940s so did this organization and the Scouting movement.”

SBISD’s support for local Scouting includes the following:

  • Permits Scouts access to school facilities 
  • Permits distribution of literature to students
  • Allows approved volunteers to visit lunch rooms
  • Promotes positive publicity through newsletters, marquees and other media
  • Strengthens partnership by helping Scouting assist with outreach needs
  • Provides district maps and enrollment statistics for strategic planning
  • Superintendent’s Office support
 “There are so many additional ways that SBISD has supported the Boy Scouts of America, Mustang District,” the group also stated in its presentation. “Suffice it to say, without the support and direct involvement from the Superintendent’s Office to the custodial staff of each and every facility we utilize, Scouting would be hard pressed to function in the Spring Branch area.”


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Swimmers, Take Your Mark!

Stratford and Memorial high schools will send 11 individual and eight relay teams into state competition this weekend, Feb. 22-23, during UIL’s State Swim Meet at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center on the University of Texas at Austin.

Fox Sports Southwest.com will live webcast the state meet beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. The 5A swimming and diving finals will begin at that time, while the 4A finals will be broadcast starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

 Stratford High swimmers swept all competition to finish at regional champions in both boys and girls divisions in the recently held 4A-VII Regional Swimming and Diving Meet. Stratford High’s boys team finished last year as 4A state champions, and they could repeat, coaches say. The girls team is expected to finish as a Texas top team. The Spartans are coached by Mike Hoskovec.

At the 5A-IV Regional Swimming and Diving Meet, Memorial girls team finished fourth. Sophomore Alexandra Buscher won the Swimmer of the Meet Award. She set two All-American times and school records. Jason Mauss is Mustang coach.

The following student-athletes will compete at the UIL State Swim Meet: 

Stratford High 4A UIL State Swim Meet Qualifiers 

Stratford Relay Teams – Girls & Boys 200 Yard Medley; Girls & Boys 200 Yard Freestyle; Girls & Boys 400 Yard Freestyle 

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle – Erika Stephenson
Boys 200 Yard Freestyle – Samuel Cordova
Girls 200 Yard Individual Medley – Kaysey Weber
Boys 200 Yard Individual Medley – Michael Miller
Girls 50 Yard Freestyle – Leana Fautra
Boys 50 Yard Freestyle – Alec Willrodt
Boys 100 Yard Butterfly – Michael Miller
Girls 100 Yard Freestyle – Erika Stephenson
Boys 100 Yard Freestyle – Alec Willrodt
Boys 100 Yard Freestyle – Kyle Rathgeb
Boys 100 Yard Backstroke – Kyle Rathgeb

Memorial High 5A UIL State Swim Meet Qualifiers 

Memorial Relay Teams – Girls 200 Yard Medley & Girls 200 Yard Freestyle 

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle – Alexandra Buscher
Girls 200 Yard Individual Medley – Danielle Yoon
Girls 500 Yard Freestyle – Alexandra Buscher
Girls 200 Yard Individual Medley – Danielle Yoon
Girls 100 Yard Breastroke – Briana Burns

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An Evening with Alan November

PLEASE NOTE: THE LOCATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CHANGED. 
PLEASE JOIN US AT WESTCHESTER ACADEMY (WAIS) ON MARCH 7 @ 7 P.M.
PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 901 YORKCHESTER, HOUSTON - TEXAS 77079
 
Spring Branch ISD invites parents, students and community members to An Evening with Alan November Thursday, March 7, 2013 7:00 p.m. @ WESTCHESTER ACADEMY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES.

“What Our Kids Need to Succeed in the 21st Century Global Economy”

  • What are 21st Century Learning Strategies?
  • Technology in the Classroom – why and how?
  • Flipped Classrooms – what’s that all about?
  • Information and Web Literacy
  • We live in a connected world with an overabundance of information!
  • Kids need to know how to research, use, critically evaluate and communicate effectively using 21st century tools
  • Skills our Kids Need -- from Empathy to Technology
  • Students in a global society -- empathy, ethics and social responsibility
  • Students owning their own learning
Alan November is an international leader in education technology. He began his career as an oceanography teacher and dorm counselor at an island reform school for boys in Boston Harbor.

While Alan was a computer science teacher in Lexington, MA, he was probably the first teacher in the world to have a student project on line in 1984, a database for the handicapped. He has been director of an alternative high school, computer coordinator, technology consultant and university lecturer. He has helped schools, governments and industry leaders improve the quality of education through technology.

Alan partnered with SBISD to develop our Spring Branch Plan 2012-2017. He and his team provide ongoing professional development and support of our educators as we aim to double the number of our students completing some form of higher education upon graduation (Spring Branch T-2-4).

Questions or Need More Information?
SBISD Community Relations partner@springbranchisd.com
713.251.2468

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