In Memory Of...

CFISD recently lost an employee. Please, join us in honoring him.

Raymond Navarro Jr.
Aug. 3, 1975 - March 11, 2015

Raymond Navarro Jr. was an English teacher at Cy Springs HS. He has worked with the district since Aug. 16, 2013.

A detailed obituary can be read online.

CFISD Bus Road-e-o

The annual Bus Road-e-o is scheduled for March 28 at the Eldridge Transportation Center. The event will begin at 7:30 and feature fun activities for the whole family. The CFISD community is invited to attend and enjoy free food, music, face-painting and more.

The highlight of the event will be the bus driving competitions. CFISD bus drivers will demonstrate their prowess behind the wheel and their knowledge of bus safety. The competition is judged by a group of volunteers composed of staff members, assistant directors and former drivers.

Additional information about this event can be found in a previous article on the the Employee Connection blog.  

Carverdale Alumni

Former members of the Carverdale boys basketball team are honored before a recent Texas semifinal high school game, (L-R) Alan Hicks, Leonard Dunlap, Willy Hicks, Robert Santee, Frank Henry and coach Tommy Johnson. 

Alumni from Carverdale school were recently honored during the Texas high school basketball state semifinals on March 13, 2015. Several former members of Carverdale's boys' basketball team gathered on the Alamodome court in San Antonio with coach Tommy Johnson. The team was recognized for their success as state champions. This recognition is timely as the district celebrates its 75th anniversary.

TSPRA Conference

Members of the CFISD communication team are recognized at the TSPRA conference on Feb. 25, 2015, including (L-R, back) Mitzi Loera, Gary Durrenberger, Leslie Francis, Rosario Meehan, Stephanie Migl, Stephen Biller and (L-R, front) John Taylor, Kim Foster, Nicole Ray and Joel Weckerly.  

CFISD staff from the communication, community engagement and community programs departments attended the annual Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) conference in San Antonio Feb. 24-26. Conference attendees were able to participate in learning sessions covering a variety of topics directly impacting their field of work. Districts from across the state submit publications, photographs and video productions from the previous year to be judged by panels of experienced Texas public school employees. On the last night of the conference, an award ceremony is held recognizing submissions that were selected for awards.

Representatives from CFISD received a total of 28 awards during this year's ceremony. Gary Durrenberger, CFISD photographer, received his fourth Best in Class award for sports action photograph Missed It By That Much. For its work on the 2014 $1.2 billion Bond referendum, the entire communication team received a Crystal Award. The communication department was responsible for providing information to the community through print, internet and video during the months leading up to the Bond Election in May 2014.

Edit 3/24/15: The original post incorrectly had the number of awards at 24. This has been updated to the correct number.  

Stars in the Classroom

The Houston Texans and First Community Credit Union have partnered to honor exemplary Houston-area teachers through the Stars in the Classroom program. Colleen Tate, a Post ES fourth-grade teacher, was recently nominated by one of her students. During a special ceremony, Texans linebacker Brian Cushing presented Tate with an award, recognizing the positive impact she has on her students.

Cy-Fair HS Reading Program

The Cy-Fair boys' basketball team experienced a successful season on the court by making the playoffs and they also had a big impact in their community off the court.

The Cy-Fair HS boys' basketball program partnered with Lamkin ES in a reading program during the 2014-2015 school year. Players from the junior varsity and varsity teams visited elementary classrooms to read to students. The program started with players reading to two second-grade classes. After a positive response from Lamkin students, the program expanded and players paired up to read to eight classes from grades 1-3 once a week during the basketball season. After reading, the players would answer questions from the elementary students.

“We want our guys to realize how much of a positive impact they can have on their community and that life is about helping others," said head coach Chad Suleimanji. "Our guys probably had more fun than the elementary kids and we really enjoyed this experience.”

The Cy-Fair boys' basketball program wanted to express their appreciation for the support of Lamkin administration and teachers with the reading program.

Chili Cookoff 2015

CFISD campuses kicked off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo season in tasty fashion this month by hosting chili cook-off competitions. Many campuses got into the spirit by wearing western or chili-themed clothing. Teams prepared their special recipes and presented them for administrators and coworkers to sample. Celebrity judges, including Board members and CFISD administration, were on hand to help judge the competitions. Jeff LaCoke, Ault ES principal, can be seen in the photo at right tasting one of the entries at his campus.


Windfern HS

Windfern staff (L-R) Jennifer Gray, Debbie Huntsinger, Martha Strother and Wendy McAdow are the Hot Chili Cookers at Windfern's chili cookoff.

Teachers Jeremy Otey and Katie Sarzynski, celebrate winning the People's Choice award for their chili entry.

The Divalicious Divas (L-R, front) Carl Van Overdam, Tina Clinkenbeard, Jessica Nance, Karen Walters and (back) Monica James, LeiLani Natale and Kris Schrandt warn that their chili will "bring out the animal in you."

Lieder ES

Blanca Warner, bilingual aide, and Yarah Gonzalez-Hidalgo, teacher, show off their western garb at Lieder's chili cookoff.

Kathryn Gutierrez, campus secretary, celebrates the chili cookoff in style.

Lieder staff members (L-R) Karen Miller, Janet Weimann, Noreen Hughes and Christi Ferrell sample their coworkers' entries.  

Truitt MS

Dan Wilson and Nina Ortiz, assistant principals, are ready to try a bowl of chili from the Truitt cookoff.

The winning table decorations from Truitt feature a Sound the Alarm! theme. 

Jersey Village HS

(L-R) Stephanie Migl, CFISD director of communication; Martha Owens, H-E-B representative; and Ralph Funk, Jersey Village principal, take a break from their duties as event judges. 

Quantum Learning at Hairgrove ES

CFISD uses the Quantum Learning (QL) program as an aid in student and staff development. Hairgrove ES recently demonstrated the district’s exceptional use of the program to a team from G. H. Dawe School in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, including Principal Sue Carmichael and four members of her administrative team. Carmichael and her team requested the visit to observe and discuss the use of Quantum Learning strategies in the classroom and as a schoolwide initiative. Specifically, the purpose of the visit was to determine how the neuroscience of QL can also be used to improve character education for all students.

Following a brief overview and tour provided by the Hairgrove administrative team, the visitors spent the remainder of their time visiting with staff and students and observing QL in action. “I am most impressed by the matrix of expectations and how it is infused and aligned with other campus initiatives to focus on building character and empowering students to make good choices,” Carmichael said. 

With an emphasis on understanding how the brain works and how students learn best, QL works hand-in-hand with other initiatives a campus may already be implementing. For example, Hairgrove activities are organized around the Game On system. The school is divided into two teams that participate in friendly competitions in various areas to promote teamwork and a sense of community. Within Game On, Hairgrove implemented three complimentary initiatives: No Excuses University; Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS); and Quantum Learning.

The certified QL facilitator for Hairgrove is assistant principal Terry Bell. She provides staff development on QL strategies, as well as QL lessons to students. Bell worked with Hairgrove’s PBIS leadership team to use QL’s eight Learning Keys in creating systems the entire campus follows.

“Our staff embraces anything that helps our students succeed,” said Darynda Klein, Hairgrove ES principal. “The QL strategies not only support ways to make lessons more engaging, but also support student learning without a lot of extra time preparing additional materials.”

CFISD was recently recognized as a premier district by the Quantum Learning corporate office.

Truitt MS Adoption in Action

Volunteers of all ages, from Bayou City Fellowship, fill goody bags in November to be distributed to Truitt MS staff. 

Bayou City Fellowship partnered with CFISD by adopting Truitt MS in November 2014. Members of Bayou City Fellowship have already already partnered with the campus to reach out to Truitt staff and student families on multiple occasions. Most notably, Thanksgiving baskets were assembled with donated foods shortly after the adoption. Laurie Waligura, Truitt academic achievement specialist, assisted with selecting the recipients of these baskets. Bayou City Fellowship plans to repeat this activity during the 2015 Thanksgiving season for an estimated 100 families.

Bayou City Fellowship uses positive themes when planning goody bag contents in an effort to encourage the teachers at Truitt.  

Volunteers help distribute Thanksgiving baskets in November as part of Bayou City Fellowship's partnership with CFISD through the adoption of Truitt MS. 

Cy Creek GEM Grant Project

Cy Creek HS teacher Wendy Bruner assists two students during a special credit-recovery class funded in part by a GEM grant. 

Cy Creek HS is home to one of five winning teams of the 2014 GEM grants. The school's application sought to take advantage of existing district technology and provide students from grades 10-11 with a way to retake classes after school and on weekends instead of during summer school. Using campus computers and a CFISD-licensed digital credit recovery program, grant money was used to cover off-contract pay for teachers to provide instruction.

“These classes are a great opportunity for students to recapture credits during non-traditional hours,” said Richard Alcorn, Cy Creek assistant principal. 

Alcorn led the team responsible for submitting the grant application. 

The classes will continue through the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year.  

The guidelines for submitting an application for the 2015 GEM Grants can be found inside.cfisd.net.

Houston Hispanic Forum 2015

Students from Campbell MS attended the Houston Hispanic Forum (HHF) on Feb. 14 where they received information on future careers and college opportunities for all students. The students took advantage of meeting dignitaries such as Sylvester Turner, state representative; Adrian Garcia, Harris County Sheriff; and Joel Cowley, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. 

The HHF is an annual event for students from grades 6-12. It provides students and parents the chance to meet with college representatives; explore career paths; obtain financial aid assistance; apply for college admission; and attend educational workshops. More information can be found on the HHF website.  

Father-Daughter Dance

Holbrook ES held its second annual father-daughter dance on Feb. 6. Nearly 300 girls attended the Valentine’s Day-themed event, accompanied by fathers, grandfathers, uncles and older brothers. This was an increase of almost 100 student participants from the previous year.

Novel Teens

Thornton MS students (L-R) Zoe Hosten-Broadwater, sixth grade, and Jason Cruz, eighth grade, help deliver duffel bags to Sheridan ES. 

Students from the Thornton MS Novel Teen Book Club recently completed their Meadows Grant project by providing Sheridan ES BackPack students a family movie night. The book club members began working on the project in October 2014 by creating a list of items that would be needed. During the next several months, students gathered the items and worked during lunch breaks to pack the items into duffel bags.

“I am so thankful for their generosity, time and effort to help our students,” said Sheridan ES counselor Shirley Davis.

Sponsors Gina and John Jones accompany Thornton students as they complete their Meadows Grant project.

TSPRA Video Contest Winner

Jersey Village HS was selected as the state winner of the Celebrate Texas Public Schools video contest in the High School category. Cy Creek HS was a runner-up in the Foreign Language category. A full playlist of CFISD’s CTPS entries is available on the CFISD YouTube page.

A press release with further details on the contest and the regional finalists can be read on cfisd.net.

Update 3/4/15: Read the press release on the winning video from Jersey Village HS, available on the district website.

New Administrative Hires

CFISD congratulates the following employees on their new administrative positions.

Laura Barrett
Principal at Yeager ES
Read more >>

Laura Ann Novacinski
Principal at Andre' ES
Read more >>

Cy Springs HS Wild Things

Students from Cypress Springs HS recently performed an adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are for McFee ES, Swenke ES and Pope ES students. The production was put on by the advanced theatre arts class, led by Andrea Boronell, and the advanced technical theatre class, led by Greg Alldredge. Community volunteer Connie Alldredge assisted with costume design.

After the performance, elementary students were able to ask questions about theatre productions. 

The students also performed the show for classmates from Cy Springs HS and visiting students from Hemmenway ES on Feb. 13. 

Teaching Mathematics

Sam Houston State University held a conference on teaching mathematics to sixth- through twelfth-grade on Feb. 6-7. Nine math teachers from Cy Creek HS attended the conference with the campus math coach. Ashlee Todd, Christi Hajda and Teresa Hughes, three of the Cy Creek participants, presented a session titled Fun with Foldables.

Cy Creek teacher David Hunt said, “I learned more from this conference then I have in years.”

All of the participants expressed an interest in attending next, year as well.

Cy Creek HS teachers Ashlee Todd and Christi Hajda lead the session Fun With Foldables at Sam Houston State University’s recent conference for math teachers.

Rising Stars

On Feb. 14, several Campbell MS students were recognized as Rising Stars by Rice University for academic excellence and outstanding character, in and out of the classroom. These Rice Rising Stars received a certificate, two Campbell Gator shirts and a ticket to the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers vs. Rice Owls men’s basketball game. During the game, the students were recognized on court.