Farney ES WatchD.O.G.S.

Recently, Board member Bob Covey visited Farney ES. While there, he was able to spend time with several teachers and students, including (L-R) kindergarten students Brooklyn Swiger and NanaAdjoa Donkor. Covey was also able to chat with WatchD.O.G.S. dad Adam Pasicznyk, a parent volunteer. 

WatchD.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is a program that promotes increased paternal involvement at campuses.

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. 

Salyards Choir Outreach Day

Salyards MS recently held an outreach day for its 7th and 8th-grade choir students. Choir teachers Amy Moore and Bradley Acree led a group of 70 students, representing three of Salyard's choirs. The teachers were assisted by 10 parent volunteers.

The day started with caroling trips to the Fairfield H-E-B and Methodist Hospital in the Medical Center. From there, the group moved to the Houston Food Bank, where they worked for three hours to fill Backpack Buddy bags. These bags are distributed through area schools to students of families in need.

Each Backpack Buddy bag contains a set amount of cereal, protein, milk, juice and canned fruits and vegetables. The food items must be packed in a very specific way so that each bag can fit into a child's backpack. Over 8,000 bags were filled during the volunteer session. The Salyards choir students ended the experience by performing for the other workers and volunteers at the food bank.

"I can't begin to tell you how hard our Salyards choir students worked that day," Amy Moore said. "It was a wow experience for all involved."

Though this is the first time Salyards choir classes have done an outreach day like this, several of the student volunteers expressed an interest in taking part in another one. This was happy news for Moore and Acree, who had hoped that the experience would demonstrate that giving can involve more than just money. "We wanted this experience to help all of our students understand what it means and what it feels like to give of themselves," Moore said. "Sharing music or the physical ability to work can mean more than all the money in the world." work can mean more than all the money in the world."