10 Seniors Earn Commended Status

Ten Irving ISD seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The seniors selected as Commended Students are: Adrian Gallegos and Slade Sanders, Irving High School; Princy George, Claire Gutowski, Jennifer Lowery, and Cody Wero, MacArthur High School; and Jeremiah Glenn, Matthew Granado, Jared Hindman, and Jeremy McDowell, Nimitz High School.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. They placed among the top five percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the 2007 competition by taking the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

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Irving High Homecoming

Irving High School Tigers celebrate homecoming this week. Highlights of the homecoming schedule include:

• Parade – Thursday, 4 p.m.

• Bonfire/Pep Rally – Thursday, following freshman football game on junior varsity football field

• Irving High Tigers vs. Bell Raiders – Friday, 7:30 p.m., Irving Schools Stadium

• Crowning of Homecoming Queen – Friday, halftime of homecoming game

• Homecoming Dance “A Night of Dreams” – Saturday, 8 p.m.-midnight, Holiday Inn Select, 114 and Esters

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District Awarded State's Top Financial Rating

Irving ISD received the highest possible financial rating under the state’s financial accountability rating system. The district was given a Superior Achievement rating, confirming its excellence in managing and reporting taxpayer dollars, even in difficult financial times.

This is the fifth year of Schools FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas), a system developed by the Texas Education Agency in response to Senate Bill 875 of the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999. Schools FIRST seeks to ensure quality performance in the management of school financial resources. The recently announced ratings were based on financial numbers from the 2004-2005 school year.

Schools FIRST assigns one of four financial accountability ratings to school districts – Superior Achievement, Above Standard Achievement, Standard Achievement, and Substandard Achievement.

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Athletes of the Month

The Irving ISD Athletic Department and Irving Schools Television (ISTV) have inaugurated a new recognition called Athletes of the Month. A male and female athlete will be highlighted each month on ISTV, which is seen on Time Warner Cable Channel 98 and Verizon FiOS Channel 33.

IISD Athletes of the Month for September are Iris Escalera of Nimitz High School and Jose Gamez of Irving High School. Escalera plays volleyball and soccer at Nimitz. Gamez plays football at Irving High.

Iris Escalera Nimitz High School

Jose Gamez Irving High School

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Beginning Sign Language Class Offered at Britain

Irving ISD is offering a Beginning Sign Language class that will be held each Monday between October 23 and December 4 from 5:30-6:45 p.m. in the Britain Elementary School cafeteria.

The class is free to families with deaf students, $10 for IISD employees, and $15 for community members.

For more information, call 972-554-3800.

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Grants-to-Teachers Applications Due Soon

Grants-to-Teachers applications are due to the Irving Schools Foundation office by Monday, October 16. 

Applications can be downloaded from the ISF website at http://www.irvingisd.net/foundation/teachoverview.html. 

The Grants-to-Teachers program encourages teachers to develop innovative programs that stimulate thought and advance new approaches to teaching.

For more information about the program, contact the ISF office at 972-215-5018.

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Duke 7th Grade Talent Search Underway

The Seventh Grade Talent Search through the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) is currently underway. The Talent Search identifies academically talented seventh graders based on standardized scores achieved while attending middle school. Candidates are identified and invited to complete either the SAT reasoning test or the ACT assessment college entrance exam.

October 18 is the deadline for applying in time for December test dates. Parents have the option of registering their children online through the program’s website at www.tip.duke.edu.

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Little Red Hen at Townsell

Students in Blaire Reagan’s class performed a theater skit titled The Little Red Hen as a way to practice word recognition and fluency.