First Day Enrollment Up from Previous Year

First day enrollment at IISD schools totaled 32,354 students, which is 659 more students than the first day of the 2009-2010 school year.

Elementary enrollment was 16,329, an increase of 368 from last year; middle school enrollment was 6,952, an increase of 119; and high school enrollment was 9,023, an increase of 162.

Peak enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year was 33,798.

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Schools Earn AVID Certification

Austin Middle School, Crockett Middle School and de Zavala Middle School earned certification, and Irving High School has earned recertification, in the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program for 2010-2011.

Deborah George, director of gifted & talented/advanced academics/AVID, and Paula Barnhouse, program director for P-16 Parent/Student Counseling, presented certification plaques and banners during staff development sessions at the schools August 16-19.

IISD Board of Trustees members join district and school administrators at Irving High School in congratulating the AVID site team for being named as an AVID certified school for 2010-2011 during staff development August 16. For a photo of the inaugural AVID class at Irving High, access www.irvingisd.net/districtweekly/weekly354.htm.

According to George and Barnhouse, AVID is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges. AVID has been implemented both nationally and internationally at 4,500 schools in 45 states and 16 countries. George said that although AVID serves all students, the program’s focus is those in the least-served “academic middle”. In addition to the certified schools of Irving High, Austin, Crockett and de Zavala, AVID will be implemented at all seven middle schools and at Nimitz High School for 2010-2011. More than 900 students will be enrolled in 47 sections of the AVID elective course.

The first set of students participating in AVID graduated from Irving High in 2010. All 16 of the participating seniors were accepted to a four-year university or college, and 14 of those students are registered to attend in the fall. Five AVID seniors received Irving Schools Foundation Scholarships and most students also received additional scholarships or financial aid. Additionally, the TAKS passing rate of AVID students was higher than the school average, and attendance rate was 3 percent higher than the school average.

	IISD Board of Trustees members join administrators in congratulating the AVID site team at de Zavala Middle School during staff development August 18 for being named as an AVID certified school for 2010-2011.
	IISD Trustees and administrators congratulate the AVID site team at Austin Middle School August 19.
	IISD Trustees and administrators congratulate the AVID site team at Crockett Middle School August 19.

Austin, Crockett and de Zavala have completed their second year of AVID implementation, and became certified after meeting rigid national AVID standards. The schools were evaluated on 11 essentials that measure the fidelity of the AVID system at that campus. In 2009-2010, 258 seventh and eighth grade students were enrolled in the AVID program at these middle schools. As with Irving High, middle school AVID students scored higher on TAKS tests, Algebra 1 scores were higher, and attendance rates were better than the school average.

For more information about the AVID program, access www.avid.org.

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Students Honored at Transportation Summit

Helen Le, student at Stipes Elementary School, was among Irving students recognized during the August 12 Transportation Summit luncheon for first place wins in the Irving Arts Center’s annual Student Transportation Art Contest.

Le won first place in the 10-13 year old age category; Daisy Ontiveros from Lee Elementary School won first in the 6-9 year old category; and Rupal Sanghavi from Ranchview High School (Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD) won first in the 14-17 year old category.

Students from throughout Irving submitted more than 200 works of art, with 32 pieces chosen for the exhibition. The Student Transportation Art Contest will be on view through September 5 in the Irving Arts Center’s Dupree Lobby, located at 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving.

During the Transportation Summit, awards were presented for first through third place and honorable mention for three categories. For a complete list of winners, access www.irvingisd.net/articles/ArtContest.htm.

Jim Bullock (left), chairman of the Irving Arts Board and City of Irving Councilwoman Rose Cannaday (right) congratulate Rupal Sanghavi (center-left), student at Ranchview High School, and Helen Le, student at Stipes Elementary School, for having won first place in their respective age groups in the Student Transportation Art Contest.

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Foundation Kicks-Off Annual Campaign

The Irving Schools Foundation (ISF) hosted a kick-off event in the Administration Building atrium for its annual IISD employee payroll deduction campaign August 19.

More than 40 building campaign coordinators attended the kick-off meeting for the campaign that runs through September 16. Toscha Reeves, vice principal at de Zavala Middle school, spoke about how their school achieved 100 percent participation last year, and Cheryl Drews, teacher aide at MacArthur High School, spoke about how their school generated the highest dollar value in donations. According to ISF Executive Director Mandy Hamilton, building coordinators raised more than $221,000 in 2009-2010, and have set a goal to raise $250,000 for the current year.

Brittney Rogers, Irving Schools Foundation development manager, speaks to building coordinators about the IISD employee payroll deduction campaign August 19.

In order to help ISF meet the goal, the foundation will take part in Get Up and Give! North Texas Giving Day. Every donation above $25 donated to ISF between 7 a.m.-7 p.m on September 8 through the Donor Bridge Texas website will be matched by a certain percentage. To participate, access http://bit.ly/DonorBridge-ISF on September 8.

To learn more about ISF and the programs the foundation supports, access www.irvingisd.net/foundation .

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