Weekly Happenings Mar. 30 to Apr. 3

Here are some things that are going on in WISD this week:

• The track team will compete in the district meet at Rosebud-Lott High School on Tuesday. Field events begin at 4:00 pm and running events will take place after all field events are complete. Come out and support our Blue Jay athletes as they try to take home their first ever district crown!
• There will be a fire drill on Thursday at 1:30 pm.
• The annual Highway Cleanup will take place on Friday afternoon. All middle school students will be helping keep Westphalia clean by participating.

Message for the Week: Study and the Opportunities Will Come!

Have a great week, or not, the CHOICE is yours!

Sex Ed in Texas

There has been some recent news articles and press releases about sex education in the state of Texas. These articles are based on a recent report by the Texas Freedom Network--an organizations which states that one of its missions is to "counter the religious right"--titled "Just Say Don't Know." This report claims to be a "comprehensive" report. However, the report seems to be more of an attack on sex education programs which encourage students to refrain from sexual activity.

WISD uses the "Worth the Wait" program developed by Scott & White Hospital. As the title infers, "Worth the Wait" does advocate that children refrain from sexual activity until they are old enough and mature enough to handle the physical and emotional components of sex. However, it does include a whole section of curriculum that covers contraceptives and all forms of birth control. "Worth the Wait" is also the most widely used sex education program in the state, and has won both state and national awards from the National Bar Association and the Texas State Board of Education.

"Worth the Wait" is the gold standard of sex education programs in Texas, and WISD will continue to use it as a curriculum for our 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students. Teen pregnancy rates have declined 21% in Texas from 1991 to 2005, and programs like "Worth the Wait" should receive some credit for the job they do.

Quote of the Day

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandella

Weekly Happenings Mar. 23-27

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing Spring Break. Here are some happenings at WISD this week:

• The track team will be having pictures on Tuesday
• There will be TELPAS testing for all ESL students in grades 2-8 on Wednesday
• The WISD School Board will hold their regular monthly meeting on Thursday at 7:00 pm in the library. It is a public meeting, and guests are welcome.

Message of the week: Live a Life of Purpose!

Have a great week, or not, the CHOICE is yours!

The 10% Rule

In 1997, state lawmakers enacted a law that required the 35 state universities in Texas to automatically admit students who are in top 10% of their graduating class. The original intent of the law was to serve as a race-neutral way to increase diversity, ensuring that students from high minority Texas high schools have the opportunity to attend state universities. Over the last 11 years, there have been slight gains in the number of minority students admitted, yet university officials are now crying foul that the 10% rule is hindering who they can admit.

UT President William Powers, Jr. testified before legislators that 81% of entering freshman are a result of the 10% rule and that projections are that 86% of the 2009 freshman class will be from the top 10%. Powers claims that this limits the university's ability to admit students with leadership, artistic, musical, or other talents that don't translate into a high class ranking. Powers wants to cap the number of top 10% students admitted to only 40% of an incoming class. Powers says that by capping the admissions, the university can admit more black and Hispanic students and still create the diversity that was the original intent of the law.

There are others beside university presidents who want the rule to change. Wealthy suburban high school students, who might rank in the top 25% of the class, say that their schools provide much more rigor; thus, they are better prepared for college than other schools. Others want their "legacy" status to be weighted for admission. For a variety of reasons, the opponents of the 10% rule want the law changed.

I'm a believer in the 10% rule. I think it is vital for students from small, rural districts to be admitted to top-tier universities. A student who is in the top 10% in Falls County should have the chance to go to UT, A&M, or any other university in the state as a student from Plano, Frisco, Alamo Heights, or other affluent suburbs. The arguments that suburban high schools are somehow superior to rural schools are elitist and are disrespectful to the talented, intelligent students that come through our school. Our kids deserve a chance, and I hope legislators do the right thing and leave the 10% rule in effect.

Riesel Track Meet

As the track coach, I like to share how proud I am of our track athletes. We travelled to Riesel last Thursday and competed against Axtell and Riesel in a tri-team invitational. We had several outstanding performances from our students. We dominated both the girls and boys sprint and distance events. While we did not win the team competition, our students worked hard and represented our school well. I'm proud of the effort of our kids and hope you can come out to a meet to support our Blue Jays!

Weekly Happenings Mar. 9-13

Here are some things going on in WISD this week:

• Progress reports will be issued on Wednesday, March 11.
• The 8th graders will be traveling to local businesses to job shadow. This is an opportunity for them to learn about a possible future career. A big thanks to Mr. Frei for his hard work in getting these job sites set up.
• There will be a middle school track meet this Friday in Academy.
• Spring Break is next week!

Message of the Week: Make new friends, but keep the old!

Have a great week, or not, the CHOICE is yours!

Busy Week

It's been a busy week here at WISD. As posted on Monday, the TAKS test was administered to students on Tuesday. I think overall the students felt confident in how they performed on the test, and while not all of them actually like having to take TAKS, they understand it is part of the school.

We'll have results for students in grades 3, 5, & 8 in just a few weeks. Those students took a multiple choice Reading test, so the tests are quickly graded and returned to schools. Students in grades 4 & 7 will have to wait a little longer. 4th & 7th graders took the Writing test, which requires them to respond to a prompt. Each of the compositions (from all students in the state) are hand scored by at least two graders. Obviously, it's a much more labor intensive process and results will not be available until May.

Overall, I think our students performed well. I've always told teachers not to worry about the students' performance. We have a great staff who works hard for our kids, so the TAKS test is something that should not worry them. Keep your fingers crossed for our scores. We are EXEMPLARY BOUND!

Weekly Happenings 3/2 to 3/6

Here are some things that are happening this week in WISD:

• Students will be taking the TAKS test this Tuesday. Students in grades 3, 5, and 8 will be taking the Reading test. Students in grades 4 and 7 will be taking the Writing test. Good luck to all students who will be taking it this week! Do not worry, you have worked hard all year and you're going to do great on the test!!
• Students in grades 3-8 will be taking practice TAKS tests on Wednesday and Thursday this week. This is the final big practice before the rest of the TAKS test will be taken later in April.
• The first track meet of the year will be on Thursday in Riesel. Come out and support our Bluejays as they run, jump, and throw on the track!
• There will be a tornado drill on Friday morning for students.

Message for the Week: If you don't stand for something, you may fall for anything!

Have a great week, or not, the CHOICE is yours!