Swine Flu Update

In the last couple of days, local and national media sources have been reporting about a growing outbreak of swine flu across our nation.

I want to assure you Westphalia ISD does not have any confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu in our schools. However, we still take this threat seriously and will continue to monitor our campuses. In addition, the district will continue to monitor this situation through the Texas Department of Health in Temple.

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Additional information on swine flu can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm.

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illness like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Viruses can be spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

It is also recommended that students and parents are aware that this is not the time to be concerned with perfect attendance and if your child is ill they should remain at home.

If you have reason to be concerned that you or your child may have Swine Flu, please contact your family doctor as soon as possible. Swine flu can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

Weekly Happenings Apr. 27 to May 1

Here are some things going on this week in WISD:

• Students in grades 3-8 will be taking the TAKS test this week. This is the last big administration of the year. Results so far have been solid. Good luck to students taking the test this week!
• The middle school dance has been rescheduled for this Friday, May 1, after lunch. The dance will take place during the last 3 periods of the school day for middle school students.
• The Falls County Relay for Life will be this Friday at 6:00pm and will go until 6:00am on Saturday. WISD raised over $1,500 for this great cause. Thanks to all who donated and was able to help!!
• There will be a hamburger fund-raiser for at the Hering's Store this Saturday, May 2, from 10am until 2pm. Half the proceeds from sales will go to benefit the WISD athletic department. Money raised has been earmarked to go towards the purchase of a scoreboard for the football field. I hope everyone gets a chance to eat a great meal at the Hering's Store on Saturday and help benefit WISD as well.

Message for the Week: Hustle while you Wait!

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

TX Legislature Heats Up

In the first 100+ days of the Texas Legislature, very few bills have actually been passed. Last I read there have been a total of 3 bills. However, issues are heating up in the education front. Accountability bills that may stop the use of the TAKS test, school finance reform, and the confirmation of the head of the State Board of Education are being fiercely debated in Austin.

It will be interesting to see how things turn out. Reports are that the accountability bill, which once looked like it might never make it to the floor before the session started, has made it out of committee and will be soon be on the floor for vote. School finance reform, once described as "off the table" by lawmakers, seems to be likely up for vote before the session ends. And Don McElroy, the head of the SBOE who is accused by opponents of using his position as a bully pulpit to force his religious views on students in Texas, might not receive confirmation from the Senate. All of these changes point to the fact that education is a priority in the new legislature, and hopefully good decisions will be made for the future of Texas schools.

Out of the Office

I'm out of the office today and tomorrow at a school risk management conference in Austin (it's amazing how many things a school can be sued for these days). Therefore, I won't be doing my usual "Weekly Happenings" post until Wednesday.

However, I thought I'd share a couple of pictures that my 8th grade BCIS class took last week:

Weekly Happenings Apr. 14-17

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter holiday. Here are some things that are happening in WISD this week:

• The annual fund raiser for the Falls County Relay for Life is going on in WISD until next Friday, April 24. Last year, we raised over $2,500. We hope to exceed that mark this year, so buy your spirit links to show your determination to fight cancer!
• Report cards will be issued to students on Wednesday.
• There will be a School Board meeting on Thursday at 7:00 pm in the library.
• The Junior High will be having a spring dance on Friday from 6-9 pm. Tickets are $5 and former WISD student Collin Kleypas will DJ the dance.

Message of the Week: Nurture our environment!

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

Joke of the Day

Three men were hiking through a forest when they came upon a large raging, violent river.

Needing to get to the other side, the first man prayed: "God, please give me the strength to cross the river." Poof! ... God gave him big arms and strong legs and he was able to swim across in about 2 hours, having almost drowned twice.

After witnessing that, the second man prayed: "God, please give me strength and the tools to cross the river" Poof! ... God gave him a rowboat and strong arms and strong legs and he was able to row across in about an hour after almost capsizing once.

Seeing what happened to the first two men, the third man prayed: "God, please give me the strength, the tools and the intelligence to cross the river"

Poof! ... He was turned into a woman. She checked the map, hiked one hundred yards up stream and walked across the bridge.

School Finance Reform

One of the major reasons that this blog was started was to provide a forum to discuss issues relating to public education as a whole, not just WISD. I'm not sure if I'm accomplishing that goal in the way I intended, but I thought I'd take a few minutes today to discuss a state-wide issue: school finance reform.

I've talked previously how low Westphalia ranks in its revenue. We are the 5th lowest district in the state as far as target revenue per weighted average daily attendance (WADA) and are in the bottom 10 districts in the state as far as overall taxable value. That is a bad combination for a school district, and we are in need of some serious reform in order to create a more equity in how we are funded.

There are two bills in the TX Legislature right now that are intended to address the problems of school finance. Senate Bill 982 and House Bill 1555 are companion bills that attempt to return school funding to a formula funding system driven by student need and less reliant on local property tax value. These bills shift some of the share for school funding back to the state and hold the state accountable for its fair share of public education funding. By all accounts (at least from school finance gurus who look at funding from the school's perspective), these bills create a more dynamic and long-term solution than what the current system provides and will increase equity around the state.

My fear is that Austin politics will get in the way of doing what is right for students. I've been told that one of the major proponents of the bill who helped craft it is so polarizing that some legislative members will not vote for the bill just because his name is attached to it. It will be ashamed if a bill that can really make a difference for students does not pass due to personal grudges. I encourage you to reach out to your state representative or senator and tell them to vote in favor of SB 982 and HB 1555. Politicians are (generally) not fools, and they do listen to their constituents when they call.

Weekly Happenings Apr. 6-10

Here are some things going on in WISD this week:

• The 5th and 8th grade classes will be taking the Math portion of the TAKS test on Tuesday. Students in these grade levels must pass this portion of the TAKS to be promoted to the next grade level. Students who do not pass will have two more opportunities to pass this year. Good luck to our 5th & 8th graders...we know you're going to do great!
• The Westphalia chapter of the National Junior Honor Society will be inducting 3 new members on Wednesday. There will be a ceremony at 2 pm in the gym. There will be a guest speaker and current members of NJHS all have roles in the ceremony. Punch and cake will be served afterwards. A big thanks to Mrs. Bringman for all her hard work as sponsor and congratulations to our new inductees.
• Westphalia ISD will be having its annual Kindergarten Roundup on Wednesday at 6:00 pm in the cafeteria. All parents interested in having their KG student attend school in WISD for the 2009-10 school year should attend. Please bring your child’s Social Security Card, birth certificate, and shot records.
• Thursday is the last day of the 5th 6 weeks. All students should make sure that they have any missing assignments or extra credit turned in by Thursday for inclusion for report cards. Report cards will be issued on April 15.
• Friday is a school holiday in observance of Good Friday. Also, WISD will have a bad weather holiday on Monday, April 13. Enjoy your long 4-day weekend!

Message for the Week: Forgive honest mistakes!

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

Community Involvement

One of the great things about being a part of a small community is the level of involvement that our students and the community can have together. One of the things that the school does on a fairly regular basis is to go to the Senior Citizen group that eats lunch at the Parrish Hall on Thursday. In the past, we've sent band and other individual classrooms to perform for the group.

Yesterday, the 5th grade class went and performed for the Senior Citizens. Each 5th grader researched a famous historical American and wrote a story about their lives. They dressed up as their historical figure and performed their story for the group. The kids did a tremendous job...from the research, to the writing, to the performance...I was really impressed. Kudos to a great class of students, to their teacher Mrs. Fanz, and to Mr. Scott, a community member who comes in regularly and works with the kids on writing. The hard work they put into the presentation was evident yesterday during their performances. Congratulations to everyone involved on a job well done!!!

District CHAMPS

Congratulations to our middle school track athletes on a dominant performance at the district track meet on Tuesday. This was our first ever attempt to compete at a district track competition, and there was little doubt that we were the class of the meet. I was very proud of our kids and how hard they ran, jumped, and threw.

A big thanks goes out to the parents who help carpool their athletes to Rosebud-Lott everyday! This couldn't have been done without you.