Quote of the Day

This quote was inspirational to me, so I thought I'd share it:

"Talent is God-given, be thankful. Praise is man-given, be humble. Conceit is self-given, be careful!"
-- Tony Dungy, Retired coach of the Indianapolis Colts

Weekly Happenings Jan. 20 - 23

Here are some of the things going on in WISD this week:

• Students in KG through 2nd grade will be taking the Mid-year Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) screening test. The TPRI is a state mandated assessment for all students in grades K-2 throughout the state. Its goal is to provide a comprehensive picture of a student's reading/language development.
• The Westphalia Bluejay girls and boys basketball teams will be hosting St. Mary's of Temple on Thursday night. Tip-off will be at 5:00 pm and all 4 teams will be in action. Please come out and support our Bluejays!
• There will be a Shelter-in-Place drill (tornado drill) on Friday morning. With unpredictable spring weather coming, its important for our staff and students to be prepared for any situation.

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

Why Blog???

Blogging is something I was introduced to first by friends, and then by my wife who blogs regularly for friends and family (and I guess the world) to see what's going on in our lives. She really started doing it as a way to keep her parents, who lived in Florida at the time, up-to-date on the comings and goings of our son. It's become such a success and integral part of our lives that when she doesn't post a blog I feel that nothing is going on in our lives. So, it is with that experience that I've decided to start blogging about Westphalia ISD.

I'm not exactly sure what this experiment in blogging will become. I kind of envision it as being a way to keep parents, students, and the community informed about issues in public education and WISD in particular. When done right, blogs can be a great tool to increase communication and keep people informed.

I'm not quite sure what the format will be for my postings yet. I may post weekly announcements, funny or inspirational stories, commentary on things I see or read about education or society in general....whatever comes to my mind. I can't promise I'll post daily, but I'll do my best to make sure that it's regular enough and interesting enough to keep you coming back for more. One thing I will ask of you though: since the topics will basically be coming off the top of my head, please forgive me for any typing errors or spelling mistakes. As a former English teacher, I'll do my best to keep them to a minimum.

So, I hope you'll enjoy the blog and check it out regularly. Feel free to comment or ask questions. Who knows, maybe I'll blog about a question you have. I can't promise you I'll have all the answers, but I'll give you my honest opinion and do my best to find out the answer to any questions you have.