Pirate Nation,

 

Please join me in congratulating our Teachers, Employees and Staff Members of the Month for September 2018.

 

Dietz Elementary:

Teacher of the Month: Carri Honeycutt

Staff Member of the Month: Helen Seifert

 

Martin Elementary:

Teacher of the Month: Sally Brock

Staff Member of the Month: Carrie Findling

Employee of the Month:  Megan Daugherty

 

Walker Elementary:

Teacher of the Month: Cheyenne McPherson

Staff Member of the Month: Brenda Ochoa

 

Wilson Elementary:

Teacher of the Month: Ja’Mela Smith

 

Middle School:

Teacher of the Month: Morgan Woodruff

Staff Member of the Month: Marc Wright

 

High School:

Teacher of the Month: Samantha Young

Staff Member of the Month: Sally Rogers

 

Compass Academy:

Teacher of the Month: Rhonda Wood

Staff Member of the Month: Missy Hitt

 

District:

Staff Member of the Month: Greg Garrow

Employee of the Month: Amy Mitchell

 

 

#CharacterIsBlackAndGold

Crandall Independent School District kicked off the start of the 2018-2019 School Year with a bang!  The district’s focus this year is on Character, one of its core value words, and CISD put on a show-stopping convocation on August 7, 2018.

By utilizing the story of The Wizard of Oz, CISD used students this year, in lieu of a keynote speaker.  The students told the story and emphasized the values that the district will spend the year focusing on through song, dance, theatre and prose.  Award-winning performers included The Crandall High School Band, The Crandall High School Theatre Department, The Crandall High School Cheerleaders and the Crandall High School Gold Dusters.  There were also performances from a choir consisting of Elementary and Middle School Students, speakers from Crandall Middle School and Assistant Principal, L.D. Johnson.

In an unprecedented move, the Crandall ISD Board of Trustees bestowed a unique gift to the staff.  A one-time monetary gift of 2% of staff members salaries for the 18-19 school year was distributed to each employee.

Crandall ISD is grateful for a supportive School Board and looks forward to a         dynamic and incredible school year.

 

Help us improve our communications!  Please take our 2018 communication survey so we can better serve you during the 2018-2019 school year.

2018 Communication Survey

Crandall ISD is proud to share the name of the district’s 5th Elementary School.  The newest CISD school, which will open its doors in August 2019, for the 2019-2020 school year, will be called Noble-Reed Elementary.

Named for Linda Reed, and Amy Noble, two former CISD teachers, Noble-Reed Elementary is sure to be another incredible addition to the Crandall Independent School district.

Amy Noble and Linda Reed met as Kindergarten teachers in CISD and later went on to use their knowledge of differentiation and high student engagement to form Frog Street Press, which was called Leap Frog at the time.

These education pioneers have left a strong legacy in Crandall ISD, both in the well-loved annual Kindergarten Circus, as well as the creation of the Transitional First Grade (T-1) program that is still firmly part of Crandall ISD.

After a hard-fought battle, the Lady Pirate Softball season has come to an end.  These ladies finished the year with a 28-6 record which included an undefeated district title and three playoff championships.  This is the first time in history that the Lady Pirate Softball team has made it to the Regional Semi-Finals series.  We are proud of you!  Congratulations on such an incredible season.

Crandall High School Junior, Branson Bragg, delivered CISD their third state championship of the 2017-2018 school year.  On May 12, 2018, Branson, along with his CISD teammates, competed in Austin at the State Competition for Track and Field.  Bragg won first place in the state for Shot Put with a distance of 53’10.75”.

Bragg is an asset to Crandall ISD.  In addition to his athleticism, which includes 22 offers from Universities to play football, Bragg also has excellent grades.

Additionally, Bragg placed third in the state for the Discus throw.

Two other Crandall students also competed in the State Track and Field competition.  Hayden Pruitt finished 6th in the 4A long jump and Rahzel Young took third place in the 400m dash.

This has been a banner year for Crandall ISD in UIL state championships.

Crandall ISD is changing their structure of professional development for teachers this summer.

In the past, CISD prided itself on offering some kind of development every single day during the summer.  Teachers are expected to complete at least 24 hours of professional development each year.

This year, after feedback from teachers, principals, and focus groups, CISD made the decision to host a week-long professional development workshop called “CRUISE.”

Cruise stands for Creating Relevant, Unique, Innovative Student Experiences.

The week of May 29 through June 1 is jam-packed full of learning opportunities.  With external presenters, as well as internal presenters, this in-house conference allows CISD staff to find the learning that they need, while still enjoying time with their colleagues in a collaborative setting.

“People are excited about the opportunity to learn.  It’s really   Pirates helping Pirates,” said Dr. Anjanette Murry, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and          Instruction.

Over 300 CISD staff members have already registered for this Innovative experience.

Registration can be found:     https://piratescruise.sched.com/   – email AJ Murry for the password—amurry@crandall-isd.com

On May 8, 2018, Crandall ISD Seniors went into the Community for the 2nd annual #SeniorServeDay.

Groups of Seniors, along with Teacher sponsors took half a day to give back to others.  In Crandall, “Community,” is a core value for the school district, and these students are ensuring that they are well rounded and service-oriented before graduating and going on to college.

Students visited all four elementary schools in the district, the Manor at Seagoville Nursing Home, the Sunflower Nursing Home, they provided breakfast for first responders and picked up trash at both the Crandall Cemetery as well as the Golf Course and the park.

For the first time in Crandall ISD history, the Crandall Theatre Department has a state title for the University Interscholastic League (UIL) one-act play.

Directed by Daniel Gambill, the company chose “The Book of Everything,” adapted from the novel by Guss Kuijer.  The play focuses on young Thomas, a 9-year-old boy with a vivid imagination who can see things that other people can’t see.

“I looked at this play several times, and it wasn’t right until I found a way to pull the redemption aspect out and allow the audience to find a meaning of hope,” said Gambill.

Thomas was played by Dalyn Kvapil.  Kvapil whose character serves as both the main character and the narrator of the play also won All-Star Cast for male actor against every other 4A male actor.  Kvalpil’s interactions with other characters were believable and honest, according to the acting judge at the state competition.

Rachel Grant won Best Actress, the top award given, against all other female actresses in a 4A category at the state competition.

Shala Survil received Honorable mention cast.

The Book of Everything is a story of imagination with religious undertones, the character of Jesus even makes an appearance in the play.

UIL One Act play had record-setting participation this year, with over 1200 initial plays being performed at the first level of competition.  By the time that Crandall One Act Play made it to state, there were only 8 teams remaining.

Crandall ISD is elated to celebrate these incredible performers and champion their success.

There will be one additional home performance of “The Book of Everything,” in May, and we strongly encourage the community to come out and watch this award-winning performance.  Please keep an eye out on Crandall ISD’s website, as well as CISD’s social media for dates and times of this final performance.

Congratulations!