CISD Informed — Dec. 14, 2023

Feedback from our community is important as CISD considers the Academic Calendar Options for the 2024-2025 School Year. Please express your preference between Calendar Option A, Calendar Option B or Calendar Option C by providing your feedback via the Coppell ISD 2024-2025 Calendar Options Feedback Survey at go.coppellisd.com/2024-2025CalendarSurvey between Dec. 14, 2023 and Jan. 5, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. Learn more about the three options in the video above or by visiting www.coppellisd.com/calendaroptions.

Congratulations to the following Victory Place @ Coppell graduates for the second grading period:

• Danya Al Hilalat
• Nico Antoline
• Emma Campbell
• Kylie Edmonds
• Emma Frappier
• Ritika Mainali
• Arismel Martinez Gorostieta
• Aashi Nair
• Kaden Rama
• Rishi Ramesh
• Aaliya Raza
• Ashley Scarlett
• Jackson Schwantner

Recently Richard J. Lee fourth grade students Tryzdin Rodriguez, Adithi Nadar and Saish Sijapati shared their ideas for the school’s new playground with CISD Chief Operations Officer Chris Trotter. You can learn more about their ideas in the video above. For more information about 2023 Bond projects, visit www.coppellisd.com/bond.

“Lastly, we have cornhole, which they take pretty seriously here,” Godavarthi said.

The students planned the event with the knowledge that many people — the elderly especially — tend to experience loneliness more around the holidays.

“[The goal was] to get them out, meet new people, talk and just get to know people more. If I was a senior, I would want to go talk to the new generation and see what they're up to,” Godavathi said.

Each of the student volunteers chose to give up their afternoons on a half-day to bring holiday cheer to a senior. Though the party was planned for the seniors citizens, Godavarthi hopes her CHS classmates also made the most of the experience.

“I really hoped people would show up. They did not disappoint. I honestly hope that they’re enjoying this and hope that they get to meet the seniors and maybe get some advice from them” she said.

CHS Anatomy and Physiology teachers Jodie Deinhammer and Sarah Grover — without whom Godavarthi says the project would not have been possible — helped guide the students as they secured a venue, food donations and materials for the event. Deinhammer mentions that though this is a new project, the Godavarthi wants to expand it and visit other senior centers in the area monthly and considers making it a club at CHS during her senior year.

“I just like bringing smiles to people’s faces,” the junior said. “I’m really grateful to be part of the Coppell community, and seeing an event like this happening makes me feel excited to meet new people and talk to more seniors. It makes me really happy.”

On Thursday, Dec. 14, parents and teachers at Cottonwood Creek teamed up to create holiday magic for their students. In keeping with a 28-year tradition, students came to school dressed in their holiday best and were whisked away for a trip to the movies, where they practiced skills and character traits in audience behavior and manners. Little did they know, a team of "elves" — who might otherwise resemble their moms and dads — sneakily entered the school to decorate every classroom. When the students returned to find their school transformed, they were delighted beyond belief.

"It is truly a magical day," said Cottonwood Creek Principal Dr. Andra Penny.

The Fall 2023 Great Employees Who Matter (GEMs) were honored during a reception before the regular monthly Board Meeting on Monday. Dec. 11. As we head into the break that marks the halfway point in our school year, we would like to thank these great employees again for going above and beyond in service to the Coppell ISD and its students.

"Angel came to our rescue when our team was in dire straits. With a fresh front office team, she selflessly dedicated her late nights and weekends to ensure that our 730 learners were registered in the right classrooms and had their addresses verified. As a new full-time AP, Angel's unwavering commitment to our community has been nothing short of inspiring. We could not have been ready for the first day of school without her help." —Chantel Kastrounis

"Ms. Buchanan(a new AP to RJL) shows unwavering support to our learners, parents, and staff. While juggling registration with a brand new office staff, she spent countless hours making sure our learners were in the correct class. She also came up to school over the weekend to put together a piano for our music teacher when we were short handed. She is always meeting with district personnel so that she can become educated on procedures in CISD in order to make our school systems work smoothly." —Angela Garvin

"Ms.Carpenter recently planned our very first school-wide Multicultural Night. The evening exemplified our CISD Core Values of Engagement and Relationships. Our Austin families shared stories, food and unique traditions from over 15 different countriesStudents performed dances, songs and poetry from their countries. Ms. Carpenter spent months planning this event with our families. At the end of the evening, many of our families said, 'This evening made us feel like a community.'" —Kristan Perryman

"Mrs. Carpenter is a TRUE gem. She works every day to advocate for her EBs and deliver professional learning to all educators about EBs. Most recently, she wanted to start a tradition of a Multicultural Night during the fall at Austin. On her own, she contacted parents, worked with them to create booths, coordinated performances, and wrote/delivered all communication to our families about Austin's Multicultural Night. The evening was a wild success, and it is all thanks to Mrs. Carpenter." —Sabrina Khan

"During the first part of the hear, Chris was working hard everyone keeping all the ACs up and running. He did a lot of this work alone since the other AC tech was out for surgery. We are all grateful for the work he did." —Chip Lowery

"Long story short, Matt gave up time over Labor Day weekend, on the first Sunday of football season, to come up to school and help frantic teachers resolve an issue in order to get grades submitted on Tuesday for our first progress report deadline. He chose to help us when he didn't have to and all with a smile on his face. We were all very grateful for his sacrifice and empathy for stressed teachers and grading deadlines!" —Kristene Hostenske

"At the first of the month when the district certificate expired, Matt spent a good hour helping me on a Saturday night and then met me at school on Sunday to fix my problem so that I could be prepared for the week. He went way above and beyond my expectation for support and I am super grateful for him and his help!" —Carrie Boyle

"Mitzi is in her first year at TCE and she is a rockstar. She has jumped right in on creating systems that are tangible, engaging, and entertaining for her classroom students. She greets her students with such peace and joy each day and I know the kids love her. She partners well with classroom teachers on how to best support shared learners and is always looking for new ways to include. We are lucky to have her!" —Rachel Perry

"Mitizi always is positive with her SPED learners from the moment she greets them in the morning to the end of the day. She believes in them and works daily to create learning experiences that foster their strengths. She has started a staff coffee delivery and is providing real experiences for her learners." —Ellie Brown

"Misty's commitment to fostering collective engagement within her community sets an example for all. In a recent endeavor to support a learner facing significant barriers to community resources, Misty went the extra mile to coordinate efforts between government agencies, schools, and departments. Her commitment to the learner’s well-being has fundamentally changed the trajectory of this learner's life. She is a testament to the transformative power of collective engagement. Misty is a true GEM." —Stephanie Flores

"Mr. Morphis pursues new ways to support his learners, and generously shares new discoveries with his fellow educators. Recently, he learned about the immersive reader function on Schoology, which allows Emergent Bilinguals to translate text into their home language. Recognizing what a benefit this feature would be for all the EBs on campus, he quickly prepared a presentation to share with faculty. I am now able to better serve the needs of the EBs in my classroom, thanks to Layton Morphis." —Libby May

"Sam is a 'graduate' of Cottonwood Creek and CHS, and is a first-year Special Education aide on our campus. Sam is also a very patriotic Marine. Recently, he volunteered to be the one to raise and lower our flags each day. In addition, he volunteered to 'sponsor' a group of fourth graders who will assist him in this task, learn proper flag etiquette, and be proud leaders at CCE. We are so appreciative of Sam and his willingness to serve our country and our school... and to serve as a role model to our Colts." —Dr. Andra Penny

"Deputy Sale has thoughtfully and meaningfully has created relationships with our learners in Transitional Pathways. He is a regular and beloved visitor in our room. Helping learners count money, sitting on the floor to hear about a learner's preferred break choice, or going out of his way to stop & say hi when he can are things that are not in his job description, but bring so much joy to those he encounters. We are thankful for him!" —Bailey Barrett

"At a recent varsity XC, Coach Yaeger witnessed a runner from Plano ISD have a medical emergency on the course. Austin was able to quickly respond to the situation and get first responders to the scene. The mother of the runner shares that, 'Austin provided urgent care to my son likely preventing something catastrophic from happening. Because of his calm efforts, expert urgent medical care, and attention to [my son], today he is doing great! This story could have been so different.'" —Melissa Arnold

Calling aspiring student writers — the 16th Annual Coppell Gifted Association Creative Writing Competition invites students in grades 4th to 12th to showcase their literary prowess and submit their original writing in story or poetry format. All winning entries will feature in a book slated for release in Spring 2024. The submission deadline is Jan. 18, 2024, at midnight. Entries can be submitted via www.coppellgifted.org. For further guidelines and details, visit the competition's website and seize this opportunity to share your creative talents with the world.

Curious about what it takes to be a Lariette or Silver Star? Want to improve your skills and learn new ones to prepare you for tryouts? Come to the Dance Intensive for a technique and skills workshop for dancers in grades 6 - 11th on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at CHS9. Register via the QR code above or click here.

KCBY-TV is hosting its 2nd annual Film Festival at the Coppell High School auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The festival features films produced by CHS, CHS9 and New Tech High @ Coppell students, as well as the addition of a middle school category.

Films must be submitted for the competition by Jan. 18. Categories include narrative, animation and documentary, with entries no longer than 7 minutes. Top films will be included in the two-hour program.

For more information and to express entry interest, please go to https://tinyurl.com/KCBYFILMFEST.

The KCBY Film Festival is a senior class capstone project showcasing the art of cinema through student short films produced by KCBY and local filmmakers.

As one of the prominent leaders of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. achieved great progress toward racial equality. To keep his legacy alive, the City of Irving invites young movers, shakers and progressive thinkers in grades 3-12 to enter the 2024 City of Irving Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest.

This year’s theme is ‘60 Years of Illuminating Change: Celebrating Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize Legacy.’ Essays should discuss the enduring impact of King’s work and the progress made, as well as the challenges that persist to this day.

Essays should be no more than 500 words and will be judged on clarity, grammar and the depth of understanding of King's legacy and the vision for the future based on the writer’s age. Essays can be submitted through Jan. 2.

The contest age categories are:

• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

Contest winners will read their winning essays during an observance on Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. at Carpenter Performance Hall in the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd.

For more information on the theme and how to enter, visit IrvingEvents.org.

• Dec. 15 — Early Dismissal — Elementary Schools dismiss at 12:30 p.m., Middle Schools dismiss at 1 p.m. and High Schools dismiss at 1:40 p.m.

• Dec. 18-Jan. 1 — Winter Break

• Jan. 2 — Staff Workday

• Jan. 3 — Students Return to School

• Jan. 22 — CISD Board of Trustees Meeting at 6 p.m.