Character Trait of the Month: Respect

- Donovan Vasquez and Laedan Yanez, fifth graders at Jarrell Elementary School, read their essay about this month's character trait, Respect.

Our Cougar Champions of the month were recognized for their outstanding work.

- Igo Elementary recognized student Yolanda Gallardo and staff member Maritza Aviles

- Jarrell Elementary recognized student Crystal Rayon (not present) and teacher Daphanie Toro

- Jarrell Middle School recognized student Joseph Cueva-Luna Duenas and teacher Col. Ben Danner

- Jarrell High School recognized student Kamari Fischer and staff member Lulu Olmos

Athletic Director Marty Murr recognized the district's volleyball and football teams for their accomplishments in First Team All-District, Second Team All-District, Honorable Mention, Academic All-District, and Academic All-State

In honor of School Board Recognition Month, our FCCLA students catered a meal, students from each campus created artwork, wrote letters of thanks, and bouquet of flowers.

*All presentations are attached below*

Communication and Informational Items:

- Superintendent Dr. Toni Hicks presented student outcomes

- Athletic Director Marty Murr presented his monthly update

- Assistant Superintendent Laura Buckley presented district policy updates

- Sledge Engineering gave their monthly 2021 Bond Update

- The Pre-Bond Committee presented their recommendation for a potential 2023 Bond Election

Action Items:

- The board approved the consent agenda

- The board tabled making a decision on calling a school bond election until February (more details are below)

- Approved the Guaranteed Maximum Price for the 2021 Bond High School Addition and Renovation Project

- Approve the Agreement with Alpha Testing for Construction Material Testing associated with the 2021 Bond High School Addition and Renovation

- Approve Commissioning including Test and Balance for the 2021 Bond High School Expansion Project

- Approved hiring Craig Wilson as the new principal at Double Creek Elementary School (more details are below)

The Board of Trustees is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, February 8th, to discuss the possibility of a 2023 Bond Election and new attendance zone boundaries as recommended by the Attendance Zone Committee.

Students, parents, staff, and community members are encouraged to attend to give their input.

The meeting is at 6 pm in the Jarrell ISD Annex Cafeteria, 508 N. 5th Street.

The Jarrell ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Craig Wilson as the new principal of Double Creek Elementary. Double Creek is the district's new elementary school and will open in August.

"After carefully reviewing our applicants, we believe Craig Wilson is the best person to lead Double Creek Elementary. He has a proven track record of academic success and has experience opening a new elementary school. His leadership and knowledge are an asset to our district, and our students will greatly benefit," said Superintendent Dr. Toni Hicks

Craig Wilson joins Jarrell ISD from Temple ISD, where he most recently served as Director of Digital Learning. During his 28 years of educational experience, Mr. Wilson has been an elementary school principal, teacher, and team leader.

At Temple ISD, Mr. Wilson also served as the principal at Thornton Elementary School, where he improved student academic achievements. Under his leadership, the school received multiple Designated Distinctions, including the Top 25% Student Progress, Reading, Science, and Math. Mr. Wilson will start on February 1st.

"I'm grateful for this opportunity. I believe in providing a supportive learning environment and fostering a strong partnership with our families. Along with our staff, we will achieve academic excellence. Our students will have the knowledge and confidence to succeed as future leaders. I can't wait to get to work," Mr. Wilson said.

Craig Wilson earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas Austin and a master's degree from the University of Houston. He is completing his doctoral degree from Baylor University this summer.

Double Creek Elementary School will open in August. As a result, the district must update its current attendance zones.

For the past few months, the Attendance Zone Committee has worked to develop three proposals to realign our attendance zones. First, the committee designed the zones by setting parameters based on enrollment numbers, safety, and other essential factors. Then, district consultants from Zonda Education used that information to draft the three different plans.

Last month, the district sent out information about those plans, asking the public to vote on the best option. Based on the votes and lengthy discussions, the committee is recommending Plan 1. A special school board meeting is on Wednesday February 8, at 6 pm in the Jarrell ISD Annex Cafeteria, 508 N. 5th Street.

This week Jarrell ISD officially closed on land donated by Berry Creek (Georgetown) ASLI IX, LLC, in the Berry Creek Highlands area. The thirteen acres of land is valued at $7.2 million dollars. The district will use the land as a site for a fourth elementary school. We're so grateful for Berry Creek (Georgetown) ASLI IX, LLC's generosity and support of Jarrell ISD.

The Farmers Market at JISD, is the first Saturday of every month. You can get up to 25 lbs of fresh produce for free! It's open to anyone at no cost to you!

It is at 508 N 5th St from 9 to 11 am.

The Jarrell Library & Resource Center is offering a variety of clubs, workshops, and educational opportunities for the community. For more information email jarrelllibrarydirector@gmail.com

The Jarrell Library is offering free COVID-19 testing.

We are partnering with the Jarrell Community Library to offer adult ESL courses. Please share the news with your students and their families. More information is below.

Below is a link to a series of videos by the Smart Tag team. Each video highlights the different features/functions of Smart Tag.

Got celebrations to share? Send them to Nicholas.Spinetto@jarrellisd.org.

Jarrell ISD is located in northern Williamson County. The mascot is The Cougars. It has four campuses: Jarrell High School, Jarrell Middle School, Igo Elementary School and Jarrell Elementary. The district is home to more than 3,400 students. Enrollment is projected to double in the next 10 years.

Email: communications@jarrellisd.org
Website: www.jarrellisd.org
Location: 108 East Avenue F, Jarrell, TX, USA
Phone: 512-746-2124
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JarrellIndependentSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @Jarrell_ISD

We are proud to showcase excellent students and staff. To see more, follow us on Twitter @hicksJISD ; @Jarrell_ISD; @JES_cougars; @IEScougars; @jarrell_ms; and @JarrellHS.