Cougar Community Newsletter

Hello Cougars,

I hope your summer break has left you well rested and prepared for the new school year. Before school starts on Wednesday, please visit our Back to School webpage. There's essential information about bus routes, bell times, COVID-19 protocols, school supplies, child nutrition, and more.

Please note the United States Department of Agriculture ended its pandemic-era free lunch programs for this coming school year. As a result, we must return to Free and Reduced-Price Lunch this school year. We encourage you to fill out the forms even if you don't qualify. You may qualify for other assistance. Here's the application link.

Finally, we implemented new safety protocols and updated our security systems during the summer. Therefore, we want to provide you with some important safety information.

• All district employees will wear their school IDs.

• We've added another School Resource Officer who will help provide important coverage throughout the district. We also hired a Safety Administrator to oversee all aspects of safety and ensure our buildings are secure and our safety processes are consistent across the district.

• Our Technology Department added additional cameras and new door locks at campuses. We are also increasing security in our vestibule areas at each campus, where visitors must sign in through a computer before entering the front office.

• Jarrell ISD will continue to require all classroom doors be locked.

• Jarrell ISD offers a "tip line" through our Anonymous Alerts system. The alert system is available to students, parents, families, community members, and staff. You can download the app or log onto our website www.jarrellisd.org to report to the district issues related to bullying/cyberbullying, drugs, suicidal concerns, weapons, a teacher-student relationship, and more. All reports are anonymous.

Parents, this is not an exhaustive list of the safety measures and practices we have at Jarrell ISD, but these are some highlights that we are permitted to share. We remain 100% committed to the safety and security of our students and staff.

Looking forward to a fantastic year. Go Cougars!

Cougar proud,

Toni Hicks, Ed.D.

Earlier this week, our district's teachers of the year were celebrated at the Region 13 Luncheon.

The luncheon honored all the teachers of the year from the Central Texas area. Congratulations to Carol Sukup from Jarrell Elementary and Megan Murphy from Jarrell High School.

Jarrell ISD earned a Superior Rating on the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) for the 2021 - 2022 school year. It's the state's highest possible rating for financial accountability.

"Our Finance Department works extremely hard to meet the needs of our students and staff while being held accountable by our taxpayers. We must be responsible, and earning this distinction proves that Robert Navarro, our Chief Financial Officer, effectively leads his department. We are proud of their role in achieving this recognition", said Superintendent Dr. Toni Hicks.

The FIRST rating system uses 15 indicators to score school districts, including fund balance, capital projects, debt management, audit and governance disclosures, and tax collections.

"Financial accountability is one of our top priorities. My entire staff, Carol Grant, Michelle Viera, and Andrea Maldonado, all make sure we manage our financial resources to meet the needs of our students and staff. We value the trust of the Board of Trustees and taxpayers. Now more than ever, fiscal responsibility is essential to our fast growth school district," said Chief Financial Officer Robert Navarro.

Below is video of Dr. Hicks announcing the award.

This month we launched a new information segment called "Monday Minute". The video is below. Each week we will discuss a different topic related to school information. This week's segment is about school safety. If you have ideas or information you would like to know, please email Nick Spinetto, our Communications Director at nicholas.spinetto@jarrellisd.org.

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 2,800 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.