Dear Longhorn Community,

This school year, TISD is embracing our district’s theme, “Strive-Thrive-Achieve.” This phrase captures our unwavering commitment to empowering, supporting, and inspiring our students to reach their full academic potential so they can lead purposeful, productive lives.

In the first phase of this school year, we are focused on striving towards meaningful improvements. I have observed and heard about the staff's hard work in increasing student outcomes and enhancing their K -12 educational experience. Through campus events, individualized learning experiences, peer mentoring, small groups, and intentional communication with parents, we are working to create a supportive environment where everyone feels connected. Parent and community engagement activities will play a vital role in bridging the gap between home and school, further strengthening our sense of unity.

We collectively work on improving our school facilities through our proposed 80 million dollar bond proposal. We ask for your help in educating all community members on the current status of TISD, the projects proposed, and their financial impact. Please share the following two bond informational meeting dates with every resident you know so they can choose whether to attend. Information is power, and it helps us make informed decisions—October 7th at the Middle school and October 17th at the Elementary School. Both meetings will start at 6:00 pm.

Moreover, we are dedicated to building community within our schools—engaging staff, students, and parents alike and making everyone feel included in our larger mission. To that end, I hope you will come out to enjoy the company of friends, neighbors, and colleagues all day on October 5th at 10 am for the 21st Annual Tarkington Round-up. This event supports student scholarships for all seniors. Then, you can spend the evening at J-Bar Arena supporting our FFA students at the 1st Annual Fish Fry Fundraiser while feeding your family.

Together, these efforts will allow us to thrive and achieve success—academically, socially, and as a community. Let’s continue to push forward, building a brighter future for all our students! Thank you for choosing TISD!

Recently, our Athletics department received a check for $5K from T-Mobile for the "T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights" sweepstakes. Small town communities across the country are participating by sharing their school spirit on Instagram. T-Mobile selects schools every week to win $5000 and then out of those schools; the finalist who can show the most spirit and garner the most likes on Instagram will be the grand prize winner. Grand Prize includes $100,000 grant, new teched out scoreboard, and an upgraded weight room. How can you help? By following "tarkingtonathletics" on Instagram and hitting “Like” on their Instagram video submission and sharing it with your community!

The business office has successfully transitioned from manual entry of all purchase orders/requisitions to electronic entry through the Ascender Online requisitioning program. This will increase efficiency, simplify tasks, and improve communication; as well as add another check and balance to the process (keeping the general ledger in sync).

We successfully executed a professional development for ELAR/SS K-12 teachers. Carlin Liborio, writing specialist shared strategies and curriculum resource bundles. Teachers worked together in collaborative groups throughout the day of learning. Going forward teachers will implement these strategies in their classrooms to support vertical alignment.

We want to take a moment to extend our deepest appreciation to our incredible instructional coaches. Your dedication and tireless efforts in supporting our teachers, modeling lessons, and aiding in lesson planning have been nothing short of extraordinary. Your hard work is not only enhancing the quality of education within our classrooms but also fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Your commitment to excellence and your unwavering support are truly making a profound difference in our educational community. Thank you for your exceptional contributions daily to your campuses.

The middle school received a new state of the art refrigeration unit for items to be showcased in a bright and appealing way.

Child Nutrition is hosting the Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest for grades PK-5. Entry fee is $2. Pumpkins must be turned in to the cafeteria between Oct. 28-30. (See Attached info below)

In addition to the Pumpkin Contest; Child Nutrition has a Christmas Kids Fundraiser to raise money to purchase Christmas for TISD children in need. Items available are: Hot Roll Dough, Cookie Dough, and Homemade Dressing. (See Attached info below)

Shonna Evans, TES kitchen Manager, is currently attending Manager's academy with a planned May graduation date. Upon completing the academy she will recieve a Manager's certification and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to NSLP and Child Nutriton management.

To access or view the meal menus please visit the website: https://www.tarkingtonisd.net/families/menus. Looking for meal pricing, nutritional information, reduced meal applications? Then go to: https://www.tarkingtonisd.net/departments/child-nutrition

The TISD website is undergoing construction. The web pages are currently being updated to include staff directories for each campus as well as up to date information on each page. Thank you for your patience during this time!

The "Prize Patrol" made its first stop last month. Each month, a school or department is randomly chosen to receive a surprise visit from the TISD Administration with the soda and candy cart. This initiative is solely to say "Thank You" to all of our employees and let them know how much they are appreciated! This past month, TMS was visited...who knows where the Prize Patrol will be this month!

October brings many opportunities for community! Here are some of the events happening this month: Employee of the Month Awards, TSF Round Up, FFA Fish Fry, Bond Information Meeting (10/7 @6 pm TMS Auditorium and 10/17 @ 6pm TES Cafeteria ), Board Meeting @ 6:30pm.

In Addition to those events, October is "National Principals Month", "School Custodians Appreciation Day-Oct 2", and "National School Lunch Week." Be on the lookout for all the ways the district will be spotlighting our awesome principals, custodians, and school lunches!

We sent out the payroll information sheets this week in order to identify and correct any mistakes that might occur prior to the first payroll of the new year. We appreciate everyone returning the sheets to us so quickly!

Open enrollment for benefits went smoothly and all employee choices have been uploaded to the payroll system. New insurance cards have been mailed by BCBS and should be in the hands of employees.

The new absence management system is in place and working well!

We have set up meetings with the consultant and administrators to begin the process of joining the Teacher Incentive Allotment plan. This is a huge benefit for our teachers and we are excited to get the process started.

Maintenance crews are working to keep the grounds mowed, free of trash, and complete daily maintenance work orders that come in through the new work order system. The online work order system called "Dude Solutions" allow any district employee to quickly and easily put in a work order. The system allows for maintenance to quickly see the requests and log when the job will be completed and then close the request once the job has been finished. Work orders or jobs put in can vary for the crew, the guys help with setting up for events and meetings by moving chairs, tables, and furniture, repair lighting fixtures, paint walls, help fix mechanical issues, and do carpentry work as well.

The Rock Star for the PEIMS team this month is Mrs. Shari Gilmore. Mrs. Gilmore is the PEIMS clerk at our middle school campus. Mrs. Gilmore has worked tirelessly at getting parents to complete the returning student registration complete. Mrs. Gilmore is always willing to help out wherever needed.

Red Ribbon Week: October 28-31

Along with the dress up themes everyday, The DARE program will have presentations at each campus. The DARE program consists of police officers who make visits to elementary school classrooms, warning children that drugs are harmful and should be refused. D.A.R.E. sought to educate children on how to resist peer pressure to take drugs.

Monday, Oct. 28th - “Put a Lid on Drugs”

Wear any kind of cap or cowboy hat.

Tuesday, Oct. 29th - “The Future's so Bright when you are drug free”

Wear Neon and/or shades.

Wednesday, Oct. 30th - “Team Up Against Drugs”

Wear your favorite sports team apparel or jersey.

Thursday, Oct. 31st - “Say Boo to Drugs”

PK-5th - Dress as a book character.

6-12th - Wear a Halloween costume. The costume must be in dress code, not cover the face, and may not be scary.

STOPit Program

STOPit is an online reporting tool designed to deter and mitigate bullying and cyber abuse. STOPit provides you with: An anonymous, comfortable way for you to share information so that you can provide or get help as quickly an efficiently as possible. This mobile app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play to any device. Reports can also be made via the website https://appweb.stopitsolutions.com/login . STOPit provides you with: An anonymous, comfortable way for you to share information so that you can provide or get help as quickly an efficiently as possible.

Fall semester safety meetings took place this month. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office hosted a county-wide School Safety Meeting for districts and local emergency management organizations on September 18th. The Tarkington ISD Safety and Security Committee met on September 19th. District staff, teaching staff, campus SROs, and local fire and law enforcement agency leaders met in the TISD boardroom to discuss and review the district's safety plans, emergency operations, and other state-mandated safety requirements. A representative from Raptor Technologies will be coming to TISD to provide staff training and support on Raptor VisitorSafe Software and Raptor Alert Emergency Notification software.

Our team has been diligently handling daily work orders, ensuring that all requests are addressed promptly. We are excited to announce that we are planning our first Tech Ninja meeting! This will be a great opportunity for us to collaborate, share ideas, and enhance our tech skills together. Welcome Melanie Lasater: We are thrilled to welcome Melanie Lasater to our team! She has been making significant contributions at the high school library, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact she will have on our THS campus. Upcoming Initiatives: We are planning several initiatives aimed at enhancing our technology resources and training opportunities. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Did you Know? Apple was originally designing an apple-shaped flip phone before the first iPhone. Before the original design for an iPhone, Apple patented a phone design in the shape of an actual apple. It was a flip phone that, when closed, would look like the Apple logo.

Transportation is pleased to announce that the Smart Tag System, approved at the April 2024 board meeting, is being implemented as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the district's safety measures. This innovative system will enhance our ability to track and manage students during transportation, ensuring a safer and more efficient experience for all.

Our Transportation Department is working diligently to ensure this system becomes operational. We will begin rolling out the Smart Tag System on select routes this year, with plans to extend it to all routes by the next school year.

Thank you for your continued support as we strive to provide the safest possible transportation for our students.

At Tarkington Elementary, we held our beginning-of-the-year behavior conferences, where Assistant Principals Ms. Rawls and Ms. Moore, along with Associate Principal Ms. Anderson, led our kiddos through engaging conversations about appropriate behavior and meeting PBIS expectations. PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) is a proactive approach to establishing the behavioral supports needed for students to achieve social, emotional, and academic success. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS can create a positive and consistent school environment that fosters student growth and development.

TMS had its first Second Cup of Coffee Meeting. We had a small, but passionate turn out! The coffee was hot and the conversation was GREAT! Parents are encouraged to come have coffee and conversation with the principal during the next Second Cup on November 4th!

TMS Reading Teacher, Cassie Carpenter is doing an AMAZING job teaching writing fundamentals to students. When her classroom didn't provide enough space to provide students a visual of the essay they were working on, she improvised a learning environment that would allow students to visualize writing in a different way!

A BIG SHOUT OUT to Cassie Carpenter and DaVette McCall (6th Grade Reading Teachers) and Sean Howard and Karen Suggs (8th Grade Math Teachers) for having the MOST GROWTH on our first six weeks CBA! Outstanding job, teachers!

TMS PTO Meeting - October 8th at 5:00 pm in TMS Commons

TMS Campus Improvement Committee Meeting - October 4th at 11:30 pm in the TMS Commons

September was a fast month for THS. Our students are active in and out of the classroom excelling in all they do. Our Lady Horn volleyball team is thriving on the court and our Longhorn Football team is leaving it on the gridiron each and every Friday night. The month of September hosted a Senior informational meeting for our parents, National Beta induction, Senior meeting for students and our annual "See you at the Pole event". The first six weeks ended with students taking their first round of CBAs. The data has given our teachers great starting points to close learning gaps in their quest for all students to succeed. THS was awarded an $800 gift from district administration for having the highest percentage of teacher attendance at 96%.

Tarkington FFA is kicking off their Meat and Sweet Fundraiser sales this year. Please support our FFA Chapter by purchasing one of these products. If you have any questions please feel free to contact one of the ag teachers for information. https://myseitz.net//Link.php?L=T2RRWXhOUVZNT2VNQVVWamR1VTE1UT09

October National Principal Appreciation Month

Oct. 2 School Custodian Appreciation Day

Oct 3 Lake Houston Invitational Huffman

Oct 3 Balfour Orders THS Commons -During lunches
Oct 4 Campus Improvement Committee (CIC) Meeting- TMS Commons11:30-12:30

Oct 4 Volleyball Game-Huffman HS 4:30

Oct. 5 Tarkington Round Up10-3

Oct. 5 TMS/THS Volleyball Tournament THS/TMS All Day

Oct. 5 Fish Fry Fundraiser 6PM- Midnight

Oct. 5 Glee Club Performance-TMS 9:30-10:30 AM

Oct. 5 Pre-UIL Marching Performance-HS Stadium 9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Oct. 7 TMS vs Liberty-TMS 4:30

Oct. 7 Band Booster Meeting-THS Teaching Theatre 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 7 Bond 2024 Informational meeting-TMS commons 6:00 PM

Oct. 8 Volleyball Game-Liberty HS 4:30

Oct. 8 PTO Meeting-TMS Commons 5:00 PM

Oct. 9 Cross Country District Meets-Huffman

Oct. 9 ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)THS

Oct. 10 Volleyball Game-Shepherd HS 4:30

Oct. 10 TMS @ Shepherd-Shepherd HS 5:30/7:00

Oct. 10 JV vs Shepherd-THS 5:30

Oct. 11 varsity @ Shepherd-Shepherd HS 7:30

Oct. 14-18 National School Lunch Week

Oct. 14 TMS vs Huffman-Huffman 4:30

Oct. 15 Volleyball Game-THS Gym 4:30

Oct. 17 Bond 2024 Informational meeting-TES Cafeteria 6:00 PM

Oct. 17 7th grade football vs Legacy Prep-THS 6:00

Oct. 17 Jv vs Northside -THS 4:30

Oct. 18 Home vs Silsbee-THS 7:30

Oct. 18 Volleyball Game-THS Gym 4:30

Oct. 21 TMS vs Livingston-TMS 4:30

Oct. 22 UIL Marching Contest-Woodforest Bank Stadium-TBD

Oct. 22 FFA meeting-Tarkington High School-6:30

Oct. 23 SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)THS

Oct. 23 PSAT-NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Test)THS

Oct. 24 Boo Bash TES 5:30-7:00 pm

Oct. 24 8th grade vs Legacy Prep @ Legacy Prep Academy-4:00

Oct. 24 Jv vs Kinkaid High school-THS-6:00

Oct. 25 Fall Dance-TMS Commons-TBD

Oct. 25 varsity @ Hampshire Fannett Hampshire Fannett-7:30

Oct. 25 Volleyball Game Hardin-Jefferson HS-4:30

Oct. 28 TMS vs Hardin-JeffersonHardin-Jefferson-4:30

Oct. 28-31 Red Ribbon Week

• Monday- “Put a Lid on Drugs” Wear any kind of cap or cowboy hat.
• Tuesday- “The Future's so Bright when you are drug free” Wear Neon and/or shades.
• Wednesday- “Team Up Against Drugs” Wear your favorite sports team apparel or jersey.
• Thursday- “Say Boo to Drugs” PK-5th - Dress as a book character. 6-12th - Wear a Halloween costume. The costume must be in dress code, not cover the face, and may not be scary.

Oct. 29 Volleyball Game-THS Gym-4:30

Oct. 31 2nd Six Weeks Ends

Oct. 31 middle school vs Shepherd-THS-5:30/7:00

Oct. 31 jv@ Shepherd HS-5:30

Dates are subject to change. To see a current list; click the link below.