Teaching students about history can require some outside the box thinking, and that’s just what Mrs. Boyle did with her Social Studies classes last week when teaching about the New World colonies and the start of our government in the late 1700s. With a list of taxable items from school supplies to leaving to use the restroom, students were each given their coins (fruit loops) at the beginning of the day and were able to learn the lesson through life experience.
“Today was a chance to bring history to life,” Mrs. Doyle said. “King George III taxed the colonists (students) throughout the class period for all kinds of things, such as using a computer, getting a paper, sharpening a pencil, and even for asking the King a question.”
Mrs. Boyle dressed up as King George and the students had to pay their taxes through the day as they completed a list of assignments. Students were seated in colonies and worked together to help each other, while also completing their individual task cards that demonstrated comprehension of the geography, government timeline and the different acts that were protested. Posters were around the room reminding the students of the Acts of the American Revolution that they had already studied, including the Sugar Act, the Tea Act, the Stamp Act and the Townshend Act.
“By the end of the day, I wanted the students to understand how the colonists felt and why they desperately wanted independence from England,” Mrs. Boyle said. “Not only did they understand our American history better, but they increased their reading skills, comprehension, inferencing, and map skills. When students practice all of those skills, understand history, and participate in something they won’t ever forget, it is a big win for this teacher!”
Counselors at Oak Hills JH visited classrooms this week to discuss the very important topic of respect. The discussion covered respect for their school, each other, and themselves.
With October 2nd being National Custodian’s Day, the counselors developed an action plan for students to show their respect and appreciation for the very people that work hard every single day to keep their campus beautiful, clean, and safe. The students were asked to each write a note of thanks to their custodians, and if possible, donate $1 to give them to show how much we love and appreciate them.
The students of Oak Hills came through, and in a big way! The campus currently has 1,153 students and collectively, they donated $1,155!! The notes of thanks and monetary gifts were presented to them in the Oak Hills Library on Friday, with staff and students there to celebrate them.
Establishing and growing strong campus culture is a task at Montgomery JH that Principal Angie Chapman finds very important. During the 2020-2021 school year, the campus took ownership of the #BearsDontHate motto and this year the campus theme follows that initiative with the slogan, “Together everyone achieves more.”
Throughout the school year, Montgomery JH staff from every department will be coordinating together to teach culture lessons, highlighting the uniqueness of each heritage and how together, we really can achieve more. To start the year, students in grades 6 through 8 have performed a heritage study on their own family’s history and each Social Studies class is dotting a world map to show that representation and answer the question, “Where is MJH from?”
“This is the first application to an entire school year’s worth of Heritage study,” eighth grade Social Studies teacher and Student Council Sponsor Pegi Morgan said. “We started in August with ‘Bears come in all shapes, sizes and abilities’ and after we complete our Culture and Heritage Mapping, each month will highlight one heritage through cross-curricular activities and discussions.”
“Our students learning about their family’s heritage and culture is so important to campus unity,” 7th grade Social Studies teacher Allison Mittag said. “I really enjoy seeing how they take pride in what they learn about their family and understanding that we aren’t really all just ‘from Texas’ or ‘American’. Learning how to own their history and learning about the heritage of their classmates helps them show respect to others.”
In October Hispanic Heritage will be studied through Mrs. Ladd’s Spanish classes creating a Hispanic Wax Museum offering representation from all departments, including historical Hispanic figures from social studies, the arts, literature and more.
“It’s about developing a culture of respect on our entire campus,” 6th grade Social Studies teacher Phyliss Teasdale said. “They are learning that we are all unique and our heritage is the history that creates all of us.”
Montgomery ISD continues to be so very thankful for the commitment our local business partners have to supporting the students and staff in our district!
In April 2021, the Montgomery ISD Education Foundation hosted the first Together We Grow Community Fundraiser and presented each campus with the opportunity to win a campus grant to pay for a “hustle project” of the principal’s choice. A fun competition took place between the campuses selling hustle tickets to their campus families and community members in order to have their campus’ hustle project funded.
Oak Hills JH and Lone Star ES were the two grant winners at the event, earning grants from the Montgomery ISD Education Foundation to fund an outdoor learning space (OHJH) and a book vending machine (LSE). After attending the event and seeing each campus’ wish, local Montgomery businesses began to work with the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce to help fund the wishes of other campuses. Six of the eight other hustle projects have been completed or funded by local area businesses.
A delivery of gravel to the garden at Stewart Creek ES happened over the summer, thanks to a generous donation of labor and supply from Hauser Land Services.
In August, Keenan ES and Montgomery ES both received donations for their hustle project wish. Woodmen Life Insurance donated beautiful benches for the garden at Keenan ES and Coco Phillips and Pat Prein with Coffee News gave a financial donation for a book vending machine at Montgomery ES.
This month two more campus hustle projects were completed at both Lake Creek HS and Lincoln ES. Dan and Debby Dykes of Network in Action donated a sonic-style ice machine to the faculty and staff of Lake Creek HS and Dr. Mariana Coconu of Lakeside Dental Practice donated money for the purchase of water bottle refilling stations around campus at Lincoln ES.
Montgomery JH has received a donation from Pam Westlake Realty to provide new computers for the students use and that photo will be shared when the computers arrive on campus.
Montgomery ISD wants to thank the Montgomery ISD Education Foundation for the start of the hustle project idea, as well as the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce for connecting our business partners with our schools and helping to get these gifts for our students and staff. Montgomery ISD is on #onepathtogether with our community partners!
Ms. Cole and Ms. Kraus’ life skills and functional academics students are making Fridays fabulous at Lincoln ES. Students collect orders for beverages and homemade cookies and deliver to the teachers one Friday per month. For the first Bear-ista delivery this school year, one generous teacher purchased a cookie for every staff member, giving the students even more opportunities to make deliveries and bring a smile to all.
“The Bear-ista program offers many learning opportunities and different ways for kids who may learn differently to shine,” teacher Julia Cole said. “This program allows every student to participate and practice essential social skills while giving more opportunities for growth within the school community, which encourages self-motivation and involvement with peers.”
Wearing their aprons made by Ms. Cole herself, the students were very proud to walk with their peers and make these deliveries. Each item was $1 and students worked to tell the teacher their total, accept their money and make change when needed.
“At Lincoln, we are excited to provide this opportunity for our students to practice financial literacy through real-world experiences,” Lincoln ES Principal Kerri Ashlock said. “Bringing activities like our Bear-ista cart into the school setting motivates our students and provides practical, cognitive, and self-management skills that will extend beyond our students’ time at Lincoln ES.”
As the students are able to make a profit with this program, they hope to use the income to purchase more cooking equipment to help their students learn many valuable life skills, while incorporating academic skills at the same time. The equipment purchased would not just serve the Bear-ista, but would become an integral part of their daily educational program.
Each month, Montgomery ES recognizes students that show amazing Bearcat P.R.I.D.E. on a daily basis. Teachers look to recognize kids that show Purpose, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Excellence. One Bearcat is chosen from each class to represent their peers as the Bodacious Bearcat! Here are some of the September award winners.
Montgomery HS named a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Choral Honors Project
Montgomery High School Madrigals Choir Program students and Director Heather Orr have once again been recognized on a national level. The Foundation for Music Education announced the results of its Mark of Excellence National Choral Honors Project last week and the Montgomery Madrigals were selected as a National Winner.
Montgomery ISD Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison visited the Madrigals during their practice on Friday, Sept. 17 to inform them of their award, congratulating them on this remarkable achievement.
“I am humbled and honored that our Montgomery HS Madrigal choir students have earned this National honor,” MHS Choir Director Heather Orr said. “I am beyond proud of their grit and passion. They gave a stunning performance and one that they will remember for a lifetime.”
The Mark of Excellence is a competition, entered by recordings, in which the top quarter are selected as National Winners and the second quarter receive Commended Honors. This year 236 of the finest musical ensembles in the nation entered the competition, with entries coming from 38 different states.
“Despite the many COVID-19 restrictions, so many musical ensembles still made amazing musical performances,” Managing Director of the Foundation for Music Education Rick Yancey said. “These directors and their communities should be very proud of their outstanding accomplishment!”
This is Heather Orr’s 21st year as choir director at Montgomery HS. Choirs under Orr’s direction consistently earn Sweepstakes at UIL Competitions and have been recognized with First Divisions and Best in Class awards at several festivals. MHS choirs have been selected for seven Convention performances and the Texas Music Educators Association Convention has featured the Chorale Women in 2018, 2010, and 2005. In addition, they have performed at the National ACDA Conferences in 2021 and in 2011, as well as the SWACDA Divisional Conference in 2018. In 2022, the Madrigals will present their first Convention invited choir performance in Little Rock, AR.
“We share this recognition with our amazing elementary music teachers, first class junior high choir directors, and our incredible administrative support,” Orr said. “Our kids can reach amazing heights due to their musical foundation and the encouragement and support of the arts from our district.”
The Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees met for their monthly board meeting on Tuesday, September 21. You can watch the meeting in its entirety and read the recap below.
This school year, during each regularly scheduled board meeting, Montgomery ISD district departments will give an update on their department improvement plan and share their progress of their objectives and strategies that are in line with the district’s Pathway to Premier Strategic Plan. At the September meeting, the Technology Department, under the leadership of Director Amanda Davis-Summerville, was the first to present to the board. September 21 is also National IT Professional’s Day. The Technology Department was highlighted and recognized for the role they play in our district.
The video below was shown during the meeting and the technology team was praised for the work they have done to enhance the district’s technological capabilities.
During the meeting, Montgomery ISD’s Benefits and Employee Relations Coordinator Teresa Tipton presented the district’s new Culture of Respect Initiative: Be ONE Team Montgomery.
The Be ONE Team Montgomery initiative aligns with district goal four: Human Capital. To lead this work, a task force committee has been formed consisting of 3-4 members of each department and campus to assure that all employee groups will be well represented. This committee will define what “culture of respect” means for Montgomery ISD.
The Culture of Respect task force committee will hold campus meetings to complete a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, giving all MISD employees the opportunity to be a part of this initiative. The information collected at these meetings, will identify areas of strength and growth as it relates to our district workplace culture, helping the committee create our district’s first Culture of Respect Policy and Procedures Handbook.
The expectation will be set for all Montgomery ISD employees to feel respected and appreciated in their role in our district, and procedures will be put in place to give all employees a safe way to share any concerns without fear of retribution. Montgomery ISD wants to recruit and retain the best employees and this initiative will build our district culture to one that provides security and focuses on the amazing work our employees do, and the way they are made to feel while doing it.
You can watch a video about the Be ONE Team Montgomery initiative below.
The Montgomery ISD Communications department also gave an update this evening, sharing that third-party district-wide surveys were sent to all district employees, parents and secondary students earlier today. The district has partnered with the national education firm K-12 Insight to conduct the survey and ensure confidentiality of responses in an effort to gather the most authentic and genuine data from its staff and district families.
Many of the results from the survey will serve as baseline data for several of the key performance indicators in tracking the district’s Pathway to Premier strategic plan progress. In order to know what we are doing well and have an understanding of areas in which we can grow, it was a priority to the district to give our students, families and staff a safe way to report their honest feedback. A second survey to track the district’s progress will be issued in May 2022.
The Communications department has also implemented the district’s first two-way communication platform for students, parents, staff and community members to reach district-level employees with questions, suggestions, comments and concerns. The Let’s Talk platform went live on Tuesday, September 7 with the roll-out of the district’s new website and has already answered over 70 customers with an average approval rating of 9.7 out of a possible 10. We hope that this communication platform creates an atmosphere of accessibility and gives our district community one place to get their questions answered and share their insights freely.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has impacted schools across Texas and the nation, each school district and campus in the state would receive a letter rating (A-F) from the state of Texas under the state’s accountability system. For the 2020-2021 school year, all districts were not-rated due to a declared state of disaster. Montgomery ISD Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Duane McFadden reported Montgomery ISD’s STAAR results to the board, explaining and charting what is called the “COVID Slide,” which is defined as the anticipated drop in STAAR scores from the 2018-2019 (pre-COVID) school year to the “post-COVID” scores in the 2020-2021 school year. McFadden presented data showing that MISD students outperformed the state in every category for the 2020-2021 school year and experienced minimal decreases in academic achievement when compared to the rest of the state. Montgomery ISD scored within 3 points of our district’s own pre-COVID scores in 15 of the 22 categories, and even surpassed our pre-COVID scores in 2 categories.
Finally, the MISD Board of Trustees authorized compensation for district staff for work missed due to the districtwide closure on September 14 because of Hurricane Nicholas. Students will not need to make up the school day.
Lone Star Elementary kicked off this year’s Leader in Me by hosting a job fair. At the job fair students were able to walk around and preview the variety of leadership positions available. Some of these opportunities included Library Leaders, Ice Pack Squad, News Crew, Office Aides, Safety Patrol, Teachers in Training and so much more! Students fill out applications for various jobs they are interested in and apply for their top choices. It’s a very exciting time for our Lone Star Leaders!
Every month, Montgomery ISD celebrates the extraordinary contributions of our teachers and staff through “Gold Cards.” Those new to MISD may find themselves asking, “What exactly IS a Gold Card? Why would I give one? HOW do I give one?”
Gold Cards are officially titled, “The Premier Card.” They are a tangible way for any Montgomery ISD staff member to recognize a fellow employee for something specific or just general praise. It is left entirely up to the one submitting the card. You can find the cards in various locations throughout every MISD campus or department facility. After the card is completed, they are submitted to campus or district administration. Upon submission, the cards are forwarded to MISD Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison. He then reads them, signs them, and sends them back to the campus where the recipient of the gold card is recognized.
As we kicked off the 2021-2022 school year, many MISD employees celebrated their fellow MISD employees through those precious gold cards. Below are recipients of gold recognition cards for July and August. Congratulations!
The MISD Premier Blog 