Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Christmas & New Year's Break Post

 Happy New Year Fireworks
by Free For Commercial Use (FFC)
2017 was a Great Year!!!
As 2017 comes to a close, I thought it would be a great idea to celebrate all of the successes of the year.  Below is a slide show of just some of the great things that happened in Blue Ridge ISD last year.  Our district is on the move, and 2018 looks to be another great year in our district.  Thank you for your support of BRISD, and I look forward to seeing you in January.

Have a Happy New Year.






Upcoming Events
  • Thu, Dec 21 - Christmas Break Begins
  • Thu-Sat, Dec 28-30 - Varsity Girls BB at Ector Tournament
  • Tue, Jan 2 - Girls BB vs Campbell HOME
  • Tue, Jan 2 - Boys BB vs Callisburg AWAY
  • Thu, Jan 4 - JH BB vs Honey Grove AWAY
  • Fri, Jan 5 - HS Girls BB vs Wolfe City AWAY
  • Mon, Jan 8 - Staff Development (Student Holiday)
  • Tue, Jan 9 - Students Return and 3rd 9 Weeks Begins
  • Tue, Jan 9 - HS Girls BB vs Trenton
  • Tue, Jan 9 - HS Boys BB vs Celina HOME
  • Thu, Jan 11 - JH BB vs Trenton HOME
  • Fri, Jan 12 - HS BB vs Bland AWAY
  • Sat, Jan 13
    • 7th Girls BB Tournament at Trenton
    • 8th Boys BB Tournament at Trenton
    • 8th Girls BB Tournament at Van Alstyne
  • Mon, Jan 15 - Student & Staff Holiday
Calendars
District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar




Additional Information

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Week of December 25

Merry Christmas from Blue Ridge ISD




Top Left - Abigail Pennington, BRHS freshman, won the District Christmas Card contest.  Her Christmas card below was sent to districts throughout the DFW area and to our district staff and board members.

Top Right - Kindergartners made their very own reindeer antlers to get ready for Christmas.

Right - The following 4th and 5th graders were chosen for Duke TIP recognition and recognized at the December board meeting. This recognition was earned based on the students scoring in the top 95th percentile in the state of Texas on last year's STAAR tests. We are so proud of our students.


In the Board Meeting
New BRISD Board Member, Phillip Pulliam, was sworn in at the December 18 board meeting. Mr. Pulliam will fill the vacated Place 6 Trustee position through May 2018.  Welcome to Mr. Pulliam.

The district held a public hearing on the FIRST rating in which the district scored 98 out of 100 possible points in financial excellence.  The district also held a public hearing on the Texas Academic Performance Report for the 2017 school year.  Additionally, the board approved the financial audit which show that the district did a superb job managing the taxpayers' dollars.  The audit by Steve Davis was confirmed as a clean audit with no irregularities.

The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 6 p.m.



Upcoming Events

  • Thu, Dec 21 - Christmas Break Begins
  • Thu-Sat, Dec 28-30 - Varsity Girls BB at Ector Tournament
  • Tue, Jan 2 - Girls BB vs Campbell HOME
  • Tue, Jan 2 - Boys BB vs Callisburg AWAY
  • Thu, Jan 4 - JH BB vs Honey Grove AWAY
  • Fri, Jan 5 - HS Girls BB vs Wolfe City AWAY
  • Mon, Jan 8 - Staff Development (Student Holiday)
  • Tue, Jan 9 - Students Return and 3rd 9 Weeks Begins
  • Tue, Jan 9 - HS Girls BB vs Trenton
  • Tue, Jan 9 - HS Boys BB vs Celina HOME
  • Thu, Jan 11 - JH BB vs Trenton HOME
  • Fri, Jan 12 - HS BB vs Bland AWAY
    Be sure to join the Bad Weather/
    Emergency Updates group to receive
    important district updates, including
    any potential bad weather closings.
    Text the number 81010, and in
    the message type @brisdd.
  • Sat, Jan 13
    • 7th Girls BB Tournament at Trenton
    • 8th Boys BB Tournament at Trenton
    • 8th Girls BB Tournament at Van Alstyne
  • Mon, Jan 15 - Student & Staff Holiday




Calendars
District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar







Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Week of December 18

The +10 Mindset
12 Days of Christmas Gifts for BR Staff.
Special thanks to Carolyn Wink, Shawn Harris,
Angie Lillard, Denise Avery and Tracy Hill

for making the treats for our excellent staff.
As we inch closer to the Christmas break, I would like to express my thoughts about some
outstanding people, the entire Blue Ridge ISD teachers, administrators, and support staff.  We are very blessed to have such dedicated individuals who want to do whatever it takes to prepare every student for the future.  The reason is simple.  What these folks do on a daily basis shapes the trajectory of every student's life.

To show our appreciation, the central office staff prepared the 12 Days of Christmas to give small tokens of appreciation to let them know just how valuable each employee is.  I invite you to join me in taking time to let each staff member know how important their impact is and how valuable they are to Blue Ridge ISD.

As we head into Christmas break, I would like to wish each and everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.




UIL Academics Team Excel at District
BRES won the District Championship at the
UIL Academic District Meet last week.


We are so proud of the BRES and BRMS UIL Teams for making BR History last week.  The BRES Team jumped from 3rd place last year to win its FIRST EVER DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP.

The  BRMS team nearly doubled its 425 point total from last year to earn 820 points this year to take 2nd place.  We are so proud of our coaches and students for doing such an amazing job.  

UIL Academics is how we push our students to level of excellence far beyond the classroom, and I sincerely appreciate everyone’s hard work to put our district on the map in this area.


UIL Coaches
Please join me in congratulating our coaches for their hard work in helping our students reach excellence in UIL Academics.

BRES Coaches - Mitzi Mayfield, Missy Douglas, Ashley Elder, Erin Masias, Stephanie McPherson, Rene Sawatsky, Jennie Stroup, Melissa Stiney, Alise Burke, Dayna Price, Melissa Bolton, Shanda Jenkins, Laura Larsen

BRMS Coaches - Gayla Brummett, Andrew Carlson, Courtney Christenson, Sarah Hall, Cole Jenkins, Patti Levi, Roma Morgan, Judy Phifer, Theresa Wade, JD Williams, Stacey Raymer

Student Recognitions - Please see the BRES and BRMS Facebook or Twitter pages for information on students.  
 


Upcoming Events

  • Fri, Dec 15 - HS BB vs Tom Bean AWAY
    BRMS won the District Runner Up at the
    UIL Academic District Meet last week.
  • Sat, Dec 16 - JH 7th Boys Tournament at BRHS
  • Sun, Dec 17 - HS & MS Band Concert at 2:30 p.m. in HS Gym
  • Mon, Dec 18 - BRISD Board Meeting at 6 p.m.
  • Mon, Dec 18 - HS Boys BB vs Whitewright AWAY
  • Tue, Dec 19 - HS Girls BB vs Collinsville
  • Wed, Dec 20 - End of 2nd 9 Weeks
  • Thu, Dec 21 - Christmas Break Begins
  • Thu-Sat, Dec 28-30 - Varsity Girls BB at Ector Tournament
  • Tue, Jan 2 - Girls BB vs Campbell HOME
  • Tue, Jan 2 - Boys BB vs Callisburg AWAY
    Note-taking is a highly important college
    readiness skill and every student in
    BRISD learns this skill everyday.
  • Thu, Jan 4 - JH BB vs Honey Grove AWAY
  • Fri, Jan 5 - HS Girls BB vs Wolfe City AWAY
  • Mon, Jan 8 - Staff Development (Student Holiday)
  • Tue, Jan 9 - Students Return and 3rd 9 Weeks Begins
  • Tue, Jan 9 - HS Girls BB vs Trenton
  • Tue, Jan 9 - HS Boys BB vs Celina HOME
  • Thu, Jan 11 - JH BB vs Trenton HOME
  • Fri, Jan 12 - HS BB vs Bland AWAY
  • Sat, Jan 13
    • 7th Girls BB Tournament at Trenton
    • 8th Boys BB Tournament at Trenton
    • 8th Girls BB Tournament at Van Alstyne
  • Mon, Jan 15 - Student & Staff Holiday




Calendars
District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar





What I am Learning
Source - Jay Posick


Student Engagement decreases each year. (See image to the left.


Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Week of December 11

The +10 Mindset - UIL MS Theatre
The Blue Ridge MS UIL Theatre company for the 3rd straight year won the UIL District Meet in Trenton on Saturday, December 2.   The following BRMS students received special recognition after the OAP competition; Allie James (Best Actress), Gabi Avery (All Star Cast), Jake Tallant (Honorable Mention Cast), and Grace Hodges (Crew Award).
Trenton last Saturday.  Theatre teacher, Stacey Raymer did a fantastic job leading our students to an outstanding performance of the Miracle Worker.


The One Act Play company will put on a special community performance of the play on Thursday, December 14 and Saturday, December 16 at 7 p.m. in the BRHS Cafeteria.



What I'm Learning




Upcoming Events

  • Thu-Sat, Nov 30-Dec 2 - HS Girls BB at Valley View Tournament
    BRISD Board Members, Seth McGinnis
    Mike McCreary,and Tammy Phillips
     joined meas we delivered
    Christmas Bonus Checksto BRISD
    employees on December 5.
  • Thu-Sat, Nov 30-Dec 2 - HS Boys BB at Farmersville Tournament
  • Sat, Dec 2 - JH One Act Play Contest at Trenton
  • Sat, Dec 2 - Blue Ridge Parade at 6 p.m.
  • Sun, Dec 3 - Bethlehem in Blue Ridge at 1st Baptist Church
  • Mon, Dec 4 - English 1 EOC Retest
  • Mon, Dec 4 - JH BB vs Wolfe City AWAY
  • Tue, Dec 5 - Algebra 1 EOC Retest
  • Tue, Dec 5 - HS BB vs Farmersville HERE
  • Wed, Dec 6 - English 2 EOC Retest
  • Thu, Dec 7 - Biology and US History EOC Retest
  • Thu, Dec 7 - ES & MS UIL Academic Meet at Celeste
  • Thu-Sat, Dec 7-9 - HS BB Tournament at Community
  • Fri, Dec 8 -  ES & MS UIL Academic Meet at Celeste
  • Fri, Dec 8 - HS Varsity Girls BB vs Slidell
  • Fri, Dec 8 - ASVAB Testing at BRHS
    BRISD is collecting new or gently
    used coats and hoodies to help our kids.
    Drop off donations at BRISD Admin building.
  • Mon, Dec 11 - JH BB vs Bland HOME
  • Tue, Dec 12 - Girls HS BB vs Aubrey AWAY
  • Tue, Dec 12 - Boys HS BB vs Nocona AWAY
  • Wed, Dec 13 - Silver Tiger Reception at 8:30 a.m. at Admin Bldg.
  • Thu, Dec 14 - JH & OAP Theatre Performance at 7 p.m. at BRHS
  • Fri, Dec 15 - HS BB vs Tom Bean AWAY
  • Sat, Dec 16 - JH 7th Boys Tournament at BRHS
  • Sun, Dec 17 - HS & MS Band Concert at 2:30 p.m. in HS Gym
  • Mon, Dec 18 - BRISD Board Meeting at 6 p.m.
  • Mon, Dec 18 - HS Boys BB vs Whitewright AWAY
  • Tue, Dec 19 - HS Girls BB vs Collinsville
  • Wed, Dec 20 - End of 2nd 9 Weeks
  • Thu, Dec 21 - Christmas Break Begins
    Kids helping kids is how we accelerate learning
    for all kids.
  • Mon, Jan 8 - Staff Development (Student Holiday)
  • Tue, Jan 9 - Students Return and 3rd 9 Weeks Begins




Calendars
District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar





Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Week of December 4

The +10 Mindset
UIL Academic week for BRES and BRMS begins on Saturday, December 2 with One Act Play, and it ends on Friday, December 7 with the Elementary and Middle school meet in Celeste.  Why is UIL Academics important?  Well, first of all UIL Academics allows our students to take their learning to the next level (+10) by competing against their peers from other schools.  It allows them to gauge their ability and expertise against kids just like them.  In fact UIL Academics is a great representation of how the real world works.  If you want to be the best person for the job, you have to work hard every single day to be able outperform those who also want that job.

UIL Academics is not just about competition.  It also helps kids find their passion or if they're lucky enough, their purpose in life.  As a former choir director and high school principal, I found my passion and music which led me to discover my purpose in life:  helping people through education.  As a result of chasing my passion, I have former students who found out what they wanted to be when they grow up through UIL Academics.  Several of my choir students are now choir directors, music ministers, and even opera singers.  My students who were state champion debaters or current events winners are now lawyers, and some of my students who were gifted in One Act Play are theatre teachers or actors. 

One of my favorite examples of the power of UIL and extracurricular activities is John Wilson.  John is a gifted pianist, who excelled to the point of earning a full scholarship to Baylor University.  Today he lives in Vienna, Austria where he is one of the world's leading researchers on the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven.  That wouldn't have happened if he hadn't discovered his passion and ultimately his purpose in life through extracurricular activities and weekly piano lessons.

This week, I would like to wish our elementary and middle school competitors the best of luck.  I hope that we win the district championship in every event, but more that than I pray that our students get one step closer to finding their purpose in life.  That, after all, is the essence of school. #GoTigers



The Future of BRISD Enrollment
We are collecting new or gently used coats for our kids.
You can join us by donating at the BRISD Admin Building
This week, I had a question about the future of our district's enrollment.  Below is our projected enrollment for the next 10 years that was conducted by Templeton Demographers, Inc.  It is important to note that the projection for the next 3 years is pretty reliable, but the projections for years 2021 - 2026 are dependent on several factors, economy being one of the largest factors.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know.


BRISD Enrollment Projections
  • Current - 816 
  • 2017-18 - 821
  • 2018-19 - 853
  • 2019-20 - 915
  • 2020-21 - 963
  • 2021-22 - 999
  • 2022-23 - 1,040
  • 2023-24 - 1,082
  • 2024-25 - 1,111
  • 2025-26 - 1,151
  • 2026-27 - 1,188


Upcoming Events
Technology + Student Collaboration =
Excellence in the Making
  • Sat, Dec 2 - JH One Act Play Contest in Trenton
  • Sat, Dec 2 - Blue Ridge Parade at 6 p.m.
  • Sun, Dec 3 - Bethlehem in Blue Ridge at 1st Baptist Church
  • Mon, Dec 4 - English 1 EOC Retest
  • Mon, Dec 4 - JH BB vs Wolfe City AWAY
  • Tue, Dec 5 - Algebra 1 EOC Retest
  • Tue, Dec 5 - HS BB vs Farmersville HERE
  • Wed, Dec 6 - English 2 EOC Retest
  • Thu, Dec 7 - Biology and US History EOC Retest
    The MS Creativity class creating toothpick bridges
    which will be tested for capacity.
  • Thu, Dec 7 - ES & MS UIL Academic Meet at Celeste
  • Thu-Sat, Dec 7-9 - HS BB Tournament at Community
  • Fri, Dec 8 -  ES & MS UIL Academic Meet at Celeste
  • Fri, Dec 8 - HS Varsity Girls BB vs Slidell
  • Fri, Dec 8 - ASVAB Testing at BRHS
  • Mon, Dec 11 - JH BB vs Bland HOME
  • Tue, Dec 12 - Girls HS BB vs Aubrey AWAY
  • Tue, Dec 12 - Boys HS BB vs Nocona AWAY
  • Wed, Dec 13 - Silver Tiger Reception at 8:30 a.m. at Admin Bldg.
  • Thank you Mrs. Porath and Branscome's for adding over
    5 dozen books to our library collection.,
    Thu, Dec 14 - JH & OAP Theatre Performance at 7 p.m. at BRHS
  • Fri, Dec 15 - HS BB vs Tom Bean AWAY
  • Sat, Dec 16 - JH 7th Boys Tournament at BRHS



Calendars
District Calendar
Elementary School Calendar
Middle School Calendar
High School Calendar






Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please let a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 972-752-5554.