Liberty Hill Goes Back to School Thursday, August 15, 2013 Section B Page 1
Back to School Bulletin Board LHHS students pick up schedules August 16
Liberty Hill High School students may pick up their class schedules Friday, August 16, at the new campus. Incoming Freshmen can meet with the principal and pick up their schedule at 1 p.m. Friday, August 16. Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors can pick up their schedules from 2-3:30 p.m. on the same day.
Vaccinations for students
The Liberty Hill ISD may provide free vaccines to children who are not covered by health insurance. Contact the school nurse at your child’s campus for more information. To read more information about the Texas Vaccines for Children Program and the revised policy, visit: www.dshs.state.tx.us.
Liberty Hill ISD needs surrogate parents
Surrogate parents are needed to serve as advocates for children who are living in residential facilities, in special education programs in Liberty Hill ISD. If you have a heart for children, then you are qualified for this very important role. No experience is necessary and training is provided. According to the Texas Education Code (TEC) 29.001(10)(A), the individuals assigned to act as a surrogate parent must complete a training program in which the individual is provided with an explanation of the provisions of federal and state law, rules, and regulations as applied to special education. For more information, call the Special Education office at (512) 260-5590.
Liberty Hill ISD Prekindergarten Eligibility
Liberty Hill ISD, in partnership with HeadStart, provides free, full-day pre-kindergarten to qualifying 4-year olds. A child is eligible for enrollment if the child is four years old and: 1. is unable to speak and comprehend the English language; 2. qualifies for free or reduced lunch; 3. is homeless; 4. is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces; 5. is the child of a member of the armed forces who was injured or killed while on active duty; or 6. is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary hearing. For enrollment information call Liberty Hill Elementary School, (512) 515-6514, or the Headstart office, (512) 515-0838.
Liberty Hill Campus Bell Times Liberty Hill Elementary
1400 Loop 332
Bill Burden Elementary
315 Stonewall Pkwy
Opens Classes Tardy bell Dismissal Opens Classes Tardy bell Dismissal
7:20 AM 7:50 AM 8:00 AM 3:00 PM 7:20 AM 7:50 AM 7:50 AM 3:20 PM
Liberty Hill Intermediate Opens Classes Tardy bell Dismissal
7:00 AM 7:45 AM 8:00 AM 3:20 PM
Liberty Hill Junior High Classes Tardy bell Dismissal
7:50 AM 8:00 AM 3:35 PM
Liberty Hill High School Tutorials Classes Dismissal
7:35 AM 8:05 AM 3:45 PM
101 Loop 332
13125 W. Highway 29
16500 W. Highway 29
Meet the Teachers
Schools have scheduled their Meet the Teacher nights in anticipation of the beginning of school August 27. On Friday, August 23, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade
See BULLETIN, Page 7B
Outside the new Liberty Hill Intermediate School are from left, Principal Kathy Major, Counselor Margaret Wofford, Assistant Principal Scott Copeland and Receptionist Jane Serrato. (Photo by Shelly Wilkison)
Liberty Hill makes history with opening of new and expanded facilities
The Liberty Hill Independent School District is making history this month as it begins school August 27 with new academic and athletic facilities, and renovations to existing buildings that were approved by voters in an $86 million bond package three years ago. The new Liberty Hill High School, which includes a 300,000-squarefoot academic building and new athletic facilities, is difficult to miss on State Highway 29 just west of Liberty Hill. Today, traffic lights at the two main entrances to the school are flashing yellow in an attempt to get drivers accustomed to slowing down for heavy traffic there in the coming days. While much has been written about the new high school and its athletic facilities, the changes at the new Liberty Hill Intermediate School are exciting improvements for staff, who packed their belongings this summer and left behind the community’s oldest campus. In 2014, the old Intermediate campus will become the home to the school district’s administrative offices. Superintendent Rob Hart said the current administration building on State Highway 29 will be sold. Principal Kathy Major said that construction crews are working around the clock to prepare the new
The view of the stage from the center of the new high school’s auditorium. The auditorium, which will seat 900, is a first for Liberty Hill schools. (Photo by Shelly Wilkison) Intermediate School for students and faculty. “It will all be ready for the kids,” she said. On August 8, most of the new addition to the school was still under heavy construction, including the cafeteria, band hall and some hallways. She said she expects some of
the work to continue into the beginning weeks of the school year. “You have to remember that junior high students were eating lunch in here on June 7,” she said. Demolition and new construction could not begin until the last lunch tray was packed away. Hart said the project is not behind
schedule and parents should not be concerned. He said the construction should be substantially complete by the first week of school. Mrs. Major said the building is arranged so that fifth and sixth grade teaching teams are separate. In
See FACILITIES, Page 7B
Excellence in academics, personal attention to students is driving LHISD growth
By SHELLY WILKISON Managing Editor From the last day of school June 7 until last Friday, 354 new students had enrolled in Liberty Hill schools. While it will take several weeks to determine the number of students the school district is losing this fall, which would bring the total enrollment to a more realistic number, a school official said this week that the pattern of rapid growth is expected to hold. In his sixth year as superintendent of one of Central Texas’ fastest growing school districts, Dr. Rob Hart says Liberty Hill ISD is ready for the growth -- something he could not have said before now. “Right now, it’s hard to tell what is going out (the number of students
Liberty Hill teachers may see average pay increase of 3%
not returning),” he said. “But, we know what’s coming in.” On August 27, students and teachers at three of the district’s five campuses will report to new campuses where more space, improved security and state-of-the art teaching and athletic facilities will be immediately evident. Hart, who has spent the majority of his days in the past few years working toward the completion of an $86 million facilities improvement program, said the school district is now
in a better position to grow. “We’ve always had a first-class program, and now we have firstclass facilities,” he said. “Now, we’re going to step up and get even better.” According to accountability ratings released by the Texas Commissioner of Education last week, Liberty Hill ISD earned a rating of “Meets Expectations” for the last academic year -- a rating based primarily on student performance on the STAAR (State of Texas Assess-
ments of Academic Readiness) exam. While the state changed the rating system this year and set new classifications for accountability, Hart said it did not change Liberty Hill’s rate of achievement and success. Hart said it’s the reputation of academic success that is prompting the growth in the school district. In fact, if the demographic projections for the area hold true, the new 300,000-square-foot academic building on the campus of the new high school could be at capacity in nine years. When it was first conceived, it was designed to hold about twice the enrollment at that time. Growth in the past year means
See HART, Page 7B
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