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THURSDAY, October 27, 2016
Board discusses classroom improvements By Lark Jarvis San Jacinto News-Times
Record number of votes cast Monday
A record number of San Jacinto County voters cast ballots Monday during the first day of absentee voting. San Jacinto County Elections Administrator Vicki Shelly said 754 votes were cast for the Nov. 8 General Election, 70 votes were cast in the City of Shepherd election and 67 votes were cast in the Shepherd Independent School District Board of Trustees election, for a total of 891. Shelly reminds people that there are two certified writein candidates on the ballot this year. District Judge, 411th Judicial District incumbent Kaycee Jones faces write-in candidate John Wells for that position, while San Jacinto County Tax Assessor-Collector Kelly Selmer is opposed by write-in candidate Rebecca Ramos. The only names that will be counted as a write-in are those two that are certified, Shelly said. Early voting continues through Thursday, Nov. 3. For more information, contact Shelly at 936-653-5904.
Financial accountability and academic performance ratings were among topics discussed by members of the Shepherd Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting last Monday. To begin October’s board meeting, kindergarten students presented book reports and accompanying decorated pumpkins. Artistic expression and writing are both academic skill sets the students need to do well on their STARR tests. Business Manager J.W. Kirkham reported that during the last reporting period, the district received a 100-point rating out of a possible 100 from the Texas Education Agency’s school financial accountability rating system. The
system, known as the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) is the statewide quality assurance rating system for district
Principal recognition (L to R) Michael Smith, Middle School principal; Dr. Mary Larievia, Dean of Instruction High School; Mary Williams, Intermediate School principal; Sandra Meekins, Primary School principal. (Submitted photo)
Kindergarten students read books and created pumpkin characters about their favorite character from the book they read. Pictured (l-r, back row) are teachers Karly Johns, Pam Whitiker, Brandi Keel, Sandra Meekins, Ann Sowell, Lindsey Morgan, Angelan Ringland (front row) are students Kevin Solley, Tyler Strickland, Taylynn Benavides, Sienna Aills, Kaine Roane, Emma Bailey, and Kayden Davidson. (Submitted photo)
The district’s academic performance, however, is in the midst of a targeted improvement plan. Curriculum and Instruction/Special Programs Director Hannah Williams said that while the primary and intermediate campuses met no standards in 2015, they did meet 2016 standards in two areas—Student Progress and Postsecondary Readiness. The state requires that 60 percent of students pass the STARR test for a district to be considered academically acceptable. Only 56 percent of Shepherd Primary and Intermediate students were able to pass the 2016 standardized test. The district has set as a goal a 70 percent passing rate, and to that end, is reporting data and teaching strategies to the state quarterly. Walk-through observations of teachers this school year have shown frequent “offtask and inappropriate student behaviors.” Administrators are addressing these challenges using systems to improve classroom management, teacher evaluation and support, and instructional rigor and relevance. The systems the district has chosen to use are CHAMPS, T-TESS, and the Fundamental Five, respectively. “It’s all about consistency,” said Williams. The board approved a Texas Accountability Information System plan that will monitor quarterly and annual district improvement goals. Stephen Lee, a representative of Purdue, Brandon, Fields, Collins and Mott, LLP gave a report on the district’s current delinquent tax revenue.
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10/31 Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s. ©2016 AMG | Parade
Don Watson of Shepherd started playing the guitar at age seven and is still picking 70 years later. By Martha Charrey San Jacinto News-Times editor
W
hile he never became a megastar during his music career, Don Watson did it his way, playing gigs across the states while hobnobbing with some of the best in the music industry. The 84-year-old Shepherd resident was brought up in a house filled with music. His mother, who played the piano and guitar professionally, had Watson pick-
He said that the firm is on track to collect its goal of 90 percent or more of uncollected taxes which are referred to them if not paid by July 1, of a given year. Campus Reports—For a complete listing of upcoming events on each campus, see the district website at shepherdisd. net and see each campus’ website Primary Campus: Principal Sandra Meekins reported that 21 out of the school’s 28 classrooms had class attendance at 90 percent or more. On Oct. 28, the primary school will be having a Book Character Parade and class parties. The parade will start at 1:30 and parties will follow. Students are asked to dress like their favorite book character and bring a copy of the book to share. If students need a book to match their costume, Mrs. Owens, school librarian, will be more than happy to help. Students may wear a mask during the parade only. They may carry an accessory as long as it is not any type of weapon. Intermediate Campus: Attendance was at 96.4 percent campus-wide. In September, the school held a “See You at the Pole” assembly. Career Day will be Oct. 31. Family Reading Night will be held in November. Middle School Campus: Students competed in a bookmark design contest and held National Junior Honor Society Inductions. Homecoming festivities included a lights-out pep rally and selecBOARD, Page 2A
Emergency planning meeting set
Local guitarist reminisces
Local Weather Thu
financial management. The agency strives to make sure districts have systems in place that provide the best use of each educational dollar.
ing the strings at the age of seven. By the time his was 18 years old, he was playing with a group at the Log Cabin located on the Tomball Highway. At the age of 19, his son, Mike, was born. “When Mike was five years-old he would get the broom and a match stick and using the match stick as a pick, play his broom as I practiced,” Watson said. “At seven years old he had a guitar and played rhythm with me. By the time he was nine, he started picking and I did rhythm,” Watson said. HIS WAY, Page 6B
San Jacinto County’s Office of Emergency Management is holding a public meeting on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m. to discuss creating a Long Term Recovery Group. The group, working with the county and FEMA, consists of state and local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs) and Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs), all working to help storm survivors with unmet needs. Long-term recovery groups are independent of FEMA or any other federal agency and consist of a coalition of organizations ranging from the national to the neighborhood level. Their role is to help meet remaining needs of survivors after they have maximized state and federal funds available to them. Long-term recovery groups typically include federal partners, voluntary agencies and grassroots organizations. These partnerships require close coordination to address community needs, distribute resources and to help restore vital support systems – health, social, economic and environmental systems, among others. The Long Term Recovery Group can coordinate with volunteers from around the area and the nation to help residents lives get back to normal after a disaster. San Jacinto County Emergency Management Director, Judge John Lovett, is working to proactively help those living in the county to recover after a disaster, whether it be a flood, hurricane, tornado or drought. The meeting will be held in the Election Administration Building.
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