McKinney Independent School District

The 2012 Senior Tour in Pictures

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McKinney - In 1952, Ed Mroz graduated with 12 other students from a square, brick school building in Pennsylvania that housed grades 1-12 -- his entire district. He reached ninth-grade before he was able to attend a classroom where there weren’t two grade-levels being taught simultaneously.

Last Wednesday, Mroz joined 69 other senior adults for the 2nd annual McKinney ISD Senior Tour. With stops at McKinney Boyd High School, Webb Elementary School and Faubion Middle School, the 2012 Senior Tour was a chance for McKinney seniors like Mroz to meet students and teachers, to observe the impact of technology on student learning, to take in talented student performances and to see how McKinney ISD is preparing this generation of students for unlimited future opportunities. In short, it was a glimpse at just how far education has come since 1952.

Enjoy these images from the tour.

McKinney ISD Superintendent Dr. J.D. Kennedy greeted McKinney senior adults as they boarded a bus for the 2012 McKinney ISD Senior Tour.

At McKinney Boyd High School, Senior Tour members received a warm welcome from Principal Rick McDaniel, Boyd PALS students and the Boyd drum line.

After introductions by Dr. J.D. Kennedy and Boyd Principal Rick McDaniel, Tour members and PALS members gathered for a photograph in the library.

Boyd PALS members guided seven groups of senior adults around the campus on a tour that included the school's world-class athletics, fine arts, video production and science facilities.

As they toured McKinney Boyd High School, Senior Tour members were treated to an impromptu performance from Boyd's top choir.

Tour members were eager to hear about the innovative teaching approaches being put into practice at Boyd.

Webb Elementary students visited with the senior adults during lunch at their school.

The Webb Elementary choir put their talent on display with two songs during lunch.

Students put their classroom smart boards to good use -- along with some sage guidance -- while solving problems during math.

Students use laptops as they conduct research, with a little help from a Senior Tour member.

At Faubion Middle School, Senior Tour members enjoyed band, orchestra, drama and choir performances.

The Faubion band performed two outstanding pieces for their honored guests.

"The string orchestra was just wonderful," said Senior Tour member Dr. Mack Hill.

The Faubion drama department's humorous, offbeat performance elicited laughter and applause.

The Faubion choir kept it fun with several upbeat, light-hearted songs.

It was a convergence of past, present and future, a chance for an older, wiser generation to experience the outstanding educational opportunities being provided for our students -- the leaders of tomorrow. For Superintendent Dr. J.D. Kennedy, the Senior Tour was a great success, "It’s always a wonderful day, and I just love having the opportunity to showcase what we do in our school district. I really feel like we helped enlighten a lot of people about the great things going on in our schools, and I got a lot of positive response from the people that participated in this. We definitely are going to do it again next year.”

For additional information on McKinney ISD, contact Shane Mauldin, MISD Communications Specialist, at 469-742-4007 or smauldin@mckinneyisd.net.

Author Dan Gutman Visits Webb Elementary

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McKINNEY, Texas – Author Dan Gutman made a special appearance at Webb Elementary on Thursday, January 26 to visit with McKinney ISD’s 4th and 5th grade ALPHA students. During an interactive hour filled with laughter, honest insight and a preview of his latest series, The Genius Files, Gutman encouraged his young audience to persevere in the face of rejection.

Gutman is an authority on the subject. For two years, he sent his manuscript to publisher after publisher, each time receiving the same response, “No, thanks.” Some thought it wasn’t believable, others pointed out inconsistencies, and one publisher thought there was just no audience for it. The bottom line was that nobody was interested. Until HarperCollins - publisher number 11 - said, “Yes!”

The manuscript that nobody wanted was Honus & Me, the story of a boy who finds a Honus Wagner baseball card that allows him to travel back in time to meet the man himself. After it was published in 1997, the book went on to win numerous state literary awards, sparked a 10-novel series and became a TV movie. Now, Gutman has over 90 book titles to his credit.

Persistence pays off. It’s one of the messages that Gutman conveys to all of his school audiences. “I want kids to understand that you can be rejected a million times and still be successful,” he said.

Debbie Rohlmeier, language arts curriculum writer and ALPHA teacher at Webb Elementary helped arrange the author’s visit. ALPHA is McKinney ISD’s program for identified gifted and talented students. When Rohlmeier learned that Gutman was appearing at A Real Bookstore in nearby Fairview and that he was interested in visiting some local schools, she knew it would provide a great learning experience for her kids.

Author Dan Gutman discusses his latest series, "The Genius Files."

Many of them were already fans of Gutman’s books such as the ...& Me baseball card adventure series and the wacky My Weird School series, so they were naturally excited to meet Gutman. But, with this year’s curriculum focus on journalism, the author’s visit also provided a perfect opportunity for the ALPHA students to take on the role of reporter and put their classroom study into practice.

As part of their preparation for Gutman’s visit, the students previewed the first two titles in his latest series, The Genius Files. Rohlmeier said that after reading the first chapter of each of the books, her students were eager to get their hands on a copy. Indeed, Gutman’s introduction of the novels during his presentation was met with excited “ooh’s” and “aah’s.” The author detailed his creative process, introduced the main characters and walked the kids through a plot filled with plenty of humor, action and an RV road trip to intriguing stops such as the SPAM® Museum in Austin, Minnesota.

The students couldn’t get enough, and they had plenty of thoughtful questions for Gutman. They wanted to know his inspiration for the interesting and oddly named characters (e.g., Gazebo Zamboni) that populate his books. They inquired about Gutman’s writing process and how he keeps the creative juices flowing. One boy wanted to know why Gutman had chosen a particular ending for one of his books. Another simply wondered, “What is SPAM®?”

Now, the kids will do a little writing of their own to document the experience and will post their articles on Webb Elementary’s ALPHA News Network.

Gutman’s ability to engage his audience seems to lie in his remarkable understanding of the way kids think. He knows what they like, and he appeals to their intelligence while connecting with them on their level. Of his writing, Rohlmeier said, “It fits. They get it. And he gets that.”

At the conclusion of his time, Gutman autographed copies of his books and answered individual questions. He said that he was very impressed with his audience and hoped that his visit would encourage them to not give up in the face of rejection and to be willing to keep working through the editing process to make their writing better. “And,” he said, “I want them to think that maybe they could grow up and do something crazy like making a living as a writer.”

For additional information on Dan Gutman, visit his website at www.dangutman.com.

For additional information on McKinney ISD, contact Shane Mauldin, MISD Communications Specialist, at 469-742-4007 or smauldin@mckinneyisd.net.

Wilmeth Road Closes at U.S. 75 - Construction Will Have Bridge Closed for Six Months

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McKINNEY – Weather permitting, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will close Wilmeth Road beginning Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 in order to begin the reconstruction of U.S. 75 at that location. The bridge is expected to be closed through June in order to demolish the bridge, build Wilmeth Road at grade through the intersection with U.S. 75, and then build the U.S. 75 overpass at Wilmeth Road.

In conjunction with the closure of Wilmeth, beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 through 6 a.m. Saturday morning, both directions of U.S. 75 will be closed at Wilmeth for demolition of the bridge over the highway. The demolition of the bridge will continue over the frontage roads on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 beginning at 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

On Saturday, February 18, 2012 northbound U.S. 75 will be closed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday morning for bridge beams to be set.

During the bridge closure, traffic will be detoured north and south along the U.S. 75 frontage roads, cross over the highway at the next crossing and return to Wilmeth. Westbound traffic on Wilmeth will travel north on the frontage road, cross over the highway at Bloomdale Road and then travel south back to Wilmeth. Eastbound traffic will travel south on the frontage road, make a U-turn U.S. 380 and then travel north back to Wilmeth.

Texas Sterling Construction Co. of Houston is the contractor on this $25 million project to reconstruct and widen U.S. 75 from four to eight mainlanes and six frontage road lanes between U.S. 380 and Bloomdale Road in McKinney.

This is one of five projects either underway, nearing completion or just starting up on the Central Expressway corridor through McKinney from SH 121 to Melissa Road. This project is expected to be substantially complete in the fall of 2012.

Message boards will be placed before major lane closures begin to notify drivers of the closures.
TxDOT would like to thank area drivers for their patience and cooperation as crews work diligently to complete this vital project as soon, and as safely, as possible.

For additional transportation-related information please visit the TxDOT Web site www.txdot.gov or follow us on Twitter@txdotdallaspio.

For additional information on McKinney ISD, contact Shane Mauldin, MISD Communications Specialist, at 469-742-4007 or smauldin@mckinneyisd.net.

SAT|ACT Preparation Courses

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Dear Parents and Students,

We wanted to take a moment and introduce ourselves and let you know about our course offerings with McKinney ISD. We know how tough it can be getting through another school year with homework, tests, extra-curricular activities, and on top of all this you have to think about college.

With all of this in mind The Princeton Review has come up with schedules to help you prepare for those standardized tests. This year, we will be hosting all of our courses at McKinney Boyd High School. As a partner of McKinney ISD, all students are welcome to enroll in these courses. With the SAT and ACT administrations given almost every month we are making sure to have a class to help you prepare.

Please look for our next set of available courses on the flyer also on the ISD website or at your school. We will be updating these flyers every semester to include all the possible preparation options. Please note that each course needs a minimum of 6 students in order to run. To enroll in one of the courses listed please visit our website or give us a call.

We would also love to answer any questions you may have about our courses, questions deciding about the SAT or ACT, and how it all relates to college admissions. We look forward to seeing you in the classroom!

Sincerely,
Mika Rogers
Mika Rogers | MFA
Territory Manager
Ph. 214-890-0099
MikaR@review.com

Click here to view the course schedule.

Middle School 7 Period Days

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McKinney ISD Middle Schools will be transitioning to 7 period days. Click here for more information.

Head Start and Pre-K Registration

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Head Start and Pre-K Registration is almost here!

March 5-8, 2012
More information
English - Spanish

High School Cheerleading Tryout Information

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Event Time: 02/13/2012
For complete cheerleading tryout infomation click here.

Concession Stand Training Class

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Event Time: 02/15/2012 6:00 PM
Central Admin Bldg, in the Boardroom, from 6:00p - 7:00p. One Duvall Street McKinney, Tx 75069

Staff Development Day

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Event Time: 02/20/2012
Staff Development Day

Elementary Open House

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Event Time: 03/05/2012
Elementary Open House

Becoming a Love and Logic Parent

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Event Time: 03/06/2012 6:00 PM
Parent Education Classes
“Becoming a Love and Logic Parent”

When: 4 (four) sessions Tuesdays, 6:00pm-8:00pm
*2nd Session is offered from 9:00am-11:00am and also from
6:00pm-8:00pm
Cost: $50.00 includes cost of workbook and four classes
Where: Classes will be held at the Greer Annex
510 Heard Street
McKinney, TX 75069

Registration Form

1st Session: September 6 September 13 September 20 September 27
2nd Session* : October 4 October 11 October 18 October 25
3rd Session: January 10 January 17 January 24 January 31
4th Session: February 7 February 16 February 21 February 28
5th Session: March 6 March 20 March 27 April 3