STAAR Testing Just OneLook at Academic Success

Quest for Excellence: Success for All Students. As our district’s mission, this is the driving force behind all our decisions and actions regarding our 39,000 students.

And STAAR/TAKS results for the 2013-14 school year, which you will receive this week, are used to help us know when to offer enrichment or intervention for students.

Skills are not mastered at the same rate, and no single test can give a complete picture of a particular student’s progress or potential.  Our teachers and administrators closely monitor each student’s growth and academic needs over the course of the school year.  Every campus works tirelessly to reward student success, build up struggling students and push individual talents to higher levels.

As you know, parental involvement is always encouraged and welcomed in Mesquite ISD. To learn more about resources to help your student advance and reach his or her full potential, please contact your campus staff.

Sunday Marks Official Beginningof Mesquite ISD Graduation Events

Sunday marks the official beginning of the graduation events with the Baccalaureate at each high school. These ceremonies will be followed by graduations the next weekend as nearly 2,500 students will receive their diplomas. 

Watching the eagerness of these young adults inspires all of us in attendance because seeing successful students go into the world is what we strive to achieve. Many graduates will enter college or technical school; some will serve in the military; and others will go directly into the job market. Whatever the choice, each one has worked hard and been nurtured by caring parents and teachers. Thank you for your support of Mesquite ISD as we prepare our future leaders.

Let’s Not Let Teacher Appreciation End Here

Here in Texas and in Mesquite ISD, it’s Teachers Appreciation Week.
Our campus celebrations included a Mexican feast for Gray Elementary teachers, and Mesquite High culinary students made cupcakes for faculty there. Those are just examples of many fun and heartfelt activities across our 46 campuses.

Just this week, Taylor Lipsett – a two-time gold medalist in the Para Olympic Games and graduate of Beasley, Kimbrough and Poteet – acknowledged at a special event how several of his Mesquite ISD teachers influenced him. And let me tell you, those teachers were beaming with pride and deservedly so.

Thank you for helping our teachers feel special this week. Remember, there’s still time to write a note, send an e-mail or tweet to show your appreciation. And those gestures are welcome all year long.
There’s no deadline really for letting a teacher know what he or she has meant to you or your child.

Tell us about your favorite teacher.

Thank You for Your ‘Perfect’Days at Mesquite ISD

“You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”

  —John Wooden, American basketball player and coach

On our campuses and in our support staff offices, May is an important culmination to the school year — a hectic-yet-celebratory month. We host various ceremonies and events that shine the spotlight on many students and staff members, recognizing their accomplishments. But there are also those behind the scenes whom I’d like to acknowledge.

Thank you for your spirit of generosity that I witness daily. Even small gestures add up to large gains. Whether it’s a student helping a fellow student better understand a concept before a test, or a parent making one phone call on behalf of PTA, every act can be a difference maker. It takes all of us to fulfill our vision of Quest for Excellence — Success for All Students.

Congratulations. Your ‘perfect days,’ according to Wooden’s quote, are leaving indelible marks on students, staffers and to our district communities. Your contributions have made Mesquite ISD a better place.