Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM August 2019 | Page 20

CARLA VOELKEL
Superintendent
Dickinson ISD
www.dickinsonisd.org
Looking ahead with a
“20/20 Vision for the Future”
in Dickinson ISD
W
elcome to a new school year in
Dickinson ISD.
It has been a very busy summer
in DISD. Professional development
opportunities were provided for
teachers and staff, enrichment camps were provided
for students, a new playground was installed at Bay
Colony Elementary, new adoption resources for English
Language Arts in grades K-8 have arrived, construction
projects are almost completed, new staff have been
hired, and much more.
On August 19th, the doors of the Dickinson High
School Ninth Grade Center will open to welcome over
900 9th grade students. This beautiful facility
will add much needed space at DHS and
it will provide for growth for several
years. The STEM Academy will
expand as the original cohort of
5th graders now begin 8th grade
at Kranz Junior High, and 110 5th
grade students will begin their
first year in the STEM Academy at
Barber Middle School. Residential
construction within Dickinson ISD
is very active, and it is anticipated
that our enrollment will exceed
11,300 students in 2019-2020.
As we soon begin a new decade
and we work to prepare our students
to be happy, successful and productive
citizens of the 21st century, our theme for
this school year is 20/20: Vision for the Future. As a
collaborative team, we will work together throughout
the 2019-2020 school year to ensure:
• Our schools are safe havens for students physically
and emotionally. We will continue to harden our
facilities, and we will begin a district initiative
focusing on restorative practices to build and sustain
relationships and manage behaviors.
• Our students have curriculum and instruction
that is aligned to high learning standards and
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that is relevant, challenging, and meaningful.
Individual student performance will be carefully and
continuously monitored, and all students will make
growth – 1 year or more. DISD will exceed state
performance in all content areas and in all student
groups.
• All district staff are supported and appreciated. We
will recruit and retain DISD employees who love
learning and understand the students they serve are
their first priority.
• Programs and facilities are reviewed and plans are
made to meet the needs of future district growth.
The District Facility Task Force will meet to review
demographic data, determine facility needs,
and make recommendations to the Board
of Trustees.
•
A comprehensive shared vision,
strategic framework and system of
measures is developed to provide
a culture of trust, collaboration,
continuous improvement and
innovation. A design team,
consisting of teachers, parents,
students, administrators, and
community members, will work
together to design a local vision for
learning and strategic plan to ensure
a culture of high performance and
student achievement so that Dickinson
ISD prepares students who are engaged,
collaborative problem-solvers, critical thinkers,
and ready for life beyond high school.
We are extremely proud of our campuses and their
continued commitment to high academic standards and
improved student achievement. Year after year, DISD
students excel in the classroom, on the athletic field,
in the performing arts, and in extracurricular activities.
With our 20/20: Vision for the Future, we will continue to
move forward, inspire success, and produce a culture of
life-long learning in Gator Nation.