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 18 MOMENTUM 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.