News

An expanded all-day early learning center and a new state-of-the-art STEAM academy are just the latest building blocks in an effort to grow Dallas ISD’s South Dallas initiative, providing more and better services.

In addition to continuing to serve kindergarten through fifth-grade students, J.J. Rhoads Learning Center is expanding to become an all-day early learning center and will begin serving 3- and 4-year-old in prekindergarten in 2020-21. With extended hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate working parents, Rhoads will offer music and art as part of its after-school programming. Renovations are planned for the building, but Rhoads will remain open and will continue to serve its students.

In the 2021-22 school year, the neighborhood is gaining a new state-of-the-art STEAM academy to serve 675 students when the rebuilt H.S. Thompson Elementary reopens. The new school will be large enough to accommodate all the students now at Rhoads and will focus on preparing students for success in the 21st  century.

Once the higher grades move to Thompson, Rhoads will have room to offer wraparound services as well as community partnerships and resources. Meetings will be held to gather community input.

Rhoads will have two principals on site in the coming school year, the current Rhoads principal, Chaundra Macklin, and the newly named H.S. Thompson principal, Crystal Owens.

Teachers, counselors, and campus administrators are encouraged to participate in an April 3 Twitter chat hosted by Teaching and Learning highlighting best practices for instruction, intervention strategies and information supporting Multi-Tiered Systems of Support at each campus. A new initiative being implemented throughout the district, the MTSS framework is aimed at providing support for students in the areas of reading, mathematics, language, and engagement. The Twitter chat is set for 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 3, @DallasISDMTSS. For more information, contact Teaching and Learning at 972.925.8804.

Teachers looking for funding for classroom projects should mark their calendars for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 5, for the Junior League of Dallas’ live webinar designed to help teachers craft winning proposals. The webinar aims to help teachers prepare to submit grant proposals by the March 18 deadline and will feature tips and answers to common questions about creating effective grant proposals. Interested teachers can go here to download a flyer with instructions to access the webinar, which will also be available for later viewing.

Grants for Innovative Teaching is the Junior League of Dallas’ signature project. The grants provide up to $2,000 for special classroom projects. In 2018, the grants were awarded to 50 Dallas ISD teachers to fund projects ranging from large-scale art sculptures and educational videos to Lego robots and games designed to promote literacy and social skills.

Dallas ISD Talk It Up! Toastmasters Club is recruiting employees who want to improve their leadership and communication skills. The club is hosting an open house at 6 p.m., Wed, Feb. 27, at the H.B. Bell School Support Services Building, 2909 N. Buckner Blvd., which is also the location of regular Wednesday meetings. The club is part of Toastmasters International, a global organization that offers public speaking and leadership training opportunities. Go here for a flyer with more info.