GISD reports on six-week mark’s progress

Dear Gonzales ISD School and Community Family,

We are nearly six weeks into the school year! This has been a great start to a great year. Warm regards to everyone who helped us get started. We had a nice coffee from the Chamber, HEB and Whataburger at Convocation and a great response at our Vendor Fair. GISD received many school supplies from generous community contributions spearheaded by HEB, Walmart and our own Gonzales High School (GHS) Anchor Club and enjoyed a delightful lunch with the First United Methodist Church family. We thank you for your support!

All campuses have welcomed back returning students and enrolled many new students to GISD. We are so honored to serve all of our students and extend a warm welcome to those families who have just joined the Apaches! Our students have begun school with a strong emphasis on their academic studies. Our GISD curriculum resource base has been augmented this year as we implement Reading Plus. This supplemental resource extends the curriculum with a technology based reading enhancement program that assesses and extends learning. Students connect with choice reading passages that are of interest, build on current levels and promote acceleration. Additionally, our Career and Technology programming has also received new opportunities for GHS students. This year CTE students are preparing for competitions in automotive troubleshooting, agriculture mechanics (tractor restoration, welding, and wood projects), business applications, culinary arts, livestock shows, animal judging, computer programming, robotics (including hosting at least one event), and will also host the District Leadership Contest for FFA. Career and Technology programming has also received new offerings for GHS students to include HVAC and Electrical through Victoria College.

 Among other programs that we analyze in our work toward excellence is the results from the state assessments. The Texas Education Agency results indicate all campuses surpassed expectations on the most recent STAAR/EOC results. Gonzales High School and North Avenue earned distinctions in Reading/English Language Arts, Science and Top 25% student progress. Additionally, our community survey for 2015 results indicates exemplary ratings in several categories. We will continue to work toward excellence in all that we do at school.

Thanks to the GISD Booster Club for welcoming back and introducing the Apaches at Apache Field. JH and HS Football games are in full swing and about to enter the first district play in another week. The first district game is

October 2nd. Our JH and HS Volleyball competition is underway. Volleyball began district play on September 11 and players are working hard and exhibiting continuous growth under our new Head Coach Voight. The GISD Cross Country Team is practicing before and after school preparing to compete in their district meet in mid-October. Before we enter the spring semester schedules you will see our track get some much-needed attention to repair areas of concern. All repairs should be complete before the fall semester ends.

 We have two exciting events on the horizon. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) will be heading up the next Fields of Faith events. The FCA is supported by many of our local community in making the annual event successful. The event takes place October 14 at Apache Field. The guest speaker this year will be Sergie Gasore, a young survivor of the Rwandan genocide era who ended up using a running opportunity to escape his situation. Gasore brings a message of faith and finding God in Abilene, Texas. The FCA hopes to fill the stands this year and invites everyone out for the event to begin at 7 p.m.

We also look forward to the 2015 Veterans’ Day Program at Apache Field. This event begins at 9:30 a.m. on November 6. We will have program participation from our very talented GISD students, special guest speakers and a very unique flyover brought to GISD and our community. Weather permitting; the Central Texas Wing Operations Center will feature four vintage war birds. There will be three flyovers including the Missing Man Formation. As always in the event of rain the assembly will take place at GHS in the new gym.

You may have noticed the progress of the construction projects as you drive past our new Gonzales Primary Academy (GPA), North Avenue (NA) and GHS. We still expect the GPA campus to complete construction in January along with most of the expansions and renovations in Phase One. We are preliminarily expected to occupy the GPA campus with faculty, staff and Prekindergarten students for the final months of the Spring Semester to begin in February 2016. We will keep you posted on the date. North Avenue cafeteria renovation and Internet café completion is due in the coming months. We hope to be able to use the new space as early as October 2015. The new wing and Band Hall at NA is still scheduled to be complete by January 2016. Our GHS campus front entry, drive and new student center also scheduled to complete in January is taking shape. As you recall the new front entry and drive will serve the many parents, community members and visitors with front parking and entry through a front office that connects the two main buildings and will serve as the entrance for access to the high school campus. The new drive will extend from the East side by the cafeteria, travel in front of the N side of the campus and end at the parking lot by the tennis courts. The student center area will serve our GHS campus with space for projects, cooperative learning, independent study and staff development space. It will also double as a wireless library as well as provide additional overflow cafeteria space for students at lunch. We are so fortunate for these projects and anxiously await the completion of Phase One. Phase Two projects include expansion and renovation projects at Gonzales Junior High and necessary projects at the Bus Barn.

The first six weeks has gone by so fast! Thank you all for the support of GISD students! Your partnership makes all the difference. Together we can achieve. GISD succeeds due to the achievements of our staff, students, parents and community. We have much to be proud of in GISD!

Warm regards.