November 5, 2019

Elections Decided by Who Shows Up: Vote Today

It's election day in Texas! Make sure you've voted! League of Women Voters: Find your polling locations and times. Create a sample ballot to print and bring to the polls. Texas Secretary of State: Make sure you have the correct ID and find answers to other voting and election-related questions. Be prepared, be informed, and go VOTE!

Celebrating Your Staff

We can't allow testing, attendance issues, grades, and everyday problems to consume our attention. Although addressing those issues are important, so is the task of celebrating what is going well in our schools. People need and desire to feel appreciated. Read "Celebrating People Matters" by Assistant Principal Jana Carter on the TEPSA Blog. Read "Teachers to Principals: Here Are the Best Ways to Show Appreciation" from Education Week.

Breakfast After the Bell Grant: Deadline 11/22

Your kids could have free breakfast! Apply by November 22 for Breakfast After the Bell Grants. Grants will support schools with the purchase of approved equipment, materials and initiatives facilitating breakfast after the bell delivery models (such as breakfast in the classroom, grab and go, or second chance breakfast) in an effort to increase student participation in school breakfast.

See Grant Info

4th Graders Improve in Math and Reading

Texas 4th graders taking the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress in math improved from two years ago, outpacing the national average yet again. Statewide performance in 4th grade reading was also up slightly.   For 8th grade students, math scores declined slightly, dropping below the national average for the first time since 2003. 8th grade reading scores showed the largest decline, mirroring a large decline across the nation.  Statewide reading performance in 4th and 8th grade remains well below the national average. Read the press release.

Nominate Educators Who Go the Extra Mile

The NAESP National Distinguished Principals program honors exemplary elementary and middle-level principals who set the pace, character, and quality of the education children receive during their early school years. National Distinguished Principals are honored in Washington, D.C., each fall. The Texas recipient receives $10,000 from Mentoring Minds. Nominate a Principal

Do you know an Assistant Principal who's making a difference for kids? TEPSA's Region Assistant Principal of the Year Award recognizes the big contributions made by APs. One region AP will be selected to represent Texas as the National AP of the Year. The National AP for Texas receives $2500 from Horace Mann. Nominate an Assistant Principal