panther tracks - amazon s3...panther football starting off strong the bells panther football team...

www.bellsisd.net

October 2016 Volume 3, Issue 2

Inside this Issue . . .

State Accountability

Ratings

Fall Sports

Homecoming 2016

Panther Band News

Bus Safety Week

BISD Teachers Re-

ceive Grants

PJH Students of the

Month and Student

Council

Think Through Math

Challenge

Bells FFA

Third Grade Flat

Stanley Projects

Panther Prowl 2016

PJH Community

Garden

Student Learning

Displays

BISD Professional

Learning for Faculty

BHS Students of the

Month

PJH Science Interac-

tive Learning

Fire Safety Week

Panther Tracks

BISD’S Finances

I have often commented on the

complicated nature of the Texas

school finance system. Over the

past several years, it has only es-

calated in complexity! As our

Texas Legislators prepare for an-

other Legislative session set to

begin January 10th, school finance

is again the top priority of a num-

ber of politicians and is expected

to dominate the session. The task

of financing Texas’ public schools

absorbs approximately 70% of our

State’s budget; naturally it re-

quires much attention.

As for the finances of Bells I.S.D.,

we are fortunately doing well,

thanks to the school finance

knowledge and watchful eye of

our business manager and the

Board of Trustees. BISD’s recent

external financial audit revealed a

healthy general fund balance as of

August 31, 2016 of $2,292,763.62,

up approximately $628,915.33

from August 31, 2015. The cur-

rent fund balance represents 3.6

months of expenditures as BISD’s

average monthly expenses this

past year totaled $627,795, with

the majority of that being payroll.

It is anticipated the Board of Trus-

tees will designate $900,000 of

the fund balance for future con-

struction at the October board

meeting.

The goal of the Board is to main-

tain a minimum of two months

expenditures, preferably three in

fund balance for emergencies.

The board adopts the philosophy

that the money generated by our

district from local property taxes,

state funds and federal grants, is

for the sole purpose of providing

a quality education for the stu-

dents of this community in clean,

modern facilities. Research indi-

cates BISD’s fund balance may not

be as large in proportion as some

schools our size; however, the

clear reason is the Board is

spending the money as intended

……to educate the students in

our community! Schools are non-

profit institutions, and the Board

distributes the school’s revenue as

such.

The Board of Trustees recently

elected to refinance the 2009

bonds used to build the gym, band

hall and junior high classrooms; in

doing so, the interest rate was

reduced from around 5% to

2.12%, saving the district approxi-

mately $2.5 million dollars over

the life of those bonds. That figure

equates to a savings in yearly pay-

ments of approximately $112,000!

In addition, the district will be in

position, again through responsi-

ble stewardship of district funds

over the years, to “pay off” the

elementary school bonds in the

fall of 2019, six years prior to the

scheduled pay off and saving con-

siderable funds in the process. I

anticipate planning to begin soon

to be prepared to renovate the

high school when the elementary

bonds are paid off.

Desiring more information on

BISD’s finances? Please feel free

to contact the administration of-

fices, and we will gladly share in-

formation. We intend on being

fully transparent and will be glad

to share audit and budget infor-

mation!

From the Superintendent………………. Mr. Joe Moore

2016 Accountability Ratings In August, the Texas Education Agency re-

leased 2016 state accountability ratings for dis-

tricts and campuses. Bells ISD and all three

campuses received a rating of Met Standard. In

addition, congratulations to Bells Elementary

and Bells High School for receiving additional

distinctions. BES received the following six

distinctions: Academic Achievement in English

Language Arts and Reading, Academic Achieve-

ment in Math, Academic Achievement in Sci-

ence, Academic Achievement in Science, Top

25 Percent in Student Progress, Top 25 Per-

cent in Closing Performance Gaps, and Post-

secondary Readiness. Bells High School re-

ceived three distinctions: Academic Achieve-

ment in Social Studies, Top 25 percent in Stu-

dent Progress, and Postsecondary Readiness. BES received 6 out of 6 distinc-

tions ranking them in the top 5%

of all campuses in the state.

Bells ISD Newsletter Leading the Way for Student Success!

www.bellsisd.net

Panther Football Starting off Strong

The Bells Panther football team began the season strong

with wins against Era, Chico, Paris Chisum and Honey

Grove. They are currently 6-1 overall and 2-1 in district

play and look forward to the end of the football season.

Lady Panthers Volleyball Looking at Another Post- District Appearance

Fall Sports in Panther Country

Homecoming 2016 Homecoming 2016 proved to be an amazing night for both

current BHS students and alumni who came to the game to

watch the Panthers dominate the field in a tremendous win

over the Honey Grove Warriors. With this being a big reunion

year for Bells graduates, the stadium was packed with visitors

who had come home to take part in the reunion festivities. The

Panthers played an amazing game and the pride of our maroon

and gold was evident under the Friday night lights.

2016 Homecoming King and Queen

The usual homecoming fanfare took place on September 16th

with the crowning of our 2016 king and queen. Seniors Bruce

Chartier and CJ Crane were crowned at pre-game festivities.

Members of the 2016 Homecoming Court are pictured at left.

Queen nominees were CJ Crane, Katie Branam, Riley Krueger,

and Cheyanne Connor. The nominees for king were Bruce

Chartier, Maverick Priest, Caleb England, and Lane Murphree.

The Bells Lady

Panther volley-

ball team is hav-

ing a great sea-

son. Currently,

the team holds

an 8-4 record in

district play.

The Lady Pan-

thers have se-

cured a playoff

spot with post

district play

coming up the

first week in No-

vember. The JV team is

11—9 in their

season with two

games remain-

ing.

Congratulations to

senior volleyball

player Zoe Bank-

ston for being

named the KXII A+

Athlete for the week

for week of October

17th. Way to go

Zoe!

King and queen photo by Alumni YB Editor, Sara Carpenter

Homecoming Court pic by 2016-2017 Yearbook Staff

www.bellsisd.net

Bells High School

Students participat-

ed in Homecoming

spirit days as part

of the week-long

celebration

leading up to the

Friday night game.

At right, students

were “getting

groovy” in support

of the Panthers.

Volume 3, Issue 2

Panther Band Excels

in 2016

Fall Competitions The Bells High School Panther

Band recently traveled to Tishamingo, Oklahoma, to

participate in the 2016 Chickasaw Festival Band Extrav-

aganza. Bells ISD represented the great state of Texas

by being the only Texas band to compete. Even more

exciting, the Panther Band placed FIRST in Division 3

(2A) and was ranked 2nd out of 14 bands in the small

school category (1A-3A). The band earned 1st place in

Division 3 and was awarded a trophy and a check for

$75! The BHS Color Guard and

Drum Major - Danielle

Yelton-Brown, ranked

THIRD overall out of 34

bands. That is... out of all 1A

-6A schools and 11 different

divisions. This was a tremen-

dous accomplishment for the

squad. Congratulations to the

band and color guard on a job

WELL DONE! The next competition for

the band was the Sounds of

Fall Marching Classic in

Princeton, Saturday, October

15th. Once again, the Panther Band competed well and

represented panther pride and excellence by earning sev-

eral awards. The Band received Best Music, Best

Marching, Best Percussion, Best Color Guard, and first

place overall in the 2A division. On October 19th, the band traveled to Princeton High

School for the UIL Marching Contest where they re-

ceived a rating of 1, (which is the best possible rating).

What an amazing job the Panther Band has done this

year! Congratulations to all the band members and their

directors, Mr. Jesse Speer and Mrs. Jennifer Sewell.

Thanks to the many parents who travel with and support

the band as well.

2016 Homecoming King and Queen

The usual homecoming fanfare took place on September 16th

with the crowning of our 2016 king and queen. Seniors Bruce

Chartier and CJ Crane were crowned at pre-game festivities.

Members of the 2016 Homecoming Court are pictured at left.

Queen nominees were CJ Crane, Katie Branam, Riley Krueger,

and Cheyanne Connor. The nominees for king were Bruce

Chartier, Maverick Priest, Caleb England, and Lane Murphree.

www.bellsisd.net

National Bus Safety Week

Bells Teachers Recipients of Local Grants Pictured below: Sixth grade teacher, Carol Brandt received a grant for over $300 from Ruiz for Kids. At right: Fourth grade teacher Ladonna Stanek was awarded a $500 grant from Red River Title.

The National Association for Pupil

Transportation designated the week

of October 17th - 21st, 2016 as

National School Bus Safety Week.

As part of an annual campaign to

promote bus safety and encourage

recognition of school bus drivers,

the NAPT observes this special

week the third week of October

each year.

Bells ISD is blessed to have such a

dedicated, caring team of drivers.

This group of caring individuals

takes their job seriously and realiz-

es the importance of what they do

behind the wheel of the school bus.

If you happen to run into one of our

drivers, give them a hand shake and

a pat on the back for what they do

for our students. Driving for Bells

ISD are Jeff Daniel, Lisa Cantwell,

Danny Williams, Brian Hicks,

Floyd Geron, Gina Anderson and

April Bellows.

Want to know what’s happening in Bells ISD?

Bells ISD makes communication with all stakeholders

a priority. The district desires for

students, parents, and community

members to know what’s happening

at the campuses. Take time to get

connected through these important

avenues.

www.bellsisd.net

Congratulations to Students of

the Month for October 8th Grade: Austin Connor and Hai-

ley Ridenour 7th Grade: Walker Durham and

Brenna Williams 6th Grade: Spencer Hinds and

Brigette Saxon

PJH Student Council The PJH Student Council had

elections, Monday, October 10th

and their first meeting the following

day. The members are eager to

begin activities that will help their

classmates and the faculty, their

school, and the Bells community.

The following students were select-

ed to these important posts at PJH:

President: Landon Nelson

Vice President: Jaden Nelson

Secretary: Carson Howard

Treasurer: Walker Durham 8th Grade Representative: Carl Be-

sario 7th Grade Representatives: Lillie

Baxter and Shelby Harwell 6th Grade Representatives: Payton

Cole, Davis Durham, Mekena Hart-

line, and Dawson Hensley

At their first meeting, the PJH

Student Council agreed to raise

money this school year for Children

with Cancer. They will partner with

Alex's Lemonade Stand and the

Children's Hospital- cancer unit to

raise money for research and treat-

ment.

The first activity will be a quick

fundraiser on October 18th. The

game is called Heads or Tails. Each

participant pays a quarter to play. If

they are out, they can pay one dollar

to stay in the game.

The members will partner with Mrs.

Stubbs for the National Red Ribbon

Week. They will partner with BES

and BHS for each of the Veterans

Day programs. For a bigger fund-

raiser in which the money will go to

Children with Cancer, the Student

Council members are hosting a jun-

ior high dance in November. They

hope to have food and drinks donat-

ed so that all of the money received

from the dance will go towards the

Children with Cancer program.

The officers and representatives

have many more great ideas and

can't wait to see them in action.

If you would like to donate to the

Children with Cancer, please con-

tact Mrs. Elaine Jones

at [email protected].

Volume 3, Issue 2

Campus News at Pritchard Junior High

PJH Student Council Officers for 2016-2017 Back Row- Left to Right: Shelby Harwell, Carl Besario, Landon

Nelson, Jaden Nelson, Carson Howard, and Lillie Baxter

Front Row: Payton Cole, Makena Hartline, Walker Durham,, Davis

Durham, and Dawson Hensley

mailto:[email protected]

www.bellsisd.net

Think Through Math Summer Challenge

During the summer, many of our current 4th - 9th

grade students participated in the first ever BISD Think

Through Math Summer Challenge. Twenty-five

students passed 8 or more Think Through Math lessons

between June 6th and August 4th, 2016 and earned a

free Math Homework Pass and a Back to School

Goodie Bag which each student received on the first

day of school. In addition, 15 of those students passed

more than 16 Think Through Math Lessons and were

invited to celebration party at CiCi’s pizza. Their

names were entered into a drawing for a Kindle Fire.

We are so proud of these students for working on

improving their math skills and preparing for the new

school year over the summer months!

25 BISD Students Passed 8 or More Lessons -

Math Homework Pass + Back to School Goodie Bag

4th Grade: John Tindall - 48 lessons passed - Most Passed in 4th Grade

and 2nd in the district!

Laykin Little - 32

Mackenzie Severson - 32

Abigail Marsh - 20

Austin Draper - 16

Ethan Lewis - 15

Robert Montgomery - 9

Peyton Washburn - 9

Katherine Spears - 8

5th Grade: Drake Daniels - 73 lessons passed - Most Passed in 5th

Grade and in our entire district!!

Jacie Kyle - 20

Anzley Poe - 15

Alyssa Hensley - 8

6th Grade: Ethan Stotesbury -

26 Lessons Passed

and Most Passed in

6th Grade

Dawson Hensley -

17

Preston Carter - 16

Ashlyn Fox - 16 Brooklyn Blodgett -

16

Madison Ball - 16

Autumn Lane - 13 Ansley Campbell -

10

7th Grade: Hannah Bondarenko

- 9

Hali Blodgett - 8

8th Grade:

Carson Miller - 19

9th Grade:

Victoria Azevedo - 22

15 BISD Students Passed 16 or More Lessons -

Celebration Party + Drawing Entry

4th Grade: John Tindall - 48 lessons passed - Most Passed in 4th Grade

and 2nd in the district!

Laykin Little - 32

Mackenzie Severson - 32

Abigail Marsh - 20

Austin Draper - 16

5th Grade: Drake Daniels - 73 lessons

passed - Most Passed in

5th Grade and in our

entire district!!

Jacie Kyle - 20

6th Grade: Ethan Stotesbury - 26

Lessons Passed and Most

Passed in 6th Grade

Dawson Hensley - 17

Preston Carter - 16

Ashlyn Fox - 16

Brooklyn Blodgett - 16

Madison Ball - 16

8th Grade:

Carson Miller - 19

9th Grade:

Victoria Azevedo - 22

Congratulations to

6th grader Brooklyn

Blodgett for

winning the Kindle

Fire!

www.bellsisd.net

Volume 3, Issue 2

Bells FFA

News At the State Fair of

Texas Bells FFA had

twelve students’ exhibit

animals and eleven students partici-

pate in competitions. Landri Hicks

placed 7th in class 4 of Medium

Wool Lambs. Landon Morse placed

1st in class 3 of Dark Cross Pigs.

Chance Morse placed 2nd in class 2

of Hampshire Pigs. Rylee Hicks

placed 3rd in class 19 of Hereford

Steers. Cara Powers placed 5th in

class 31 of Charolais Steers and 4th

in class 47 of Other Cross Breed

Steers. Piper Simons placed 2nd in

class 39 of Simmental Steers. Bai-

ley Stowers placed 9th in class 48 of

Other Cross Breed Steers. Britt Her-

od was Reserve Grand Champion

Charolais for Heifers. Cord Mat-

chett placed 2nd in class 6 of Other

Registered Breeds for Heifers.

Ansley Campbell placed 3rd in class

12 of Polled Hereford Heifers. Ren-

don Campbell placed 1st in class 9

of Polled Hereford Heifers. The

Livestock Judging team was 22nd

out of 152 teams. Cord Matchett

was 9th and Cara Powers’ was 19th

in the Beef Skill-A-Thon. Congratu-

lations to all exhibitors. Bells FFA will host the dis-

trict LDE’s

on Novem-

ber 7th.

On No-

vember

19th,

Krum will

host the

Area

LDE’s,

and on

December

1st-3rd will

be State

competition hosted by SHSU-

Huntsville. Good luck to all partici-

pants. We are hoping for another

successful year.

Thanks to all for participat-

ing in another successful meat fund-

raiser for the FFA. The FFA meat

fundraiser should be delivered in the

next couple of weeks. Thank you

for all of the support.

Flat Stanley Ms. Kight and Mrs. O’Malley have

brought back an old ELAR/Social

Studies project this year and have al-

ready had a fantastic response. They wanted to make Geography fun

for students so they read Flat Stanley

by Jeff Brown to their students and

had the students color their own Flat

Stanley. The students were in charge

of either taking Flat Stanley on their

own adventure OR mailing him to

another state or country. Amelia Carter chose to send her Flat

Stanley all the way to Paris France!

Her cousin Dalton Day was able to

take Flat Stanley to visit the Eifel

Tower after they had an AMAZING

French breakfast! Now that technology is so great, Dal-

ton was able to email a letter and pic-

tures showing the AWESOME adven-

ture they went on together!

Stanley’s adventure

has been plotted on

the classroom map so

students can visualize

where he went and

exactly how far that is

from Bells, Texas.

Here are the pictures

he sent and the thank

you picture they sent

back to him. They are

looking forward to

seeing all the other

adventures Stanley

goes on!

www.bellsisd.net

Panther Prowl 5K and Fun Run 2016

For the second year in a row,

Bells ISD and the community of

Bells came together to sweat a little

and raise money for a good cause.

This year’s Panther Prowl 5K and

Fun Run was held on October 1st.

Under sunny skies and with a crisp

fall breeze, runners and walkers

embarked on a 3.1 mile jaunt around

Panther Stadium and the campuses

of Bells ISD. The recipient selected

for this year’s fundraiser proceeds

was Robbie and Jenae Mattingly to

help with medical costs incurred

with their son Creed’s diagnosis of

Pompe Disease. The Mattingly’s

were awarded $2000.00 from the

fundraiser, and $500 was raised for

the Bells High School scholarship

fund for graduating seniors. Thank

you to all who came out and

supported the Panther Prowl this

year. Race results can be found

online at https://

static.secure.website/

At left: On your mark, get set,

GO…...and the run begins!

BES Teachers David Marsh (above)

and Rob Novak (below) finish the

5K strong. Both teachers had great

run times and medaled in their age

groups.

Below: 7th grade teacher, April Bellows races to the finish just seconds in front of

Robbie Mattingly and Shawn Cerda.

www.bellsisd.net

Volume 3, Issue 2

PJH Community Garden A community gar-

den is in the planning

stages at this time. The

idea is to have a garden

that will provide food

for the Bells community, at no cost

to the recipients. We encourage peo-

ple of all ages to participate. It will

be located on the north side of the

Pritchard Junior High and anyone in

the community is invited to contrib-

ute to this endeavor. A community

meeting will be held November 7,

2016 at the junior high. All members

of the community and school are

invited to attend.

At the meeting we will discuss:

1. Our mission statement: To en-

courage the school and community

to work together and learn from

each other in a gardening environ-

ment to meet the needs of others.

2. Our goal is to provide a place for

all members of the community to

meet and share a common interest in

gardening and provide healthy food

for the community. We want it to be

a place where people of all ages can

come and enjoy each other’s compa-

ny and learn and grow together.

There are a variety of ways for peo-

ple to participate and we welcome

everyone to come and contribute in

their own way.

3. Money that has been raised to

help with garden expenses.

4. Plans for the garden and where it

will be placed.

5. Composting

6. Speakers

7. Community participation.

Students are signing up to be a

part of the PJH Garden Club. The

name of the garden is “Nana’s Gar-

den”. They are excited and ready to

get to work. They are selling Sonic

cards to raise money to purchase the

materials to begin garden prepara-

tions.

The committee at PJH that is

overseeing the garden project is Mr.

Brewer, Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Jones

and Mrs. Westbrook. We appreciate

the support from Mr. Steger and Mr.

Moore for allowing us this oppor-

tunity to teach our students about

gardening and serve others at the

same time.

Top left: Freshman student, Victoria Azevedo, races BHS teacher, Donna Brown, to

the finish line.

Center: Always a supporter, Carolyn Emory, takes long strides to the finish line. At left: BES teacher, Tishia Crump, and her daughter, Malaney Crump battle it out

to see who can cross the finish line first. Top right: Sixth graders Brock Baker and Blayze Massey are the first ones to cross

the finish line in the Fun Run. Thank you to all who sponsored the 5K: Mullican Little Funeral Home, No Name

Cattle Co., Loan Star Pawn, Corley Law Firm, Sherman Collision Repair, Country

Chapel, BES PTO, Sherman Machine, Inc., Porter Family, Glaser Foundation, Cel-

larman’s, Cling and Bling, Lumen Technologies, ACME Speed Shop, R3 Health

and Fitness, Donna Smith, Meek Family, and Ivers Family.

Community

Garden

Meeting

Scheduled for

November 7, 2016

www.bellsisd.net

Student Learning Displayed throughout Bells ISD

Numerous displays of

student learning decorate

the walls of all Bells ISD

campuses. Take time to

stop and browse the many

excellent examples of

interactive learning

through critical reading,

writing, and thinking

taking place in classrooms

across the district.

www.bellsisd.net

Volume 3, Issue 2

www.bellsisd.net

Bells ISD faculty and staff

spend anywhere from 12 to 40

hours of their summer vacation

participting in professional

learning activities. This allows

educators the opportunity to have

two comp days the week of the

Thanksgiving holiday. While teachers enjoy the

opportunity to have this week

off, they truly benefit from the

various professional

development activities in which

they participate. In addition to their summer

training, several hours are spent

in professional learning activities

their first week back in August.

Generally, though, some time

that week is reserved for fun and

games. This year, the campuses

gathered for a week-long

competition of Family Feud in

which they earned points each

day. On Thurday of inservice

week, the campuses went head

on in a Lip Sync Battle that

would determine the winner of

the Panther Cup. Although it

was a close race to the end, Bells

Elementary won the Panther Cup

(for the time being).

Lifelong Learners: Bells ISD Educators Participate in Professional Development

Teachers partici-

pate in T-TESS

training to learn

all about the new

teacher appraisal

system for Texas

teachers.

At Right: Bells ISD ad-

ministrators take part in a

high quality day of learn-

ing with nationally recog-

nized educational re-

searcher and author, Dr.

Ruby Payne.

www.bellsisd.net

Volume 3, Issue 2

August

9th - Victoria Azevedo and Braden Oliver

10th - Jillian Defries and Christian Smith

11th - Garrett Hill and Savannah Brown

12th - Dylan Weaver and Jolie Crisp

September

9th - Cheyenne Floyd & Ben Branam

10th – Kerynn Sizemore & Eli Norris

11th – Samantha Stanley & Tuff Dowlen

12th – Leeanna Glatt & Trevor Whitmire

BHS Students of the Month

Don’t forget to

clip your box

tops and return

to the Bells

Elementary

School office.

Pictured left: Students in

Mrs. Kristina Nelson’s 8th

grade science classes master

the Periodic Table of ele-

ments through interactive

learning.

Upcoming Holidays October 24th—Student Holiday

November 21st—25th

Thanksgiving Break

October 24th—28th is Red Ribbon Week

Junior High Upcoming Spirit Days Monday—No School

Tuesday—Be on a drug free team! Wear favorite jersey.

Wednesday—Shade out drugs! Wear sunglasses or cap.

Thursday—Red Out! Wear as much red as is humanly

Possible.

Friday—Scare the bejeebers outa drugs! Wear a costume.

www.bellsisd.net

Kindergarten Classes Learn about Fire Safety

We’re on the web!

bellsisd.net

Bells ISD Administration Office

1550 Ole Ambrose Rd.

Bells, TX 75414

903.965.7721

Superintendent

Joe Moore

Administrative Assistant

Heather Waldrip

Assistant Superintendent

Tricia Meek

Business Manager

Marilyn Steger

Business Assistant

Louise Sanford

Bells Elementary

110 Scott Rd.

Bells, TX 75414

903.965.7725

Principal

Yalonda Ivers

Assistant Principal

Melissa Flyger

Student Advisor

Carla Norris

Campus Secretary

Stephanie Hinds

Pritchard Junior High

1510 Ole Ambrose Rd

Bells, TX 75414

903.965.4835

Principal

Will Steger

Counselor

Kristi Stubbs

Campus Secretary

Cindy Moore

Bells High School

1500 Ole Ambrose Rd

Bells, TX 75414

903.965.7315

Principal

Josh Weger

Counselor

Karri Branam

Campus Secretary

Sharon Blount

PEIMS Coordinator

Lori Flores

October 24th—28th is Red Ribbon Week

Elementary Upcoming Spirit Days Monday—No School

Tuesday—Be on a drug free team! Wear favorite jersey.

Wednesday—Wear bright colors.

Thursday—Red Out! Wear red.

Friday—Wear clothes inside out!

panther tracks - amazon s3...panther football starting off strong the bells panther football team...

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