December 14, 2015 Board Meeting
Board Briefs covers the highlights of each month's board meeting. More details can be found online at www.bisd.net.
Belton ISD Receives "Clean" Audit Report

The Belton ISD Board of Trustees received the independent audit report for the 2014-2015 school year. The report included an unmodified opinion, which indicates that the auditor had no reservations about the district's financial statements. The audit also found no material weaknesses, no significant deficiencies, no noncompliance issues, and no costs were questioned.

 

This is the third year that year that the district's annual financial audit has been conducted by Pattillo, Brown & Hill LLP. The audit report is posted online at www.bisd.net.

Big Red Community Partner - Belton Veterinary Clinic
This month, the board recognized the Belton Veterinary Clinic as a Big Red Community Partner.
 
Dr. Travis Respondek and the Belton Veterinary Clinic play a major role in training our practicum students for the veterinary technician exams. Practicum students must obtain 500 clinical hours to take the exam. The veterinarians and their techs take time to train and provide hands-on learning skills. Students are educated on how to feed, administer medication, and provide assistance in surgeries.
 
Thank you to Dr. Respondek and the Belton Veterinary Clinic staff for allowing our students to learn and grow!
 

New Tech High School @ Waskow Update
After opening its doors in 2011-2012, Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow is in its fifth year of operation. The campus successfully graduated 105 students in June 2015.
 
Jill Ross and Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow students provided the board with an update regarding the campus while touching on the five key aspects that make the campus an Apple Distinguished school: (1) Compelling Evidence of Success; (2) Learning and Teaching; (3) Flexible Learning Environment; (4) Ongoing Professional Development; and (5) Visionary Leadership.
 
Belton New Tech High School @ Waskow was selected to participate in a research project with Apple Computer. In the spring, research professors from Boston College will visit the school to identify attributes that have led to transformational learning at the school. In addition, more visitors will be coming from across the nation to continue to learn from our staff and students.
Superintendent's Report

Elementary and Secondary Academic UIL
Elementary and secondary academic UIL events were held this month. Middle school UIL was held on December 4-5 and elementary was held on December 10-12.
 
Nearly 650 students and 120 staff members participated in the elementary event. All nine Belton elementary schools participated with High Point Elementary serving as the host school. First through sixth place winners will receive ribbons and/or medals during assemblies held at each campus.

Approximately 250 students and over 50 adults from Belton ISD participated in the middle school event. North Belton Middle School was the overall winner followed by Lake Belton Middle School, and then South Belton Middle School. North Belton Middle School's sixth and seventh graders had the most points and were ranked first place for their grade levels, and Lake Belton Middle School's eighth graders had the highest number of points giving them a first place. South Belton Middle School's sixth graders placed second. Midway ISD participated at the seventh and eighth grade level and was fourth place in both.
 
Cultivating Innovative Cultures Conference
Principals Calvin Itz and Keonna White joined me for a conference at Southwest Airlines headquarters in Dallas on December 3 and 4. We learned all about the history and culture of Southwest Airlines. They have a high employee retention rate and are focused on meeting the needs of their customers.
 
A special highlight of the trip was getting to hear from Southwest Airlines' CEO, Gary Kelly. He spoke about how the company has been able to maintain a strong culture in spite of their growth.
It was a wonderful first semester. I couldn't be more proud of the way in which you have served our children.
 
Thank you for always going the extra mile for our children. The holiday concerts and performances have been extra special this year.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Sincerely,
 
Susan Kincannon, Ed.D.
Superintendent
RECOGNITIONS
Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program
Lauren Ellis, a junior and representative of Student 2 Student (S2S) at Belton High School (BHS), was chosen to attend the Francis Hesselbein Leadership program in October 2016. Lauren competed against S2S members (sophomores and juniors) from around the world to attend this weeklong event at West Point in New York.
 
The Military Child Education Coalition established the program in 2006 and chooses up to 12 students to attend this prestigious leadership training. A BHS student has attended every year since 2012.
USA Swimming National Select Camp
Noah Henry, a sophomore at Belton High School (BHS), was chosen by USA Swimming to attend the National Select Camp Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, 2015, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Each fall, 68 of the top USA Swimming member athletes in the nation, ages 16-14, are chosen based on the SWIMS database of top times.
Employee Holiday Baking Contest Winner

On Monday, December 7, the fifth annual Belton ISD Employee Baking Contest was held. Following a tally of points based on Overall Taste, Overall Appearance, Level of Creativity, and Presentation, a winner emerged. Wendy Falsone, library aide at Southwest Elementary School, was declared the first place winner with her Chocolate Cherry Christmas Mice. The School Nutrition Department will prepare the Chocolate Cherry Christmas Mice based on Wendy's recipe, and those samples will be shared with the Southwest Elementary staff to enjoy.

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