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When you shop on Amazon, go to www.smile.amazon.com and log in as you normally do. Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to Friends of Texas Public Schools when you select us as your charity of choice.
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DK Haney Roofing is a certified TIPS and TXMAS vendor dedicated to helping schools get roofing projects done. Schools have been our specialty for 23 years, so we can help you navigate insurance claims and board approvals. Our state-of-the-art roof management portal provides instant access to all your roofs and reports. Call 866-379-4846.
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Friend of the Year Gala Tickets Available
 Tickets are available for the 11th Annual Friend of the Year Gala, scheduled for Wednesday, December 2 at McLane Stadium at Baylor University in Waco. Former Commissioner of Education, Dr. Mike Moses will be presented with the 2015 Friend of the Year Award, and the evening's activities will also include dinner, entertainment, and a silent auction. Individual tickets and host table sponsorships are available online at fotpsgala2015.eventbrite.com.
The Friend of the Year Award was established by FOTPS to honor members of the private sector who step up as champions for those who learn and work in Texas public schools. Dave Irby, President of the FOTPS Board of Directors, said the organization expects this year's event to be well attended.
"The Friend of the Year Gala is a favorite for our superintendents and regional service centers, and we think this year's event will be especially attractive because we are honoring Dr. Moses. Several of the other Commissioners of Education will be in attendance. We will also be recognizing our Ambassador of the Year, which is very exciting, and the silent auction will also be a nice addition. And of course we're really excited to be hosting the event at McLane Stadium. It's going to be a great evening."
For additional information about the Friend of the Year Gala, sponsorship opportunities, or the Friends of Texas Public Schools organization, please contact Executive Director Stacey Osborne at (713) 456-9429 or sosborne@fotps.org.
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"Our Culture's Brightest Gift to the World"
Editorial by Dave Irby, Board President, Friends of Texas Public Schools
 My wife and I were sitting in our living room last night around 9:30 with the TV on Fox News. We both had our laptops open and working, a scene that plays out multiple times during any given week in our empty nest. During the news segment I heard a familiar soundbite from one of the regular pundits, "Our public schools are horrible!" I glanced over to see if my wife, a fourth grade teacher in Burleson ISD, was paying attention just as she glanced up at the screen with a scowl and went back to her school work. I have often heard this idea of the poor condition of our public schools being bantered about by our politicians and leaders to score cheap political points at the expense of hard working teachers and administrators across our state and nation that are giving their heart and soul for the kids they serve every day. Are there schools out there that need improving? Yes. Are there bad teachers? Of course. But the vast majority of our schools and educators are doing an amazing job with the tasks that they have been given considering the lack of resources and parental support so necessary to prepare students for life after high school.
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Game Changers Professional Development Series Kicks Off at Google HQ in Austin
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| | Scott Milder, Founder of FOTPS (right) stands with the Engage2Learn and Google Education Teams at the first Game Changers Leadership Development Series. |
A limited group of Texas superintendents and principals were recently invited to become Game Changers at a professional development series presented by engage2learn, Friends of Texas Public Schools, Google, Southwest Airlines, and Whataburger. Attendees at the first session on September 22 and 23 had the opportunity to visit Google's campus in Austin. There they participated in development workshops led by some of the world's best business leaders who shared best practices and gave great advice for building a strong organization.
They also interacted with their peers and took a tour of Google's innovative work spaces. The Game Changers leadership series allows attendees to learn from the nation's top business leaders who cultivate innovative cultures. The presenting businesses, Google, Southwest Airlines, and Whataburger, are all incredibly successful businesses with fantastic models for building brand confidence while evangelizing loyal customers who vocally support them. Our school systems and students could benefit tremendously by borrowing a few pages from their playbook on leadership, culture and communication. Although public education continues to improve by every measure, confidence in public education continues to weaken with each passing year. The Game Changers Series gives our educational leaders the opportunity to learn from some of the world's most successful organizational and brand leaders how to unite teams, tell their story, and beat those competing for our students and funding. The series began with the workshops in Austin. They will continue at Southwest Airlines in Dallas in December, and at Whataburger in San Antonio in February. There is a waitlist for upcoming workshops.
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Spotlight on Our Regional Service Centers
The state of Texas has a state-wide system of 20 regional education service centers created by the 59th Texas Legislature to assist school districts across the state. Their role in public education across Texas is to assist school districts in improving student performance in each region of the system, enable school districts to operate more efficiently and economically, and implement initiatives assigned by the legislature or commissioner.
Friends of Texas Public Schools will feature one of these service centers in each edition of this e-newsletter, letting readers know about the great things these behind-the-scenes educators are doing for Texas students.
Region Spotlight: Region 2
The Region Two Educational Service Center is located on the Gulf Coast of Texas and it serves 42 school districts in Duval, Nueces, Brooks, Kennedy, Kleberg, San Patricio, Aransas,Bee, Live Oak and McMullen Counties. The Service Center is located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Executive Director, Dr. Rick Alvarado, says that the service center's mission is at the heart of everything they do there. "Our mission is to be a catalyst for change resulting in student improvement and efficiency and economy of operation. That isn't just a sound bite-it's something that we keep in mind every day, and we are proud that of what we've been able to accomplish here."
One project that Dr. Alvarado is especially proud of is the Early Scholars Academy. This unique facility was designed to improve the school readiness of young children through the development of science, math, literacy, language and technology skills. Qualified early childhood education specialists guide children through creative, interactive encounters using a research based curriculum. The learning environment gets children excited about learning and is designed to broaden educational horizons and pave the way for success in school.
Dr. Alvarado says that the Early Scholars Academy is a shining example of how the service center proactively works to improve student learning in Region 2. "This program was inspired by need for early childhood experiences. Many of the children in our area don't have the opportunity to travel and to see the world, and this gives them the chance to see beyond their current situation and let them know about the opportunities that are out there for them. We're very proud of this program."
You can read more about the Early Scholars Academy online at http://www.esa.esc2.net.
For more information about Region Two ESC, visit http://www.esc2.net.
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Meet our Newest Board Member
FOTPS is proud to welcome a new board member, Fred Bentson. Fred is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at APQC Education, based in Houston. Fred is committed to transformation in K-12 Education by focusing on the fact that you cannot improve outcomes without changing processes. By changing "that's the way we've always done it here" processes, school systems can save money and improve student outcomes in a systematic manner. Fred works closely with superintendents, central office leaders and principals to help districts work more efficiently and effectively. Fred has over 20 years' experience in K-12 curriculum, assessment and operations and is a frequent presenter at education conferences. Fred began his career as a teacher, trainer, sales manager, operations manager and Regional Vice President for The Princeton Review and immediately before joining APQC he served as Vice President for Vantage Learning. Fred and his family live in Cypress, Texas where Fred is active in a variety of community groups focused on promoting education. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University.
Fred was appointed to the Board of Directors in September, 2015. He replaced Chad Chadwell, who resigned his position in August.
Welcome, Fred! We're happy to have you on board.
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Advertise with Friends!
With more than a million hits annually on our website and more than 22,000 e-news subscribers, we are pleased to offer advertising and sponsorship opportunities available to organizations wishing to reach school leaders across Texas who support Friends of Texas Public Schools.
For information on getting your organization's message out to Friends of Texas Public Schools followers and readers, please email Scott Milder at smilder@fotps.org.
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