October 16, 2015



Calendar of Events
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Campus Connection
Because We Care 
Only two weeks left to make a difference! 

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. 
 
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. 
 
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. 
 
He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" 
 
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean." 
 
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. 
 
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." 
 
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" 
 
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."  


We invite you to join the campaign to help create opportunities for our teachers as they transform the lives of our students.

*Campaign statistics are now available. Please click here to view your school's progress.  

Texas Education Human Resources Day
Texas Governor Greg Abbott officially proclaimed October 14 as Texas Education Human Resources Day. This is the sixth-year school districts and the public have been encouraged to acknowledge the hard work of all human resources department workers.

Our human resources personnel work hard each day to ensure that our schools are staffed with high quality employees and that those employees have a supportive environment in which to work.
On Tuesday, October 13, 2015, the district provided a breakfast to honor our HR team.

EMS ISD Leadership and School Board encourages students, staff and parents to express their appreciation to our human resources team members for their dedication and commitment to EMS ISD employees and students.

TRS Active 8 Challenge
Coming soon!   
TRS-ActiveCare and Aetna are offering a new program called TRS Active 8 Challenge to all EMS employees. The program is free and open to any TRS-ActiveCare employee on Aetna's medical plan. Please click here for additional information. 

Flu season is just around the corner 

Passport Health/North Texas Flu Shots will provide on-site flu shot clinics for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD this fall. Please click here for additional information.

It's game time! 

We encourage you to support our fine arts students and athletes this school year.
Use your employee badge to receive free admission to all EMS ISD home games. Tickets are nontransferable. 

District Highlights
Check out what's happening around the district!
Click the headlines for additional information on each story.


 

Please click here to read additional district news and information. 
About Our People

Bonnie Barksdale 
Carrying the Torch for EMS ISD!

EMS ISD congratulates Willow Creek Elementary title reading teacher Bonnie Barksdale for having her work published in the Journal of Research for Childhood Education. 

She and two researchers from TCU worked on a study to provide further insight regarding "in-the-moment teaching decisions" made during reading instruction in the primary grades.

Barksdale is currently working on her PhD at TWU. 
___________________________________________________

Debbie McCune 
We are pleased to announce Dr. Debbie McCune will be joining EMS ISD as our Director of Elementary Staffing. She brings 29 years of experience and a strong background in elementary classroom instruction, coaching, mentoring, staffing, and recruiting. She has served as a teacher, campus instructional dean, and assistant principal, and has led two different elementary schools as a principal since 2000. She currently is serving in Northwest ISD as principal at Wayne A. Cox Elementary School.

As a campus leader, Debbie also has experience in the areas of staff development, evaluation, data analysis, strategic planning, instructional design and support, budgeting, and community relations. Her expertise will be a great asset to our elementary campuses and the Human Resources team. We look forward to welcoming her in early November!

About Our People
 
How do I Get Mentioned in About Our People?
 
We want to hear from you! Submit your good news for "About Our People" to Megan Carradine in the Communications Department at [email protected]
  
Examples of items to submit for About Our People:
  • Employees who receive awards for their professional accomplishments
  • Employees elected to serve in professional organizations
  • Employees who give presentations at meetings/conferences
  • Employees who publish articles or books
  • Those who receive grants or are selected for scholarships  
  • Showcasing a department, campus, teacher, program, coach, etc.
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD | [email protected] | http://www.emsisd.com
1200 Old Decatur Road
Fort Worth, TX 76179