On Thursday, October 15, BISD Superintendent Dr. Darrell Brown announced changes to the 2020–21 school calendar. The District is adjusting the calendar to add five half days so teachers can effectively plan lessons for face-to-face and online students.
The revised calendar provides early release days in order for teachers to accomplish some of the following duties:
Plan lessons for dual platforms
Create student assignments
Grade student assignments
Conduct student conferences through Zoom
Answer questions that have been posted in Chat and/or emails
Provide tutorials through Zoom
The following days are now early release (half) days:
Friday, October 30, 2020
Friday, November 20, 2020
Friday, December 18, 2020
Friday, February 12, 2021
Thursday, April 1, 2021
Wednesday, May 26, 2021*
*It will be determined in April 2021 whether this is an early release day.
“The change to the calendar is needed to help our teachers ensure they are prepared to be effective with our students,” Dr. Brown said. “I appreciate how they are going above and beyond to plan and teach in two platforms (face-to-face and online), which has greatly increased the complexity of their work.”
After a lengthy discussion with stakeholders, BISD Superintendent Dr. Darrell Brown, and the superintendent’s Cabinet approved the recommendation to suspend first semester exams in December 2020. The rationale behind this decision was to recapture valuable instructional time typically spent in review and use that time instead to cover content and skills that students missed due to COVID–19 school closures. Data shows that our students have lost valuable instruction, and the gaps in academic performance are real. Thus, this redirection of valuable instructional time is one way to regain lost ground.
Birdville ISD is currently accepting referrals for Gifted & Talented Education (GATE) screening for students in grades 6-12. Referrals will be accepted through October 30, 2020.
Don’t forget, there is school for face-to-face and online learners on Friday, Oct. 9. The 2020–21 school calendar was updated in August to accommodate the delay of the start of the school year.
Monday, Oct. 12 is a student holiday/staff flex day.
On Wednesday, October 14, 2020, Birdville ISD is paying for 10th grade students to take the PSAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Non-testers in Grades 9, 11, and 12 will adhere to a 9:30 a.m. late arrival. Ninth grade students may opt-in to take the test by registering and paying the $17 fee on the District’s web store: https://birdvilleisd.revtrak.net/pending-products#/v/psat-nmsqt-for-grade-9. Late arrival does not apply to Shannon High School.
Birdville ISD has determined that it is important to introduce a new communications tool called Anonymous Alerts®. Anonymous Alerts® allows students or parents to quickly, easily, and anonymously report urgent information to school officials across all of our school campuses. The system encourages students, parents and staff to confidentially report bullying, cyber-bullying, and other sensitive topics through private messages to our administration. Birdville ISD does not support, encourage or tolerate any behavior that prevents any student from reaching their full potential.
We also believe that the best way to address problems that our students face in school is personal contact with a teacher, school administrator, psychologist or counselor and we strongly encourage and fully support that continued practice. However, we do know that sometimes there is a concern that a student or parent may want to communicate anonymously.
How do I submit an incident report from Internet-connected computers/tablets?
Click on the web button called “Anonymous Alerts”. Fill out your incident report.
How do I submit a report from an iPhone or Android phone?
From the iPhone Store, download the free app by searching for “Anonymous Alerts”. If you have an Android phone, go to the Play Store, search for “Anonymous Alerts” and download.
After downloading the app, click on it, and enter activation code birdvilleisd
The mobile apps and web-based reporting system provides secure one-way or two-way encrypted messages, increasing the flow of important information to school officials. Message topics for submission may include bullying, cyber-bullying, family difficulties, self-harm/cutting, drug and alcohol abuse, student depression, sexual harassment, gang-related issues or strange/abnormal student behavior.
All reports remain completely anonymous, although submitters have the option to reveal their identity if they prefer to have a person-to-person discussion. The program is monitored from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., and should only be used for serious and urgent matters. Indeed, if something disturbing or life-threatening occurs at other times, it is imperative to call 911.
We feel that we have a responsibility to offer this tool to our community in order to protect the safety of our students, providing avenues for confidential disclosure when there is something serious that is troubling them. At Birdville ISD, our goal is to enhance the student’s learning experience and limit any roadblocks to a student’s success, giving everyone the opportunity to succeed.
Keep up to date with Anonymous Alerts® by following them on their social media platforms:Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
