McMullen Co. ISD

May 18, 2020

McMullen County ISD Graduation Parade
Class of 2020
Friday, May 22, 2020

Parade:

• The McMullen County ISD Graduation Parade will begin between 6:15-6:30 on Friday, May 22nd

• Seniors are responsible for providing their own vehicle for the parade.  

• Vehicles in the parade need to be street legal

• Every senior must be in different vehicles unless you live in the same household.

• Seniors may drive a vehicle or someone in their household may drive the vehicle.

• Seniors are responsible for decorating their own vehicle.

• Vehicles will be parked along School street and Goff Street  (see map below)
  
  

• Seniors will park their vehicle before coming into the cafeteria prior to graduation.  

• The order of the vehicles will be in the order the senior arrives for graduation.

• A cone will be set up to mark where the first car parks, after that, everyone needs to form a vehicle line.

• Please park your car on the South and South East portion of the road so that you do not block traffic.

• After graduation, graduates will leave the gym and report to their cars

• The parade will begin approximately 15 minutes after the graduation ceremony ends.  

• The route for the parade:
  

• Parade Route Narrative

  • Parade will begin with vehicles turning North onto Hwy 16

  • take a Rt on Lowe St.

  • then take a left on Hackberry St.

  • take a Rt on Hwy 16

  • take a Rt on Live Oak St.

  • Take Lt on Washington St.

  • Take a quick Rt onto Mesquite St.

  • Take a Lt on Main St.

  • Followed by a very quick Rt onto Water St.

  • Take a Rt onto Hwy 16

  • Turn Left onto the McMullen County Community Center Parking Area

• The parade will end at the Community Center

May 13, 2020

Pre-K Graduation Announcement

McMullen County ISD will host a Pre-K Graduation on Wednesday May 20th at 9am.

Pre-K Graduation will be a hybrid format that will allow Pre-K graduates the opportunity to receive their certificates from the Mr. Jones, Mr. Timms, and Mr. Trudeau, as well as an opportunity for a photo. McMullen County ISD will continue to honor all the health and safety practices surrounding the Coronavirus and we ask you to do the same during this time

Pre-K Graduation guidelines are as follows:

• Pre-K Graduation will begin at 9am on May 20, 2020

• Pre-K Graduation will take place at the north side of the campus where the rock with our McMullen County ISD signage appears

• Parents will come down Lowe Street from the tennis courts and stop near the playground.  

• The Pre-K Graduate and parent will walk to the rock sign where we will have a graduation cap and a certificate.  We will call out the Pre-K student’s name and give them his/her certificate.

• Parents at this time can take pictures of the student in his/her cap.

• Used caps will then be placed in a bin 

• Student and parent will return to their vehicle and exit on 99 (River Street)

We ask that only the student and a parent come to the rock sign.  All others need to stay in their vehicles.  

If you have any questions please give us a call at (361) 274-2000

May 13, 2020

Grading Policy: Spring Semester 2020

Rational:

On March 16, 2020, McMullen County ISD’s buildings were closed down due to concerns associated with the COVID-19 crisis in the United States.  By March 23, 2020, building closures were mandated by the Governor of Texas and would remain in effect through the remainder of the 2020 spring semester.  

MCISD began the delivery of On-Line Instruction for all students in grades PK-12  during the week of March 23, 2020.  This type of delivery was significantly different from the traditional delivery of instruction and brought with it a learning curve for students, parents, community, and teachers.  

While MCISD has confidence that the faculty of MCISD produced a great learning product and that most of our students were able to advance appropriately through their learning objectives, concerns still exist related to the drastic change in expectations associated with the On-line delivery model.  

MCISD believes that a grading policy should be fair and equitable and be an accurate record of a student’s level of mastery of content expectations.  In order to be fair to all students, yet still hold students accountable to work done during the COVID-19 crisis, a slight change to normal grading procedures is suggested.  A greater weight will be given to work done by the students during the traditional school time as reflected in grades earned during the 1st - 4th 6-week grading policy.  Yet work done at home as part of the on-line delivery protocols will be assigned to a category of slightly lesser weight.  

Calculation of 6th 6 Weeks Grades:

The 6th 6-week grade shall be determined for all students, 3rd - 12th grade, by averaging the grades earned by the students in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 6-week grading period.  The average of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 6-week grading cycles will be used as the student’s 6th 6-week grade.

Grades earned by the student during the 6th 6-week grading cycle under the On-Line instruction model as necessitated by the COVID-19 emergency shall count as the students semester exam grade for the 2nd semester.  Semester exam and 6-week averages shall retain their usual weighted average when calculating the yearly average and determining course credit.  

No class will offer a final or semester exam in the spring semester of 2020 but shall use the average of the work done during the weeks of April 13th through May 22nd to determine the student’s grade on the semester exam.

Semester classes for the spring of 2020 will use the average of the 4th 6-weeks as the average of the 6th 6-weeks and will follow the above guidelines for the semester exam grade.

Dual Credit classes will remain as normal and will not be impacted by this change in grading policy.  

Calculating GPA:

Calculation of student Grade Point Averages shall remain consistent with normal policy as described in the student handbook.  No impact to student GPA’s that is not reflective of student mastery of work and student effort is expected from the above changes in grading policy.

May 12, 2020

Students and Parents,

The end of the school year is quickly approaching.  It is time that we begin making plans to turn in equipment, textbooks, etc.  The last day of new instruction for students in PK-11th grade will be May 14.  Teachers may have assignments due after this date, but May 14 will be the last time new material is presented to the students.  

On May 18 and 19, we will set-up a schedule for students to turn all of their things into school and settle up your accounts.  Just like when we picked up material, we will turn our supplies into the school  in alphabetical order.  We will have half of the people turn supplies in on May 18th and the other half turn in their things on May 19th.  Just like before, if your children have different last names, you may turn in all of your children’s items according to the first last name scheduled.  If you have children in 7th - 11th grade, I would recommend bringing them up to school with you since they will need to report to more teachers in more areas.  Please be mindful and follow the schedule.

Things that need to be turned in:

1. iPad/Chromebook

2. iPad/Chromebook charger

3. Textbooks

4. Library books

5. Math/science calculators

6. Athletic uniforms and equipment

7. Pay lunch bill

8. Pay technology fines

9. Pay library fines

Procedures

1. Students and parents show up at their designated times.

2. Go into the building through the front school entrance

3. Proceed to the old gym to stations designated for turning in materials and paying bills.

Supply Drop Off Times

Monday 5-18-20

Supply Drop Off Times

Tuesday 5-19-20

May 11, 2020

Graduation Announcement Update May 11, 2020:

McMullen County ISD will host HS Senior Graduation on May 22^nd at 5pm, followed by a senior student parade.

Graduation will be a virtual hybrid format that will allow graduates and 6 family members to enter the McMullen County ISD gymnasium plus we will live stream the ceremony for those not in attendance to view.

McMullen County ISD will continue to honor all the health and safety practices surrounding the Coronavirus and we ask you do the same during our graduation ceremony.  If you are attending graduation we ask you please follow these guidelines:

• Each attendee will be required to complete a health and safety questionnaire no sooner than 24 hours prior to graduation.  If it is not completed and returned accordingly, you will not be allowed to attend graduation.  Questionnaire and guidelines for completion will be released to each senior this Thursday.    
• There will be a staggered entry process one family at a time.  Each family will be given a designated time to arrive.  If you arrive early, please remain in your vehicle until it is your entry time.  We will dismiss from the graduation ceremony the same way, one family at a time.
• We ask that all visitors remain 6ft. apart upon entry, during, and upon exit.
• We ask that all visitors wear a mask upon entering and exiting the gym.  Once you are seated, if you choose, you may remove the mask during the ceremony.
• Sanitizer will be provided at the door and we ask that everyone please use it upon entry and exit.
• If you are feeling ill, do not attend!
• If you have been near or in contact with a carrier of Covid-19 within 14 days of our graduation ceremony, do not attend!

Please follow these guidelines above if you are attending graduation.  We all must do our part to ensure the safety of everyone! 

A website link for the graduation live streaming will be provided on our website once we have the logistics involved completed.

If you have any questions please give us a call at (361) 274-2000.

Sincerely,

Jason Jones
Superintendent
McMullen County ISD

McMullen County ISD
Adopt – A – Senior
Class of 2020

McMullen County ISD Families and Community Members:

On behalf of MCISD, I would like to encourage you to consider adopting a 2020 MCISD Senior!
By adopting a senior, you can congratulate them and honor them by providing gifts. We ask
that you provide at least 2 gifts per week through May 22nd . We all know that their senior year
has been cut short, so take this opportunity to let them know we are proud for all they have
accomplished! Seniors have completed a questionnaire to help their adoptee with ideas along
the way.

It will be first come first serve on names, so sign-up quick to make sure you can adopt before
they are taking! If 2 or more people want to choose one student together, that’s fine, I still only
need one person to email me as the point of contact.

If you want to adopt a senior, please email me at jjones@mcisd.us. After confirming that the
requested senior is available, I will then provide you with their completed questionnaire! Also,
if you have questions please email me. Thank you in advance for your support!

Jason Jones
Superintendent
McMullen County ISD

April 20, 2020

Dear Students and Parents,

On Friday, April 17, 2020, Governor Abbott signed an executive order closing school buildings for the remainder of the year.  This action was taken as one of the measures to end the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Texas.  

While this is not the news we were hoping to hear, it is our reality and we need to move forward accordingly.  We will continue with our on-line classes through the end of the school year. The on-line school is real school and has real repercussions.  Grades and academic performance will count toward the report card and will be used in determining course credit, grade promotion, or student retention decisions.  

We will be sending out more information next week detailing what the end of the school year will look like for our students.  The new information will cover dates to turn in your books, calculators, and Chromebooks/iPads. It will also detail other end of the year expectations.  Seniors, we will also be sending out information in the next few weeks concerning graduation and what that ceremony will look like for you and your class.  

I look forward to the day we can all be back together.  In the meantime, let's find the positives in our situation and keep working to get ready for our next grade level, our next courses, and/or our new journeys after graduation.  

Sincerely,

Joe Timms

April 13, 2020

A Message from Mr. Jones

March 31, 2020

Dear Parents and Students;

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has signed an executive order to close Texas Public School Buildings through May 4, 2020.  McMullen County ISD will continue to monitor developments across the State and will continue to give you the latest information on our website at www.mcisd.us.  

While the school building is closed for classes, the teachers and staff at MCISD are working tirelessly to give your students at home the best education possible.  I can assure parents that with your cooperation and help from home, we intend to move forward with giving our students what they need to be successful in their classes and for their future.  

We are fortunate at MCISD to have either Chromebooks or iPads for every student on campus.  Please work with your child to make sure that they are completing assigned work by their teachers on their Google Classroom and Class Dojo Apps.  The MCISD buildings may be closed, but we are determined to move forward with your child’s education. Grades are still being given to determine if children pass/fail a class or are promoted/retained in their classes based on their academic performance.

Seniors, we are still working to make sure you get the credits needed so that you may graduate on time and are prepared for college come August/September.  None of what is happening is ideal, but together we can take steps to make the best of our situation with minimal disruptions when life gets back to normal.  

In Education,
 

Joe Timms

Principal McMullen County ISD
 

March 23, 2020

Seniors:  Please check your Google Classroom- Class of 2020- Mrs. James has posted Local Scholarship Information

NHS and NJHS Students:  Applications for NHS and NJHS are due when we return to school on Monday, April 6th.  If we do not come back on April 6th, we will make another plan to turn in the applications.

March 22, 2020

Dear Students and Parents,

Beginning next week, McMullen County ISD will begin the shift from the traditional classroom delivery of instruction to an on-line delivery model that will allow our students to continue their instruction throughout the duration of our shutdown.  It is our hope that this shutdown is for a short duration, yet we are making plans to ensure that our students do not lose academic ground in the short term or in the long term should the need arise. 

I can assure my students that both the teachers and I at MCISD miss you  and we would much prefer to have you in the building and in our classrooms.  That unfortunately is not our reality. It goes without saying that we are in a time of great uncertainty. The online learning environment is not our preferred method of delivery, but it is the environment that we are currently forced to use.  This online learning environment is going to be a new experience for our students and our teachers. We recognize that there will be a learning curve associated with this new experience. We will also face many unforeseen challenges and problems with this new type of school.  My staff is prepared to approach this new learning environment with grace and understanding.  

I ask my parents and students to also show patience as we navigate this new environment.  Just as an online learning environment is new to our students, it is new to our teachers as well.  I can assure everyone reading this letter that there will be mistakes made along the way. Mistakes will be made by students, teachers, and administration.  Mistakes will not hold us back from achieving a great product, instead they will propel us toward a better product. I ask that all people involved in this new learning endeavour to remain positive and approach this with a team atmosphere.  We are in this together.  

The staff of MCISD have worked diligently in making the shift to an online environment.  They are working to give our students the best opportunities and the best instructional experience that our situation allows.  We have chosen to focus our efforts on programs that our students are already familiar with to ease the transition. These programs will include things like Google Classroom, Study Island, Edmentum, and Class Dojo.

Beginning next week, the school will begin posting lessons online.  Grade level teachers will notify students via email, the Remind App, and other platforms on how to access those lessons.  The majority of lessons will be on Google Classroom, on accounts that students already have. Next week, teachers will have two lessons for the week.  After next week, we will shift to four lessons a week, giving one day for makeup work and to allow students to catch-up on work. Each teacher will have lessons posted online and will also have “office hours” or times when students can go to the Zoom app, and ask questions or receive instruction in real time.  Secondary teachers have worked to develop a schedule that allows for students to log into Zoom twice a week for each of their classes. Elementary teachers will have office hours two times a week as well with early elementary teachers working on a model that allows our PK-2nd grade students to read individually with our teachers so that they may monitor their progress.  

If your child receives special services such as Special Education, Dyslexia, etc., the District will also find ways to deliver services.  Mrs. Schorsch will have specific office hours to assist Special Education and Dyslexic students. Teachers will continue to accommodate work for those students who qualify.  Mrs. Springer will also be monitoring her students to ensure that they are completing their work. All teachers will monitor student progress and will call or email parents if a student is not progressing as they should.  

I know that not all of our parents have internet.  The Google Classroom environment allows for our students to go to an area that has wifi and download the material so that they can watch the lectures and do the assignments off line.  Additionally, internet companies such as VTX and others have deals currently available that will give new customers free service for the next few months. The school is also creating a guest wifi service.  Parents and students will be able to drive to our parking lots and access our wifi without ever getting out of their vehicle.   

For those that do not have computers at home, the district will check out our student assigned iPads and Chromebooks to our students during this time.  Starting Tuesday, the district will arrange for parents and students to come by the school and pickup their student use devices. PK-2nd students will receive iPads and 3rd-12th grade students will receive their Chromebooks.  The order of pickup will be included at the bottom of this letter. When it is your time to pick-up devices and supplies you will simply come to the school and go to your designated areas to pick up your electronic device. Additionally, many of the teachers will have packets of materials to send home with the students.  Secondary students will need to go by their lockers and clean them out. Trash cans will be in the hallway so that they may throw away their trash.

I ask all students and parents to please be respectful of the staff and to each other during this time.  Students should keep their distance from other students as you enter the building. We are also asking that you keep your distance from the staff.  This will be incredibly tough for my staff because I assure you, they want to hug you and interact with you. But in the best interest of everyone’s safety, we need to keep our distance.  I also ask everyone to be very aware and respectful of your allotted time. It’s very important that you are in and out of the school within the 20 minutes you have been allotted so that an unsafe environment is not created.  If you come early or late, we may not be able to facilitate your request for entrance into the building.

Student supplies will be distributed by the student’s last name.  If you have children with different last names, we will not expect you to come up to the school more than once.  Simply plan on picking up your supplies for all of our children when you pick up supplies for your first child.

Lastly, I still have a number of students reaching out to us that they have not received the packets we mailed out last week.  I can assure everyone that each of you had a packet and I do not know why those packets were not delivered. For those who did not receive a packet, please email your teachers and let them know that you did not receive them.  Your teachers will be able to email the papers to you or will simply submit them into Google Classroom for you to complete at your convenience.      

Once again, I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this closure.  Please be advised that new information or developments may alter this plan. Be watching our website to see if this plan gets changed in the next two days.  At the bottom of the page will be the order of pickup for Chromebooks/iPads and general supplies. If you have any questions or concerns please give me a call at (361) 274-2000.  

Sincerely,

Joe Timms

Principal McMullen County ISD

Printable PDF Schedule

March 20, 2020

McMullen County ISD Families,

McMullen County ISD will continue to provide meals to all students during school closure.  Currently, we will be closed for the next 2 weeks and return to school on April 6^th. 

Please note:

• If your child receives free or reduced meals under our child nutrition program, both breakfast and lunch will be free or reduced according to where your child currently is, just as if we were in school.
• If your child pays for meals, both breakfast and lunch will be the same cost as if they were in school. 
• Please stay current on lunch bill payments so large bills don’t accumulate.
   

Please read carefully below and we ask you diligently follow the steps to order and receive meals:

If you are wanting to receive either breakfast or lunch on any day, you will need to send an email to trios@mcisd.us  Monday at 9am, for the week we are closed.  In your email you must include the following: Students name, the days you would like breakfast, and the days you would like lunch.  Again, please include your students order for the entire week in your email and don’t send emails every day!  We need this time to prepare and order food! 

• Pick up time will be from 11:30 to noon each day on Monday-Wednesday.  If you order meals for Thursday and Friday, those will also be delivered on Wednesday from 11:30-noon (these will be sandwiches and a breakfast that can be refrigerated and kept for the next 2 days). 
• Please note: There will be no breakfast on Monday’s! 
• Breakfast orders need to be picked up the day before!  Example: if you order a Tuesday breakfast, these need to be picked up on Monday and the same for Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Pick up location will be at the back of the cafeteria near the playground.
•  

This is a lot of detailed information and if you need clarification, please call Tracie Rios at  (361) 274-2000.  Menu is located on our website at: www.mcisd.us. 

Special Note: Our food service workers will only be preparing and handing out meals Monday-Wednesday, with Wednesday pick-up including meals for Thursday and Friday.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during these tough times.  We are all trying to adapt to these unexpected changes as quickly as we can.  We hope by providing an opportunity to receive these meals can help our MCISD families!

Sincerely,

Jason Jones

MCISD Superintendent

March 14, 2020

McMullen County ISD Families,

MCISD will be offering meals to students who qualify for our free and reduced child nutrition program next week March 17-20. 

Meals and grab bags will be available for pick-up Tuesday March 17^th from 11am to noon at the back of the MCISD cafeteria.  There will be at least 5 meals and a snack pack provided to each student that qualifies. 

If you are interested please email me at jjones@mcisd.us by noon Sunday March 15^th.  Your response will allow us ample time to prepare and provide this service. 

Also, if you need clarification or have questions regarding this service please email those as well.

Special thank you to those who have volunteered to help and to our County Officials for offering their services!

Sincerely,

Jason Jones

Superintendent

McMullen County ISD