Holland ISD
Quarterly Newsletter
FEBRUARY 2024
MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
The school year is moving along quickly. This week many of our students are participating at the Bell County Youth Fair and we are grateful that many families choose to spend the extra time and effort with their student. Many life lessons are learned through their hard work with some success and disappointments. The spring provides warmer weather and new activities, so please remember that as the days get longer your student will still need their rest to be able to reach their full potential.
We are in the middle of our flu season, and we will work to clean surfaces as often as possible. Please continue to encourage your student to wash hands often, cover coughs, and keep their hands to themselves as much as possible. Providing a safe environment for our community looks many different ways. We will continue to look at each new experience and opportunity closely to ensure the safety for all.
Thank you for all you do for your student and the community. It takes all of us to prepare the next generation of leaders.
Shane Downing
HIGH SCHOOL NEWS
MESSAGE FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
It’s hard to believe that we are now in February of 2024 and entering into our fast-and-furious Spring Semester! Between UIL Academics, One Act Play, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Powerlifting, FFA and 4H events, Band Concerts, etc…we have an extremely full Spring! Also, while all of the extracurricular events are going on, our teachers are working hard to prepare our students for our upcoming EOC assessments this spring, as well as a magnitude of other assessments and certificates that our students will take before our last day of school. To help mitigate all of the scheduling confusion, I have condensed our Spring semester into one easy-to-read Calendar, that you can find HERE. Please note that I have pulled this information from numerous sources and it is subject to change and/or updating, so remember to check it periodically. If you have any concerns, questions, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Your feedback is invaluable in our shared mission to provide the best possible educational experience for our students. Thank you for entrusting us with the education and well-being of your children. Together, we will continue to support, encourage, and guide them toward success!
FFA
There are 647 entries from FFA members in grades 3rd-12th for the 2024 Bell County Youth Fair.
Floral Design
Mrs. Fogle's Floral Design class is now taking orders for Sweetheart boutonnieres and handtied flower arrangements. Orders can be submitted to any campus office.
You can also sign up for the flower of the month club if you are interested.
FCCLA
Ms. Coppin's FCCLA students are selling Val-a-grams! Orders are due by February 7th and can be turned in to any campus office.
HHS Student Congress
Holland High School Sophomore Rachel Ansley competed in the University Interscholastic League - State Student Congress Congress competition on Jan. 10 and 11. Ansley is the third Congress State Qualifier in two years. Ansley placed second at the Regional meet held in Waco in November and had her original legislation selected to represent ESC Region 12 - 2A at League's 11th annual state competition held at the University of Texas and at the Texas State Capitol.
The UIL State Student Congress also gives students the unique opportunity to compete in the Texas State Capitol in Austin allowing students to gain political perspective and improve their public speaking and research ability: all qualities that create both exceptional students and citizens. Competitors debate student-drafted bills and resolutions in a mock US congress setting.
The 2024 state competition featured 20 pieces of legislation, each nominated for the docket from one of Texas’ twenty ESC regions. Rachel Ansley her fellow congress teammates Jason Jeske (jr), Ariah Sharp (jr), Emily McCall (soph), Andrew Cosper (soph), Brenley Kelso (fr), and Andrew Perez (fr) researched important issues; wrote sponsorship, affirmative, and negative speeches; and gathered statistics on each proposed bill to debate 52 other competitors in Classification 2A from across the State of Texas. Ansley placed 9th in Prelims while her legislation "A Bill to Require A Period of Parental Leave" advanced to the State Finals docket, was selected, debated, passed with a majority vote as the last legislation of the day.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
MESSAGE FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
The Spring Semester is in full swing with lots of activities going on. Many of our HMS students are participating in the Bell County Fair this week. We have finished up basketball season, and we are beginning to prepare for track season, STAAR, and class field trips. Spending each day with all of our middle school staff and students is a treasure. Every one of them makes me so proud. I love watching them grow, interact, work hard, and compete in activities. We have so many great things going on at Holland Middle School, and I am eternally grateful to you for sharing your students with us. Remember to check your email at the beginning of each month for our most updated Hornet Happenings newsletter, and as always, call or email us if you have any questions or concerns. We are happy to help!
GT Future City Competition
GT students competed in the Future City competition on Saturday, January 17 in Fort Worth. They, along with Mrs. Love, worked extremely hard on their projects. They worked as a group to research, define, plan and design a city around a future need. They also wrote an essay and met all of their deadlines/goals. They put together wonderful projects and should be very proud of their achievements in this competition.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS
MESSAGE FROM THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
Our second 9-week period ended strong! It was a busy end to 2023 with several events showcasing our students' talent and work. We appreciate you supporting our students by attending the Christmas programs and/or the Bazaar. We also had a lot to celebrate our first semester. In addition to celebrating students meeting their AR goals, we celebrated being overall district champions in our academic UIL contest!
Our third 9-weeks is well underway, and we are looking forward to a second semester full of growth, learning, and more celebrations for what we know our students will achieve.
I will continue to send a campus newsletter at the beginning of each month. If you ever have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to support students any way that we can!
Garden Club
Our Kinder/2nd grade Garden Club begins planting this Friday! With the help of Mrs. Gunn and Mrs. Walker, we will begin our annual garden project to get ready for our famous Plant Sale in March! The Garden Club is sponsored by Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Stefek, Mrs. Brothers, Mrs. Kruger and Mrs. Tubbs!
HORNET ATHLETICS
After 12 years at Holland ISD, Athletic Director and Head Football coach, Brad Talbert, has announced his retirement. Coach Talbert coached the Hornets to 104 wins during his 12 seasons. We wish him a happy retirement! You will be missed!
SCHEDULES
Boys Basketball
Varsity basketball is 17-6 on the season, 6-1 in district, and are currently sitting in 2nd place. This is a great group of kids, who play hard, and are fun to watch and coach. Come out and support us as we finish up district play and fight for a district championship.
The Holland 8th grade basketball team is 7-5 on the season, and finished in 2nd place at the district tournament this past weekend. Gavin Brummett has been the Hornets leading scorer this season and everyone on the team has been playing great defense. We look forward to watching these 8th graders grow as they continue into high school. Our last game is this Monday in Thorndale.
Girls Basketball
Dear Hornets Community,
As we bring the curtain down on this year's Lady Hornets basketball season, we wanted to share the bittersweet conclusion of our journey. Despite facing considerable challenges, our team displayed an inspiring amount of fight and grit in the final two games, unfortunately culminating in us falling short of a playoff spot.
The Lady Hornets finished the season with an overall record of 12-18 and a district record of 4-8. The road to the playoffs proved to be a challenging one, especially after the heartbreaking overtime loss against Thorndale, where we faced the additional blow of losing a key player early in the game due to injury.
In a testament to the resilience and tenacity of the Lady Hornets, the team showed incredible spirit in the face of adversity during the overtime battle against Thorndale. Despite the setbacks, our players fought tooth and nail, leaving it all on the court in a display of determination that made the entire community proud.
The final away game against the formidable Granger team was another hard-fought contest, even though the result didn't swing in our favor. The Lady Hornets showcased their commitment to the game and each other, reflecting the true essence of sportsmanship and teamwork.
While the playoffs are not in our immediate future this season, we must recognize and celebrate the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship exhibited by our Lady Hornets. These young athletes have given their all, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed.
As we reflect on this season, let's express our gratitude to the Lady Hornets for their commitment, perseverance, and the pride they've instilled in our community. The lessons learned and the bonds forged will undoubtedly serve as a strong foundation for future successes.
Thank you, Lady Hornets, for a season filled with heart and determination. We look forward to cheering you on in the seasons to come.
Powerlifting
We have competed in two meets so far. We hosted a meet on January 18th and competed in the Rogers Meet on January 27th. Both the boys team and the girls team won the Holland Meet. We currently have 32 boys and girls competing in Powerlifting.
Track & Field
We are excited to start the 2024 track season. Our Fall seasons are coming to a close and our Coaches/Athletes have been working incredibly hard to continue the success this year has brought us thus far. High school track will begin on Feb.7th followed by JR High on Feb. 19th. I know you are as eager as we are to come out and support our young people in showcasing their talents on the track and in the field! BRING ON THE SPRING!!!
Athletes to look out for: Meshach Griffin, Tyler Johnson, William Oliver, Haylie Pajestka, Kaylynn Cammack, Brooke Tubbs
Come and support the Hornets Track & Field
-FEBRUARY 29th ROGERS HIGH SCHOOL
-MARCH 1st ROGERS JR HIGH
-MARCH 4th HOLLAND JR HIGH
-MARCH 7th HOLLAND HIGH SCHOOL
-MARCH 18th THORNDALE JR HIGH
-MARCH 21st THORNDALE HIGH SCHOOL
-MARCH 25th THRALL JR HIGH
-MARCH 28th THRALL HIGH SCHOOL
-APRIL 1st THORNDALE JR HIGH DISTRICT
-APRIL 3rd HOLLAND HS DISTRICT
-APRIL 11th THRALL AREA MEET
-APRIL19th-20th Kingsville REGIONAL MEET
-MAY 2nd-4th Austin STATE MEET
Softball
Holland softball started on January 12, and we currently have 8 non-basketball players practicing. Our season expectation is to make the playoffs. Players to watch are Brittany Morgan, Kaylyn Cammack and Micah Carter. We will have a strong freshman class this year to help out the upperclassmen. Our first game is scheduled for February 13 at Mumford.
Baseball
The 2024 Baseball season is upon us! We have started practice and have 12 kids out there practicing that are not in basketball at the moment. Once basketball win's the state championship we should have enough kids for two teams. Some big time players for the Hornets this upcoming season will be Jose Arzola, Charlie Butler, Trey Grinna, Desi Cantu, and Tyler Johnson. We also will rely on Ryan Steglich, Austin Hargrove and Marc Grinnan to give us big wins this spring. To have a successful year we will need to pitch well, play great defense and have timely hits when people are on base.
Hornet Band
Over the Christmas holiday, several MS & HS Band Tuba and Euphonium players went and performed on the steps of the Texas State Capital for Austin's Tuba Christmas Event. They were joined by 185 other tuba and euphonium players from around Texas and the greater US. The group played classic Christmas carols for the crowd. The week of January 8th, we had several MS & HS Band students audition and earn a spot in the Central Texas Honor Band (Centex Band). On Saturday, January 20th, the students performed a concert with students from many central Texas schools at Connally HS in Waco ISD.
Live Steaming
In the event that you can not attend games in person, you have two options to watch the games online. Both of these options are available on game nights.
You can watch on the NFHS Network or on HUDL.
CAFETERIA NEWS
A MESSAGE FROM THE FOOD SERVICES DIRECTOR
Just a friendly reminder applications for the national school lunch program can be filled out any time during the school year. If you have had a change in your household (new baby, unemployment, etc), just call your campus office and we can send one home with your student. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please contact me at 254-657-2265 or cknaus@hollandisd.org.
CLINIC NEWS
A MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSES
We are currently seeing several cases of Flu. Please be vigilant in helping to stop the spread of Flu and other illnesses. There are several ways we can help in the prevention of Flu cases and other illnesses in our schools.
*Get vaccinated against the Flu.
* Please practice good hand washing throughout your day. If you are not able to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer by covering the entire surface of your hands with it and rubbing your hands together until they feel dry.
*Cover your cough. Use the inside of your elbow to cough or sneeze. This keeps the surface of your hands clean.
*Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
*Stay home when you are sick (especially when you are running a fever). This will help prevent the spread of illness to others.
*If you have an illness with vomiting, diarrhea, or a fever (100* or higher), stay home and you may return to school when you are free from any of these symptoms for 24 hours ( Fever free for 24 hours without the help of a fever reducer such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen).
*Follow up with your doctor if you have symptoms that are worsening instead of improving over a period of time, or contact your doctor if you feel the need to consult with a doctor regarding your illness.
*If you see the doctor, please remember to ask your doctor for a school excuse note and follow their recommendations. *If you have questions regarding returning to school, please contact the school nurses at 254-657-2839.
Parent and Family Engagement
Holland ISD strongly believes that school, parent, family, and community partnerships are essential for a successful educational program. HISD is continually looking for ways to improve in this area. In this newsletter, we would like to introduce you to the "Family Learning Connection." The "Family Learning Connection," previously known as the "PFE Connection Newsletter," aims to provide a platform for sharing news, resources, and inspiring stories that highlight the importance of family engagement in education. We believe that when families and educators work together, students can achieve greater success. Please click on the link below to read the newsletter and learn more.
ESL News
Information for Families with Emergent Bilingual (EB) Students being Served in ESL (English as a Second Language)
The TELPAS test, that is given to all Emergent Bilingual (EB) students will be administered during the week of March 4 - March 8. Holland ISD has been working with your child to prepare them for this test.
Below are links to a newsletter developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Please click on the link and learn more about the TELPAS and how to help your child with their education.
If you have any questions concerning TELPAS or the ESL Program, please contact Lori Kinard at 254-657-2305 or Mary Villegas at 254-657-2525.
Información para familias con estudiantes bilingües emergentes (EB) recibir servicios en ESL (inglés como segundo idioma)
El examen TELPAS, que se administra a todos los estudiantes bilingües emergentes (EB), se administrará durante la semana del 4 al 8 de marzo. Holland ISD ha estado trabajando con su hijo para prepararlo para este examen.
A continuación se encuentran enlaces a un boletín desarrollado por la Agencia de Educación de Texas (TEA). Haga clic en el enlace y obtenga más información sobre TELPAS y cómo ayudar a su hijo con su educación.
Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre TELPAS o el programa ESL, comuníquese con Lori Kinard al 254-657-2305 o Mary Villegas al 254-657-2525.
Інформація для сімей з двомовними (EB) студентами Обслуговування на ESL (англійська як друга мова)
Тест TELPAS, який надається всім двомовним учням (EB), проходитиме протягом тижня з 4 по 8 березня. Holland ISD працює з вашою дитиною, щоб підготувати її до цього тесту.
Нижче наведено посилання на інформаційний бюлетень, розроблений Техаським освітнім агентством (TEA). Перейдіть за посиланням і дізнайтеся більше про TELPAS і про те, як допомогти вашій дитині з навчанням.
Якщо у вас виникли запитання щодо TELPAS або програми ESL, зв’яжіться з Лорі Кінард за номером 254-657-2305 або Мері Віллегас за номером 254-657-2525.
Required Postings
Holland ISD is sharing this information about the district and your child’s campus with you as part of its obligations under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).
Federal Report Cards for the state, the district, and each of the district’s campuses are now available by using the below links in this newsletter, on the district’s website, or are also available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at: https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/accountability/academic-accountability/performance-reporting/federal-report-cards.
If you have difficulty accessing the information from the website, hard copies of the reports are available at the district or campus office. Translations are available upon request. If you have questions about the information, please contact Lori Kinard at 254-657-2305.
