The first cycle of the school year is feeling like 2019, hallelujah. We are glad to have our families on campus for an open house, fall carnival, and family night. The educational partnership between the school and parents continues to be very important. We want to stay safe but invite our community to campus and work to strengthen the relationships to promote the student's maximum growth. We hope you can attend future activities, a Veterans recognition, and the Community Thanksgiving Meal in November. In December, we will host Christmas programs for Elementary and band performances for Middle and High School.

     The Legislature still can not figure out how to support public schools during these times of inflation and the teacher shortage. Holland ISD has been committed to small class sizes and additional services when needed. Growth over the next 10 years is a given, we will plan for it and embrace the growth while staying true to how we educate our students.  The staff of Holland ISD work very hard, their students show great growth annually and they also encourage/expect all of our students to work to their full potential. There will be times of difficulty, please know we will support your child while holding them accountable for the expectations based on their grade level. The Holland ISD mission is to provide a quality education for all students and prepare them to live a productive and fulfilling life.

     We are still working on providing quality updated communication. We are sending more items through email, but we will try to limit the voicemail messages to items for the whole district. Facebook recently changed and no longer allows comments to follow our posts. This is a recommendation to school districts, but an email address should be on the post or a campus administrator can answer any questions that you may have. 

      Thank you for the continued support and opportunity to work with your students daily, we look forward to a successful year in all areas at Holland I.S.D.

Shane Downing

This school year is flying by; I cannot believe it is November already. We have lots of events going on. Staff and students are working hard to prepare for all of our upcoming UIL events as well as One Act Play. Middle School volleyball and football are winding down, and we are getting ready to start basketball season.  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! 

Even though it is only November, it is really remarkable to see how much the students have learned and grown this school year. It truly is amazing! We are already three weeks into our second 9-week period. Transitioning from one grade level to the next is sometimes a big leap for students. We appreciate your patience and support as we challenge and support your student through growth as they become more and more independent and take ownership in their learning. At this point in the year, students should be settling into their learning routine. 

At the beginning of each month (or just prior to the start), I send out a monthly newsletter that gives a summary of upcoming events, needed information, or reminders that are applicable for that month. The newsletter for November is linked below. If you ever have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call or email. We are happy to support students any way that we can.

The Varsity football team is off to an 9-0 start on the season and has clinched the District Championship! The JV team is currently 3-4 on the season.  The Bi-District Playoff game will be Thursday, November 9 vs Harper.  It will be played at Bob Shelton Stadium in Buda at 7 pm.

The Cross Country team hopes to build upon the foundation that was built this season, as it officially comes to the end for this year.  Cross Country finished up its season last week with Cole Vaughan competing in the Class 2A Region IV Cross Country Meet in Corpus Christi.  Cole ran a great race and is looking forward to building upon work he has accomplished his freshman year.  

The Lady Hornets finished 4th in district for the 2023 Volleyball season. That standing does not give enough credit to the outstanding effort, attitude, and toughness these hornets showed during district competition. We took Thorndale and Granger to 5 very close sets, as well as playing Thrall into the red zone almost every set. The lady hornets will be playing their last home game this Friday vs Milano as a playoff warm-up exhibition. Some of our season stats leaders are Haylie Pajestka, Kaylyn Cammack, Lilly Martinez, Brooke Tubbs, Ryleigh Hand, Micah Carter, and Ashlyn Gerig. Our top hitters were Kaylyn Cammack with 230 kills on the season and Haylie Pajestka with 183 kills. Both of these outside hitters played a significant role in serve receive and hitters defense. With those two on the court most of our opponents were out gunned. Our setters Brooke Tubbs and Lilly Martinez were our top two servers both serving above 90% and 20 plus aces on the season. Ashlyn Gerig, Ryleigh Hand and Micah Carter played a significant role on the defensive side of the ball. Ashlyn Gerig had 187 digs and a 78% serve receive percentage. Ryleigh Hand finished the season with 66 complete blocks and 108 partial blocks. She made huge improvements this year and I cannot wait to see her on the court next year. Micah Carter made it easy for our setters to change the pace of the game and brought a dynamic to the opposite side of the court that made it hard for defenses to know who to defend. Micah had 59 kills and 21 blocks. The lady hornets will be facing Burton in the Bi-district Match on October 31st  in Caldwell, TX at 6:30pm. 

The Lady Hornet Basketball team is gearing up for an exciting season! With 23 girls already practicing and more expected to join after the volleyball season, the team is preparing for their first scrimmage at Rosebud-Lott on October 28th and a home court three-team scrimmage against Rockdale and Florence on October 30th. Their first official game is scheduled for November 7th against Riesel at home in Holland. The team's mantra, "Believing is Seeing," reflects their positive and determined mindset as they aim to compete at the highest level in both Varsity and Junior Varsity levels. It's clear that the Lady Hornets are putting in the effort and dedication to make this season a successful one. Best of luck to them!

As we enter into the month of November, we also are entering Flu Season. 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 handwashing 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. 

*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.