Third Grade Team at Reed Elementary Supporting Individual Needs

The third-grade team at Reed Elementary works together to support every third grade student in achieving personal and academic growth. Even with a new team member this school year, this team has maintained a system for high-quality first-time instruction and intervention that supports individual student needs. They consistently discuss and plan together to make decisions for their students and empower students through sharing their data and goal-setting. The third grade team includes Leanne Vargas, Mercedes Artiago, Kiki Greenleaf, and Alison Jershin.

Sixth Grade Team at Boon Elementary are Empowering Leaders

The sixth grade team at Boon Elementary has focused on empowering students through leadership. Each 6th grade student selected a "leadership" job at the first of the year that they are dedicated to. Jobs range from Safety Patrol, Kinder Mentor (Boon Buddy), Mascot, Office Assistant, Yearbook, Newspaper, House Leader, Library Aide, and more. The sixth grade team includes Jill Edgington, Tracy Mulady, Taylor Kirkindoll, Paige Self, Summer Mooring, and Holle McSpadden.

First Graders at Preston Elementary are Setting Their Own Goals

The first grade team at Preston Elementary is demonstrating Empowered Learning through engaging their students in goal setting. This started with Desirae Stevens and Mary Nichols implementing goal setting in their classrooms. After presenting this idea to our Preston staff and during the district-wide professional development, the rest of the team jumped on board and helped their students see the value in setting a goal and tracking their own progress. 

"Their collaboration to implement this in their grade level is inspiring," said Principal Monica Lemons. "It's incredible to see such young students work toward a target. It's even better to see their joy in achieving their goals."

The first grade team includes Desirae Stevens, Mary Nichols, Andrea Jackson, Allison Chapman, and Olivia Johnson.

Specials Team at Green Elementary Igniting Curiosity

The Specials Team, Aerie Bentley (Art), Rhonda Selph (Music), and Chad Sanford (PE), at Green Elementary fosters an environment where our students are ignited in their curiosity and empowered in their learning. Each department takes time to create engaging and meaningful lessons that allow students to explore each of these essential areas. 

Makerspace Teachers are Making Space for Innovation and Creativity

STEAM Center teachers, Wendy McIntyre and Reece Palmer, have created a culture of innovation, creativity and risk-taking in the STEAM Makerspace.  Classes, teachers, and individual students utilize the Makerspace for class projects, passion projects, and to just tinker.  With the variety of learning areas that have been established, there is something of interest to all students. 

Two Kerr Elementary Teachers Revamp Morning Announcements 

Jamie Morris and Pooja Bhatt have completely redesigned The Kerr Elementary morning announcements this year to make it 100% student driven. 

The K-COMM crew works together to design the announcements each week, run the board & cameras, provide jokes on Wacky Wednesdays and learn each job throughout their rotation time. 

“This is a new initiative for our campus to make our morning announcements completely student driven and our K-COMM crew has done a fabulous job,” said Katie Ponce, Assistant Principal at Kerr ES. “We are extremely lucky to have Pooja and Jamie supporting them as they have empowered them with this task.”

Norton Elementary Special Education Team Empowering Students Through Individual Needs

The Special Education team at Norton Elementary exemplifies the qualities of empowered learning by personalizing their lessons to the individual needs of their students, supporting them as needed, and empowering them to achieve their goals. 

They help students take ownership of their own learning and focus on instilling a growth mindset, giving students the confidence they need to succeed. 

“They pour into our students daily, they help each other out when needed, and they do it all with a smile and a great attitude,” said Aimee Cherry, Principal at Norton ES. “We are so grateful for their hard work, dedication, and collective expertise.”

Rountree Elementary Third Grade Team Planning Instruction through Thoughtful Analysis

The third grade team at Rountree Elementary exemplifies the meaning of empowered learning by taking time and attention to plan instruction that quickly identifies student successes and needs and guide their instructional practices.  Through bi-weekly assessments, they analyze student data, identify the student level of understanding, collectively pinpoint a skill focus, and  collaborate on strategic instruction to close the gap. 

The team’s growth mindset empowers each of their learners to strive for continuous growth and opportunities to progress in their learning everyday.  

Vaughan Elementary First Graders Deepening their Thinking with the Help of Two GATE Teachers

Laura Nguyen and Shari Waites are working together at Vaughan Elementary to empower learning in their first grade GATE classrooms.  Their students are setting academic goals and meeting with their teachers to create action plans on how to reach their goals.  They are also utilizing Depth and Complexity Icons to enrich the learning experiences for their students.  

Laura and Shari are empowering their students by allowing them to choose how they enrich and deepen their thinking by choosing an icon to connect with and responding to questions through the lens of the icon...all this with first grade students

Marion Elementary Third Grade Team Empowering Students through Goal Setting

Marion Elementary 3rd-grade team is implementing the student goal-setting process which empowers students as learners and focuses on individual growth. The goal setting process teachers use is personalized and empowers student ownership. Third grade teachers are supporting each student, as a whole child, in achieving personal and academic growth. 

 The grade level lead, Mrs. Dianne Barton, is sharing these goal-setting practices with the entire faculty. She led a goal setting professional development session in September for Marion Staff and in October during the district professional learning day. 

 “We are proud of our third grade team,” said Ulyana Payne, Principal of Marion ES. “I look forward to an increase in academic achievement from our students as a result.”

 View a highlight video of the Third Grade Team in action at Marion Elementary.

Olson Elementary ALC and R2 Teams Developing Unique Learning Student Goals

ALC and R2 teams at Olson Elementary are endeavoring to empower student learners.  Every student in the ALC and R2 classrooms has specific and unique learning goals that their teachers and support staff help them achieve.  

In all of the specialized classrooms you will see visual schedules, timers, and individualized assignments and tasks that teachers and paraprofessionals have created to help students take control of their learning.  

In addition to working with our students, the ALC and R2 teams work with parents to help apply the skills the students learn at school in their home environment.  

View a highlight video of the ALC and R2 teams at Olson Elementary.

Norton Elementary Sixth Grade Team are Cultivating MORE Leaders Everyday

Sixth graders at Norton Elementary are participating in an “Influencer” program for the MORE campaign where they lead kinder-5th grade students during MORE House Huddles, facilitate service projects, and lead the way on campus initiatives. They had to fill out applications and signed an agreement to be held to a high standard of academic and behavioral expectations.

"Our Norton 6th grade team goes above and beyond to help prepare our students with the future ready skills that they need," said Aimee Cherry, principal of Norton Elementary. "They do this by teaching their students how to create content rather than merely consume it, by holding them accountable for their actions, and by facilitating programs in which they become leaders on our campus."

These leadership processes are all facilitated by the 6th grade team of teachers, who believe strongly in preparing students for success in middle school, at high school, and beyond.

Two Vaughan Elementary Teachers Create After-School Club to Teach Leadership

By creating the after-school club called Empowered Leaders, Tara Cassetty and Todd Fornadel are exemplifying the District's goal of Future Ready Skills by preparing several of their 6th graders to be leaders as they move forward and serve others.

The Empowered Leaders have partnered with kindergarten classes and are building peer relationships as they help them out with projects. Each group is also expected to submit their own proposals for leadership, and once approved, they have to come up with a plan to execute them.

"Tara Cassetty and Todd Fornadel are doing exactly what it takes to prepare our students to be future ready for success in whatever career each student choses," said Tonya Jasenof, principal of Vaughan Elementary. "Besides being exceptional teachers, they're growing our students to have character traits well beyond what will be used in a classroom."

Rountree Special Education Team Maintaining Excellence through Consistency and Support

The Special Education Team at Rountree Elementary are preparing students and staff for excellence by offering trainings on how to maintain fidelity with data tracking and collaborating with teachers to ensure instructional strategies, accommodations and supports are being addressed in a timely manner.

"The Special Education Team not only supports the growth of our students but they support the growth of our entire Rountree staff," said Claudia Harrison, assistant principal at Rountree Elementary. "They set the tone for our campus staff on student common behavior expectations, behavioral reward systems and they go above and beyond in differentiating the academic needs of our students."

With the Special Education Team's support, they have prepared our students and staff to be the best citizens that they can be!

Advanced Biology Team at Lowery Freshman Center Using Virtual Reality in Class

The Advanced Biology Team has welcomed the opportunity to introduce virtual reality into their classes to extend student learning through innovative means. They are implementing virtual reality lessons through the use of Oculus VR glasses to provide students with opportunities to immerse themselves within a cell's nucleus to have a "hands-on" opportunity to explore how translation and transcription take place within the cell.

The team is also working on providing feedback to an app developer to help them create more engaging lessons and to improve the end user/student experience. The team will be tackling the genetics unit with students practicing on virtual pea pods.

Curtis Middle School Tracks Teachers and Counselors are Preparing Students for High School and Beyond

The Curtis Tracks Teachers and Curtis Counselors are committed to preparing Curtis students for success at high school and into their futures whether it is college, careers or military.

They are creating a climate where students learn to problem solve, resolve conflicts appropriately, and listen critically by creating lessons that teach students to collaborate with peers, enhance student creativity and risk taking, and encouraging students to understand and appreciate diverse individuals.

Additionally, Curtis Counselors meet with individual students to provide them with the necessary skills to select appropriate high school coursework that matches students interests and prepares them for life after high school.

Green Elementary 4th Grade Teachers Kick Off School Year with Team Building

To kick off the school year with some team building and problem solving, 4th grade teachers at Green Elementary tasked their students with constructing a building out of empty school supply boxes.

 “We were so proud of this team for finding an innovative way to begin team building with their new class of students while also tackling some challenging skills like problem solving, collaboration, creativity, innovation and design,” said Principal Stacia Butler. “With a project like this I have no doubt that our 4th graders are building Future Ready Skills that they will carry with them for many years to come.”

Marion Elementary Kindergarten Team Preparing Students for Future

The Marion Elementary Kindergarten team certainly exemplifies the Allen ISD Strategic Vision as it applies to Future Ready Skills. Before the school year begins, these teachers plan an orientation event to help teachers know each incoming Kindergarten student. 

Once the school  year begins, every morning, Kindergarten students develop citizenship and friendship skills during daily community circles. Students also work on career and technology skills during play-based center time that incorporates various career fields. 

Marion Elementary Kindergarten teachers are working hard to ensure all students succeed today and in the future.

The 6th grade team at Kerr Elementary is working hard to create leadership opportunities for every 6th grader on campus. They have created a leadership academy in addition to many different avenues throughout the campus for assuming a leadership role, including Kinder Buddies. Sixth graders participate each week with their Kinder Buddies on various activities to support learning in the classroom. 

The 6th grade team at Kerr Elementary is doing a great job to ensure their students have the skills needed to be future leaders and successful citizens. 

View a highlight video of the Kerr Elementary 6th grade team below.

Allen High School College and Career Advisors Preparing Students for Life After High School

Whether it is assisting them with college applications, scholarship applications, or connecting them with potential employers or military recruiters, the College and Career Advisors are always going above and beyond so each and every single student at Allen High School finds the right path for their future. 

Additionally, the Dual Credit Advisors work to ensure that our students are successful as they navigate their college courses while still balancing their high school courses, as well. They spend time on the Collin College campus, meet with professors, and check-in with students who are dually enrolled on both campuses. 

The level of support given by the Advisors even extends to our parents and our community as they host multiple information sessions for parents and families. FAFSA Night, Parent Information Night, Dual Credit Informational Meetings, and hosting the annual College Night are a few of the events that the College Advisors and Dual Credit Advisors hold for our community. Their work makes a difference and ensures all of our students are future ready.

View a highlight video of the Allen High School College and Career Advisors below.

Allen ISD Employee Recognitions - February 2023

Each month, Allen ISD recognizes employees who exemplify one of the District's three goals: Culture of Excellence, Future Ready Skills, and Empowered Learning. For the month of February, the focus is on Culture of Excellence.

Facilities and Maintenance Staff Going Above and Beyond

Allen ISD recently honored members of the Facilities and Maintenance Department for their excellence! Steve Hanner is being recognized for his leadership and support during a department transition.  Cameran Gaskins and Randy Toler were also recognized for going above and beyond their duties preparing buildings for the upcoming school yea

District Behavior Support Team Fills the Gaps Where Needed

The Allen ISD Behavior Support team has devoted a significant amount of time and effort in supporting the move of a SLC program to a new campus. The team has modeled quality teaching practices and behavioral strategies for a new teacher while serving as the classroom teacher for a position that has not been filled. 

The Behavior Support team is made up of Katie Simmons, Larry Parker, Jonathan Martinez, Melinda Ewing, Julie Young, and Tammy Beaks.

“Despite the incredible challenge, they continue to have a smile on their face and are always willing to go the extra mile to do what is best for kids,” said Theresa Taylor, Director of Special Services. “Our students' success is a direct result of their hard work and dedication.”

District Instructional Coaches are Building Capacity in Teachers

Building capacity in teachers is the primary goal so that all students are able to engage in relevant, challenging and empowering learning experiences. The Instructional Coaches have high expectations for their personal growth as well as the growth of their teachers. 

“The Allen ISD Instructional Coaches are a phenomenal group of educators,” said Elizabeth Schultz, Coordinator of English Language Arts, Secondary. “They individually and collectively work to build capacity in the teachers that they serve.”

The instructional coaches are Mandy Baker, Angela Barnes, Hadeel Barries, Kristi Berry, Kelli Brasher, Katrina Byrd, Laura Duarte, Erica Harvey, Natalie Hebert, Amanda Hunter, Elizabeth Jones, Kim Kane, Karen Lucas, Danny Malooly, Jenna McGrath, Laura Lee McQueeney, Laurie Merrick, Kerri Mistretta, Lynn Moretti, Kela Morgan, Mary Morgan, Molly Parish, Sabrina Passanante, Amanda Perkins, Cathy Perrault, Amber Preston, Kandice Ramos, Malini Rao, Blaine Robertson, Jose Salas, Jennifer Sewell, Halle Smith, Michelle Stevens, and Tracy Turner.

Campus Tech at Norton Elementary Makes Technology Run Smoothly so Learning is Never Interrupted

Josh Gallo is the campus tech at Norton Elementary and his goal is for students and teachers to have what they need in order for learning to occur and he works tirelessly to make sure that happens.

“He solves problems quickly and efficiently; he even preemptively identifies potential problems and creates solutions so that our school is always running smoothly,” said Aimee Cherry, Principal of Norton Elementary. “He cares deeply that our students and staff are well-equipped and well-trained to step into the future with all aspects of technology.”

Chandler Elementary SSI Teacher Leads Through Campus Transition

Jenny Capehart is the SSI teacher at Chandler Elementary who leads her team and embodies Allen ISD’s Culture of Excellence. 

New this year to Chandler, they transitioned classroom teachers along with Jenny to provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention during their Cheetah Challenge time, allowing the SSI paraprofessionals the opportunity to now intervene with Tier 1 students. 

“Jenny has done an outstanding job at supporting the facilitation of this transition with our teachers and paraprofessionals,” said Bobbie Allen, Principal at Chandler Elementary. “We are so thankful for all she does to truly live our Culture of Excellence district goal.”

Lowery Freshman Center Human Geography AP Team Drawing New and Improved Maps to Engage Students

The Human Geography (HGAP) Team presented a session at the district's Professional Learning Day in October 2022. They presented ideas and strategies for having students use and create maps that involve more application, analysis, and critical thinking than simply copying or recreating existing maps. 

“They did such a fantastic job,” said Michelle Ramirez, House Principal at Allen High School.
“They have been asked to share their presentation with all district Instructional Coaches to take some of these ideas and strategies back to their campuses.”

The HGAP Team includes Jon King, Zachery Silvers, and Jason Vaccarezza.

Cheatham Elementary Power-Up Team Plans Engaging Activities

The Power Up Leadership team meets monthly to plan engaging activities for all students and staff to participate in team building, leadership, service projects, and kindness to others.  These leaders also meet monthly with all the sixth grade students to teach them the activity, in advance, so they can help lead them when the whole school and staff participate in each event.  

Examples of things that have been planned are a schoolwide pep rally assembly, painting rocks and putting them in a rock garden outside, playing team-building games, reading a book about kindness and having a discussion about it, assembling meals to provide to families in need, etc.  

The Power Up Leadership Team includes Amanda Perkins, Stephanie Logan, Aimee Hilton, and Mary Jane Barnes. 

Click here to watch a video of the Power Up Leadership Team at Cheatham Elementary.

Student Nutrition District Chef, Anna Reynolds, Brings New Excitement to Student Nutrition

Anna Reynolds, Allen ISD District Chef, has recently brought new excitement to Student Nutrition’s marketing with her fun social media posts and promotional menu items at campuses. 

She has worked with staff to transform several recipes into overall better products and has come up with fun events at the campuses to really involve students in their lunch program. 

“We have had several managers comment that many students have stated some of our recent holiday menus were the "best lunch" or "best breakfast" they have ever had at school,” said Kirsten Reeitzammer, Director of Student Nutrition. “We are so thankful for Anna's contributions to our department and helping us make both recipes and lunch ‘fun’ for our students and staff.”

Click here to watch a video of Anna Reynolds, Allen ISD District Chef.