Cougar Community Newsletter

Hello Cougars!

The Jarrell ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Feb. 3 to call for a $113,370,000 million bond election to be held on May 1.

Here are some key facts to know about the bond:

• Jarrell ISD currently has 2,314 students and within 5 years, the district is predicted to enroll 4,500 students. Within 10 years, our student population is expected to reach 6,800 students.

• This bond has two propositions. Proposition A ($111,625,000) addresses a new elementary school and district-wide improvements. Proposition B ($1,745,000) addresses stadium improvements and expansion.

• If approved by voters, this bond will not increase the school district tax rate. A new state law requires the ballots for all school bond elections to include a sentence that states “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.” The sentence is required even if no actual tax rate increase will occur. The Jarrell ISD debt service tax rate, by law, can’t be increased beyond the existing $0.50 rate.

Upcoming Bond Presentations

• Thursday, April 1 at 6 p.m. at the Admin Annex (former Jarrell Intermediate Cafeteria) at 508 N. 5th Street, Jarrell, TX 76537. Masks will be required.
  

• Tuesday, April 13 at 6 p.m. hosted virtually here

• Tuesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. hosted virtually here

• Or view a previously-recorded Bond presentation (English and Spanish)

Thank you,

Toni Hicks

In this Staff Spotlight - we are learning about Ginger Martinez who serves as a bus driver for Jarrell ISD. Ginger loves her job and the students she serves and it shows!

Jarrell High School Theatre won FIRST PLACE at the bi-district competition for their performance of "And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson" and received three first-place votes! Congratulations to Best Performer - Heather Padilla (as Beth Willow); All-Star Cast - Rebekah Fullmer (as Elizabeth Willow); Honorable Mention All-Star Cast - Leo Chavez (as Skeeter); Outstanding Technician (as Grace Brinkmeyer).

They now advance to Regionals April 14 in Humble!

Congratulations and break a leg!

Above: Jarrell ISD thanks our partners at the Assistance League of the Georgetown Area for providing Walmart vouchers. The March shopping trip was a huge success!

Jarrell ISD Bilingual/ESL/Testing Coordinator Esmerelda Espericueta teamed with the JISD counseling department to offer a parent and family engagement training at Region XIII. What a great opportunity to share all that is happening which pertains to family engagement in Jarrell ISD!

Jarrell Elementary and Igo Elementary are taking part in a special, communitywide shared reading event. Every child in these two elementary schools will receive a copy of the same book – Wishtree by Katherine Applegate – and our schools will read it together over the next few weeks.

Everyone – students, teachers, even administrative staff – will all be following along together. In school, students will be invited to answer daily trivia questions to encourage and reward

attentive listening. In class, students will explore the book through activities and discussion.

Throughout the next few weeks, everyone will be talking about Wishtree!

Through this program, JISD elementary students of all grade levels will all be listening to the same book. Reading professionals recommend reading material out loud that is beyond a child's own reading level.

We also believe that you can and should continue reading chapter books with your older

children, even when they are able to read by themselves. We have selected a title that can be

followed and understood and enjoyed by younger students, but will still captivate and stimulate older children.

During this time, we would encourage parents to read aloud at home with your children. Reading aloud at home is valuable because it better prepares your child to be an effective reader, and it is also a fun, worthwhile family activity. With this program, we aim to build a Community of Readers at our school. “When a whole school reads a book, there's a lot to talk about.”

With your help, we can build a Community of Readers at our school.

Jarrell White 7th grade girls scored 145 points to take 2nd place in the Cougar Relays earlier this week. For 8th grade Jarrell White came in 3rd place with 95 points scored.

Special Education Coordinator Heather Dunnam participated in read alouds at Igo Elementary as part of the school's No Place for Hate efforts. In this activity, Igo ES students are encouraged to be a buddy rather than a bully!

The AMAZING Nurse Charli Gick, who serves at Jarrell High School, was featured in the latest issue of My Jarrell magazine. Nurse Gick was highlighted for her work with The Locker program.

Jarrell High School also recognized Nurse Gick as the staff member of the month in January!

Thank you for all you do to support students, Nurse Gick! And thank you, My Jarrell magazine, for showcasing our staff!

Got celebrations to share? Send them to communications@jarrellisd.org. Thank you!

If you are a parent/guardian or staff member of Jarrell ISD and you wish to opt-in to receive emergency text messages from Jarrell ISD, please send "Y" to 67587.

To sign up to receive emergency alerts (reverse 9-1-1) regarding situations such as wildfires, storms, hazardous materials, etc., in the community sign up through warncentraltexas.org.

Hey Cougars! Have you completed your application for free- or reduced-price meals? It's not too late. Click here to complete the application: schoolcafe.com

Important information gathered through this form can impact:

• College Application Fees for students
• AP, SAT & ACT fees for students
• Accountability
• Title I Funding
• College, Career, and Military Readiness Funding

Watch this video to learn more about this important form.

Learn more about the district's Dual Language Program in this video (English) or video (Spanish). Interested parents, please sign up your student for language testing using this form.

• April 1 - Last Day to Register to Vote for May Election
• April 1 - Student Holiday/Staff In-Service Day
• April 2 - Student and Staff Holiday
• April 19-27 Early Voting (No Sunday Voting)
• May 1 - Election Day

Jarrell ISD is located in northern Williamson County. The mascot is The Cougars. It has four campuses: Jarrell High School, Jarrell Middle School, Igo Elementary School and Jarrell Elementary. The district is home to more than 2,300 students. Enrollment is projected to double in the next 10 years.

Email: communications@jarrellisd.org
Website: www.jarrellisd.org
Location: 108 East Avenue F, Jarrell, TX, USA
Phone: 512-746-2124
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JarrellIndependentSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @Jarrell_ISD

We are proud to showcase excellent students and staff. To see more, follow us on Twitter @hicksJISD ; @Jarrell_ISD; @JES_cougars; @IEScougars; @jarrell_ms; and @JarrellHS.