Week of February 4

Celebrate Excellence 

FFA competition is under way.  The kids
competed at the Ft. Worth heifer show.
Skylar Dawson won 4th with her Red Angus

Campuses will begin benchmark testing this month for tested areas that take the STAAR in April.  On these tests, students will be assessed on all skills in their grade level.  The purpose of these benchmarks is critical in determining what instruction students will need over the next 6 weeks and what interventions students will need to be fully prepared to reach their +10 goals.  As shared in last week's post, a +10 goal is achieved when a student increases 10 points from their performance on last year's STAAR test.  Please join us in encouraging your students to give their absolute best on every test they take this spring.

Texas Legislature Information
The Texas Legislature convenes every 2 years, and the legislature is currently in session. I will be sharing information on items that will impact Carthage ISD as it becomes available.  There are two priorities that I will be advocating for with our representatives.

1. The first priority that is very important to Carthage ISD is increasing state funding by reducing the amount of recapture that is sent back to Austin each year.



The 100th Day of school has come and gone.
Thank you Primary for sharing pictures of the fun day.

2. The second priority is to reduce the amount of high stakes state testing (STAAR) placed on Texas public schools and place an emphasis on meaningful accountability.

If you would like to contact our state representatives and senators, please CLICK HERE to get their email, mailing address, or phone contact information.

Upcoming Events

• Fri, Feb 1 - BB at Jasper

  

  The CHS Boys Golf Team started out their
  year by winning 1st place at their first
  invitational tournament.

• Fri, Feb 1 - Lions Club Show at 7:30 p.m. at PAC
• Sat, Feb 2 - UIL Academics at Livingston
• Mon, Feb 4 - Softball vs Gladewater
• Tue, Feb 5 - HS BB vs Huntington
• Tue, Feb 5 - Baseball vs Calvary Baptist
• Tue, Feb 5 - HS Soccer at Waskom
• Tue, Feb 5 - Spring Pictures
• Thu, Feb 7 - JH Girls BB vs Huntington
• Thu, Feb 7 - JH Boys BB at Huntington
• Thu, Feb 7 - Powerlifting at Hallsville
• Thu, Feb 7 - JV Soccer at Tatum
• Fri, Feb 8 - Career Day at Libby Elementary
• Fri, Feb 8 - Band UIL Solo & Ensemble at SFA
• Fri, Feb 8 - Softball at Diboll
• Fri, Feb 8 - F Baseball at Henderson
• Sat, Feb 9 - Band UIL Solo & Ensemble at SFA
• Sat, Feb 9 - UIL Academics at Fairfield
• Sat, Feb 9 - Baseball Alumni Game
• Mon, Feb 11 - Board Meeting at 6:30
• Fri, Feb 15 - Staff Development Day (STUDENT HOLIDAY)

Click Links below to each School Calendar

Carthage HS Calendar
Carthage JH Calendar
Baker-Koonce Calendar
Libby Elementary Calendar
Carthage Primary Calendar

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please leave a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 903-693-3806.

Week of January 28

Celebrate Excellence - CHS Cheer
This past week, the Carthage High School cheerleaders participated at the state UIL competition.  Our girls made it to finals and finished 13th overall in their division.  We are very proud of the CHS cheerleaders and their sponsor, Tina Marion for their hard work.

CHS Cheerleaders did a great job at UIL State last week.

In the Board Meeting
At the January board meeting, the Board of Trustees were honored for their tireless service to the Carthage Independent School District.  Additionally, the board recognized the members of the Texas All State Choir and Band.  The following items were approved:

• Consent Agenda as presented,
• The 2017-2018 financial audit,
• The school board election and considering the joint election with the City of Carthage
• Approve Education Department's General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) 
• Change Date of February Board Meeting to February 11.
• Report on Federal Report Card 
• Proposal to Purchase Two School Vehicles 
• Consider Approval of Transportation Routing and Monitoring System

The next board meeting will be Monday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the CISD Central Administration Building

CISD Board of Trustees were recognized for their hard work at the January
board meeting.  From left to right:  Elzie Hicks, Truman Shirey, Ken Andrus
(vice-president), John Wink (superintendent), Mary Ella Sherman (secretary),
Dr. Ben Donald (president), Frank Willis, and Paul Beatty.

Upcoming Events

• Mon, Jan 28 - Boys Golf at Wood Hollow

  

  The Bulldog Basketball team is in 1st place
  in district, and the Lady Bulldogs are tied
  for 2nd.  Come out Tuesday night to support
  them against Center.

• Mon, Jan 28 - Softball vs Grapeland / White Oak
• Mon, Jan 28 - Girls & Boys Soccer vs New Summerfield
• Tue, Jan 29 - BB vs Center
• Wed, Jan 30 - UIL CX Debate at SFA
• Thu, Jan 31 - Powerlifting at Atlanta
• Thu, Jan 31 - JH BB vs Jasper
• Fri, Feb 1 - BB at Jasper
• Fri, Feb 1 - Lions Club Show at 7:30 p.m. at PAC
• Sat, Feb 2 - UIL Academics at Livingston

Click Links below to each School Calendar
Carthage HS Calendar
Carthage JH Calendar
Baker-Koonce Calendar
Libby Elementary Calendar
Carthage Primary Calendar

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please leave a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 903-693-3806.

Week of January 21

Celebrate Excellence
In last week's post, I shared my beliefs about education, academics and extracurriculars.  This week, I would like to celebrate excellent students who excel in extracurricular activities, particularly band and choir.  This past week, Nathan Strauss (Bass) and Perla Santana (Soprano) earned positions into the Texas All State Choir.   Also we are super excited that Drew Jackson and Caleb Kruebbe earned positions into the Texas All State Band.  These accolades are a testament to the tremendous work and commitment of our students and the outstanding work and leadership of Tommy Corley (CHS Choir Director) and Nicholas Durham (CHS Band Director).  

From left to right: Mr. Durham (CHS Band), Drew Jackson,
Caleb Kruebbe, Mr. Corley (CHS Choir), Perla Santana,
Nathan Strauss, and Mr. Wink (Superintendent).

January is Board Appreciation Month

This month is School Board Appreciation Month across the state of Texas, and Carthage is blessed to have an outstanding board of trustees.  Each month they make decisions that positively impact the 2700+ students of Carthage ISD. 

As volunteers, they do what they do out of love for the staff and students of Carthage ISD, and I sincerely appreciate their tireless commitment to serving this great district.  I would like to invite you to join me in celebrating each member of the board by sending them a kind word of appreciation and encouragement. The CISD Board of Trustees are the following:

• Dr. Ben Donald, President
• Ken Andrus, Vice-President
• Mary Ella Sherman, Secretary
• Paul Beatty
• Elzie Hicks
• Truman Shirey
• Frank Willis

What is Excellence?
Excellence is when you become the best you can be at what you do.  When we are excellent, we are stretching ourselves to attain something we have never reached.  To expand on that point, excellence is not a static point but rather a journey toward continuous improvement.

We must remember that we are always growing, and when it comes to excellence in learning, we must measure our excellence in how much we grow.  To do this, we want to challenge our students to  set +10 goals.  For a student who earned a 50 on last year's STAAR reading test, his +10 Goal would be earning a 60 on this year's test.  For a student who earned a 70 on last year's STAAR math test, he would set a goal to earn an 80 this year.  If a student made a 60 on his test last month, he would set a goal to earn 70 this month.

Of course, we want all of our students to exceed their +10 goals and perform at the highest level possible.  The +10 goal-setting philosophy offers students a specific strategy to eventually get to the top over time.  This week, I challenge you to visit with your child about +10 goals.


Follow us on Facebook & Twitter
The district has started new Facebook and Twitter pages.  You can like our Facebook page at Carthage ISD, or you can follow us on Twitter at @CarthageISD.  Stay tuned to the excellence happening in Carthage ISD each and every day.



Upcoming Events

Students in Mrs. Glass’ class did a great job
learning about context clues.

• Mon, Jan 21 - School Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
• Tue, Jan 22 - School Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
• Tue, Jan 22 - Girls/Boys Soccer vs Tenaha
• Thu, 1/24 - JH Boys BB at Center
• Thu, 1/24 - JH Girls BB vs Center
• Thu, 1/24 - Sat, 1/26 - Girls Soccer vs Price Carlisle
• Thu, 1/24 - Mon, 1/28 - FFA at Ft. Worth Heifer Show & Rodeo
• Thu, 1/24 - Sat, 1/26 - JV Boys Soccer @ Tatum Tournament
• Fri, Jan 25 - BB at Hudson
• Sat, Jan 26 - Softball Scrimmage vs Elysian Fields

Click Links below to each School Calendar
Carthage HS Calendar
Carthage JH Calendar
Baker-Koonce Calendar
Libby Elementary Calendar
Carthage Primary Calendar

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please leave a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent or call 903-693-3806.

Week of January 14

Celebrate Excellence
Hello and welcome to the Quest for Excellence blog, the official blog of John Wink, Superintendent of Schools for Carthage Independent School District.  I would like to take this opportunity to let you know how excited I am to be a part of the community.  Additionally, my wife and girls are proud to be a part of the community.

During my first week on the job, I have received such a warm welcome from staff, students, and members of the community, and I am extremely grateful for that.  I have met with several district and community leaders and will use information from my conversations to work with campus and district leaders to develop a plan of action for the 2019-2020 school year.   It is important to know that the best plans of action are developed with input and leadership from many people.  With that said, please stay tuned for more information through this blog.

I Believe...
An interesting question has been posed to me routinely about what I believe about the importance of academics versus extracurriculars.  Before I tell you my beliefs, it is important that you know that I graduated with a scholarship in choir, and it was because of choir that I am here today.  With that said, I believe we should always ask ourselves this question.  What's best for all kids?  The answer to this questions is this.  High performance in academics and high performance in extracurriculars are what is best for all kids.  Furthermore, I believe that Carthage ISD exists to give all students the best academic and extracurricular experience all in an effort to prepare every student to be productive members of society and successful in their college and career pathway of choice.

You're Invited...
I would like to invite you to a reception on Wednesday, January 16 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. at the Performance Arts Center.

Upcoming Events

• Mon, 1/14 - JH Boys BB vs Hudson
• Tue, 1/15 - HS BB vs Jasper HOME
• Thu, 1/17 - Boys Soccer at Hudson Tournament
• Thu, 1/17 - Girls Soccer at Marshall Tournament
• Thu, 1/17 - JH Boys BB at Marshall Tournament
• Thu, 1/17 - JH BB at Hudson
• Fri, 1/18 - HS BB at Huntington
• Sat, 1/19 - Band at ATSSB Clinic Concert in Chapel Hill
• Sat, 1/19 - UIL Academics at Palestine
• Mon, 1/21 - School Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
• Tue, 1/22 - School Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Click Links below to each School Calendar
Carthage HS Calendar
Carthage JH Calendar
Baker-Koonce Calendar
Libby Elementary Calendar
Carthage Primary Calendar

Your Input Matters
If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please leave a comment below. Comments are not published immediately. Please do not leave negative comments about individual people. If you have a negative comment, please email the principal, superintendent or call 903-693-3806.