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.