Welcome Back Newsletter 2023-2024
TODAY IS A GREAT DAY TO BE A BULLDOG!
Greetings, La Porte ISD Family!
We are excited that you have chosen to be a part of the amazing things happening in our district! As we gear up for the 2023-2024 school year, I want to share with you all the planning and preparations we have been doing this summer to ensure a successful and rewarding experience for all teachers and staff.
First and foremost, the health and safety of our students and staff remain our top priority. We have continuously worked to provide a safe and secure environment through a variety of means. Thanks to the passage of Bond 2023, we are able to install a districtwide silent panic alarm system, security resistant entry film and perimeter fencing, among other enhancements. Rest assured, we are committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for everyone in our schools.
In addition to safety measures, we have been investing in professional development opportunities to support your growth and enhance your teaching skills. Our summer training sessions are focused on topics such as differentiation, technology integration, culturally responsive teaching, and social-emotional learning. These sessions will equip you with valuable tools and strategies to engage and empower your students. We have also been actively collaborating with our community partners to expand resources and opportunities. Through these partnerships, we are excited to offer new enrichment programs, mentorship initiatives, and access to external expertise.
To foster a positive and inclusive culture, we have additionally prioritized building strong relationships within our school community. We have organized team-building activities and networking events where you can connect with fellow educators, administrators, and support staff. As you prepare to step into your classrooms, I want you to know that you are not alone. Our district has a robust support system in place, including instructional coaches, mentorship programs, and peer collaboration platforms. I strongly encourage you to leverage these resources and lean on the expertise of your colleagues as you navigate your first year with us.
Lastly, I want to express my appreciation for your dedication and passion in shaping the lives of our students. Together, we will create an inspiring and transformative educational journey for every child in La Porte ISD. Your commitment and contributions will make a lasting impact on the lives of our students and the community.
We look forward to welcoming you in August and embarking on this exciting journey together. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our administrative team. We are here to support you every step of the way.
The Board of Trustees and I want to thank you for choosing La Porte ISD. Let's make this upcoming school year the best one yet!
Dr. Walter Jackson, Superintendent of Schools
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP OFFICE
Executive Director of School Leadership - Elementary
Dr. Alicia Upchurch
281-604-7027 upchurcha@lpisd.org
Executive Director of School Leadership - Secondary
Paula Jackson
281-604-7030 jacksonp@lpisd.org
Secretary to Executive Directors
Maria Panalez
281-604-7030 panalezm@lpisd.org
ELEMENTARY CAMPUSES
Bayshore Elementary School
Principal: Lisa Basile
Assistant Principal: Tami King
Counselor: Cindy Martin
College Park Elementary School
Principal: Camilla Whitlock
Assistant Principal: Eva Galvan
Counselor: Joshua Rutherford
Heritage Elementary School
Principal: Linda Hyde
Assistant Principal: Jennifer Barker
Counselor: Hilary McLellan
La Porte Elementary School
Principal: Karen Lawley
Assistant Principal: Kendra Persohn
Counselor: Diana Horelka
Lomax Elementary School
Principal: Tracy Greenwood
Assistant Principal: Alisha Peralez
Counselor: Tina Holloway
Jennie Reid Elementary School
Principal: Diane Weeden
Assistant Principal: Stephanie Davis
Counselor: Danielle Knight
Leo A. Rizzuto Elementary School
Principal: Maria Guerra
Assistant Principal: Mary Garza
Counselor: Melissa Mansfield
School Leadership
As we gear up for a successful return, we want to introduce you to the School Leadership Office and the amazing campus administrators who will be leading our AWESOME campuses!
Our dedicated administrators bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and a passion for fostering a positive and inclusive school culture. They are committed to supporting our teachers, staff, and students in reaching their full potential.
The School Leadership Office is focused on providing visionary leadership, strategic direction, and resources to ensure each campus thrives academically, socially, and emotionally. We are here to support our administrators in their roles as instructional leaders, ensuring a rich and engaging learning environment for all.
Throughout the year, our School Leadership Office will collaborate closely with campus administrators to foster professional growth, implement district initiatives, and ensure alignment with our district's vision and goals.
We are excited to work with our exceptional administrators and all of you as we embark on this journey together. Their leadership, combined with your dedication and expertise, will undoubtedly make this school year a remarkable one for our students.
Together, let's create an environment where students thrive, teachers excel, and staff members flourish.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to our School Leadership Office. We are here to support you and ensure your success.
SECONDARY CAMPUSES
James H. Baker 6th Grade Campus
Principal: Lucio Rodriguez
Assistant Principal: Jaime Arizpe
Assistant Principal: Jessica Rose
Counselor: Elacea Rodriguez
La Porte Junior High
Principal: Rachel Spector-McAdam
Associate Principal: Jennifer Engels
Assistant Principal: Tremayne Wickliffe
Counselor: Danyale Antley
Lomax Junior High
Principal: Dr. Kade Griffin
Associate Principal: Stephany Brown
Assistant Principal: Justin Myers
Counselor: Jill Howells
La Porte High School
Principal: Carlin Grammer
Associate Principal: Hannah Brooks
Assistant Principal: Stacy Joseph
Assistant Principal: Britta Carter
Assistant Principal: Nekeba George
Assistant Principal: Monica Martinez
Lead Counselor: Robin Galvan
Counselor: Jennifer Cummings
Counselor: Ester Norton
Counselor: LaGreta Arrington
Counselor: Brenda Sadler
Counselor: Carla Vaughn
The Academy of Viola DeWalt HS
Principal: Jesse Loudermilk
Counselor: April Hawthorne
LPISD DAEP
Administrator: Curtis Daugherty
The Academics Division is excited to welcome you back to La Porte ISD in August, and we want to share some of the great things we have been preparing for from our dedicated team.
We have been hard at work developing an extensive professional development program designed to empower you with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in your roles. From innovative instructional strategies to cutting-edge technology integration, our training sessions will provide you with the skills to create engaging and impactful learning experiences for our students. We believe that investing in your professional growth translates into enhanced student outcomes.
If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to our division. We are here to support you every step of the way.
We eagerly await your return in August, and we cannot wait to embark on this exciting journey together. Get ready for a remarkable year!
Dr. Brown Deputy Superintendent- Academics
Academics
INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES
Meet the Instructional Coaching Team! We are welcoming three new members to our team: Kristin Wheeler, Elementary Math, comes to us from Pasadena ISD where she served as teacher and campus interventionist and coach before joining LPISD. Our new coach for Elementary ELAR is Haley Stone, who also joins us from Pasadena ISD where served as a campus interventionist and aspiring leader. Both Kristin and Haley have children in our district and look forward to serving our teachers and students! New to secondary is Brenna Gilbertson, who will serve as a secondary science coach. She comes to La Porte from Dickinson ISD where served as a long-time science teacher-leader. She is excited to bring her experience to support our teachers and students!
ACADEMICS PARTNERING WITH LEAD4WARD IN 2023!
The Academics Team has been working hard to provide great professional learning opportunities for all teachers and staff. Our focus for 2023 is “nothing new!” Rather, we aim to build on the foundation of great teaching in every classroom to continue to move our students to mastery levels in all subjects and grades. We are excited to be partnering with Lead4ward’s Justin Richardson to refine our practice with planning for engaging learning, delivering high-quality instruction, and leading intentional intervention. This learning and leadership will continue the work of our instructional team with high-yield instruction and will be shared across the entire district by campus leaders.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
The Academics Team has a wide range of professional learning events being offered this summer and during the school year. All events are posted in Eduphoria for staff to explore and register. Included in the offerings are GT courses provided through a partnership with the Houston Area Cooperative for the Gifted. These sessions are free to all LPISD staff and count toward requirements for teaching gifted students.
In addition, we are excited to be brining Seidlitz to La Porte to support the teaching and learning of our Emergent Bilingual and English Language Learners. We will be hosting 7 Steps to a Language Rich Interactive Classroom training on Thursday, July 20, 2023, from 8:30 – 3:30 in the SPC Gym. Please join us for a great day of learning! This will count for an Exchange Day with principal approval. Registration is available through Eduphoria.
Business Office
Back to School Events!
Check out our upcoming events for teachers and staff!
Welcome back from the Business Office! We hope you have enjoyed your summer break and are excited to start the new school year with you. The goal of the Business Office is to provide the highest level of support and service to District Employees. Please contact our department if you have any questions or suggestions on how we can better assist you.
Benefits Open Enrollment is open from July 10th – August 17th. This is a mandatory enrollment for all employees. The benefits booklet is available on the district website as well as HERE. You can make an appointment for enrollment assistance at https://laporteisd.timetap.com/.
This upcoming school year parents will have the ability to pay for all fees at www.myschoolbucks.com. This is the same website parents use to add funds to their student’s meal account. Our goal is to eliminate cash handling at the campus level and allow Teachers and Office Staff to focus on the students and make school payments easier for parents.
Please remember to turn in approved Absence from Duty forms to the Payroll Department within a week of your leave. This is particularly important as your leave balances need to be updated in a timely manner so that they are accurate in the Employee Access Center as well as to ensure you will not overuse your leave and be docked time. We are working on a project that will automate leave requests so that it will no longer be a manual, paper driven process. Our goal is to roll-out the new leave request process in the next few months.
The Employee Access Center is located HERE. On this site, you can review your payroll checks, salary amount, W2 tax forms and your leave balances. This is an informative site that is available for all employees. Please contact Human Resources if you have a question about your salary and Payroll with any questions about your paychecks or leave balances.
Welcome from Technology Services!
La Porte ISD Technology Services is a multi-faceted department of Systems Administrators, Instructional Technology, and Technicians committed to innovative technology solutions. Our strong focus on high-quality services, school safety, authentic resources and tools, thoughtful and purposeful professional learning, and strong library programming allows us to most effectively serve the LPISD community.
We are excited to share the new Classroom Baseline, designed to facilitate a creative and collaborative learning environment. All teachers will receive a new touchscreen laptop with flexibility to fold into a tablet accompanied by a pen and backpack. Classrooms are customized with a laser projector, desktop docking station, 27” monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse, document camera, webcam, and sound augmentation system. With the Untethered Classroom Standard, teachers have the opportunity to leverage technology to connect, share, and enhance learning opportunities.
The Libraries are dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming space that grows a love for reading and supports district goals. We are excited about the overwhelming community participation in the first Summer Reading Challenge. Our vision is to inspire and grow a community of passionate, life-long readers.
We are looking forward to seeing you in the 2023-2024 school year!
Follow us on twitter @lpisd_itc; @LPISDLibraries
Safety
The district continues to put safety as the number one priority in LPISD. This year you will see the enhanced security measures from perimeter fencing, cameras, to updated control access.
Over the summer each campuses had security resistant film installed at each entry point. Additionally, every phone is the district now has silent panic capability. Staff members can initiate a response with a click of a button. This system is connected directly to our school resources officers and the local police department.
Finally, the district will have an SRO on each campus this Fall. We are excited to continue to create a safe environment for our LP family.
Technology
Human Resources
Welcome back from the HR team!
We are excited to share all the great things we have been working on to support our campuses, departments, and all our employees.
We have been hard at work supporting our teams to recruit and hire the best and brightest new teachers and staff members. We have attended numerous career fairs locally, around Texas and even out of state to recruit excellent teachers. We also hosted a summer job fair here in La Porte with almost 100 attendees. We are so proud of our principals and department leaders for their diligent hiring efforts. We are excited to welcome our new teachers and staff to Bulldog Nation!
In July, our HR Team hosted several T-TESS sessions for new teachers, freeing up their sessions for choice during LP University. We also hosted interns. Our subs and interns can be ready to start at the beginning of the school year.
We are working diligently to prepare for New Staff Orientation on August 1st and 2nd. We also look forward to working with our campus paraprofessionals for our second annual professional learning session on August 2nd. Additionally, the HR team will host three LP University sessions: Aspiring Leadership Academy - Informal Session, HR Secretary Training, and T-TESS for New Teachers.
We are excited to welcome everyone back in August! We are eager to Build a Legacy together in La Porte ISD. Please contact our team if we can assist you in any way.
Meet Our Team!
Our HR Team is dedicated to meeting the hiring, on-boarding and training needs of our campuses and departments. Our goal is to recruit and hire excellent staff for all positions throughout the district. We understand just how important our human capital is to meeting campus and district goals. We are proud to say that every member of our HR Team has campus administrative or secretarial experience. This perspective helps us understand the importance of hiring great staff for every position in LPISD. We understand that everyone plays a vital role in educating our children in La Porte ISD. We are passionate and committed to ensuring the vision of hiring the best for every position is achieved.
We are here to support all employees, campuses and departments in their efforts to recruit, retain and train our staff to achieve our district goals and initiatives. We work closely with the School Leadership Office, campus principals and department heads to provide meaningful professional learning, policy updates,and opportunities for collaboration around leadership development based on the LP Leads Leadership Definition. We believe everyone in our organization is or can be a leader!
We are excited to work with our campuses and teams and are here to serve. Together, we will Build a Legacy in La Porte ISD this school year. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our HR Team. We are here to serve our employees and the LPISD community.
Follow us on LPISD_HR
Welcome to the start of the 2023-2024 school year and another exciting year of Bulldog Athletics!
The new practice facility located behind La Porte Junior High is almost complete. This facility will host LPHS football and soccer activities and will be the new home for shot put and discus for our Track and Field programs. Highlights of the facility include a regulation sized soccer field, temperature reducing turf infill, and lights.
The demolition phase of Bulldog Stadium has begun. Once complete, construction will begin on the new Bulldog Stadium scheduled to open the Fall of 2024.
Athletics
La Porte Strength and Conditioning wrapped up its most successful summer strength and conditioning camp to date.
In all, almost 400 athletes participated across all sports. We saw a 34% increase in participation in our overhead/ rotational sport athletes in session 2, and consistently outstanding participation from our football athletes in session 1.
Winning programs are built in the offseason and the athletes of La Porte ISD laid the cornerstone of what will be an exciting and successful athletic year. A big THANKS goes out to our dedicated coaches and athletes!
School Nutrition
On behalf of your campus cafés, the School Nutrition team wants to welcome you back from a well-deserved break. We are excited, privileged, and proud to serve the wonderful students and staff of this amazing school district. This year we will continue to focus on offering meals that are as tasty as they are innovative. We are also strengthening our commitment to serving Texas-grown foods by investing in hydroponic equipment! With this, students will have access to nutritious produce as well as a brand-new learning opportunity. With that in mind, please know that your nutrition team is available for classroom lessons on a variety of topics. Our administration team has experience in nutrition, exercise, business, biochemistry, and many other subjects that may interest your students.
Student meal prices remain the same as last year (and the year before, and the year before...) despite the many marketplace hurdles we face. That’s all thanks to the dedication and efficiency of the hard-working professionals in each campus café. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there’s anything they or the central nutrition office can assist with. It is a pleasure to serve each and every
Visual & Performing Arts
Cheryl Sloan, Coordinator of Training
Contact for kitchen tours and outreach
Katherine Yarbrough, Coordinator
Contact for menus, special diets, and catering
Ralph Wilkins, Director
Contact for all other needs and questions
Welcome back to another fantastic school year from the amazing La Porte Visual and Performing Arts Staff! Our department includes all Secondary Band, Choir, Orchestra, Dance/Drill team, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Elementary Music programs!
All our programs participate in UIL activities, and we look forward to seeing all of you at any of the concerts, productions, recitals, shows and exhibits that are on your campuses and at different venues.
Please check the district website as all performances and events will have times and locations posted throughout the school year!
Come out and support your students as they show their unbelievable talents!
Can’t wait to see you!
Go Bulldogs! Follow us on Twitter @lpisdFA
Happy Back to School from the Special Programs Department!
We want to introduce some familiar and some new staff members of our team that are here to support teachers in the classroom to meet the unique needs of all students. These ladies will be providing group professional learning as well as individual classroom modeling for all LPISD campuses. Please contact them if you need any assistance with special education instruction or behavior.
Special Programs
Melony Hoyt- Autism/ SAIL hoytm@lpisd.org
Kizzy Jones- Behavior/BSP joneskiz@lpisd.org
Jennifer Lopez- Transition/Bulldog Bridge lopezjen@lpisd.org
Penelope Velasco- Autism/FOCUS velascop@lpisd.org
Ruth Rosas-Resource/Inclusion rosasr@lpisd.org
Social Emotional Learning & Student Wellness
Welcome back! As the new school year begins, we want to extend a heartfelt greeting to each one of you. We hope you had a restful and rejuvenating break, and we are excited to have you back with us.
As you prepare for back to school, we know entering a new school year can be stressful and daunting. Your well-being matters and we encourage you to practice self-care techniques to help transition from summer to back-to- school.
Taking care of yourself cannot be stressed enough. Remember, self-care is not selfish. Try and make self-care and wellness practice part of your routine.
Ideas to focus on wellness:
Meditation
Reading listening to music watching a movie exercising
Together, we can continue to foster a safe and supportive school community where everyone thrives. We are looking forward to an incredible year filled with growth, learning, and endless possibilities.
Janci Alfaro SEL Coordinator LPISD
Bond 2023
Things are starting to move fast it relates to the passing of the 2023 Bond. When staff and students return, they will be greeted with a brand-new laptop that will go nicely with the new technology standard in the classrooms.
Bulldog stadium and LP development center are also underway with demolition wrapping up in the fall to be proceeded with construction. Campus enhancements and upgrades will also begin starting the Fall of 2023.
See you all on August 3rd!
