Communities In Schools of North Texas Now Serving GIS and GJH

In the Fall of 2021, GISD added new support services for our students at the Intermediate campus. GISD listened to the needs of our families and contracted with Communities

In Schools of North Texas to bring a full-time employee into the school. The district felt the impact that CIS made at GIS last year, and opted to expand the services to

Gainesville Junior High this fall.

Communities In Schools of North Texas (CISNT) mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CISNT provides wraparound services during the school day to address students’ physical, social, emotional, and academic needs, ensuring they have the tools to succeed in their education. Services are provided in one-to-one, small group, and school-wide settings.

CISNT provides services on the school campus at Gainesville Intermediate and Gainesville Junior High School. Each CISNT campus has a full-time CIS Site Coordinator who provides ongoing support to a caseload of 80-100 students, as well as support to the whole school population. Yoana Gonzalez is the Site Coordinator at Gainesville Intermediate, and Maria Corona is the Site Coordinator at Gainesville Junior High.

When a student requires additional support, whether it be basic needs resources, goal setting, or mental health support, they can be referred to the CIS program. The Site Coordinator works with the student to determine what services will help them achieve their fullest potential. Some examples of services that Yoana and Maria provide include small groups to improve student’s social skills, self-esteem, or self-regulation; one-to-one supportive guidance; goal setting and academic progress monitoring; connections for families to resources in the community; and parent and family activities on the school campus. CIS also provides school-wide services, including holiday assistance and access to on-campus nutrition hubs.

If you know a student or family who may benefit from the CIS program, or if you would like to donate basic needs items to the program, please contact Yoana Gonzalez for Gainesville Intermediate, ygonzalez@gainesvilleisd.org, or Maria Corona for Gainesville Junior High, mcorona@gainesvilleisd.org. There are also opportunities to engage the community in this work! If you would like to get involved as a volunteer mentor or tutor and help invest in student success, please contact volunteer@cisnt.org.

Communities in Schools of North Texas and Gainesville ISD are working together to ensure that all kids have the resources that they need to thrive in school and life!