On September 11, the Klein ISD will join other school districts in the annual Houston area Expectation Graduation’s Reach Out to Dropouts Walk. The purpose of the walk is to encourage students who did not return to school this fall to complete requirements for graduation to enroll in a KISD special program for dropouts.

Callie Duty, a Klein High School tenth grade student, will be one of the featured clothing designers at the inaugural Houston Fashion Week Event. She was one of hundreds of applicants seeking to show their talents during the week of October 11-15. Designers range in age from 15 – 54 with Callie being the youngest.

The Klein ISD appointed Jenny McGown as the principal of Ehrhardt Elementary School. She served previously as a teacher and assistant principal at Klein Collins High School and as an assistant principal at Benignus and Brill elementary schools.

McGown graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University and earned a master’s degree from Sam Houston State University. During college, she served as a volunteer teacher in Uzbekistan.

On the first day of school, Klein ISD central office personnel typically volunteer at district schools, assisting parents and children. This year, the Klein budget director Ms. Beth Rosler chose to volunteer at Kaiser where her daughter Katy Rosler was beginning her teaching career. From a mom’s perspective, the day was a time to remember when Katy was in elementary school and a time to feel very proud of her daughter’s becoming a teacher.

Samsung awarded the Environmental Club of Krimmel Intermediate School in the Klein ISD $1,000 in its Samsung March to a Million Initiative. The funds will allow the club to create a school garden that can become a hands-on opportunity for enriching the curriculum of science, art, and social studies classes.

Students collected over 300 cell phones on Earth Day last spring for the Samsung contest. The company will reuse materials from the phones and recycle the other items in a responsible manner.

KFHS Welcome Freshmen

Klein Forest High School freshmen participated in an orientation day on August 20. Students followed a shortened class schedule to learn the basics for high school success that included time management, class rank, participation in school activities, and understanding the student handbook.

On August 21, a group of 42 Eiland Elementary School staff members led by principal Mr. Greg Jones held a Pride Ride through the school’s attendance zone to celebrate pride in the boys and girls who attend Eiland. As the caravan of cars and trucks moved through the neighborhoods, families came out to watch with some joining the parade. After the parade, families met at the school for snow-cones and popcorn.

The Klein Education Foundation awarded surprise grants to schools during the district’s convocation. Superintendent Dr. Jim Cain drew the names of the winning schools: Klein Forest High School ($3,000); Doerre and Kleb intermediate schools ($2,000 per school); and Lemm, Roth, and Klenk elementary schools ($1,000 per school). Schools will use the funds to increase student success through digital learning.

KISD Groups to TMEA

The Elementary Division of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) selected two groups from Klein ISD to perform at their annual convention in San Antonio. The Benignus Elementary Chorale under the direction of Ms. Pam Raddin and the Schultz Shining Star Orffestra under the direction of Ms. Jane Lamb will perform at the convention in February. Judges selected the Klein ISD ensembles from recordings submitted from across the state.

On September 1, representatives of the Woodforest Charitable Foundation and the Houston Food Bank visited Nitsch Elementary School in support of the Backpack Buddy Club. This club is a program of the Houston Food Bank. It provides food on Fridays that children at Nitsch and 230 other schools in the Houston area take home for weekend nourishment. Food is distributed at Nitsch with parental approval in a discreet manner to avoid inviting unwanted attention.

Brian Green, president of the Houston Food Bank, accepted a big check for $30,000 from the Woodforest Charitable Foundation. He noted, “We are very appreciative of Woodforest Foundation’s support of the Houston Food Bank that makes possible the Backpack Buddy Club. We are also proud of our partnership with Nitsch Elementary School.”

Jim Parsons won an Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory. Even before winning the Emmy, Parsons described the role of Sheldon as “the most important thing that’s ever happened to me.”

His sister, Julie Pruski explained the family’s response to the Emmy. “We are just so excited! When the show started, we explained to my four year old that there were other actors who might win instead of Uncle Jim, and his response was always, ‘But Uncle Jim is the one who should win!’ I really couldn't argue with his sentiments. Jim is so deserving of this award! He has worked so hard and stayed so true to himself and to his dreams. We couldn't be any more proud!”

Klein Students Attend Leadership Academy

Emani Johnson of Klein Intermediate School and Janna Pham of Doerre Intermediate School participated in the 2010 Lone Star Leadership Academy in Austin. They were among 983 Texas middle school students selected for the conferences held in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston/Galveston.

Back when Klein High School played its games on a field located behind the current KISD administration building, cheerleaders were an important part of Friday night football when the Bearkats played schools such as Magnolia, Willis, Crosby, Tomball, and Barbers Hill

Because of the small size of the Klein community in the 60s, “everybody” was there. Ms. Kay Kaiser Theiss recalls that going to the games was the weekend social life for families. People went to the games because they knew everyone on the team. She recalls pep rallies planned by the cheerleaders as a “big-to-do.”

On September 11, the Klein ISD will join other school districts in the annual Houston area Expectation Graduation’s Reach Out to Dropouts Walk. The goal of the walk is to increase graduation rates at our high schools.

Community volunteers and district employees will visit homes of students who have not reenrolled this school year. They will offer encouragement and provide resources needed to complete high school.

On August 30, parents in the Klein ISD will be given the opportunity to subscribe to the Parent Connection, an online parent portal. Parents will be able to see their child’s assignments, grades, and attendance anytime, anywhere. The Parent Connection was implemented during the 2009-2010 school year and met with great success.

For the 2009-2010 school year, the finance department of the Klein ISD earned two important awards, one from the Government Finance Offices Association (GFOA) and one from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO).

The GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation award recognizes governmental budgets that have met nationally recognized guidelines. Ms. Beth Rosler, Klein budget director, accepted the award for the district. This year’s award is the fourth consecutive GFOA earned by the Klein district.