Originally delivered on 1/19/2021 10:37 am

SUBJECT: CSA PTA Weekly Eblast

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Week of January 17, 2021
President's Message...

Some deep thoughts:

As our country undergoes a change in Presidential leadership this week, it is my hope that we will all take a minute to remember the words of the documents that were part of our nation’s founding: the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And as we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. day today, a profound quote of his hit home: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  

It is our responsibility as parents, teachers, and PTA members to help make our world a place where our words and actions are kind and respectful. 

Some "not so deep" thoughts:

  • Have you considered being on the Nomination Committee for next year’s PTA Executive Board or considered BEING on the Executive Board?? Submit your name or nominate that friend you know would be awesome at csapta.sbisd@gmail.com.
  • Register for the PTA meeting scheduled for February 11 using the link below. (We changed the date! It’s not this week!)
  • The Birthday Bash committee is meeting this Wednesday, January 20, and we could use your help!
  • Last, but certainly not least, CONGRATULATIONS to Nurse Carolyn Roy - our 2021 CSA PTA School Bell Award winner! We had many very worthy teachers and staff who were nominated this year!

Please join us in FEBRUARY for our first General PTA meeting of 2021.

The new director of Advanced Academic Studies, Tracy Scholz will join us to share about changes coming to Advanced Academic courses starting in 2021-2022.  

Please register for the meeting using the link above.  

CSA PTA School Bell Award

Congratulations are in order for our very deserving Nurse Carolyn Roy! She is this year’s Cornerstone PTA School Bell Award Winner! 

Nurse Roy truly advocates for all children and promotes the purposes of the PTA. In what has been an extremely challenging year, she has gone above and beyond what is required of her. She is diligent about keeping students and staff safe and healthy, and always shows an abundance of care and concern for our school. Nurse Roy will be recognized at the SBISD Founders’ Day banquet as our school’s nominee for the district’s School Bell Award. The district winner will be announced in February. 

We have a stellar staff at Cornerstone and, unsurprisingly, we received nominations for many fabulous teachers and staff. Our CSA PTA School Bell finalists were Bill Burger, Caroline Dougher, Kathleen Grant, and Chae Kim.

PTA Nominating Committee

Yes, it’s only January, but we need to start thinking about the 2021-2022 school year.


 The PTA membership will elect a Nominating Committee (made up of 3 members and one alternate) at our February meeting. This committee is tasked with considering candidates & presenting a slate for the PTA Executive Board to be voted on at our May meeting.  


If you are interested in being on the Nomination Committee, please contact Nicole Miller at CSApta.sbisd@gmail.com.

B-DAY BASH MEETING

Wednesday, January 20, 12:00 pm

 

Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73417291429?pwd=ckNwcmt4L29tc3k4eWNXMXVTVlA5Zz09

 

Meeting ID: 734 1729 1429

Passcode: CSAPTA

 

Let us know you are planning to attend – click here.

DON’T FORGET 

to send your adopted teacher 

a note of encouragement this month!  

After the long break, it’s HARD for them 

to get back into the school routine too!!  

The SBEF GALA has gone VIRTUAL

Looking for a way to contribute to our school district from the comfy confines of your home?  

We hope you enjoy our first virtual event. It will be a creative, fun way to raise funds for SBISD students and teachers. We’re excited for you to take a little bit of disco home!

The fun begins on February 20, 2021. Before settling in for the online portion of the event, guests will visit Ciro’s Italian Grill (9755 Katy Freeway) for a drive-through pickup of a delicious three-course dinner. The pickup will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. A live auction with virtual bidding will begin at 8:00 p.m. and will include exciting items such as a family golf cart and an amazing, destination vacation. Bidding information will be provided to ticket holders closer to the event day.

At each gala, themed baskets donated by SBISD PTAs are our most popular silent auction items. This year, the baskets will be available for online bidding Monday, February 15, through Friday, February 26, 2021. More information regarding this year’s auction baskets will be available on the SBEF website and social media feeds in February.

We’re grateful to the sponsors who have already committed their support to our virtual gala and welcome others to join us for the fun. Learn more about available sponsorships and family dinner packages here or download the attached information. For more information on the Saturday Night Fever Virtual Gala, contact the SBEF office at sbef@springbranchisd.com or 713-251-2381.

The 87th session of the Texas State Legislative session began this past Tuesday. Public education is always on the agenda! 

SBISD recapture dollars are estimated to be $37M this year – in 2019, it was over $84M! This is a direct effect of HB3.

SBISD is also proposing a TAX RATE DECREASE – another direct effect of HB3. The more the state funds public education, the more SBISD tax dollars stay with SBISD. Public school funding is by no means "fixed" with HB3, as it's only funded for 2 years. And we still have a long way to climb to even be in the top half of the nation in funding our public schools.

State funding of our schools is tied to attendance. Overall attendance across the state has decreased because of the pandemic. The State agreed to ignore this decrease for the first 18 weeks of school and fully fund our schools. HOWEVER, they have not extended this "hold harmless" beyond those first 18 weeks. As of right now, the Governor (or the TEA) has not assured ISD's of their full funding for the year (20-21) as funding in Texas is tied to attendance. SBISD could lose more than $2.5M THIS SCHOOL YEAR. Texas public schools must be held harmless in this instance.

Texas PTA made it easy to send a letter to your legislator:

https://www.txpta.org/take-action

SBEF SCHOLARSHIPS - NOW OPEN!

The Spring Branch Education Foundation Scholarship Application is officially open for all SBISD high school seniors graduating in May 2021. The application can be found at the link below. While many scholarships are academic or needs-based, SBEF scholarships are based on each student’s holistic achievements: personal qualities, school and community involvement, family life and academics. SBEF encourages each senior at an SBISD high school to apply. The completed application is due to the SBEF office no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, February 12th. 

For more information, please contact SBEF at (713) 251-2381 or SBEF@springbranchisd.com.