R.Q. Sims Intermediate School

Good evening Blackcats, This announcement is to inform you that MISD will be conducting practice campus evacuation drills tomorrow and Thursday. There has not been an event that has caused us to practice these drills, we are just being proactive in the event something does happen in the future. Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff and these drills are being conducted in the event we ever need to evacuate our campuses for purposes like a weather event (tornado) or some other type of emergency. These practice drills are being conducted in accordance to recommendations from the Texas State School Safety Center. Students will be 100% in the care of their teachers as well as campus and district administrators at all times. For practice purposes students will be transported from their campus on buses to an alternate location such as the football stadium. Students will then immediately be returned to campus so please make sure they wear their coats over the next couple of days as they will be outdoors for a few minutes during these practice drills. Also, you may notice some extra police & fire department vehicles around our campuses. There is no need to be alarmed as they will be assisting us and participating in these practice drills. We are appreciative of their partnership with Mexia ISD.

Please join us for the Inaugural Hispanic Heritage Festival presented by Mexia High School. *See Information below

Mexia ISD would like to thank some of our community partners for helping create fun learning opportunities for our students. Local banks donated the funds to purchase gingerbread houses for each 3rd grader to be able participate in a competition for who can make the most creative one! Big thank you’s to Centex Citizens Credit Union, Farmer’s State Bank, Incommons Bank and Vera Bank for making this opportunity a reality! Also, thank you to HEB for sponsoring the prizes for the students! It’s a great day to be a Blackcat!

🚨MEXIA FOOTBALL VS MALAKOFF🚨 Friday’s varsity football game at Malakoff has been moved to Thursday, October 27th at 7:30pm due to expected bad weather conditions. All Junior High games at Malakoff and Fairfield have been cancelled for tomorrow. The JV game at home has also been cancelled for tomorrow.

See the attached flyer for information about a great event about anti-bullying/pro-kindness hosted by McBay & Sims PTA.

Hello Blackcats, you may have received an incorrect absence notification for your student. We are working on our attendance notification system and it should be running correctly again tomorrow. Please contact your students campus if you have any specific attendance questions. We apologize for this inconvenience.

MISD principals play a vital role in maintaining our schools. Without their dedicated leadership, MISD would not be able to give our students a bright start to their futures. THANK YOU MISD PRINCIPALS!

MISD SHAC (School Health Advisory Committee) Meeting will be October 11, 2022 from 4:30-6:30PM at the Central Administration Building Agenda: https://5il.co/1ix19

Reminder: tomorrow, Monday, September 26th is a Staff Development day for Mexia ISD. No school for Students.

Good evening Blackcats, This Friday night, the Battle of the River returns when the Groesbeck Goats come to Mexia Blackcat field! A large crowd is expected, so here are some details that will help everyone have a great night. • Mexia ISD has multiple safety measures in place, including metal detectors and a clear bag policy (see sample bags below or bag information link): https://s3.amazonaws.com/scschoolfiles/546/blackcat_bag_policy.pdf ) • Gates will open at 5:30 pm; come early to ensure you’re there for all the festivities • Vapes and other forms of tobacco are prohibited • Knives, including pocketknives, are prohibited • No re-entry will be allowed • Tickets may be purchased online beginning at 8:00am Wednesday or with cash at the gate. Buying your ticket ahead of time will speed your entry into the game (ticket link: https://www.mexiaisd.net/o/mexia-independent-school-district/page/online-ticket-sales ) • No mixing of fans (home side is for home fans and visitor side is for visiting fans) • UIL spectator guidelines will be enforced

Mexia ISD will be participating in supporting Uvalde. We would like all students and staff to participate by wearing maroon on Tuesday, September 6th.

Reminder, No School on Monday, September 5th.

MISD Bag Policy for all Events Update

Afternoon parents and guardians of Mexia ISD students. We are asking you to complete this survey, which should take no more than five minutes, to help us identify the needs of our students. MISD has ESSER III funding to support 5 specific areas, from COVID learning loss to other health and safety concerns. Your input helps us to determine where our efforts are best spent. We appreciate your input and value your voice in this process. Thank you for being actively involved in helping Mexia ISD to shine our light on a better opportunity for all students. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HkkmooTkEe3f1tSKvHrAc5Zgs9mgJ2PkDxXeqEdKWcA/edit Buenas tardes padres y tutores de estudiantes de Mexia ISD. Le pedimos que porfavor complete esta encuesta, que no debería tomar más de cinco minutos, para ayudarnos a identificar las necesidades de nuestros estudiantes. Mexia ISD tiene fondos de ESSER III para apoyar 5 áreas específicas desde la pérdida de aprendizaje de COVID hasta otras preocupaciones de salud y seguridad. Su opinión nos ayuda a determinar dónde se gastan mejor nuestros esfuerzos. Agradecemos su aporte y valoramos su voz en este proceso. Gracias por participar activamente en ayudar a Mexia ISD a iluminar una mejor oportunidad para todos los estudiantes. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_oOhoRzUnqEErdU77W7sjMp0A0oB7XuCpJnpmdl26Mk/edit

Good Afternoon Mexia Blackcats, This morning a major water line broke between the JH and HS, which resulted in a 2-hour delayed start. This delay was necessary, because without running water, facilities would not be able to operate and function properly: i.e. bathrooms, hand washing, water fountains, and cafeteria operations shut down. As soon as district staff was notified, we initiated our established communication protocols to immediately notify stakeholders via social media and our integrated messaging system. The system pushed out text notifications to parents, guardians, and staff via their cell phone as well as posting to social media. It was soon discovered that some parents/guardians did not receive the message. It was determined that one of the data files linking the contacts to the messenger system failed to connect. This issue has since been resolved through the vendor. In times of need, we will continue to communicate with all stakeholders through our social media platforms, our district website, and through the use of integrated messaging systems. We will send out a message today at 6:00pm via text, email and phone call to test our communications.. If you do not receive this message in one or more of these ways, please report to your child’s campus tomorrow and they will help you in updating your contact information. Likewise, we encourage you to follow Mexia ISD on our Facebook page and Twitter.

Good morning Blackcats, Mexia ISD is proud to share our accountability rating summary for the 2021-22 school year from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Overall, Mexia ISD received a “B” (85) rating. Specifically, our district scored a “B” in Student Achievement, “A” in School Progress, and “C” in Closing the Gaps (see photo). In comparison to our scores from 2018-19, we can say with certainty that our schools, our students, and our teachers are continuing to grow together! In addition to our academic growth, MISD received an overall distinction in “Postsecondary Readiness.” This distinction is earned as a result of how our graduating seniors are so well prepared for college, career, or military opportunities once they graduate as a Mexia High School student. Specifically, this directly ties back to the dual credit opportunities and the industry-based certifications that our students are able to earn while at MHS. The high school has done so well this year that it, too, has received seven distinctions, and earned an overall “B” (84) rating. Similarly, Mexia Junior High received an overall rating of “C” (79), and although we came in just shy of an overall “B”, MJH still earned seven distinctions on its own. Lastly, R Q Sims Intermediate earned six total distinctions and an overall rating of “C” (71). This significant growth at Sims Intermediate has moved our campus off the TEA “improvement required” list. Way to go Sims Intermediate! Our district theme this year is “Shine Your Light” and as we continue into the 2022-2023 school year, we at Mexia ISD are committed to cultivating the light that is in EVERY STUDENT. Help us shine and celebrate the success of Mexia Schools. It’s a GREAT day to be a Blackcat!! For more information on district and campus performance of our Mexia ISD district and schools, please click here: https://www.mexiaisd.net/page/misd-accountability-rating

Substitute Teacher Training Wednesday, August 17, 2022 @10:00 a.m. Mexia ISD Administration Training Room

Good Evening Blackcats, We are so excited to see our students tomorrow morning! Please remember that extra safety measures are in place so entrance to each campus will take longer than usual. Please help us serve you better by not bringing the prohibited items listed below: * bags of any kind (with the exception of diaper bags) * knives of any kind, vapes/lighters/tobacco * weapons of any kind. We hope everyone has a fantastic evening and we can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

Hello Blackcat Nation, We are excited to remind you about Meet the Blackcats Ice Cream Social Wednesday night, August 10th 6:00pm at Blackcat Field. Please remember stadium entry may take longer than normal due to safety measures. Gates will open at 5:00pm and everyone will pass thru a metal detector and is subject to search. The following items are prohibited: • knives of any kind • vapes / lighters / tobacco • bags of any kind, except diaper bags. Thank you for your cooperation and flexibility as we are prioritizing everyone’s safety for this event and future MISD events.

Texas Department of Agriculture Media Release July 28, 2022 Dear parent or guardian: We are pleased to inform you that Mexia ISD will continue implementing the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for School Year 2022-2023. In CEP districts, applications for free/reduced meals are no longer required. Healthy breakfasts and lunches will be offered at no charge for ALL students enrolled at Mexia ISD during the 2022-2023 School Year. If you need more information, please contact us at Jonathan Lankford, Food Service Director 616 N. Red River Mexia, TX 76667 254-562-4000 ext. 1509 Sincerely, Jonathan Lankford Food Service Director​Mexia ISD