Big Sandy ISD

FYI-Meal delivery will be on Tuesday next week at the same time instead of Monday due to the observance of Memorial Day. Since Thursday is the last scheduled day of school, it will be our last meal delivery. Thank you all for particpating in our meal delivery program this spring!

Guidelines from Governor Abbott for a Safe Graduation Ceremony to be held on Friday, May 29th 8:00 pm at Wildcat Stadium... • Closed to public. • Seniors get 4 tickets – issued the week of graduation. • Will be live streamed…details released next week. • Practice is not allowed. • ONLY handicapped parking will be allowed behind the school at the stadium. Handicapped designation must be visible to be allowed into parking area. • Staff and employees CANNOT be invited this year. We can ONLY have enough staff to run the ceremony so if you are attending, you must be assigned a job as an employee or you must have been issued a ticket from a senior. • Gates will open at 7:15 p.m. • There will be two gates, one at either end of the home stands. • Visitors must be COVID-19 screened and cleared to enter and then submit ticket for admission. • Social distancing is required. Please be aware of designated areas to sit. • Seniors will meet in visitor stands (cannot go into buildings) with senior sponsors. • Seniors will be allowed to go onto the football field at the conclusion of graduation to throw their caps. • Unfortunately, the tradition of family and visitors leaving the stands and going onto the football field is PROHIBITED this year. Once the ceremony is concluded, please exit the stands and the stadium and make your way to your vehicles. • There cannot be bystanders in the parking lot or along the fence. • If it rains, the ceremony will be moved to the following day, Saturday, May 30th in the stadium at 8:00 pm. (Big Sandy High School is so excited to be able to host an "in person" graduation ceremony this year and wants to thank everyone for helping us keep our students, staff, and families safe by following Governor Abbott's guidelines and Executive Orders.)

High School Students - if you are interested in taking dual credit classes for the 20-21 school year, please contact our secondary counselor Ty Anne Tapley at ttapley@bigsandyisd.org

Just a reminder...our buses will depart this morning at 10:00 to deliver meals. Please make certain that someone is at the bus stop to receive the meals. We want to thank all of our families for participating in our program. Have a wonderful day!!!

Hey Wildcat Class of 2020 we have a sign out at the school just for you! Feel free to come and take photos with the sign. It will be up until May 31st. We love our Seniors.

Important information for secondary students to drop off items that belong to the school and pick up personal items. A staff member will be available May 18-21 (Mon-Thur) to accept all library books AND textbooks at the following times: Monday and Wednesday: 9am-12 noon. Tuesday 9am-7pm. Thursday from 9am-4pm. Please drop them at the main entrance by the office. Athletics will be open on Tuesday from 9am-7pm or Thursday from 9am-4pm for students to turn in equipment and uniforms. They will also be allowed to clean out their locker and retrieve personal property. Ag Shop will be open on Monday and Wednesday from 9am-12pm for students to retrieve personal items. Teachers will be cleaning out personal items from classrooms and bagging those up for students to pick up during the above times. If there is something specific in a classroom that you want to be sure gets back to you please call the high school office at 903-636-5287 ext. 221 and leave a detailed message of who you are and what classroom its in.

On the following dates, students at Big Sandy Elementary are scheduled to pick up personal belongings, awards and school supplies. They also need to drop off school issued materials including library books. Monday, 5/18 - Pre-k and Head Start 8:30-11:30 Tuesday, 5/19 - 1st Grade 8:30-11:30, 2nd Grade 12:30-3:30, Wednesday, 5/20 - 3rd Grade 8:30-11:30, 4th Grade 12:30-3:30, Thursday, 5/21 5th Grade 8:30-11:30.

Big Sandy High School is excited to announce GRADUATION PLANS for the Class of 2020. The Commencement Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 29th, 2020, beginning at 8:00 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium in Big Sandy. Both Texas Governor Gregg Abbott and Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath have addressed specific graduation guidelines. Due to a change posted by the Texas Education Agency late yesterday, Big Sandy High School graduating seniors will be able to keep their original graduation date of May 29th. Specific safety guidelines have been outlined for all Texas schools to follow in order to provide protection for our families, students, staff, and friends. Due to the 25% maximum occupancy required by the State, each graduate will be allowed four (4) guests to attend the graduation ceremony at the stadium. If the maximum occupancy changes prior to graduation, we will revise the number of guests. Tickets will be issued and checked at the gate. Big Sandy will be live streaming the entire graduation ceremony; therefore, we encourage those family members and friends who are considered “at-risk” to watch the ceremony remotely. Information for the live stream will be communicated to the community at a later date. The home side of the stadium will be open for seating. Please practice social distancing guidelines. Please remain in close proximity to your immediate family and practice CDC guidelines when seated near those outside of your family. The Governor recommends a 2 seat separation by family unit. The Home side of the stadium will be for the 4 guests for each graduate. In order to be in compliance with state guidelines, guests will not be allowed on the field after the graduation ceremony. All guests and graduates will have to exit the stadium as soon as the ceremony concludes. Masks will be optional, but encouraged, for guests and graduates. Restrooms will be continually monitored and cleaned throughout the night by BSISD staff members. Again, we want to send a thank you to all of our families for your understanding and patience as we work to provide a memorable commencement experience for all of our 2020 graduating seniors while ensuring graduation safety guidelines are followed. Additional guidelines will be forthcoming prior to May 29th. If there should be any graduate that is not comfortable in participating in a large group graduation, they should contact Big Sandy High School to schedule an individual graduation ceremony.

The buses will depart this morning at 10:00 to deliver meals. Each child's meal sack will include a $20 voucher to Two Rivers courtesy of Ronald L. Dart Evangelistic Association and Church of God Seventh Day in Tyler. Please remember to have someone at the stop! Thank you!!!

Thank you Katie for your amazing essay of HOPE!!! Your positive message is inspirational to us all. While Governor Abbott has closed schools for the remainder of the year, Big Sandy ISD is committed to providing you and your classmates with a memorable graduation. I just know that you and your fellow classmates who are preparing to graduate are going to do amazing things out in our world. This is an experience that will impact and shape your lives in ways that we probably can't even imagine yet...BUT... I am so confident that you will take this experience and strive to make this world a better place!!! We love you all and are so incredibly proud of each of you!!! And...yes..."Our hearts beat strong for the blue and gold!!!" Following is Katie's essay... Right now we are experiencing unprecedented times. Hardly anyone within a lifetime has been through something like this and it’s scary because we are left with a lot of unknowns. I have found myself looking to adults, asking for answers, but they are at a loss as well. It’s a strange feeling to be living through something that no one can compare an experience like this to. However, even though we are unsure during these pressing times, there are some things that we can learn from a time like this. There’s been many times myself, and I’m sure everyone else has wished for a week off of school or a week off from work. We finally got it and it at first seemed like a good thing. As the weeks go on we realize more and more that this isn’t what we wanted. The saying “the grass is always greener” has never been more true. If we can learn anything from this it’s that we shouldn’t wish away simple things in life like going to school, going to work, running errands, and much more because we never know how our life might turn out to be when those things are taken from us. Personally, I am going to come out of this never again taking basic routines for granted. I hope we can all come out of this living in the moment without wishing we were at another point in our lives. To the underclassmen, don’t rush through your days here at Big Sandy. Be thankful for every sport you play, every UIL event, your prom, being in a classroom, and so much more that us seniors might not get back. Just remember that nothing is a guarantee and you should appreciate everything you participate in because you have no idea if that’ll be your last time to get the chance. For my seniors, I hate that our last year together has taken this unexpected turn, but I hope it makes us appreciative that we’ve gotten to spend all these years together. I also hope that when we go back to school in May, I’m staying positive, we make the most out of our time together before we walk the stage. If I know anything, it’s that our class universally will always have a connected bond through what we’ve had to give up, what we’ve lost, and our awareness of how things you’re looking forward to can be taken in an instant. From here on, let’s live without rushing, without complaints about everyday tasks, and value the little things. If there’s any community that can come back from something like this, it’s Big Sandy. The bonds that tie us together will keep us afloat in a time like this. This is a community that won’t fall to a pandemic, won’t forget their seniors, and won’t take our routines for granted once we get them back. We are going to bounce back from this and the repercussions will shape us for the better. Let’s use this catastrophic event and make it into something positive. All in all, we need to remember that what we may think we want is not always what it seems, we need to appreciate things that may seem to be a guarantee, and we need to remember that we can and will come back from this. We will have a greater sense of gratitude and we will be thankful for the moments we get to spend together. “Our hearts beat strong for the blue and gold,” we are Big Sandy. Katie Parker, Student Council President

Just a reminder-Big Sandy ISD will be delivering meals again this morning. Our buses will depart the school at 10:00. Remember, someone needs to be at the bus stop to receive the meals. Thank you so much for participating! Last week we served 3,980 meals. Thanks everybody!!!

Thank you parents for participating in our "Drive Through" Kindergarten Roundup today!!! We can't wait to welcome our students in the fall!!!

Just a reminder-Big Sandy will deliver meals again this morning; however, our buses will depart at 10:00 instead of 9:30. Please be at the bus stop to receive student meals for the week. Thank you so much for participating in our meal service during this time of school closures.

I would like to remind our families that our lunch delivery service will continue on Monday; however, our buses will leave school at 10:00 instead of 9:30. Remember, our meals are for the week and we ask that someone be at the bus stop for delivery. Thank you for participating!

Governor Abbott announced earlier today that schools would be closed for the remainder of this 2019-2020 school year. The Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Morath will be providing schools with additional guidance regarding graduation and other important information in the coming days. We will continue to follow our regular school calendar and administrators will continue to work together with the staff to find ways to support our students academically for the remainder of the school year. Again, we want to thank our families for your support during this challenging time. You have all been amazing during this period of "at-home" learning!!! Please know that we are missing your children and we are committed to supporting them throughout this process. Remember...together...we will get through this.

Big Sandy ISD will once again have drop off locations for student school work today from 9:00-7:00. The drop off for elementary school work is in the north end elementary pick-up area. Secondary students should drop their work off in front of the high school. Thank you!!!

We at Big Sandy ISD are missing our students, staff, and our families so very much! As Easter approaches, we want you to know that we are thinking of you ALL! Let's be strong, determined, courageous, and have faith! TOGETHER...we will get through this! We miss you all!!!

Before social distancing, each person with #COVID19 spread the virus to 2.5 more people. At that pace, most would get it, and many more people would die. But we can slow the spread. That’s why we all #StayHome. #ApartTogether we slow Coronavirus.

On Monday, March 30th, Big Sandy ISD moved from providing "Grab and Go" lunches to providing meal delivery to student homes for the week. The district ran all bus routes with drivers and their helpers leaving at 9:30. Any children 18 and under were eligible to receive the meals at no cost. The district launched a telephone campaign to assist parents in completing the necessary surveys. Over 300 students received breakfast and lunch for the week with over 3,000 meals being delivered to Big Sandy families. If anyone did not receive meals this week, but would like to be added to the list for next week, please email Joan Ford at jford@bigsandyisd.org. by Thursday, April 2nd, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. Big Sandy ISD would like to thank all of their families for their participation. Also, the district wanted to send a special "shout out" to the workers and volunteers that assisted in the successful launch of this new district initiative.

As announced yesterday, Big Sandy ISD will remain closed until May 4th based on Governor Abbott’s Executive Order. The district is committed to providing educational services through on-line resources as well as packets. Round two packets have been mailed to all families in the district that have children in Pre-Kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Packets include assignments through May 1st. Since students will miss direct instruction for a six week period, assignments are now required. This will help teachers to determine mastery of skills for our students. Beginning Tuesday, April 7th, the district will provide a “drop-off” for school work. Work may be dropped off in the container from 9:00-4:00 each Tuesday while school is closed. Secondary drop-off is in front of the high school. Elementary drop-off is in the “pick-up” area of the north end parking lot. Student work needs to be in the original envelope with the student name on the outside. We realize this is a difficult time for our families, but please know that we are committed to providing the necessary support and help to assist students in achieving success. Remember, all teachers are available to assist each school day from 7:35-3:45. Please do not hesitate to email them for additional assistance and support. Big Sandy ISD wants to send a huge “shout-out” and “thank you” to all of our families!