Herbert O'Neil
Superintendent

Dear Team Hempstead,

I would like to start this week’s message with a question. Reflecting on your teaching practices, what is one change you have made this year that has positively affected your students? I often talk about reflection and its power to enhance our performance in the classroom. Perhaps you could spend a minute or two sharing with each other during PLC about the change that has positively impacted your students. Sometimes, we pick up great ideas from each other that foster the growth needed in our students.

One thing that begins to happen around this time of the school year is the feeling of monotony, doing the same thing each day. I know you are working hard, but I want to encourage each of you to dig deep and keep giving your all. You have one of the toughest jobs, and we are requiring more from you than ever before. The state has continued to raise standards, alongside plenty of unfunded mandates. This makes it tough for all of us, but at the end of the day, we have a job to ensure that our students continue learning at high levels. Even with all the noise and political chaos, I encourage you to find your balance in improving student outcomes. Remember to take time for yourself as this semester continues, with the added pressure of the upcoming STAAR test. It is also important to remember that we need to foster resilience in our students. They get tired too, and we are asking more from them than ever before. Keep encouraging them. I love how you all are finding ways to celebrate your students when they do well. We will continue to be advocates for good instruction.

This week I wanted to highlight some of our high school teachers. As you know, our high school students must pass their End of Course Exams to graduate. Most of these exams are taken when they are freshmen, and students have multiple attempts to pass so that they can meet their graduation requirements. Students will take retests throughout the year and the summer to try and pass those exams. This year, our retest students had amazing gains. I will not delve into all the data, but in some areas, the gains were as high as 30 points over last year. These results stem from focusing on teaching the right things, at the right level, at the right time, with the right engagement. Our students are outstanding, but we need to ensure that our instruction is great every minute of each class. Our mission is real, and we will live by it each day, just as we will see our vision become a reality.

MISSION STATEMENT
In collaboration with our community, Hempstead ISD will equip our students with the necessary tools to attain their maximum potential and prepare them for success in college, career, military and life by providing consistent, comprehensive, high-quality education.

VISION STATEMENT
Hempstead ISD will cultivate confident learners and leaders who excel in all endeavors.

I would like to briefly discuss our Profile of an Educator, specifically focusing on the category 'Embraces a Culture of Excellence,' which highlights four key points:

1. Creates a safe and secure environment where risk-taking is encouraged.

2. Inspires students to demonstrate integrity, resilience, and optimism.

3. Empowers students to be genuine and authentic.

4. Maintains high expectations for self and others.

Each of these points holds significance, but let's center our attention on point four, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining high expectations for both ourselves and others. If we all have high expectations for ourselves and encourage those high expectations in our peers, then we collectively uphold high standards, which will cascade down to our students. Consider every student whom you can uplift from "does not meet" to "approaches," or from "approaches" to "meets," or from "meets" to "masters," along with all the subcategories in between. We can do this!

Let’s work hard and play hard this week. We are all in this together. Thank you for your dedication, and let’s keep climbing to #HigherHeights.

With Bobcat Pride,

Herbert O’Neil
Superintendent
Hempstead ISD