Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

As the school year comes to a close, we are excited to soon celebrate our Class of 2020 graduates who are reaching a milestone in their lives and are ready to move forward on their T-2-4 journeys.

Celebrating Employees

We also are excited to recognize another Class of 2020!

In this case, we honor and thank our employees for whom 2020 is a milestone year. Though we could not celebrate at Minute Maid Park this year, these employees hit it out of the park every day. Hundreds have reached a significant year of service in SBISD. Others have recently announced their retirement, and, like our graduates, are headed off to new adventures.

Serving SBISD for five to 40 years, our 633 SBISD Service Awards honorees exemplify the district core values daily. Their commitment and devotion to our students and their families, fellow colleagues, and the SBISD community sustains the legacy that makes our district so unique. I am so grateful these individuals continue to make SBISD their home.

I also recognize and thank 121 SBISD employees who recently retired or are retiring this summer. These employees have served SBISD for a collective 2,455 years and are a large part of why we continue to thrive. Best of luck to all.

Congratulations, colleagues! You make us #SBISDProud. Our success as a school district is a direct result of your Collective Greatness and long-standing commitment to Every Child and the Spring Branch Way.

Read inspiring stories about these honorees and see who has earned a Years of Service award here.

For the Love of Books

Literacy never stops in SBISD! In fact, it’s one of my top priorities. To achieve the greatest opportunities for success, our students need to read and write every day. At no time is this more important than in the summer months ahead. Look for our Summer Reading Guide that will be distributed to elementary and middle school families in the days ahead. This is an incredible resource! Check it out online here. High school students, too, need to be reading all summer!

Supporting our ReadSBISD initiative, the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation (BBHLF) recently provided the Spring Branch Education Foundation with a $25,000 grant to help us send home a new book for every first and second grader in the days ahead. You’ll hear more from your school directly. Thank you, BBHLF!

Mental Health Resources

SBISD places the highest priority on the health and well-being of your families, and the events of recent months have brought unimaginable stress to us all. With this in mind, we are pleased to launch the first in a new video training series. Watch Finding Normalcy at a Time of Crisis here. We also invite you to a Parent U on Zoom — Strength for the Journey – Addressing Trauma in the Covid-Era, next Thursday, May 28, featuring Heather Lambert, LPC, CSD,. Learn more and register here.

We Want Your Feedback

Over the last week, more than 3,000 parents and guardians have answered our brief survey about how the last two months have been for you and your family as we have all learned from home. If you have not yet taken our survey, please do so today! Here’s the link.

In the next week or so, please be on the lookout for a more extensive survey focused on the future. We want and need your input as we plan for the fall and our return to school.

First Day of School – August 17

You may have seen recent reporting in the Houston Chronicle about various school calendar ideas put forth by the Texas Education Agency in response to Covid-19.

Please know, SBISD will sustain our Board-approved calendar, with the 2020-21 school year beginning on August 17. We will keep you posted throughout the summer as we learn and plan based on your feedback and the guidelines set by our local, state and national health agencies and government officials.

Memorial Day 

As we observe Memorial Day in the days ahead, we thank, honor and remember our service men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. We also wish each of you a safe and healthy Memorial Day holiday weekend.

With appreciation,

Jennifer Blaine, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools