T.A. Brown — "The Best School in Town"

Wow! What a welcome! The entire student body and staff of T.A. Brown Elementary turned out to greet us this morning, lining the main hallway with flags waving and pom poms shaking. We were blown away by the enthusiastic hospitality.

Principal Veronica Sharp introduced us to her wonderful office staff, Assistant Principal Angelo San Segundo, Secretary Sheryl Bowie, Counselor Yvonne Scales, and Virginia Morales, attendance clerk, where they were rocking the school to the the song "Are you ready for this?" And, students and staff answered, "Yes, we are T.A. Brown, the best school in town!"

And, being the best is exemplified by teacher Mary Santa Anna who is anticipating awesome TAKS scores this year for her 6th grade students. (T.A. Brown is one of a few elementary schools that still have sixth grade.)

There were many welcome signs and welcome cheers to celebrate our visit. Carrie Alexander really leads the effort - and does many, many, many additional duties at the school. Now, that's something to celebrate. Science begins in Pre-K here and we saw it action. Teacher Gloria Somers had a realistic beach lesson with REAL sand to explain the thematic unit on oceans. The emphasis there is the vocabulary that students use to interact with the manipulatives used and the environment created in the classroom.

Ms. Somers raised good concerns about the amount of Pre-K testing through E-Circle. I will review this with our Chief Performance Officer, Bill Caritj, and Ramona Trevino, Chief Academic Officer. In short, it looks like an alignment that needs to be addressed between the state, district, and campus.

Teacher of the Year Christine Flores is a reading specialist and has been here for 15 years. She knows all of the students' history, families, and names, and is very aware of their academic needs. She is a mentor to teachers and students. Most importantly, she has implemented a multi-sensory approach to reading to support dyslexic students.

Teacher of Promise is Alicia Martinez-Duran. Originally an engineer from Michigan, she just joined the teaching ranks and the principal is ready for her to further her goal and get ready for administration. We hope to see her in special education and policy as soon as she is ready.

Get ready for the goats ... goats are coming to support more science learning and leadership. It's related to a curriculum for 4-H.

According to the principal, "The IMPACT process rocks!" It's really about everyone working together to serve the child. Beginning with crucial conversations, coupled with professional development, teachers and staff have taken what the district had given them and worked as team to meet the needs of all students to ensure differentiated instruction. They create "watch" list of students who need additional help. The meeting room is situated in botanical garden-type room (as often used for field trips too).

In the school library, Librarian Sally Wilcox, described the "Climbing to the Top Challenge" that is open to all students. The students must meet specific reading goals, and when they achieve their goals, they get to donate a book to the library and their name is printed on the book. The students have donated 133 books to the library. The project is supported by the PTA. Librarian Wilcox is standing in front of award winning books that she encourages students to read.

All isn't over for the school year yet. T.A. Brown is planning Super Kids' Day 2010 for Fun in the Sun tomorrow. The basic idea is that each child can feel like a "Super Kid" through exercise events - tire roll, egg race, bounce, jump rope, and so on. I feel like a "Super" Superintendent after visiting the school!

The school is named for Timothy Anthony Brown who was principal of Pease Elementary School from 1892 until 1933. (Pease, in case you didn't know, is the oldest, continually operating school in the state of Texas.) Anyway, Mr. Brown arrived in Texas from Tennessee in 1882, and was superintendent in Cisco, Texas, and taught in Mineral Wells, McKinney, Leander, and Round Rock, before coming to Austin. He died in 1948 at age 92.





















We've run out of time at T.A. Brown and hate to go. We had a great time with the Bobcats. I loved their enthusiasm for learning and doing whatever it takes to help students be successful. I guess that's why they proclaim to be the "Best School in Town."

On to Ridgetop Elementary, home of the Rattlers.