United Middle School Maverettes were invited to audition for the national N.B.C show, America’s Got Talent. The dance group went to Houston, Texas, to Reliant Arena, to audition in front of the America’s Got Talent judges. They received the opportunity after a representative from the show saw them perform at a Spurs half time show. These girls have already won 21 awards including Best in Show and Best Choreography
The United Independent School District will hold classes for tomorrow, February 3. Classes will begin at their regularly scheduled time and parents should plan accordingly. Students are reminded to dress warmly in layers, observing the District’s dress code, and cover exposed skin when outdoors.
Students who take the bus are reminded not to arrive at the bus stop more than 10 minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time. The UISD Transportation Department will work to ensure that buses are running on time. If an emergency notice should be issued for students living in the colonias of Hwy 59, Hwy 359, and Penitas along Mines Road, the Transportation Department will notify the schools affected so that information can be made available to parents/guardians. Additionally, parents/guardians may contact the Transportation Department at (956) 473-5230 for this information.
Like many residential homes and businesses in the City today, UISD also experienced rotating power outages, known as “brownouts” at some of its campuses. UISD Officials were informed of these rotating “brownouts” in the morning when the school day was in progress, by representatives of American Electric Power (AEP) Company. A schedule of when or where these “brownouts” were going to take place was not provided. However, by about 3:00 p.m. today, ERCOT discontinued them, according to news reports.
The District will continue to post information via its website, SchoolMessenger, and with local media outlets.
The District urges all to be prepared for the cold temperatures and to be mindful of the hazards and safety rules of winter weather.
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has once again awarded the United Independent School District (UISD) Business and Finance Office the “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award” and “Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.” This is the tenth and the thirteenth consecutive time, respectively, that the Office has garnered these achievements.
“On behalf of our Board of Trustees, I would like to congratulate the dedicated staff members of the Business and Finance Office,” said UISD Superintendent Roberto J. Santos. “To have consecutively attained these awards reflects their commitment to UISD and the community,” he continued.
The Distinguished Budget Presentation Award represents a significant UISD achievement. It manifests the responsibility of the governing body and UISD staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the District had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:
Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.
“Our goal is to remain focused on the fiscal responsibility we have for the District and our taxpayers,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Laida P. Benavides, CPA.
The Department also received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. It represents a significant accomplishment by a governmental entity and its management.
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The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.
The Government Finance Officers Association is a non profit professional association serving approximately 17,500 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago, IL, and Washington, D.C.
For information contact the UISD Business and Finance Department at (956) 473-6222.
The United Independent School District is the largest employer in Laredo serving approximately 42,000 students and employs 6,700 employees. UISD is comprised of 41 campuses, three magnet programs, one Career Academy, and an alternative education campus. UISD encompasses 75% of Laredo and serves communities in Rio Bravo and El Cenizo.
United Independent School District campuses, administrative offices including the UISD Tax Office, will be closed during Spring break beginning Friday, March 12, 2010, at 5p.m.-through Sunday, March 21, 2010.
Also, as a friendly reminder, DO NOT forget that this Sunday, March 14, 2010 will be daylight savings time. Please remember to SPRING FORWARD all clocks one hour ahead!
UISD campuses and administrative offices will reopen Monday, March 22, 2010. Students and teachers will also be returning on Monday, March 22, 2010.
Happy Spring Break!!!
For information contact the UISD Public Relations Office at (956) 473-6286.
The United Independent School District is the largest employer in Laredo serving approximately 40,900 students and employs 6,700 employees. UISD is comprised of 40 campuses in addition to three magnet programs, one Career Academy, and an alternative education campus. UISD encompasses 75% of Laredo and serves communities in Rio Bravo and El Cenizo.
The United High School (UHS) Longhorn Choir has been invited to perform the Mozart Mass in C Major “Coronation Mass” under the direction of Maestro Myron Flippin, at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 3-7, 2010. Although the choir has worked to raise money for this trip, they are still in need of $40,000 by April 1, 2010 in order to take part in this momentous and historic occasion.
According to UHS Choir Director Paul Foster, fundraising began in May of 2009 with a plate sale and other activities. The effort received an extra boost when the UHS Longhorn Choir was given the opportunity of a lifetime when they performed with legendary rock group, Foreigner at the Laredo Entertainment Center on February 10, 2010. When Foreigner had heard of the choir’s efforts in raising money for the trip to New York City, the rock group immediately jumped at the opportunity to help the school by asking choir members to sell copies of their latest CD at the venue in exchange for 50% of disc profits.
“It’s amazing how United High School has taken on this project with sheer determination in order to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall where many legendary musicians and artists have performed over the years,” said UISD Superintendent Roberto J. Santos. “It shows that no matter how high or steep the mountain is, anyone with the will and drive can make it the top,” Santos continued.
“Let’s get everyone involved in order for this dream to become a reality. We still have a couple of more weeks in order to raise more money. I really have complete faith and confidence that we can make it happen.” said United High School Choir Director Paul Foster.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to the UHS Longhorn Choir may do so by contacting Foster at 473-5751.
For information contact the UISD Public Relations Office at (956) 473-6286.
The United Independent School District is the largest employer in Laredo serving approximately 40,900 students and employs 6,700 employees. UISD is comprised of 40 campuses, in addition to three magnet programs, one Career Academy, and an alternative education campus. UISD encompasses 75% of Laredo and serves communities in Rio Bravo and El Cenizo.
Today March 8th, 2010, Juan Antonio Molina, Jr. UISD Board of Trustees Vice-President proclaimed March as “United I.S.D. Census Month.” He stated that United I.S.D. fully supports the effort of the Census and asked everyone in our community to complete the 10 question survey because that translates into more dollars for our communities and schools.
Additionally students from Arndt Elementary performed the “Census Chant” to motivate the public to take part of this once-in-a-decade experience! Sandra Cavazos, UISD Executive Director for Student Services announced the winners of the United I.S.D. 2010 U.S. Census Essay Contest. The winners wrote an essay explaining how important it was to participate in the census and how it will affect our community.
The first place winner was Luis Antonio Diaz, an 8th grade student from Trautmann Middle School, second place went to Berenice Torres, a 6th grade student from Lamar Bruni-Vergara Middle School, and third place went to Amanda Sanchez, a 7th grade students from United South Middle School.
1st place
Luis Antonio Diaz, 8th grade
Trautmann Middle School
Principal: Mr. Raymundo Gonzalez, III
2nd place
Berenice Torres, 6th grade
Lamar Bruni-Vergara Middle School
Principal: Ms. Annabel Gomez-Rubio
3rd place
Amanda Sanchez, 7th grade
United South Middle School
Principal: Mrs. Selma Santos
For more information contact the Office of Public Relations at (956) 473-6286.
Pictured L-R: Juan Antonio Molina, Jr. UISD Board of Trustees Vice-President; Sylvia Martinez, U.S. Census Partnership Specialist; Amanda Sanchez 3rd Place winner; Luis Antonio Diaz, 1st Place winner; Berenice Torres, 3rd Place winner; Sandra Cavazos, Executive Director for Student Services; Roberto J. Santos, UISD Superintendent of Schools.
The United Independent School District (UISD) recently launched their new website, making this one more innovative for all its users. Of the many features and online programs offered, one notable service, which is free to individuals who sign up, is the “RSS” (Really Simple Syndication) feed. The “RSS” service will allow prospective subscribers to receive up-to-date information about news and events in UISD via their favorite web browser. UISD encourages parents, students, and the community to learn more about these services by visiting the new site at www.uisd.net.
“Our new website has been designed with the importance of our students, parents and members of the community in mind,” said UISD Superintendent Roberto J. Santos. “The features we’ve added, such as the RSS feed and other online services is ready to be used by our various stakeholders. Additionally, there is important information on our site that is very useful,” noted Santos who explained the resourceful information that has been posted under the “Parent” tab of new site.
On the “RSS” feed feature, a free service where interested subscribers can sign up by clicking on the “RSS” icon found on the District’s homepage, parents or members of the community can receive immediate notification and up-to-date news and information about UISD. .
Other convenient and innovative features that are on the site are: an online tax payment service, which offers a convenient option for UISD taxpayers to pay their taxes online; the “Lunch Money Now” program which allows parents to open an account and pay for their child’s breakfast and lunch online; a “School Locator” program which allows families, based on their home address, to find which elementary, middle, or high school their child should attend; a “photo crawl” which highlights various District events and is updated periodically; and several educational District and public service announcements that can be played directly from the site.
Website users can also find out information and background on the District’s various academic programs and student services, biographies of the Board of Trustees, along with each trustees boundary map, contact information for the schools and departments, job opening information and more.
Other useful information on the site includes: student immunization requirements; school bus routes, daily breakfast and lunch menus; parent tips and newsletters; guidelines on parent organizations (along with a presentation); information on the Student Code of Conduct and Dress Code; and the school calendars for the current and the upcoming 2010-2011 school year, plus much more.
For information about the new UISD website contact the Public Relations Office at (956) 473-6286.
The United Independent School District is the largest employer in Laredo serving approximately 40,900 students with 6,700 employees. UISD is comprised of 40 campuses in addition to three magnet programs, one Career Academy, and an alternative education campus. UISD encompasses 75% of Laredo and serves communities in Rio Bravo and El Cenizo.
There’s only one word that can describe the achievements of the United High School (UHS) Longhorn Boy’s Basketball Team on their 2009-2010 season: IMPRESSIVE! Whether it was their “impressive” number four state ranking, or their “impressive” record of thirty-four consecutive wins in a season (which broke the all-time District record), or their “impressive” wins at the Harlingen Tournament, Border Olympics Tournament, and Lone Star Tournament-of which the Lone Star Tournament was a state ranked competition.
“Impressive” is the only word to sum up the achievements of this talented team. More impressive, however; is the dedication, respect, and determination these high school athletes show on and off the court.
Before heading off to their Semi–Finals game to be played in San Antonio, at the University of Texas in San Antonio, City of Laredo Mayor Raul G. Salinas, together with State Representative Richard Raymond and United Independent School District Board of Trustees President Pat Campos, proclaimed a day in their honor and wished them well as they headed to San Antonio.
Indeed, it was a close game but these talented athletes are to be commended for putting Laredo Basketball “back on the map” with their winnings at home and away. Most importantly, the UHS Basketball Team has taught us that working together as a team will yield victory and success! As Sir Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
The names of the UHS Longhorns Basket Ball Team for the 2009-2010 winning season are:
UHS Players
Jairo Batista
Alfonso Bustamante
Manuel Canales
Johnathon Cortazzo
Michael Elizondo
Austin Gates
Thomas Johnson
Federico Juarez
Charles Kattan
Mathew Kuriata
John P. Montalvo
Daniel Rosas
Abraham Rubio
John Velasquez
Steven Vielma
Luis Vila
UHS Basketball Statiscian
David Lopez
UHS Basketball Managers
Jeffery Chawgo
Paolo Del Barrio
UHS Basketball Trainers
David Orosco, Trainer
Paula Garcia, Trainer
UHS Basketball Coaches
Archie Ramos, Head Coach
Eduardo Mendoza, Assistant Coach
Douglas Gates, Assistant Coach
Leopoldo Guardiola, Assistant Coach
The United Independent School District wishes to congratulate the UHS Basketball team and coaches for a job well done!
The United ISD Instructional Television Department recently won 22 State Awards, 15 Gold Star Awards and seven Silver Star Awards at the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Conference held in Austin, Texas.
UISD competes in the division of school districts with a student population of 30,000 and above. The ITV Department would like to thank all the individuals and departments who helped collaborate with us on these 22 award winning projects.
GOLD STAR AWARDS
Video News/Information Category
1) United ISD ITV Newscast (with LBJ student anchors)
Video Documentary Category
2) Killam Elementary Dedication Video
Video Training/Instructional Category
3) What is Assistive Technology?
Video Promotional/Marketing Category
4) Campus Crime Stoppers PSA
5) Never Be Absent/Trip to Disney World PSA (2008)
6) Never Be Absent/Trip to Disney World PSA (2009)
7) Say No to Drugs PSA (with Judge Martinez)
8) Anti-Gangs PSA (with Judge Veliz)
9) Go to School (Truancy) PSA (with Judge Rangel)
10) UISD Dress Code PSA (2009)
11) Back to School Fashion Show PSA (2008)
12) Friends of UISD Celebrity Fashion Show PSA (2008)
13) Building a Foundation Promotional Video (2008)
14) Game Show Introduction for Knowledge for College
15) Newscast Introduction
SILVER STAR AWARDS
Video Training/Instructional Category
16) Breakfast in the Classroom training video
Video Special Interest/Feature Category
17) Friends of UISD Celebrity Fashion Show video
18) Zumba Highlight video
19) Knowledge for College Academic Game Show (Borchers vs De Llano with Special Guest Host Board Member Judd Gilpin)
Video Documentary Category
20) Teacher Externship Video (2008)
21) Teacher Externship Video (2009)
22) Academy of Global Business & Advanced Technology Recruitment Video
The United ISD Instructional Television Department recently won 22 State Awards, 15 Gold Star Awards and seven Silver Star Awards at the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) Conference held in Austin, Texas.UISD competes in the division of school districts with a student population of 30,000 and above.
UISD Instructional TV wins 22 TSPRA awards
As you may know, the United High School Boy’s Basketball Team will be taking off to San Antonio tomorrow to play in the Regional Semi-finals game at UTSA. As such, the Mayor and other community leaders have decided to proclaim this day in their honor.
If you have an opportunity, please come and show your support today at 4:45 p.m. in the UHS gym. We want to show our athletes and coaches all our support and wish them much luck and success.
Goooooooooooo Longhorns!!!!
What: March 2010 to be proclaimed “United I.S.D. Census Month” and announcement of winners for 2010 U. S. Census contest. The proclamation will be read by United I.S.D. Board President Pat Campos.
When: Monday, March 8, 2010 @ 2:30p.m.
Where: United I.S.D. Boardroom, 201 Lindenwood Drive.
Additional Information: Every decade, the United States Census Bureau manages a count of the U.S. population as required by the Constitution. The 2010 Census helps communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year. United I.S.D. fully supports the effort of the Census Bureau. The current campaign slogan is “It’s In Our Hands”. We’re asking for everyone in our community to be counted because each completed survey translates into more dollars for our communities and schools.
Please call Alex Meyer for more information at (956) 473-6245.
What: United I.S.D. 22nd Annual Regional Science Fair.
When: Friday, March 12, 2010, 8a.m. to 2p.m.
Where: Student Activity Center, 5208 Sta. Claudia Lane
Additional Information: Middle and High School students will be competing. High School students will compete to earn title of Grand Champion. The Grand Champion will advance to represent our district at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, California from May 9 to May 14, 2010. The Judges panel will include nurses, professors, doctors and engineers.
For more information, please call Roylin Wilson or Claudia Palizo at (956) 473-2022.
It is the policy of United I.S.D. not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or handicap in its programs, services, or activities as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
Es norma de United I.S.D. el no discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo o impedimento, en sus programas, servicios o actividades, tal como lo requieren el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación de 1972, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según la enmienda.
