Good afternoon! According to TEA and the testing vendor, online testing was set to resume again this morning. Our 4th and 7th grade students were prepared to start their Writing STAAR tests, as were our high school students set to take the English I EOC. Thankfully, we were able to complete the English I EOC for our high school students today.
Unfortunately, we experienced connectivity issues once again with the 4th and 7th grade tests. Less than 10 students were able to complete their 7th grade writing test, and we did not have any 4th graders who were able to answer questions. We are aware that some other districts in our area experienced similar issues, while others were able to complete their testing. We had been in contact with the testing vendor to try and resolve these issues, but made the decision to dismiss 4th and 7th graders experiencing difficulties from their testing rooms today around 10:00 am. Normal instruction resumed for them.
At this time, we feel as though our students in 4th and 7th grade have been through enough this week in regards to their testing attempts. We have decided to wait until next week to try again. Hopefully, this will allow enough time for the vendor to work out the testing platform issues and more importantly, allow our students a break from the frustrations this has caused. We could not be prouder of how our students have handled these unfortunate events. They have remained patient and calm, and we could not ask for more.
English II EOC is set to test tomorrow. We plan to move forward with this test and will make adjustments if issues arise. Since English I EOC was able to test today, we anticipate a smooth testing experience for English II EOC.
Thank you all for supporting our students!
Good afternoon! Today, we had students scheduled to take the STAAR Grade 4 Writing, Grade 7 Writing, and English I EOC. Due to connectivity issues with the STAAR Online Testing Platform, our students and many students in districts across the state of Texas were unable to start, progress through, or complete their STAAR tests. This morning, after waiting for the issues to be resolved, we made the determination to dismiss students back to class.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 7, 2021, we will resume online testing for all of these students. Our students have worked very hard to prepare for these tests, and we want to give them the opportunity to show what they have learned.
As a district, we empathize with our students and the frustrations that this unfortunate situation may have caused. We are also very grateful for the positive attitude they have maintained throughout today’s unexpected testing situation. We will continue to monitor the status of the online testing platform and make adjustments to testing as necessary. Thank you for your flexibility and support.
Tuesday, April 6th all 4th,7th, and 9th graders will be STAAR testing online. Please get a good nights sleep so you can do your best on the test.
Calendar reminder
Friday, April 2nd is a school holiday.
Softball game scheduled for April 1st has been moved to Friday, April 2nd at 11:00 am at Big Sandy.
Golfers Samantha Auxier (Jr.) and Jake Johnson (So.) represented Big Sandy in the District Tournament on Monday March 29th...Samantha finished in an overall tie for 9th Place on the girls side...Jake finished in tie for 2nd Place Boys Medalist, and a chance to advance to the Regional Tournament...He played in a sudden death playoff against a Senior who was playing on his home course...The outcome wasn't what we had hoped for, but Jake gained valuable experience and showed great character and class that will carry over into next season...I am very proud of these two, and they should be proud of themselves as well...Coach Hutto
Way to Go Chyler! She just won first place in her Tennis Tournament at Edgewood today.
Friday, April 2nd is a school holiday. We hope you enjoy the long weekend with your families.
April 10, 2021 Big Sandy Horticulture Class will have a Plant Sale in the Greenhouse from 8:00 am -2:00 pm.
Wildcat Baseball game with Union Hill that was scheduled for Friday, April 2nd has been rescheduled to Thursday, April 1st at 6:00 pm in Union Hill.
During its March School Board meeting, Big Sandy ISD voted to make masks optional as long as the caseload the week following spring break was minimal on each of its campuses. As of today, there are zero COVID-19 active cases and zero students or staff who are quarantining due to close contact. Therefore, starting on Monday, March 29th, face masks will become optional for students and staff in Big Sandy ISD.
The district will continue to follow other COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing when possible, cleaning and sanitizing of all our buildings and classrooms, and offering COVID-19 testing for students and staff. Buildings will still be closed to most visitors, but the district will examine changes to other COVID-19 protocols as the year wraps up.
The district will respect the rights of all students and staff to make decisions regarding wearing a mask. We are a family in Big Sandy and will respect the choices that everyone makes on the decision to wear a mask or not.
Our students represented us well yesterday, March 22nd at Bi-District One-Act Play Competition. We are super proud of these students .
Big Sandy advanced and will present the play "Wit" again at the Regional competition on April 14 and 15.
Congratulations to the Emerald Players - Go Wildcats!
Awards went to:
Emma Eckeberger who won the Best Actress Award
Addy Akin was awarded the All-Star Medal
Emily Thibodeaux won an Honorable Mention All-Star Medal
Morgan Harroff won the Technical Honorable Mention Medal
We hope you had a relaxing time off and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school tomorrow Monday, March 22nd. Please remember to wear a mask and bring a water bottle.
Baseball game on Tuesday, March 16 with Beckville start time has been moved up to begin at noon.
Prom tickets will continue to be on sale the week of March 22-26 for students that still need to purchase.
Last night, the Big Sandy ISD School Board discussed Governor Abbott’s Latest Executive order allowing businesses to operate at 100% capacity and lifting the statewide mask order for the general public. The executive order goes into effect Wednesday, March 10th, 2021, and gives school districts the authority to develop their own guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety.
The Big Sandy Board of Trustees voted to make mask-wearing for students and staff optional starting on Monday, March 29th. This will allow the district time to monitor active caseloads for one week after returning from spring break and make a determination that it will be safe to make masks optional.
If, at any time, caseloads in the district begin to rise, the district will revisit and adjust its mask policy moving forward.
Hey Wildcats
Just wanted to remind everyone that Wednesday, March 10 will be an early release for everyone. Also, Thursday and Friday the 11th and 12th will be holidays as part of our calendar adjustment that was made recently. Next week, March 15-19th is Spring Break we hope you all enjoy extra time with your families.
Big Sandy ISD is now accepting nominations for students to be tested for the Gifted and Talented program. If you know of a student who may qualify, nomination forms are available in the Elementary, Junior High, and High School offices, or online at https://bit.ly/38orolc. All nominations are due by Friday, March 26th.
Big Sandy High School is hosting a blood drive in the high school gym foyer on Monday, March 8th from 9am-1pm. The drive is put on by Carter Blood Care.
Baseball game update - Game today with Hawkins will be played in Union Grove at 1:30 due to wet field conditions.