Family Updates

November 17, 2023

Georgetown Families & Staff,

As Thanksgiving marks a season when we look back on the year and reflect with gratitude, I want to personally express my gratitude for the incredible community of Georgetown, Texas. Whether you are a newcomer or have deep roots, this community is welcoming, supports our schools, and believes in a bright future that builds upon the unique personality of our city. 

I am proud of our teachers and staff for the relationships and quality learning experience they provide students. Our students are building lasting memories through experiences like connecting with the community on Veteran’s Day, taking part in robotics, and getting to bring home hardware from the State Cross Country Meet.

As we continue to grow, we will continue to help every student discover their voice and purpose through a range of meaningful learning experiences. The latest Inside GISD video highlights this work. I encourage you to see how our dedicated educators are creating great learning experiences for our students in pursuit of academic growth and progress. 

Attendance Zones:  As you know, San Gabriel Elementary will be opening in the far west corner of Georgetown ISD in 2024. This school will relieve the growth at Wolf Ranch Elementary, but we also need to relieve the growth at Williams Elementary and Wagner Middle School. Without considering rezoning for the areas around those schools, campus enrollments would not only exceed the building capacity but also impact the quality experiences we provide. We are inviting families to attend a public meeting to learn more about rezoning options. You can find information about these meetings and review the proposed options on our website at www.georgetownisd.org/zoning.

Citizen Advisory Committee:  This group has met for the past three months to discuss the growth of the district, our district finances, and aging facility needs. You can find meeting notes and presentation materials from those meetings through this link. Ultimately, our district team is responsible for providing facts and perspectives while the committee is tasked with providing us with a recommendation. This collaborative effort will help Georgetown ISD meet the needs of rapid growth while maintaining one of the lowest tax rates in Central Texas.

Lastly, as we transition from fall activities into the winter season, I want to thank our fine arts directors and athletic staff for the time and energy they give our young people. These teammates, with the support of parent volunteers, spend their evenings and weekends providing our students with experiences that positively impact their lives. I am thankful for an involved and supportive community for our students.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Devin

As we are beginning a new nine-week grading period, the momentum of this school year is inspiring. We have so many highlights for our district, including seeing two stellar high school bands advance in the state marching band competition, seeing kids building memories by exploring the pumpkin patch with their teachers, and watching talented East View and Georgetown students in their theater performances taking place this weekend.

Student Voice: Our kids should make us excited for the future because of the experiences they are getting in our schools and the positive relationships from the educators we trust to lead them. In particular, we are energized by the voice of our students to help us understand the student experience from their perspective. The launch of our Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee brings students into the conversations about how we design their experiences in school.

Future Growth: Given that we are the fastest-growing community in the nation, it is important that we continue to engage the community about the future of our facilities. Over 70 community members met for the 2nd time on Tuesday to look at how our district pays off school bonds and make recommendations for facility needs. The committee learned that within the next three years, Georgetown ISD will have five schools that are over their building capacity unless new facilities are built. As well, we have nine portable classrooms installed across the district as of this year.

Attendance Zone Timeline: We also have needs we are addressing. At the last meeting of the Board of Trustees, we shared the timeline for upcoming elementary and middle school rezoning. These adjustments will temporarily balance the populations of our schools as San Gabriel Elementary School opens in August of 2024. The week of November 26th, there will be public meetings at Wolf Ranch, Tippit, and Benold. The week of December 3rd, we will have public meetings at Wagner, Mitchell, and Williams.

Staff and Parent Input:  We want to hear your feedback to help us continue to be a great district for the community of Georgetown, Texas. Please give us your feedback as it relates to the direction of the District through the Fall Parent Climate Survey. (Surveys were emailed directly to parents and staff on Friday, October 20.)

Sincerely,
Devin

Marching bands from both high schools advance in competition.

The Superintendent's Student Advisory Committee met in October for the first time. 

Elementary students visit a pumpkin patch in Georgetown.

It is hard to believe we are already crossing into the month of October. This year is moving quickly, and I am very thankful for our staff. Just this past week, I saw classrooms where our East View High School Culinary teacher gave her students a classroom experience that felt like a restaurant kitchen, where students at Purl Elementary were writing using a checklist and helping each other improve, where Wolf Ranch Elementary 5th graders were helping greet younger students as part of the safety patrol, where a Frost Elementary teacher was working with small groups of students to work on math skills.

I also met these polite young men from East View High School who serve as flag runners during the game. After a short discussion, we decided they needed a name and landed on the “Red Rangers.”

We are lucky to be part of a district where our teachers and staff build relationships to provide students and adults with opportunities to lead, grow, and serve.

In my two months as part of Georgetown, it is clear to see the strong culture built upon relationships and the attributes of the learner profile. It is also clear to see strong student learning experiences our teachers provide our students. As our school district evolves, we will aspire to become a school district where students engage in challenging, inquiry-based, personalized learning experiences to become competent, confident, and independent learners. This picture of success is possible because of the support of our community and the work of this incredible team of educators.

A few more updates…

Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC):  This past Tuesday, the CAC met to discuss the future growth of the district and how our facilities might grow to meet the needs of students. Ultimately, this group of community members, staff, parents, and grandparents will recommend to the district a path to guide the next five years of school recommendations in the fastest-growing community in the nation.  If you're still interested in serving, I invite you to express interest by October 10 via this form. The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 17.

Listening Tour on Tuesday the 3rd:  As a new leader for Georgetown ISD, the most important thing I can do is learn by listening. You are welcome to join Tuesday’s listening session at Wolf Ranch Elementary at 6 pm. Every time I meet with a new group, I learn something new about this amazing community and school district.

50 Fellas Food Fest:  This is a major fundraising event for the Georgetown Education Foundation, and we invite you to join the event on October 14.  This event features a range of food and drink items and the proceeds support learning experiences for our students. 

Thank you for your continued support of our schools!

Sincerely,
Devin

I wanted to send you a message to update you on the progress of the school district and talk about our efforts to keep our children safe. Currently, we are 1,000 students over the enrollment of our schools at this time last year. Our 13,470 (and growing) student population is served by nearly 2,000 staff members who are empowered to inspire every learner to lead, grow, and serve. We know leading students to academic success in engaging work is the key to inspiring students, and I am proud of the work Team Georgetown is doing in this area.

GISD Goes Gold: I want to thank the East View and Georgetown High School student groups for supporting the Go Gold initiative to fight childhood cancer. It was amazing to see the Friday night football games covered in gold shirts and see each school across our district support the effort this past month. Thank you to GISD staff members Katie Jansson and Haley Schulz for their efforts to lead this event across our district!

School Safety: Student learning is the core business of our schools and safety is the absolute priority when it comes to our students and staff. Our school and district staff ensure our buildings and procedures keep students in a safe learning environment. It is important for our families to know we have a commitment to immediate communication and transparency. We share everything we can possibly tell you while we investigate every report seriously. 

It is also important for our families to know the consequences for causing a false alarm are serious. Students who write threats on school bathroom walls or post things on social media can face criminal charges, legal fines, removal from school, and other consequences that will completely change their learning experience. Please visit with your child about these consequences as it may someday involve them or their friends. 

Our campuses will be presenting “See Something, Say Something” presentations to our students in the near future. Speaking up is an important part of our culture as we work together to create safe learning environments. 

Listening to Community and Staff: Although I am still in the middle of visiting every campus staff and hosting listening tours, our community has already shared great information with me: Our community values our teachers and staff, values our continued effort to provide students a quality learning experience, and depends on us to grow our schools while retaining the unique identity of Georgetown.

In the coming months, we will be engaging in more detail regarding the future of our school district and the learning experience of our students. I continue to be grateful for the support and trust you place in us.

Sincerely,
Devin Padavil, Ed. D.