First, Communities In Schools would like to thank everyone in our   community who participated in the CIS‐PTA Coat Drive. The effort was an  absolute success! Together, we collected approximately 500 jackets. The jackets were distributed throughout the Spring Branch community with the help of CIS staff throughout our elementary, middle, and high schools. A special thank yougoes out to the Kirby Corporation, The Upper Hand Salons, and Mrs. Jacqueline Wright, our PTA community service chair.

This coat drive could not have been a success without your help.

Secondly, CIS continues pushing forward with its character education groups. Over the holiday break, one of the groups took a well deserved winter fishing trip at one of our local parks. Congratulations to Alejandro Pereda for the catch of the day: a 13” small mouth bass.

Also, CIS‐SBMS recently established a partnership with The Houston Food Bank and we look forward to what
promises to be a “fruiƞul” collaboration.

Lastly, CIS would like to take a moment to welcome the CIS National Board to our campus. The board will pay us a visit later this month and CIS‐SBMS is honored to host our distinguished guests.

For any questions pertaining to the CIS program, feel free to contact me at  (713) 251‐4544.

Thank you.
Emilio Herrera
Project Manager ‐ Communities In Schools of Houston
Spring Branch Middle School

CIS Houston Board Members and the National TQS Review Committee

On December 8^th CIS Houston achieved National Accreditation by demonstrating compliance with all Communities In Schools new Total Quality System (TQS) standards.  CIS Houston, has for the more than 30 years of its operations been a part of a national affiliation of CIS organizations throughout the country. The Houston-based non-profit is one of the oldest and largest of the over 200 CIS affiliates located in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

CIS National developed the Total Quality System recently (the process began in 2006) to establish clear operational guidelines that ensure uniform quality and improved outcomes for all students being served by Communities In Schools affiliates.  The TQS system is part of an organization-wide commitment to evidence-based practice and the highest standards of accountability.

The TQS standards define expectations for effective non-profit business practices and for implementing the Communities In Schools model of integrated student support services at school sites.  The site standards are based on a five-year, longitudinal national evaluation conducted by an independent, outside evaluator that documented the impact of the Communities In Schools model.  The evaluation revealed that schools implementing the Communities In Schools model with high fidelity had higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and performed better than comparison schools in increasing the percentage of students meeting or exceeding math and reading proficiency in 4^th and 8^th grades, a crucial predictor of high school graduation.

CIS Houston has been pleased to participate in the TQS process with the recognition that uniformity in the quality of our practices helps raise and maintain the effectiveness of our services across the country.

 For more information about our National organization and other state and city affiliates go HERE.

Kids gathering the Assets for Themselves!

What if every youth in Houston knew the building blocks of a successful future?   Perhaps we could give them a list and say, “Here is what you need to succeed.” Most young people do want to be academically and socially successful, they just haven’t had parents or people in their lives that have been able to share those building blocks.

There are 40 building blocks that have research behind them.  They are the 40 Developmental Assets © from Search Institute.   The more of these building blocks a youth has the greater their chance for success and staying away from risky behavior.  Many of these “assets”(blocks) are things that can be added by the youth, such as joining organizations, participating in sports, reading.  Other assets come from other adults in their life, this might be a teacher, youth worker, Sunday School teacher, aunt or uncle.

These may seem like common sense but if you have not been raised with them, it is good to have a list.  The 40 are broken down in to 8 categories:  Support, Empowerment, Boundaries and Expectations, Constructive Use of time, Commitment to Learning, Positive Values, Social Competencies, and Positive Identity.

That is what Link Up Greater Houston is all about.

What we want Link Up Greater Houston to accomplish is:

1.  To inform more young people and adults about the 40 Developmental Assets;

2.  To inspire young people to add the assets that they don’t have;

3.  For every adult who works with youth to know the importance of building positive, caring relationships with all youth; and

4.  To inspire relationships with young people by adults and also to let young people know that they can help their peers.

Tristan Love Tells His Story

Link Up Greater Houston 2011 was on October 1 at the University of Houston.  The 2011 Keynote Speaker was Tristan Love, a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School in Houston.  As a freshman in high school he was kicked out of one school for participating in a gang fight.   He was introduced to the 40 Developmental Assets as a sophomore, and it became his road map for determining what he should do in high school.  Seven years later he is the Student Government President at Wiley College after 3 years of successful debate experience with the new “Great Debaters Team”.

LinkUp Houston Drew a Large Crowd Seeking the 40 Developmental Assets

Following the motivational keynote, students and youth workers attended 2 workshops.  More than 20 youth-serving agencies and non-profits came together to plan the day and provide the workshops.  These included Communities in Schools Houston, as well as Children at Risk, the City of Houston Health and Human Services, City Parks Department, Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council, Harris County Dept. of Education (CASE), Harris County Triad, Mission Houston, Neighborhood Centers, Project Grad, University of Texas Health Science Prevention Research Center, the YMCA of Houston and the YWCA.

By Pat Rosenberg, another CIS Happy Board Member!

Communities In Schools project managers from the 30 schools served in Spring Branch ISD will be visiting the coat ‘store’ next week to shop for students and families who are in need.

Pictured to the left are Spring Branch Middle School students who helped create posters for the coat drive — Thank you to them for their successful efforts!

Lamar High School's Talented Culinary Students Offered Cheesecake as Good as It Looks!

One of our favorite ways to spread the word about Communities In Schools is through our Outreach Luncheons. It seems to this Happy Board Member that the luncheons just get better and better. Last week, Lamar hosted such a luncheon under the careful leadership of board member Pat Rosenberg. And the event made for a lovely and informative afternoon. Pat opened the lunch with a helpful discussion of the 40 Developmental Assets, which she pointed out, has been adopted throughout HISD, but especially embraced by Lamar High School’s administration.

And then we were treated to Dr. McSwain’s explanation of the school’s vision to provide  assistance to its students that is comprehensive and holistic. He stressed the importance of recognizing that many, many students have problems– from the simple to the serious– that are beyond academic. And most are issues that make learning and achieving impossible without help.

In furtherance of this goal, this is what Dr. McSwain said about what CIS does for the students of Lamar–

Sheleigh Beggs, Lamar’s CIS Project Manager, spoke about the different programs and services offered through the Student Services Center. And a luncheon highlight was when Lamar junior, Eddy, shared his experience with CIS. He credits CIS with keeping him in school and able to achieve in the face of very difficult family circumstances. Eddy impressed us all with his aspirations to attend Harvard University upon graduation.

CIS Board Member, Pat Rosenberg and Project Manager, Sheleigh Beggs

Mrs. Gwen Emmett, wife of County Judge Ed Emmett, mother, grandmother and former teacher, expressed her support and admiration of all that Communities In Schools does to keep kids in school and help them become “well-adjusted, responsible adults that can manage their lives.” She said even if your don’t value doing the right thing, you have to know that investing in children the way that CIS does “makes good fiscal sense!”

Mrs. Gwen Emmett, wife of Harris County Judge Ed Emmett

Several HISD Board members and state legislators were present to hear about how well Lamar funds are used to keep kids in school and what the programs mean to the school’s population of at-risk kids. I suspect they were as impressed with what CIS accomplishes on campus almost as much as they were wowed by the delicious lunch graciously served by Lamar’s Culinary Arts Program students… Still dreaming about that cheesecake!

CIS Board Member Pat Rosenberg, HISD Board Members Anna Eastman, Mike Lunceford and Ronda Skillern Jones, Lamar Principal, Dr. McSwain and CIS Executive Director, Cynthia Clay Briggs

Carlos Duncan, Chairman of the CIS Board, has his say!

Also to see Dr. McSwain discuss the success of Lamar’s Bridge Program, go to video HERE

And to see how CIS and Lamar High School are buidling a model for student mental health services, go to video HERE.

The Spring Branch Middle School PTA and Communities In Schools counselor, Emilio Herrera have achieved great success with a new & gently used coat drive collection effort.

Yesterday at a lunch sponsored by Communities in Schools at the school, over 270 coats were sorted to be distributed throughout Spring Branch — and more coats are expected to be collected before the 12/9 cut-off.  Coats will be distributed throughout the district before the holiday break.

Thank you in particular to the employees of Kirby Corporation and the office building on Waugh drive for a huge collection effort of over 9 big bags of coats!

These coats will go to students and families in the Spring Branch area, in need, and will be much appreciated during our winter cold months!

At the lunch program, hear CIS SBMS staff Emilio Herrera, and his comments on his first semester on campus.  Dr. Bryan Williams, principal of SBMS and CIS staff will address how a partnership between SBMS an CIS is strengthening students’ support systems.

RSVP and details below — we look forward to seeing you!

Spring Branch Middle School and Communities In Schools of Houston are collecting gently used (or new) coats and jackets to be distributed locally to children and adults.

Coats of all shapes and sizes are welcome.  

The collection box is located in the lobby of Spring Branch Middle School.

ONLINE AUCTION –NOW OPEN!!

Our Gala Auction is LIVE!  And the auction offerings are to die for… but they’re much better to bid for! Online bidding is easy. Just go HERE  to see the 6 packages now available.  You may bid in increments or “Buy Now” to immediately take an item off the auction block and “win” it for yourself.

Bid on two glamorous nights at the Wynn Las Vegas, with airfare and show tickets to Le Reve!;

or a private suite for 14 people, with food, drinks and parking, at the Texans/Falcons game December 4^th;

or  five relaxing summertime nights at the Roaring Fork Club in cool Colorado, airfare to Denver and other fun activities included;

You can nab an exotic stay of unsurpassed luxury for 11 people at lovely Villa Koi in Puerto Vallarta.

Just added to this impressive line-up are: one week in a 3-bedroom beach house on sunny Amelia Island, Florida;

and a two-night stay for two at the Southwest at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa.

Our auction event adds big fun to our Gala and is a very important part of our fundraising. When it comes right down to it, the Gala and auction is our biggest private funder. Our online auction allows you to make our Gala a success even if you cannot join us!

So Bid now! Bid often!!  See you at the Gala October 20^th……. and thank you in advance!

Submitted in large part by Ellen Morris, another Happy Board Member!