In less than two weeks, TISD School Semester for 2026-2027 gets under way. We have a new Superintendent, whose name is Ben Petty, and lots of new teachers, old teachers, and building staff who faithfully come back year after year.
Unfortunately, schools everywhere return to classrooms during the hottest month of the year, and buses in most small towns or rural areas do not have air conditioning in all their buses.
Generally, the buses which cannot be repaired or fixed have to be scrapped and replaced with new buses and they are the ones that are now air-conditioned.
One of the best perks that student athletes have in small towns is air-conditioned buses to ride to and from the games during the fall months when school first starts. Otherwise, I believe some of the extra curriculum activities would be lacking participation if students had to ride to ballgames in the August/September heat.
There are a few local events planned for the next two weeks before school starts, but mainly August has become the” back to school month.”
Meet the Teacher Night, Meet the Tiger night, new teacher orientation week, football practices, local scrimmages, band rehearsals, and volleyball tryouts and practices are on the agenda for the last week in July, so I will try to inform you of all the happenings before they occur.
Meet the New Superintedent Dr. Ben Petty was held Thursday at the TISD Administrative Building. If you missed this meeting, you could schedule a visit Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to welcome the new superintendent by calling ahead at (936) 594-3569. Parents and community citizens are welcome to come and meet the new Superintendent during office hours.
Substitute teacher orientation is July 29 at 2 p.m. in the TISD Board Room at 101 Jefferson St. in Trinity.
Teacher orientation is July 30 and 31.
More school news for TISD teachers:
In-service day/professional development days are Aug. 3-7. These professional development days are for staff only. There is no school for students these days.
Meet the Teacher Night on all three TISD campuses is on Aug. 7 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Meet the Tiger Night will follow at the TMS and THS campus gym when Meet the Teacher Night ends at 7 p.m.
Aug. 10 is the first day of the new school year.
•Repeat of community events:
There are two fundraisers planned for Jerry Tullos who needs help with repairs to his home due to fire damage over the Fourth of July weekend. This is an extremely bad time of the year for fires so be careful inside and outside.
The first fundraiser will be a bake sale on Saturday, Aug. 1, in front of the Fire House Pizzeria. The address is 110 Brantley St. in Trinity. The bake sale will start at 9 a.m. There will be lots of homemade goodies made with love by friends and family.
Jerome “Jerry” Tullos has been a volunteer firefighter for 53 years and is now retired. The bake sale is to purchase items for the second fundraiser that will be announced when and where it will be held on Aug. 22. For more information, please call Kim Spillman at (936) 661-1568 to donate or help support this retired community servant.
•Don’t forget the VFW Saturday afternoon dances this weekend. On Aug. 1, the Eddie and Maxie Dance is held from noon to 4 p.m. at the VFW Hall on Caroline Street. The country classic music is brought to you by the Winchester Band for the price of $15 each person. The canteen is open, but the snack bar is not.
The next VFW afternoon dance is Sept. 12 from noon to 4 p.m. with the same information as above, except the band playing is the Whiskey Bent Band of Texas. For more information, please call the Post at (936) 594-9467.
I received a TISD Middle School student supply list. Most classroom supplies are provided by the school. However, students should bring the following personal items: backpack, pocket folder, refillable water bottle, tissues, wired headphones or ear buds for Chromebooks, disinfecting wipes, pencils, and hand sanitizers.
•I learned about this activity almost too late, but you still have time to help stock the teachers’ lounge this week to welcome the teachers back to school. TMS drop-off location for lounge donations is 812 Jack Sheffer Road and THS lounge donations are at the Front Office. You can drop off drinks and snacks from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Friday.
To stock the lounge will create a welcoming space where the teachers can relax, recharge, and feel appreciated as they prepare for another incredible school year.
Whoever came up with this idea was very thoughtful and creative, and awesome savings for the teachers and staff.
