DISD's Lakewood Elementary: Checkmate over St. Mark's [Archive]

Lakewooder

12 January 2006, 07:34 PM

Dads a factor in kids' math gains
Grade-schoolers thrive with hands-on help from Lakewood group

12:00 AM CST on Friday, December 16, 2005
By ELIZABETH LANGTON / The Dallas Morning News

On a recent Tuesday morning, about 40 second-graders crowded into a Lakewood Elementary classroom before school to learn about fractions.

KYE R. LEE/DMN
Monty Watson helps Ben Broughton during a session of Math Maniacs for second-graders at Lakewood Elementary School in Dallas. The program is run by Friends of Lakewood. These students weren't being punished or catching up on missed work. They volunteer for extra math lessons.

The school's popular Math Maniacs program aims to improve their math skills and make the subject fun.

"We try to make it a little more challenging than what they do in class," said parent coordinator Brad Weber. "It's not really designed to be a tutoring program. We want to challenge kids who like math."

In the Dallas school district's Math Olympiad last month, Lakewood earned second place in a field of more than 100 schools.

"It's because of Math Maniacs," said math resource teacher Jeaneal Flowers.

Friends of Lakewood, known casually as the dads' club, started the Math Maniacs nine years ago. Volunteer dads, assisted by a few moms, lead weekly lessons for grades one through six.

The children benefit academically, Ms. Flowers said, and the program encourages interaction between students and dads.

"That's almost more important than the math," she said.

Monty Watson, who directs Math Maniacs in the second grade, said volunteering allows him to forge relationships with classmates of his daughter, Ashley.

"Dads are very involved at Lakewood, and Math Maniacs offers a great venue to get to know the children and make a positive contribution," he said. "We have lawyers, engineers and senior executives taking time from their busy schedules to enhance the math program, and it has paid off."

Mr. Watson said Lakewood Elementary, Long Middle School and Woodrow Wilson High consistently do well in area math competitions.

During a weekly session, Mr. Watson helped the second-graders grasp fractions using paper-plate pies. About a dozen sixth-graders gathered in a separate classroom to work on introductory algebra problems.

Madison Wald, 11, has been attending Math Maniacs since first grade. She won a third-place award in the district Math Olympiad.

"It helps me with my math, but the disadvantage is I have to get up at 6," she said.

Xavier Alvarado, who is pondering a career as a businessman or chef, said math applies to many aspects of life and school.

"It helps you with other things," the 12-year-old said. "It goes with every different subject."

Mr. Weber's son, Ward, participated in Math Maniacs at Lakewood and this year joined the math team at Long. Daughter Molly started Math Maniacs last year.

"We want to get the kids excited about math," Mr. Weber said.

E-mail elangton@dallasnews.com.

[I]Monty Watson, a Dallas attorney, is an alumnus of Lakewood Elementary and is a member of the 1983 graduating class of Woodrow Wilson High.

Lakewooder

20 April 2006, 06:44 PM

Parental involvement benefits schools

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, April 15, 2006

When my husband and I were about to purchase our first home, Lakewood perfectly fit what we were looking for. It was a great location with strong schools. As homeowners in Lakewood, I believe we owe our community's pioneers gratitude for establishing a tradition of strong parental involvement in our three neighborhood schools: Lakewood Elementary, J.L. Long Junior High and Woodrow Wilson High.

Today, tireless community volunteers such as Kenny Rubenstein serve. He is the facilities and grounds committee parent member on the Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) Team. SBDM is one of many committees in our neighborhood schools in which parents, teachers and administrators work together to improve students' education.

Mr. Rubenstein has volunteered countless hours grooming an unattractive patch of grass and gravel behind Lakewood Elementary into a plush sports field so the children have a safer place to play. He's been working on the field for several years, mowing it every other week.

With funds raised by Friends of Lakewood, Lakewood Elementary dad's club, a sprinkler system was purchased to maintain the field. That not only benefits Lakewood Elementary students but area children who participate in the YMCA sports program.

Friends of Lakewood plans to raise additional funds for the school by hosting the first No-limit Texas Hold 'Em card game May 20. For information, contact, Dean Tarpley, president of Friends of Lakewood, at 214-662-2449. Space is limited to 80 players.

Let the games begin. On April 22, Lakewood Elementary will host the annual Spring Carnival. This year's theme is Lakewood Olympics from noon to 4 p.m. (rain or shine). Kids of all ages will enjoy traditional carnival games.

"In keeping with the Olympic theme, family Olympic-style games will take place throughout the day," said Susie Tarpley, carnival co-chairwoman.

Bring your family out for a day of fun and experience the good things that are happening at Lakewood Elementary.

Funds raised from the carnival will support programs that enhance academic curricula, such as a literacy program, Destination Imagination, Geography Club, Science Club and the award-winning Chess Club.

Schoolchildren benefit from the commitment of hard-working neighborhood volunteers. But ultimately, we all benefit from their dedication in efforts like the carnival, which keep our schools strong an add value to our community.

Lakewood resident Chris Gresback can be reached at cgresback@hotmail.com.

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/lakewood/stories/DN-gresback_15met.ART.Central.Edition2.22d1c6c8.html

Lakewooder

09 May 2006, 04:56 PM

Students' sweat equity yields dividends

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, May 6, 2006

Now we know there's a tycoon connection between Lakewood Elementary and nearby Vanderbilt Avenue.

Three Lakewood teams blew all the major indexes away in capturing three of the North Texas region's top nine places in recent competition sponsored by The Dallas Morning News Newspapers In Education program.

This spring, 20 Lakewood teams participated in the Stock Market Game, a 10-week Internet-based stock-trading simulation program.

Each team begins with a $100,000 virtual account. Research, teamwork, critical thinking and a little luck come into play as the students learn the process of trading stocks on the New York stock exchange and NASDAQ.

The dividends include a $100 savings bond for each student on the winning team.

In the Dallas area, 2,800 students from 135 schools participated. The Lakewood program is under the direction of Dr. Susan Bryza, Talented and Gifted program teacher.

Dr. Bryza attributes Lakewood students' success in the Stock Market Game to an IBM grant that enabled the Talented and Gifted program to purchase 10 personal computers.

"The kids are computer savvy. Using their computer skills, the students were able to research individual stocks and monitor their progress," she said.

Lakewood fourth-graders Stephanie Arnold, Michael Carlson, India Hearne and Luke Whitten took first place in grades 4-5.

Fifth-graders Patrick Deniger, Michael Gresback (my son), Graeme Hamilton, Russell Regan and Ian Smith took second place in the grades 4 and 5.

"Some of the stocks we chose were Nabors Drilling because gas prices were going up. It went up a whole lot," Russell explained. "We bought Biogen, a company that makes avian flu vaccines, and Sony because the PS3 was going to come out. We sold the Sony because they postponed the production and that stock went down. We also bought DreamCast, the manufacturer of Xbox 360, which performed well."

Lakewood sixth-graders Frances Desmond, Savannah Reynolds, Emma Schweitzer, Jake Secker and Stephen Slaughter won third place in grades 6 through 8.

The popularity and success of the Stock Market Game is strong evidence to support programs such as Newspapers in Education. We know it will provide handsome returns to our kids for years to come.

Lakewood resident Chris Gresback can be reached at cgresback@hotmail.com.

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/lakewood/stories/DN-elgresback_06met.ART.Central.Edition1.3dd446d.html

Columbus Civil

09 May 2006, 05:59 PM

Maybe I should hire one of these kids to look after my money :)

Lakewooder

09 May 2006, 07:38 PM

Curtain coming down on 6th-grade opera tradition
Lakewood: Students compose, stage, sing their own production

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, May 6, 2006
By ELIZABETH LANGTON / The Dallas Morning News

The figurative fat lady sang this week at Lakewood Elementary School.

"I really believe strongly in the program," music teacher Karen Kimball said. "I'm sorry we won't have a sixth grade to do it next year."

The school district plans to move sixth-graders into middle schools for 2006-07. The change is one of the factors that led Mrs. Kimball to announce her retirement.

"I enjoy what I do," she said. "But it's just a good time for somebody else to come in."

Fifth-grade teacher Rita Samuels, Mrs. Kimball's partner in the program, decided the opera's run should end with Mrs. Kimball's departure.

"It's been fun," she said. "But it's time to do something else."

The teachers started Lakewood's opera program in 1993 after attending training by New York's Metropolitan Opera Guild. About 400 schools nationwide, including 20 in Texas, participate in the Creating Original Opera program.

The students form an opera company, write a script, compose original songs and stage the production themselves. The teachers offer guidance, but the students make the decisions.

Mrs. Samuels was skeptical at first.

"I thought there's no way they can do all that themselves," she said. "But for 14 years they have done exactly that. They take ownership of it. They want it to be good."

Two weeks ago, 55 sixth-graders formed The Final Six Opera Company. They started by applying for jobs such as set designer, composer, make-up artist and performer.

Production managers Austan Palmer, Sam Rooney and Clark Wamre oversaw the staging of More Than a Dream.

Sam said they felt some pressure to make the last show the biggest and best.

"Everyone will think about this one because it's the last one," Clark said.

Added Austan: "But it's exciting."

The opera has become a community tradition, Mrs. Kimball said. Parents whose children left Lakewood years ago still come to the shows.

Set designer Madison Wald has dreamed of participating since seeing her first performance as a kindergartner.

"I knew right away I would be one of the people who picked out the sets, even though I didn't know it was called set designer," she said.

At rehearsals Wednesday, the show still had some kinks. Actors flubbed their lines, props got misplaced and the curtain opened on one scene to reveal a set decorator still on stage.

But Mrs. Kimball said the lessons the children learn about teamwork and responsibility are far more vital than if they give a perfect show.

"We always like to have a production that's perfect and dazzles, but the most important part is the process," she said. "It's theirs because they've done it. And somehow it always comes together."

E-mail elangton@dallasnews.com

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/lakewood/stories/DN-elfocus_06met.ART.Central.Edition1.3dd2011.html

DARNELL RENEE/Special Contributor
Hayley Kauffman (left) and Delaney Finn performed Thursday in a dress rehearsal of the Final Six Opera Company's More Than a Dream, Lakewood Elementary's last opera. After a 14-year run, the final performances of the sixth-grade opera took place Thursday and Friday.

Lakewooder

02 August 2006, 05:44 PM

DISD's Lakewood Elementary now has a 200 person waiting list for this fall - source - current East Dallas/Lakewood Advocate.

See: http://advocatemag.com/issues/ED8_06.pdf

Also, there's some info on the Emerald Isle Condo project for White Rock Lake if you care to peruse the issue.

freewaytincan

02 August 2006, 07:31 PM

Curtain coming down on 6th-grade opera tradition
Lakewood: Students compose, stage, sing their own production

Good that it's ending. Everyone knows that sports are more important than the arts. And why spend valuable time learning music, when the kids could be learning math and science and other creative skills? Conformity is the future.

Lakewooder

08 November 2006, 07:00 PM

November 8, 2006
Lakewood Elementary Best Math Team in Dallas
Math was never my strong suit but it is for the kids at Lakewood Elementary.

Monty Watson, a member of the Friends of Lakewood, the school's dad club, just sent word that the elementary school came in first place in the Dallas ISD Math Olympiad last Saturday at Skyline High School.

According to him:

Lakewood’s math team, grades 3-5th, finished first in the Math Olympiad which more than 100 schools competed in.

After a morning of fierce competition, Lakewood’s team returned in the afternoon for an awards ceremony that culminated in the Lakewood kids hoisting a first place trophy over their heads.

Mr. Watson wanted to congratulate Jeaneal Flowers, a sponsor of the math team and Brad Weber, FOL Math Maniacs leader who spent a huge amount of time helping the team prepare for the test.

While the focus is on the team achievement. Here is a list of individual winners of the tournament.

Third Grade

Wrigley Burris

Ashley Watson

Andrew De Rouen - 5th place for Area 3

Fourth Grade

Leslie Scherger

Erin Choi-3rd place for Area 3; 3rd place for the district (overall)

Carter Maxcy-4th place for Area 3

Fifth Grade

Corbin Ray

Jeff Patton-5th place for Area 3

Michael Mendez-4th place for Area 3

Congrats to the Lakewood Math team for their win!

Posted by Allen Houston at 3:14 PM (E-mail this entry) Dallas Morning News

Lakewooder

20 November 2006, 07:36 PM

NEWS White Rock
M Streets/Lakewood

Lakewood team effort adds up to math trophy

12:00 AM CST on Saturday, November 18, 2006

Lakewood students excel in athletics of the mind. Last weekend, Skyline High hosted more than 100 elementary school math teams who competed in the annual DISD Math Olympiad, a timed mathematical competition for third- through fifth-grade students.

Lakewood Elementary students excelled in taking the test and took home the first-place trophy.

Students in third through fifth grade at Lakewood Elementary were given the opportunity to participate in a preliminary Math Olympiad test at the beginning of the school year. The test challenges student ability in problem-solving, reasoning, logic and applying math concepts to solve word problems.

The top three performers from each grade level were selected to represent the team for Lakewood Elementary. This was the first year third-graders were able to participate in Math Olympiad since sixth-graders from the district moved on to middle school.

The nine students on the first-place team are: third-graders Andrew de Rouen, Wrigley Burris and Ashley Watson; fourth-graders Erin Choi, Leslie Scherger and Carter Maxcy; and fifth-graders Jeff Patton, Corbin Ray and Michael Mendez.

"It was fun," Leslie said. "I liked practicing for the test."

Jeff agreed: "I had a lot of fun while learning math."

Jeaneal Flowers, Lakewood teacher and team coach, said the Math Olympiad "gets the kids excited about math and challenges them to take their mathematical skills to the next level."

Lakewood parents and teachers are the backbone of this outstanding math program.

Every Tuesday morning before school, students are invited to participate in Math Maniacs, a dad-sponsored program. Math Maniacs prepares students for the Math Olympiad test and fosters a love of learning mathematics.

Lakewood dads Monty Watson, Jason Stabenow, Kevin Woltjen, Gilbert Shelby, Jeff Jordan and Tim Forgerson meet with several Lakewood students who attend the Math Maniacs program at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday mornings. (Maybe the doughnuts have something to do with attendance, but whatever it takes.)

The students are truly excited about math and the thrill of meeting new challenges.

Parent Mark Burris said: "The awards ceremony that filled Skyline's auditorium culminated in our kids hoisting a trophy larger than the third-graders over their heads."

In my opinion, that's a trophy worth bragging about!

If you have an idea for this column, e-mail Lakewood resident cgresback@hotmail.com

disruptivehair

27 November 2006, 06:06 AM

Y'know, it doesn't do the city of Dallas much good to have a single elementary school doing well in a neighborhood where most working families could not afford to buy a home. So Lakewood Elementary is doing fine. That's great. It's serving only a few hundred children in a tony, trendy area...and not even all the children eligible to attend in the catchment area can actually attend, from what I've read. So...whoopee. :master:

If the DISD could do that with more than one elementary school, I'd be impressed. If they could do that in a part of Dallas that's in decline instead of on the rise (which is probably over half the city, haha) then I'd be even more impressed. Wealthy and middle class children will usually do well in school no matter where you put them.

:1stplace:

hamiltonpl

27 November 2006, 12:59 PM

It's serving only a few hundred children in a tony, trendy area...and not even all the children eligible to attend in the catchment area can actually attend, from what I've read. So...whoopee. :master:

Thankfully, the waiting list is for children who live outside the Lakewood elementary school district seeking to transfer. Those children who live in the district get a seat in the Lakewood classroom. That was the whole point of the article Lakewooder referenced -- move to Lakewood if you want in Lakewood Elementary.

Lakewood is not the only good elementary school in the Dallas ISD. Preston Hollow and Stonewall Jackson are supposed to be good. I'm sure there are others.

Lakewooder

27 November 2006, 06:56 PM

Hair:

Mount Auburn, Bonham and Lipscomb in East Dallas are all rated exemplary. Lakewood and Stonewall are recognized but have the yuppie social scene and many achievers at the top who will ultimately outpace those at other schools. Also, this year Robert E. Lee has moved up to recognized and is about to become the next yuppie haven as all the remaining low income housing is coming down fast.

I would think Mount Auburn would be affordable. Then again, I saw a new teardown on S. Glasgow this weekend.

citizen

27 November 2006, 09:26 PM

[QUOTE=disruptivehair]Y'know, it doesn't do the city of Dallas much good to have a single elementary school doing well in a neighborhood where most working families could not afford to buy a home. So Lakewood Elementary is doing fine. That's great. It's serving only a few hundred children in a tony, trendy area...and not even all the children eligible to attend in the catchment area can actually attend, from what I've read. So...whoopee. :master:

If the DISD could do that with more than one elementary school, I'd be impressed. If they could do that in a part of Dallas that's in decline instead of on the rise (which is probably over half the city, haha) then I'd be even more impressed. Wealthy and middle class children will usually do well in school no matter where you put them.

I have participated in several events a Lakewood Elementary (not as a parent or grandparent) - the success is not due to the DISD or the perceived wealthy neighborhood - it is totally due to parent and neighborhood involvement - also take a look at the Miracle on Beltline - Richardson High School - again parent and neighborhood involvement. We need to understand that it is our responsibility to nurture and educate all of our children.

FoUTASportscaster

28 November 2006, 02:55 AM

I have participated in several events a Lakewood Elementary (not as a parent or grandparent) - the success is not due to the DISD or the perceived wealthy neighborhood - it is totally due to parent and neighborhood involvement - also take a look at the Miracle on Beltline - Richardson High School - again parent and neighborhood involvement. We need to understand that it is our responsibility to nurture and educate all of our children.

I am a firm believer that parents matter way more than the district.

disruptivehair

30 November 2006, 08:25 AM

Thankfully, the waiting list is for children who live outside the Lakewood elementary school district seeking to transfer. Those children who live in the district get a seat in the Lakewood classroom. That was the whole point of the article Lakewooder referenced -- move to Lakewood if you want in Lakewood Elementary.

Lakewood is not the only good elementary school in the Dallas ISD. Preston Hollow and Stonewall Jackson are supposed to be good. I'm sure there are others.

Yeah; Preston Hollow is even less affordable than Lakewood. When I was growing up it was on the expensive side; now it's crammed with McMansions. Good luck. I've never heard of Stonewall Jackson; I went to Pershing. :2lol:

Lakewooder

10 January 2007, 06:04 PM

Part of a new missive from Monty Watson (wWw '83) parent and president of the Friends of Lakewood Elementary:

"I’m writing to let you know about some of the school’s recent accomplishments:

First, Lakewood has been recognized for its excellence again, and this time on a state-wide level. Texas Monthly ranked Lakewood as one of the best schools in the State. Nineteen DISD schools were listed.

Second, Lakewood earned another first place recently - this time in science. Our 5th Graders won 1st place in the TMSCA competition in Lewisville several weeks ago. Think how good we’ll be after the science lab is in place!

Third, Lakewood-Now.net featured our 1st place Math Olympiad team in an article a while ago. There was also an article on the team in the DMN and the Advocate did a piece on the science lab."

Lakewooder

14 February 2007, 07:44 PM

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/514

Lakewood Math Team's Number is “1”
by Steve Crozier

The Lakewood Elementary School math team (grades 3-5) finished first in the DISD Math Olympiad. Well over 100 schools competed (including Travis and the Montessori schools) in the competition.

Coaches, teams wearing colorful matching shirts, parents and test givers gathered at Skyline High School on Saturday. After a morning of competition, Lakewood’s team returned in the afternoon for an awards ceremony that filled Skyline’s auditorium and culminated in our kids hoisting a trophy larger than the third graders over their heads.

According to Monty Watson, president of the Friends of Lakewood (an organization of school fathers), congratulations go to Ms. Flowers (sponsor of the math team) for her tireless work with the kids. "Ms. Flowers also brings a contagious enthusiasm to the program," says Watson. He also offered special thanks to Brad Weber (Lakewood dad and Friends of Lakewood Math Maniacs leader) who "spent a huge amount of time helping the team prepare for the test."

Lakewooder

21 February 2007, 04:29 PM

Lakewood Elementary Students Sweep Reflections 2007

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/721

Rosalyn Costanzo, newsletter editor and webmaster for Lakewood Elementary.

Congratulations to Oscar DeLaughter, first grade, for his Musical Composition titled "I Can Stay Here!", and Neali Lambert, third grade, for her Literature titled "My House" for advancing to the Area level of competition in the Reflections Art Contest. Their work was recognized and they each received the Award of Excellence at the Dallas Council of PTA's reception on Monday, January 22.

With 836 students district-wide entering the Reflections Program this year, 152 were sent to Council and thirty-three were sent to Area.

From the thirty-three participants from Lakewood Elementary School who participated in the Reflections Art Contest, the following twelve participants advanced to the Council level: Mack Reed, Katherine Deniger, Andrew DeRouen, Neali Lambert, Oscar DeLaughter, Ashley Watson, Max Zotos, Michael Tepera, Ruby McLemore, Harrison DuBose, Katherine Pound, and Jeffrey Patton.

Reflections 2007
The National PTA sponsors the annual Reflections arts competition. This year's theme was "My Favorite Place."

Other Lakewood students garnering awards were:

Literature (Primary K-2)
First Place: Mack Reed - 2nd grade
Second Place: Katherine Deniger - 1st grade
Third Place: Stella DeLaughter - 2nd grade

Literature (Intermediate 3-5)
First Place: Andrew DeRouen - 3rd grade
Second Place: Neali Lambert - 3rd grade
Third Place: Amy Deniger - 3rd grade

Musical Composition (Primary K-2)
First Place: Oscar DeLaughter - 1st grade

Musical Composition (Intermediate 3-5)
First Place: Ashley Watson - 3rd grade

Photography (Intermediate 3-5)
First Place: Max Zotos - 5th grade
Second Place: Michael Tepera - 3rd grade
Third Place:Michael Tepera - 3rd grade

Visual Arts (Primary K-2)
First Place: Ruby McLemore - 1st grade
Second Place: Harrison DuBose - 1st grade
Third Place: Olivia Fennegan - Kindergarten

Visual Arts (Intermediate 3-5)
First Place: Katherine Pound - 4th grade
Second Place: Jeffrey Patton - 5th grade
Third Place: Kyle Morrissey - 5th grade

Honorable Mention Awards in Literature (Intermediate 3-5) went to Preston Bailey, Ashley Watson, Kyle Morrissey, Adina Smirin, and Shelby Patterson.

Honorable Mention Awards in Photography (Intermediate 3-5) went to Cammy Resnick.

Honorable Mention Awards in Visual Arts (Primary K-2) went to Julia Van Witzenburg, Samantha Stokes, Samantha Stokes, Michael Kavas, Alexa Zotos, Alex Land, and Bryn Van Hoosier.

Honorable Mention Awards in Visual Arts (Intermediate 3-5) went to Olivia Schoenecker, Samantha Schoenecker, and Adeline Shelby.

J. L. Long Middle School students also did well in the competiton

Lakewooder

26 February 2007, 08:51 PM

Lakewood Elementary Open House
Posted February 25 2007 by Emily Martin

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/742

What’s more exciting than looking forward to the first day of kindergarten?

Whether you’re a kid or a parent, it’s one of life’s major milestones. Lakewood Elementary made the most of the natural excitement at the 2007 Kindergarten Round-Up on Thursday evening, February 22. Visitors, volunteers, and faculty all enjoyed the western theme, complete with boots, bandanas, and bales of hay.

Almost one hundred families dropped by, and about forty people volunteered to help show them the advantages of Lakewood Elementary. Susan Overman was the chairman of the event.

Lakewood parents serve as tour guides

Small children tugged on the hands of their parents as they checked out the spiffed-up school building. Most took a tour of the school, guided by a Lakewood parent.

On the way, they visited the library and art rooms, the PC computer lab, the music room, the first-grade module, the Mac computer lab, and the gym. They also checked out the information fair in the cafeteria, featuring tables with information about uniforms, school programs and services, as well as bags of popcorn. Some got their picture made and received a colorful bandana.

The enthusiastic tour guides may also have mentioned the school’s videoconferencing capabilities, Lakewood Outdoor Learning Area (LOLA), the Lakewood Math Team (which won first place in the DISD Math Olympiad), the Science Team, Garden Club, Geography Club, Destination Imagination teams, and Enterprise City.

Plenty of organizations to join, too

They may also have button-holed parents to invite them to join the PTA or Friends of Lakewood, the dad’s organization that supports Math Maniacs, Field Day, the 3rd grade science lab, and other projects. In short, someone taking the Lakewood tour would certainly understand why Lakewood Elementary was recognized by Texas Monthly as one of the top twenty best elementary schools in the state of Texas.

Get your paperwork in now

Currently, there are 513 students enrolled at Lakewood from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. This spring, there are six kindergarten classes. "Teaching staff is determined by the number of students enrolled," says Lakewood principal Michelle Thompson. "Prompt return of registration packets helps us plan for next year."

Lakewooder

09 April 2007, 10:25 PM

Lakewood Elementary Second Grader Wins Creative Writing Contest
April 9 2007

Mack Reed, a second-grader from Lakewood Elementary, won the first Creative Writing Contest sponsored by SCORE!

Mack's poem is entitled, My Favorite Place...America.

My Favorite Place...America
by Mack Reed

I love America
It's my favorite place
It's where dreams come true

I love America
It's my favorite place
Where hope is for you

I love America
It's my favorite place
It keeps the world safe, too

It makes my heart smile
I see dreams come true
Hope lives free
Because it's a safe place
It's my favorite place
America
I love you

Lakewooder

03 May 2007, 09:35 PM

Lakewood Elementary Goes Green: http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/896?page=1

Lakewooder

21 May 2007, 10:37 PM

Lakewood Elementary holds 55th Annual Field Day:

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/943?page=1

Lakewooder

06 June 2007, 07:49 PM

Lakewood Elementary Annual Teacher Appreciation Party:

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/960?page=1

Yes that is Congressman Pete Sessions, who sends his son to Lakewood.

Lakewooder

14 June 2007, 04:11 PM

Lakewood Elementary 5th Grade trip to DC:

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/982

Lakewooder

30 July 2007, 07:37 PM

Pre - Kindergarteners Ease into Lakewood Elementary:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dallas/125460-kindergarteners-ease-into-lakewood-elementary.html

Lakewooder

29 August 2007, 04:50 PM

First day of school at Lakewood:

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/1125?page=1

Lakewooder

18 October 2007, 01:23 PM

E.T. Lands in Lakewood:

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/1295

Lakewooder

08 November 2007, 03:27 PM

http://backtalkeastdallas.typepad.com/back_talk/2007/11/a-blue-ribbon-f.html

A Blue Ribbon for Lakewood Elementary?
Michelle Thompson, principal at Lakewood Elementary, was beaming with pride yesterday when she announced to her staff that the school is one of three district-wide nominees for the much-coveted Blue Ribbon Award given by the Department of Education to schools with superior test scores Statewide, fewer than 25 schools were chosen. The winner will be announced in February. Well deserved, Lakewood!

http://www.dallasisd.org/schools/images/realtors/lakewood_building.jpg

Lakewooder

13 November 2007, 12:25 PM

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/LWElemBig.jpg

Lakewood Elementary Up for National Award
http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/1507

Lakewooder

13 November 2007, 04:06 PM

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/LakewoodMathChamps2007.jpg

Lakewood repeats at DISD Math Olympiad Champions

For the second straight year Lakewood’s Math Team captured first place at the Dallas ISD annual math competition on October 20th at Skyline High School.

http://www.neighborsgo.com/stories/7229

Lakewooder

11 December 2007, 05:44 PM

Lakewood Elementary Choir Strolls NorthPark

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/ChoirMainBig.jpg

More pics http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/1750?page=1

UrbanBiker

14 December 2007, 12:06 PM

From an annual list published by the Texas Education Agency, of the 831 low-performing Texas Public Schools, which qualify for state transfer grants, 74 of them are DISD campuses! That’s about right at 9% of the low-performing schools in the state.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/121307dntexbadschools.272807a.html#

Plano, Frisco, Richardson, Murphy and McKinney ISD’s had ZERO Schools on the list.

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/taa/perfreport121207a.pdf

Maybe someday the schools in the Lakewood Area will become a reflection of the DISD. Let’s hope that it is because the rest of the DISD Schools get much, much better.

Lakewooder

14 December 2007, 12:55 PM

DISD also has 80 campuses which are rated exemplary or recognized.

The only school on the list from Lakewood is Woodrow and that's because it was one year out of the last three. It was a year when we took in Katrina refugees and had 200 transfers in from low-performing high schools. The 'unacceptable' rating from last year was appealed and reversed - as was Coppell High's 'unacceptable' from the year before. It was literally because of ONE student. Woodrow cannot be entirely judged without a careful examination. It is a school which is part TAG, part ESL, part remedial and special education (20%). It is all things to all people and all people are welcome.

For instance Woodrow has made the Newsweek list, was ranked by DMagazine as the top comprehensive high school in Dallas (above Frisco) and was recently named a model school (one of only 37) in science and math. The study by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, examined scores on several major tests – the TAKS, ACT, SAT and Advanced Placement exams. Woodrow also had the same number of National Merit Semi-finalists as Frisco this year. And we are the only school, public or private, to send its top two grads to Ivy League schools -- Yale and Princeton.

But I digress (as usual). This thread is about Lakewood Elementary, which is one of three schools nominated for the Blue Ribbon. It was named as "Best in Texas" by Texas Monthly earlier this year, along with three other Lakewood-area elementaries. No elementaries from Frisco made the list.

Lakewood has for the second year in a row beaten all other Dallas schools at the Math Olympiad.

I know it's easy to dismiss 160,000 students and 220 schools because they are in DISD, but you need to take a look at individual schools very closely before condemning every one.

I would invite you to visit Woodrow for instance, to see the musical in April (we regularly beat St. Mark's/Hockaday, HP etc in the high school Tonys - the Cappies) and you might sit in on some of the mock trial competition - we have advanced to state competition every year since the team was formed in 1979.

If not, you could be one of the 350 volunteers for next year's Lakewood Home Tour and talk to the parents.

Lakewooder

14 December 2007, 01:18 PM

UB, I hope I didn't come off as angry or too defensive on that post -- these ratings are very frustrating to alums, parents, student and especially teachers and principals.

Here's a pretty good explanation:

http://backtalkeastdallas.typepad.com/back_talk/2007/12/state-releases.html

UrbanBiker

14 December 2007, 01:38 PM

UB, I hope I didn't come off as angry or too defensive on that post

Too Late!! :2lol:

Probably should have started a new thread.

Lakewooder

07 January 2008, 02:00 PM

Lakewood Elementary Principal gets $10,000 performance bonus:

http://www.peoplenewspapers.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&AudID=0C60FF0FEDEB42CAA527EA9D73BBC489&tier=4&id=7580DA491F0C435BAACEC2D14C7CF727

Lakewooder

16 January 2008, 11:48 AM

LAKEWOOD named "Master School"

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/2048?page=1

Lakewood Elementary received a new accolade from Dallas ISD in December. Based on student achievement and continued success in education, Lakewood was named a "Master School."

Quite a title, right? About 75 schools is DISD received this distinction, several in the East Dallas area.

DISD also awarded Lakewood $10,000 to use for the school as part of this distinction. The school administration and staff are looking into several possible ways to effectively use the funds.

Lakewood personnel also learned at the first of December that they were officially nominated for the prestigious national No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Award. This is a coveted, long-standing award in the land of education.

As it stands now, Lakewood has cleared the first hurdle on the way to being a Blue Ribbon school. After receiving a nomination, the first step is for the school to complete a Blue Ribbon application.

As you would expect of a government document, the application is not a one day gig. The school administrators and a committee of dedicated teachers at Lakewood worked throughout December composing, editing, rewriting, and finalizing the school's application. The application is includes 10 narrative sections as well as six additional pages of school test and enrollment data from the past several years.

Last week, the completed application was forwarded on to DISD for the superintendent, Dr. Michael Hinojosa, and the school board to review for approval. After that, the application is submitted to the Department of Education in February and the long wait for results will begin. Blue Ribbon winners will be announced in September.

Despite the extensive process, the Lakewood staff is ecstatic about being nominated and keeping their fingers crossed until next fall. In the mean time, Lakewood will continue their practice of excellent teaching for the children of our community.

Lakewooder

29 January 2008, 05:54 PM

Having a Spree at Lakewood Elementary
Posted January 28, 2008, 3:34 p.m.Staff Report

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/Polyphonic_Spree___Lakewood_Elem-1.jpg

Lakewood Family Education Night last week at Lakewood Elementary School featured one of the most well-known names on the Dallas, and way beyond, music scene.

A pared-down version of Polyphonic Spree played two interactive sets for parents and kids and staff and faculty involved with the school.

http://lakewood-now.net/view/article/2151?page=1

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/Polyphonic_Spree___Lakewood_Element.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/Polyphonic_Spree___Lakewood_Elem-2.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/Polyphonic_Spree___Lakewood_Elem-4.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/Polyphonic_Spree___Lakewood_Elem-3.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/Polyphonic_Spree___Lakewood_Elem-5.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/lakewooder/Polyphonic_Spree___Lakewood_Elem-6.jpg