Southside Elementary School

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
Palestine ISD - Southside Elementary
Subject: Public hearing to review campus performance ratings based upon the 2025-2026
STAAR and solicit input for the 2026-2027 Targeted Improvement Plan.
Notice is hereby given that the Campus Action Team (CAT) and the Leadership Team of
Southside Elementary will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, October 27th, at 4 PM.
● Location: Southside Elementary cafeteria
● Address: 201 E. Gillespie, Palestine, Tx 75801
Purpose of the Meeting
In accordance with Texas Education Code 39A.055 and 39A.056, the purpose of this public
meeting is to:
1. Review the state accountability performance ratings and student assessment results for
Southside Elementary.
2. Discuss the components of the proposed Targeted Improvement Plan (TIP).
3. Solicit public comments, testimony, and strategic input from parents, community
members, and stakeholders to further develop and refine the school improvement
strategies.
Public Participation and Comments
Members of the community, parents of students attending the campus, and staff are encouraged
to attend and participate. Anyone wishing to speak or provide testimony regarding the school
improvement plan must follow the local district policy BED (Local) for public comments.
● Sign-up: Speakers may sign up at the venue beginning at 3:45 until the start of the
meeting.
● Time limit: In accordance with district board procedures, public comments are limited to
2 minutes per person.
Availability of the Plan
A draft copy of the 2026-2027 Target Improvement Plan is available for public view on the
district website www.palestineschools.org and a physical copy is available at the campus front
office.

🌻☀️ Our Southside Sunflowers are SHINING BRIGHT! ☀️🌻 This week, our amazing September Sunflowers got to enjoy a special lunch outside with our leadership team! 💛🌻 We are SO proud of the way they continue to grow, lead, and let their light shine every single day! ✨

🌻✨ Staff Sunflower of the Month✨🌻 A HUGE Southside shoutout to Mrs. Olevia Smith, our Staff Sunflower of the month, voted on by her peers! 💛 Mrs. Smith is the definition of a true Sunflower! She is kind, dependable, and always willing to help! No matter what is needed or who is asking, she is there with a helping hand and a smile. ☀️ We are so thankful for the light she brings to Southside Elementary each and every day. 🌻💛 Congratulations, Mrs. Smith! Southside shines brighter because of YOU! ✨🌻

🧹 Happy Custodian Appreciation Day! 🧹 We would REALLY be a MESS without you! Today we are celebrating our amazing Southside custodians and thanking them for everything they do to keep our school clean, safe, and ready for learning each day. Their hard work often happens behind the scenes, but it makes a HUGE difference for our students and staff. A special thank you to Mrs. Whisenhunt’s and Mrs. Hughes’ classes for making the cutest sign and helping show our custodians some extra love! We also surprised them with Wildcat sweatshirts as a small token of our appreciation. Thank you for taking such great care of Southside! We appreciate you more than you know! 🥰

GT Nominations

Mrs. Lazarine’s and Mrs. Mims’ class got hands-on with the states of matter today! Students explored science through a fun sensory activity where they could touch, squeeze, stretch, and observe how matter can behave in different ways. 🙌🔬 These smiles say it all—sometimes the best learning happens when you’re not afraid to get your hands a little messy! 💜

🏈 Football fun at Southside! Our students put their throwing and catching skills to work in a football toss relay! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Students in Mrs. Lazarine’s & Mrs. Mims’ class put the scientific method to work today! After learning about germs and how they can affect the human body, students conducted a hands-on experiment to test how different amounts of handwashing time impact the number of “germs” left behind. 🖐️🦠 Learning that sticks (even when the glitter germs don’t 😉) is the BEST kind of learning! 💡💜

Our Southside Leadership Team rolled out the Dolly Carton today to treat our incredible staff to a little pick-me-up! 🎶✨ Because when you’re workin’ 9 to 5 making a difference for students, you deserve a cup of ambition! ☕🥤 A huge THANK YOU to our Southside staff for the heart, energy, and dedication you bring to our campus each and every day. You are a big part of what makes Southside such an amazing place to learn, grow, and belong! 💕🌟

🐻 A huge thank you to Blankets & Bears for helping stock our Southside Elementary Care Closet! ❤️ We are so grateful for their generosity and support of our students and families. Thank you to our WHS neighbors for helping with delivery! 🐾 We are thankful to be part of a community that takes care of one another! ❤️

🐰🦆🦎 Wild About Learning at Southside Elementary! 🐾🔍 Our 3rd grade reading unit on classifying animals by their characteristics came to life with some very special visitors! Students in Mrs. Retana’s and Mrs. R. Garcia’s classes became real-life animal scientists as they observed a variety of animals up close. They studied physical characteristics and behaviors, recorded their observations, and then shared and discussed what they discovered with their classmates. There’s nothing like hands-on learning to turn reading and science skills into an unforgettable experience! 💡📚 From feathers and fur to scales and webbed feet, our Southside students were observing, comparing, classifying, and learning every step of the way! 🦆🐇🦎 A very special THANK YOU to Mrs. Ingram and Mrs. Schwab for sharing their animals with us today and helping make this learning experience so memorable for our students! We appreciate you bringing our lessons to life! ❤️🐾

Congratulations to Zachariah Routt, another one of our awesome Southside Elementary fundraiser winners! 🏆 Zachariah earned a super fun prize, and that smile says it all! 😄👏 🚨 TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF OUR FUNDRAISER! 🚨 There’s still time to get those final orders in and finish strong! Every sale helps support our Southside students and school. 🐾 Way to go, Zachariah—and COME ON, SOUTHSIDE… LET’S MAKE THIS LAST DAY COUNT! 🎉💪

Our Southside Wildcats were busy creating something extra special in Art this week! 🎨💐 Using their fingerprints and lots of love, students made one-of-a-kind Grandparents Day keepsakes. 💕 We “couldn’t wish for better grandparents!” Happy Grandparents Day from our Wildcats! 🐾

Homecoming looks GOOD on our Southside Wildcats! 😎🐾 Our kiddos showed up in their Homecoming gear and brought ALL the Wildcat spirit with them! 📣🏈✨ It’s a great day to be a WILDCAT! 🐾🎉

🌟 Adalyne is crushing her fundraiser goals! 🌟 Congratulations to Adalyne Sanchez, one of our latest Southside Elementary fundraiser prize winners! 🎉🎁 Her hard work is paying off, and she’s got a fun prize to show for it! We love seeing our Southside students get excited and help make this fundraiser a success. 💙

🌻 We loved celebrating our Southside Sunflower Students of the Month! These outstanding students enjoyed a special lunch outside with our Southside Leadership Team and School Resource Officer. We are so proud to recognize students who demonstrate leadership, kindness, and what it means to be safe, responsible, and respectful each day. Congratulations to our Sunflower Students! 🌻🐾 We are proud of you!

🌻✨ Staff Sunflower of the Month! ✨🌻 A HUGE Southside shoutout to Ms. Allie Marcum, our Teacher Sunflower of the Month, voted on by her peers! 💛 Ms. Marcum is truly a light at Southside—spreading kindness, positivity, and sunshine wherever she goes! ☀️🌻 We are so lucky to have her in our Southside garden! A special thank you to El Toro Palestine for generously donating gift cards to help us celebrate our amazing Sunflower teachers! 🎁💛 Congratulations, Ms. Marcum! Keep shining! 🌻✨

🎉 We have another Southside fundraiser winner! 🎉 A big congratulations to Aaron Hennessee for earning a prize through our fundraiser! 🏆👏 Aaron is doing an awesome job helping support Southside Elementary, and we love seeing our students get excited about reaching their goals! Keep up the great work, Aaron! 🌟 Who will be our next fundraiser winner? 👀🐾

Color theory is in full bloom in Southside Elementary art! 🎨🌈☂️ Our third-grade artists are learning all about the color wheel while creating these bright and colorful umbrellas! We love watching their creativity shine—rain or shine! 💙💚💛🧡❤️💜

🎉 We have our first fundraiser winner! 🎉 Way to go, Lennon Boyd! 🏆 We kicked off our fundraiser at Southside Elementary just yesterday, and Lennon has already sold 3 items and earned his first prize! ✈️👏 What an awesome way to start! Keep up the great work, Lennon—and let’s keep those sales rolling, Southside! 🐾💙