Jul 17th, 2008
Programs/Services
Helping One Student to Succeed
The HOSTS program is a nationally-recognized program that pairs a student who needs help in reading or math with a community volunteer who wants to make a difference in a child’s life. Students are paired one-on-one with a mentor to receive the extra attention and encouragement they need to become better students. If your child has been selected to participate in HOSTS, please ask them questions about what they are learning and who their mentor is.
Normangee has a group of outstanding volunteers who devote their time and energy each week to our children. Volunteers attend an orientation session at the beginning of the school year given by the HOSTS teacher. The session provides information about the program, the materials used and specific duties. Volunteers are guided and given help throughout the year to ensure a successful experience for both mentor and student. Each individual decides how much time to spend with the HOSTS program. Schedules are arranged so that volunteers can request a time convenient to them so they are assured of working at a specific time on a regular basis. This allows the volunteer mentor to establish a continuing relationship with the student they are mentoring.
Diana Whitesell – Mrs. Whitesell has been our HOSTS program coordinator since 2002. Prior to moving to Normangee in 1985, she taught elementary and junior high at North Zulch and Madisonville schools. She has 24 years of classroom experience in all grades except kindergarten and fourth grade. She holds a degree in Elementary Education and certifications in reading and health. Mrs. Whitesell loves to spend time with her family, snowskiing and vacationing at the beach. She also enjoys reading, walking and scrapbooking. She and her husband of 23 years, Todd, have two sons, one a freshman at Texas A & M and another at UMHB.
Michele Halliburton – Mrs. Halliburton is our assistant HOSTS coordinator. Her work with HOSTS began as a mentor in 2002, but two years later we convinced her to expand her duties. 
Since then, she has worked closely with Mrs. Whitesell and our mentors to provide an outstanding school program that other schools look to as a model. Mrs. Halliburton has a B.S. in Business Management and brings years of real-world experience to the HOSTS classroom. She has been married to Steve, who serves on the school board for NISD, for 25 years. They have two children–one in college at UMHB, and the other a student at Normangee High School.
If you would like to learn more about HOSTS or how you can get involved, please contact Diana Whitesell at dwhitesell@normangeeisd.org. If you would like to support our HOSTS program by fulfilling any of our “wish list” items, we would be grateful!
HOSTS WISH LIST FOR 2008-09
- Large 10-button calculators
- Balance (with ounces and pounds)
- White cardstock
- 2GB flashdrive
HELP CENTER
New this year to NES is the Help Center. We opened this new center in response to teacher requests for instructional assistance for kids throughout the day in all subjects. If a teacher is finishing up a science lesson and is ready to move on, she can send a student in need of extra help with that science lesson down to the Help Center. It is a “come and go” tutorial lab available Monday through Friday to students in math, science, reading, language and social studies. It is staffed by Mrs. Lynda Lys 3 days a week and by our HOSTS staff the other 2 days.
Lynda Lys – Mrs. Lys has taught for 46 years, 16 of those with NISD. Most of her experience is in second grade, but she has also spend time with first and third grades as well. She has “two daughters, two GOOD son-in-laws, three granddaughters, and ONE GREAT grandson.” One granddaughter started A&M in August of 2009, and the other started TCU at the same time. In her spare time, Mrs. Lys enjoys going places with friends, babysitting her grandkids, cooking (aren’t we glad?!), eating, and watching TV. She says, “I really enjoy life, and I love working with younger children!”
Carrie Sanders – Mrs. Sanders is a certified teacher’s aide and has served NISD for the past 18 years. She works closely with Mrs. Lys and students in grades K-4. She also guides students who need one-on-one assistance throughout the day in regular classrooms. She and her husband have two children and four grandchildren, and she loves to spend time with her family and close friends.
LEARNING LAB
New this year to NES is the Learning Lab, which is a computer-based lab centered around two software programs called Waterford and SuccessMaker. Waterford is a reading intervention for students in pre-k through 2nd grade. SuccessMaker is a reading and math program for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. The program is custom designed for each student based upon his/her unique needs and can serve below-level, on-level, or advanced students. The Learning Lab is run by Mrs. Andi Shannon.
