Answering the Call to Encourage Students

Students at Klein ISD’s Greenwood Forest Elementary received an unexpected boost of encouragement ahead of STAAR testing.   

Catherine Rubiera, compensation data analytics manager with TASB HR Services, received a message and an empty envelope from her son’s fourth grade teacher about a week ahead of their first end-of-year STAAR test. Parents and guardians were invited to write a brief note of encouragement for their students to open and read before testing began.

As a fun gesture to relax their son Jameson ahead of the test, Rubiera and her husband each wrote him a few silly notes, placed them in the envelope, and sent the envelope to school with him. On testing day, Jameson returned home after school and shared that only three students in his class had an envelope to open.

An empath through and through, Rubiera’s heart ached for those children who didn’t have a note of encouragement from a loved one.

“Our parents show up. They show up,” she said. “There’s just a lot going on.”

In addition to the standard end-of-year bustle, the Greenwood Forest campus is being remodeled, so students are learning at a “flex” campus this year. Bus riders start and end their day with a 30-minute bus ride, and parents who drop off and pick up their students are also navigating that additional commute.

On a mission, she began to reach out, setting in motion a wave of kindness and support that proves sometimes all you have to do is ask.

Reaching Out

Rubiera’s first call was to Shukella Price, principal of Greenwood Forest Elementary, who confirmed that many students did not have an envelope to open on test day. Wanting to put a sweet, funny, encouraging letter in the hands of every third, fourth, and fifth grader for the next STAAR test, Rubiera posted a message on the TASB internal social networking site.

“This is my first time posting, and I’m reaching out with a heartfelt request,” she wrote. “I’m reaching out to our amazing community for help.”

Greenwood Forest Elementary has 85 third graders, 84 fourth graders, and 93 fifth graders, for a total ask of 262 letters to make sure each child received a note before the next test.

“The letters don’t need to be long — just a few words to let these students know their community cares about them and are cheering them on!” she noted.

Not sure what sort of response to expect, she also reached out to her best friend in Louisiana, a third-grade teacher in St. Tammany Parish, and asked for help.    

An Overwhelming Response

The initial response from TASB staff was encouraging. Several individuals volunteered to write notes for the students.

And, as amazing communities do, the people of TASB accessed their own networks to solicit help. The result was nothing short of phenomenal. One staff member recruited friends and sent 30 notes of encouragement. Another HR Services staff member, Danielle Hinson, reached out to her husband, a high school principal in Marble Falls Independent School District.

Patrick Hinson is the principal of Marble Falls High School. In an amazing gesture, he provided his students with campus stationery to write notes to the elementary students. A box of 450 notes, including a note of support from Hinson to Price, arrived at Rubiera’s home. 

Then a box arrived from Louisiana. Rubiera’s friend asked her third graders to write letters after they finished their own tests. The box contained 120 letters.

Rubiera arranged a meetup with Price the weekend after she received all the promised letters. She could not wait to show her the response.

“Look at this! Like, look at this village that just came to you, they showed up for you!” Rubiera said of the more than 500 notes.

Price was floored, “I’m blown away … I’m just blown away.” She wiped away tears as she read the note from Hinson.

It’s All About the Kids

When it was all said and done, Rubiera not only collected enough letters for each third through fifth grader at Greenwood Forest Elementary, but she was also able to deliver uplifting notes to sixth graders at a nearby Klein ISD intermediate school.

The power of encouraging words cannot be overstated. Both the givers and the recipients benefit.

Rubiera reflected on the experience, “This became so much bigger than me or a request for letters. This became an example of communities showing up for each other and having confidence in our kiddos to do their best!”