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Embracing Community & Service: Buckner Preparatory Students Soar in F.L.A.G. Club

Post published:April 15, 2025
Reading time:4 mins read

Cityscape Schools is excited to highlight Buckner Preparatory’s F.L.A.G. (Fly Lower And Gather) Club, which instills pride and respect for the United States flag. The club does this through an extensive education program for students. Students rush after school to find their teacher, Inez Marroquin, ready to teach them the importance of folding their country’s flag correctly while never letting it touch the ground. After answering questions and eating a light snack, students try out the experience for themselves. They chose a partner, unfold the flag, and memorize each fold to tightly secure it. “I like the discussions we have in the club meeting environment as it can range from the history of the U.S. flag as a symbol of our country to the events behind its display and the country itself,” says Marroquin. The founder and current president of the program, Jim Rodriguez, first visited the school in 2023 and gave a presentation to the students. Rodriguez told students about his veteran background in the Air Force. Marroquin said Rodriguez’s experience inspired him to pass on the love and history of the country along with passion for the national flag. Now, the club has 25 students participating in the program, and Marroquin emphasized the importance of students having access to the club. “Extracurricular clubs which allow the students to learn and have fun keep their interest in school as a place of wonder and learning,” he added. “It gives them an opportunity to enjoy themselves in a place usually seen only as a place to work.” For many students, joining F.L.A.G. has been a turning point – not only in how they see themselves, but in how they see…

Building Community One Meal at a Time: Family Lunches at the Early Childhood Center

Post published:April 9, 2025
Reading time:3 mins read

At Cityscape Schools, we believe that there is nothing better than sharing a meal with loved ones. Our Early Childhood Center hosts family lunches throughout the school year, where families have the opportunity to join their little ones for a special lunch time experience. Laughter, conversation, and heartwarming moments fill the room as families connect over their students’ favorite meals. These gatherings strengthen the home-school connection and create lasting memories for both parents and children. Cityscape Schools’ mission is to work in an educational partnership with families. Dr. Emmanuel Trevino, principal of Cityscape’s Early Childhood Center, says these lunches put the school district’s mission into action. “By growing our relationship between school and families, we foster trust, communication and collaboration,” says Dr. Trevino. “Families feel comfortable and included. By working together, students benefit from a stronger support system that enhances their learning experience and overall well-being.” In addition, students see and feel that their family members are valued and welcomed at their schools. Students then feel safe and motivated in class. The Family Lunches also offer organic opportunities for communication between parents and the school. With access to teachers, staff, and the principal, quick questions are answered and updates can be communicated. Dr. Trevino says families stop by classes to see new student work and visit ECC’s announcement board to review any upcoming items. Parents are also welcome to visit the receptionist’s desk for support, to schedule a meeting, or ask about volunteer opportunities. “Family engagement plays a vital role in a child’s academic success and overall school experience,” added Dr. Trevino. “Research shows when families are actively involved in their child’s education, students tend to have better academic progress,…

AlphaBEST Unlocks Potential After the Bell for Cityscape Families

Post published:April 3, 2025
Reading time:3 mins read

At Cityscape Schools, learning doesn’t stop after the bell rings. We partner with AlphaBEST, an afterschool program, to provide an enriching experience that goes beyond homework help. Students all throughout Cityscape meet for the extended day program after school until 6 p.m. They explore STEM, world languages & culture, arts & entertainment, fitness & wellness – all in a fun, hands-on environment. The program is offered at all Cityscape Schools. Dr. Emmanuel Trevino, principal of Cityscape’s Early Childhood Center, says AlphaBEST offers a safe, structured, and enriching environment for children as an extension of the school day. “The program size currently has only about 10 to 12 students,” says Dr. Trevino. “These benefits are very convenient for families. Families have shared how relieved they feel to have a safe and cost-effective childcare option.” AlphaBEST also includes homework help, making sure that students have the support they need to succeed academically. Additionally, students don’t have to worry about getting to know new staff because the same teachers they see during the day are also a part of the program. The staff have the knowledge of both the children and their learning structure, emphasized Dr. Trevino. AlphaBEST has become an extension of the students’ school day and mirrors the high-quality educational opportunity already offered at Cityscape Schools. “As the principal of the Early Childhood Center, this is the best after school program option for our Eagles,” he added. Cityscape Schools is proud to provide this enriching after-school opportunity for our students. With AlphaBEST, learning extends beyond the classroom, preparing students for success in school and beyond. Watch this video at the Early Childhood Center to see how AlphaBEST ignites curiosity and creativity,…

AVANCE Empowers Cityscape Parents to Grow With Their Early Aged Children

Post published:October 29, 2024
Reading time:8 mins read

As part of Cityscape School’s mission to work in partnership with families, a collaboration between the AVANCE North Texas Program and Cityscape was recently created. The collaboration provides parents with classes, tools, and opportunities about early childhood education and will support them with parenting skills and child development. Parents of Cityscape’s Early Childhood Center students meet every Thursday morning at ECC to participate in AVANCE’s Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP). Parents can attend these classes to learn about the development of their infants and different sensory activities for their children. Jenny Mercado, a mother in the PCEP program, says she’s learned a lot and seen a positive impact since starting the program. “These classes have helped me to find ways to have quality time with my child,” says Mercado. “We’re teaching him how to develop himself emotionally and academically.” ECC’s families, with children aged 0 to 4, will benefit from this free program through the various community resources that AVANCE brings: Poison Control Therapy Works Amigos sin Fronteras Impact Communities Molina Health Care UT Southwestern H.O.P.E.S & many more! In addition, the AVANCEs program takes a personal approach with families since the goal of this partnership is to guide parents and serve as a prevention program for early childhood neglect and abuse. The AVANCE coordinators visit the families individually to provide tailored support, educate them, and establish each family's objectives and goals. The coordinators then connect the families with the community that best meets their needs. PCEP at AVANCE acknowledges the importance of mental health in Hispanic families. This is why the program created a curriculum that focuses on mental health called “Well Together.” Nancy W. Quirindongo, Director of the AVANCE…

Cityscape Students Earn Their Dual Language Super Power!

Post published:June 3, 2024
Reading time:6 mins read

Cityscape Schools is excited to recognize for the first time students who completed five or more consecutive years of dual language instruction in elementary school. This student achievement is part of Cityscape’s commitment to growing global leaders, empowering them with the skill of learning two languages and being bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural. In 2023, The U.S. Department of Education launched the “ Being Bilingual is a Superpower” Initiative to promote and further the understanding of bilingualism and biliteracy as an educational and economic imperative for student success, global competitiveness, and engagement. The department of education’s goal resulted in the bolstering of high-quality language programs and a diverse multilingual educator workforce across the country. The dual language program sets students up for success in the future by increasing their academic achievement, cognitive development, problem-solving skills, and stronger sense of identity and self-esteem. In addition, bilingual and biliterate skills are in high demand and not many people have them, so employers offer higher salaries to attract and retain bilingual employees. This was the first Dual Language annual ceremony for East Grand Preparatory’s fifth grade students, as most of them enrolled in the program in first grade. It is a proud sentiment for the teachers and district leadership to show off their students' dedication throughout the Dual Language program. This year, 34 students were awarded with a “Biliteracy Medal and Certificate” and some are even moving to middle school with high school language credits! At East Grand Preparatory’s dual language ceremony, the executive principal and 5th grade dual language teachers gave a speech to share their thoughts on why learning a second language is important to them. Mr. Juan Ornelas shared a memory…

Cityscape Schools Empowers Teachers to Succeed!

Post published:May 10, 2024
Reading time:7 mins read

Cityscape Schools is committed to growing staff, in order to provide a quality education to all students. For that reason, in 2022, district leadership created its own program to assist participants in obtaining their teacher certification, titled “Cityscape Empowering Rising Teachers (CERT). The CERT program was also a result of Cityscape facing a teacher shortage, as many other ISD’s and charter schools in the state and country were facing. The CERT program is a partnership between Cityscape Schools, TEACHWORTHY (an alternative teaching certification program) and Indiana Wesleyan University (for those participants without a bachelor’s degree). Cityscape Schools offers this program to participants with or without a bachelor’s degree as a pathway to teacher certification in the state of Texas. Participants are able to work as teachers while earning a competitive salary. There were 18 participants in the program the first year. In order to complete the program, all participants must complete five local (Cityscape) courses taught by Cityscape district leaders, which equals 15 semester credit hours at Indiana Wesleyan University. The requirements to be a participant in this program are: Cohort for non-degreed participants: Must have 30 college credit hours from an accredited institution Starting salary at $41,000 Complete 8 Teachworthy modules for 10 college credit hours Complete 5 Cityscape courses for 15 college credit hours Complete remaining hours for bachelor’s degree with Indiana Wesleyan University Pass respective teacher certification exams Upon successful completion of all certification requirements, salary will increase to $58,000 Must commit to 3 years of employment at Cityscape Schools Cohort for degreed participants: Must have bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution Starting salary at $51,000 Complete 8 Teachworthy modules for 10 college credit hours Complete 5…

Cityscape Prepares Students to Excel in High School

Post published:April 10, 2024
Reading time:5 mins read

Four EGP students get accepted into Townview Center. This year was not only the first year with most applicants from East Grand Preparatory at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, but it was also the first year with the most students accepted! Carlos Frias, Daisy Lopez, Johanna Rosas, and Diego Ramirez are the four EGP students who will begin high school this fall 2024 at Townview. Townview is known to be one of the most prestigious high schools in the country. The admission process is quite laborious and requires assessments, essays, and interviews. Something that differentiates Townview from other schools, is that students are able to apply for different schools within Townview, which allows them to select one that focuses on their career interest. Each EGP student who applied to Townview for high school, had a different way of testing in accordance to the school they were applying for. Carlos found the most challenging part of his application process to be creating a portfolio of himself and what he wants to pursue in the future. Johanna felt that creating an interview-video to perfection to be the hardest part for her. Daisy and Diego thought that the testing was the tough part. Carlos is excited to start learning more about the career he is trying to pursue in the future. “It’s such an honor to continue my education at Marvin E. Robinson School of Business and Management in townview high school!” said Carlos. Daisy will be a part of the School of Science and Engineering and is already thinking about what she plans to do in the future! “I’m really excited to continue my education at one of the most prestigious schools…

Read more about the article Partnership with Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center and Buckner Preparatory Brings New Opportunities for Students and Parents!

Partnership with Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center and Buckner Preparatory Brings New Opportunities for Students and Parents!

Post published:February 26, 2024
Reading time:6 mins read

Buckner Preparatory partnered up with Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center, part of the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department, to offer an opportunity for our students to engage in sports, such as soccer and basketball. The Dallas Park and Recreation Department offers these youth sports scholarships to ensure that the students can participate in this program without bearing the financial burden of a registration fee. Thanks to this partnership, Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center offered 10 scholarships to students and also provided uniforms for game days. Buckner Preparatory was able to help toward half of the registration fee of several students. “I look forward in continuing to work with the students and staff from Buckner Prep and invite other cityscape campuses to create a youth sports partnership with us,” said Mr. Ebelardo Faz, Recreation Supervisor. Teams are separated depending on the age of the students. So far this school year, Buckner Preparatory has had teams in U4, U6, U8, U10 and U12 for outdoor soccer; U6 U8 and U12 for indoor soccer, and U12 for basketball . Being involved in sports has had a positive impact on the students and this impact is reflecting on their academic grades and change in attitude. “Being a part of something motivates students to stay on track and follow behavioral expectations,” said Ms. Lira, Assistant Principal at Buckner Preparatory. “Overall, students show that they’re proud to belong to something. “Our students are so happy that they belong to something outside of class, the other day we had jersey day and our team players chose to wear their game jerseys instead of professional jerseys,” said Ms. Dominga Lira, BP Vice Principal. “I see the faces of…

TIA Newsletter January 2024: What is Cityscape’s TIA Spending Plan?

Post published:January 9, 2024
Reading time:5 mins read

During the district’s TIA steering committee meetings, input was gathered on the development of the TIA spending plan. The steering committee is comprised of the superintendent, district chief officers, principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and teachers, who all played an important role in decision-making processes. While each district makes its own determination on how to distribute TIA funds to teachers, Texas Education Code 48.112 specifies “at least 90 percent of each allotment be used for compensation of teachers employed at the campus at which the teacher for whom the district received the allotment is employed.” The remaining 10 percent may be used by the district for “costs associated with implementing (TIA), including efforts to support teachers in obtaining designations.” Districts will make individual decisions regarding how the TIA funds will be distributed between the teacher earning the designation and the other teachers assigned to his or her campus. Cityscape's TIA steering committee determined that 90 percent should be provided directly to the teacher of record, who will earn their TIA distinction through a rigorous formula of excellence in the classroom combined with excellence in student achievement. Therefore, Cityscape Schools will provide 90 percent of the TIA funds directly to the teacher who earned a TIA designation and reserve the remaining 10 percent of the funds to support the TIA initiative at the district level. As the law dictates, district TIA funds will only be used for costs associated with implementing the TIA, including efforts to support teachers in obtaining designations. The steering committee wanted to utilize the entire 10 percent to financially support appropriate training, professional development, measurement tools, and all other necessary components to assist teachers in reaching a…

EGP’s National Junior Honor Society

Post published:November 1, 2023
Reading time:9 mins read

Students in the National Junior Honor Society - Leonard Brannon and Glenda Brannon Chapter - bring a new light to Cityscape’s East Grand Preparatory. At East Grand Preparatory, it is an honor to be selected to join the society. Eligible candidates must be in seventh or eighth grade, or the second semester of sixth grade, and must have completed at least one semester at East Grand Preparatory. Sixteen middle school students make up this chapter and have worked very hard to be a part of it. The honor society encourages students to be more focused on their academic scores. The minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) requirement is a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Candidates are also evaluated based on their service, leadership, character, and citizenship qualities. Membership in NJHS is awarded by a committee of five school community members, led by the chapter adviser, following the National Junior Honor Society bylaws. East Grand Preparatory leaders and to nurture leadership and organizational skills in our members, equipping them to become leaders in our school, their communities, and any other environment they find themselves in. “My primary goal is to raise the visibility of the chapter on our campus. It's important that our EGP students are aware of our activities and objectives, inspiring them to become future leaders in our school,” said Mr. Angel Rodriguez-Colon, EGP teacher and coordinator for the NJHS. NJHS is successful in enforcing their members to understand that embodying their core values (scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship) will result essential in any career or profession they choose to pursue. East Grand Preparatory aims to foster school spirit by having the school community support the students…

Embracing Community & Service: Buckner Preparatory Students Soar in F.L.A.G. Club

Building Community One Meal at a Time: Family Lunches at the Early Childhood Center

AlphaBEST Unlocks Potential After the Bell for Cityscape Families

AVANCE Empowers Cityscape Parents to Grow With Their Early Aged Children

Cityscape Students Earn Their Dual Language Super Power!

Cityscape Schools Empowers Teachers to Succeed!

Cityscape Prepares Students to Excel in High School

Partnership with Pleasant Oaks Recreation Center and Buckner Preparatory Brings New Opportunities for Students and Parents!

TIA Newsletter January 2024: What is Cityscape’s TIA Spending Plan?

EGP’s National Junior Honor Society

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