KISD High School Tennis and Volleyball Playoff Information

October 29, 2008
Dear Keller ISD Parents and Patrons,
Keller High Team Tennis are the 5-5A District Champs

Keller High Team Tennis - Regional 1 5-A Tournament
Abilene, Texas
Match location to be determined (Regional Headquarters: Rose Park Tennis Center, 810 Portland Ave.)
Matches begin Friday, October 31st at 8:30 a.m.
Play will resume on Saturday, November 1st

Keller High School Volleyball tied for second in the 5-5A District Volleyball District

They will play bi-district competition:
Keller High School vs Coppell High School
Grand Prairie High School Turner Gym
101 High School Drive, Grand Prairie, 75050
Tuesday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m.
Admission: $5.00 Adults, $3.00 Students
Central High School Volleyball tied for second with Keller High School but will play in the third place position.

They will play bi-district competition:
Central High School vs Flower Mound Marcus
Denton Guyer High School
7501 Teasley Lane, Denton, Tx 76214
Tuesday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m
Admission: $5.00 Adults, $3:00 Student

Thank you for your support!


Keller ISD Department of Communications



email: e-news@kellerisd.net
phone: 817-744-1000
web: http://www.kellerisd.net

Mortgage Loans

URGENT!! Dont let the media spook you!! You do not have to have 20% down to obtain a home loan, we are financing people with a minimum of 3% down and even 0% down on special programs and areas. Right now is the perfect time to buy a home, it is the largest investment you and your family will make. if you do not own a home or are interested in moving to a new one please call us. We can find a program that will best suit your needs.

by:
Silver Oak Mortgage
Lisa Warren
Branch Manager
751 E Southlake Blvd Ste 100
Southlake, TX 76092
office 817-410-2518
fax 817-410-2519

DISTRICT NEWS

KELLER ISD HONORS MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS AND OTHER SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN AT TONIGHT'S GAME
Keller ISD plans to honor service men and women past and present at the "Honor the Armed Forces Night" at Fossil Ridge's homecoming game against Grapevine at KISD Athletic Complex TONIGHT.

The day began with a group of six Medal of Honor recipients who were recognized at a breakfast reception at the Education Center. From there, the Medal of Honor Recipients had the opportunity to visit each of KISD's three high schools and share with students their experiences and acts of bravery while serving America.

The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the Armed Services that, while engaged in a conflict, performed acts of life-risking bravery and self sacrifice that stood out by going above and beyond the regular call of duty. More than 3,400 such medals have been awarded to military personnel since the award's inception in 1862.

The Medal of Honor Recipients are:
Thomas Norris
Jon Cavaiani
Michael Edwin Thorton
Bruce P. Crandall
Nicholas Oresko
Patrick Henry Brady


All men and women who have served in the armed forces will be recognized at TONIGHT'S varsity football game. First, all veterans and current service men and women will be admitted free to the game, and then they will also be asked to join the teams on the field during pregame as honorary captains for the evening.

"There are very few public opportunities to recognize excellence and service," said KISD Athletic Director Bob DeJonge. "We honor all those who have served and stand in awe of those few that are recipients of our highest honor - the Medal of Honor. The game alone will be exciting, but the addition of the tribute to these service men and women will make it an event to remember."

Service men and women in attendance are asked to meet at the flag pole on the south end of the stadium at 6:50 p.m. From there they will be escorted to midfield for the coin toss. The Medal of Honor recipients will be recognized and introduced at midfield at that time.

"This is a great opportunity to show our service men and women how much we appreciate everything they have done for our country and are continuing to do," said Superintendent James Veitenheimer. "It is just a small gesture, but hopefully it will remind the community of the sacrifices made by our armed forces to protect our country. It is our honor to host these outstanding individuals."



FOR MORE INFO ON KELLER: http://www.kellerisd.net

7TH GRADE TALENT SEARCH

Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search
date:Monday, October 13, 2008

time:4:00 PM

venue:Keller Independent School District

address:350 Keller Parkway

Keller, TX 76248


from:Duke University Talent Identification Program


Since 1980, the not-for-profit Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) has been a world leader in identifying academically talented students and providing innovative programs to support their educational development. Beginning at critical points in their school careers Duke TIP gives students (and educators!) a chance to learn more about their abilities.

Duke TIP’s 7th Grade Talent Search program focuses on the identification, recognition, and support of high-ability seventh graders. Qualifying students, among many other Talent Search benefits, take college entrance exams (SAT or ACT) as a measure of their inherent academic aptitudes. A large number of 7th Grade Talent Search participants earn scores that many high-school seniors would envy.

7th Grade Talent Search materials will be mailed to schools in early August. Most schools will likely not distribute these to students until a week or two after school is in session. Qualifying students will have scored in the 95th percentile on an accepted IQ test or on at least one section of a nationally normed, standardized test such as TAKS.

Two important application deadlines to keep in mind are October 1st for December testing (SAT and ACT) and December 5th for January (SAT) and February (ACT) testing. If you have not received an application from your school by mid-September, please contact your school counselor directly to inquire. If they do not participate in the Duke TIP Talent Search, feel free to contact TIP directly for an application or apply online.

Through identification, recognition, information, advocacy, challenging educational programs, and research, Duke TIP enjoys a long history of supporting and extending local efforts to better understand, motivate, enrich, and academically challenge the brightest students in our nation. We look forward to offering our wide array of services to you and your child this fall!

For more information, please contact Traci Guidry at TIP's Texas Satellite Office in Austin at (512) 473-8400 or email her at tguidry@tip.duke.edu.



http://www.americantowns.com/tx/keller

Interesting Times: What the Credit Crisis Means to Your Mortgage

If there was any doubt left that the troubled US financial and credit markets are in full crisis mode, the historic events of September easily erased it. You've seen the headlines. You've heard the stories, but what does it all mean to you and your mortgage? This month, YOU Magazine will take a closer look at a September to remember and what it means to you - no jargon, no politics, just the facts.

What a Difference a Month Makes
September was a historic month in the financial markets. What started a year earlier as the subprime mortgage collapse had morphed into the perfect financial storm that wiped out some of the biggest financial firms on Wall Street. There was a general and genuine concern that the financial system was coming apart and could virtually shut down.

First, the Feds took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government-sponsored mortgage giants that own or guarantee about five trillion dollars in home loans, or nearly half of the total US mortgage market.

Then Lehman Brothers, a prominent securities firm founded in 1850, filed for bankruptcy.

Bank of America, which earlier this year acquired Countrywide, acquired Merrill Lynch, another prominent financial firm.

The Feds were then forced to bail out insurance giant American International Group (AIG), the largest insurance company in America, which needed some $70 billion just to stay afloat.

By the end of the month, JP Morgan Chase, which bought out Bears Sterns in June, would also acquire Washington Mutual and, in a similar move, Citigroup would acquire Wachovia.

In the end, amidst the worst September in the financial markets since 2001, each of these prominent companies had failed to secure investor confidence as liquidity concerns forced their stock prices to levels that ultimately led to their demise, despite a major effort by the government and other central banks around the world to offer unprecedented financial support.

Throughout the month of September, the Federal Reserve not only injected billions into the financial market, the US Treasury was forced to guarantee nearly $2 trillion in money market mutual fund assets. The European Central Bank, Swiss National Bank, and Bank of England also pitched in a combined $90 billion in cash infusions.

Banks and Wall Street firms had essentially stopped loaning money to one another in recent weeks. That choked off the money being made available on Main Street in the form of mortgage loans, business loans, and other consumer borrowing.

To avoid further downward pressure on stock prices, the Securities and Exchange Commission banned naked short-selling and temporarily banned short-selling 799 financial companies for 10 days. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac increased their purchases of illiquid assets, including mortgage-backed securities, that have been clogging up our financial system and further tightening the availability of credit.

Finally, to avoid an all-out credit freeze, a plan to create legislation for an unprecedented bailout of our financial system was put in place by representatives from the Federal Reserve, the US Treasury, the Bush Administration, Congress, and even the Presidential candidates – a controversial $700 billion plan that, had it passed, would have cost tax-payers for years to come.

The plan, however, came up 13 votes short of the 218 votes necessary for passage. The House vote shocked financial markets, which expected the house to approve the plan – a decision that sent the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 700 points, the largest intra-day drop in history.

At the time of the writing of this article, a new plan has already been announced in the Senate.

Create Your Own Plan
As promised, we will not delve into the politics of any of these decisions by the government to bailout said corporations or the financial and credit markets – or the merits of any new plan that might be put in place. What's done is done. We won't discuss who's to blame or what should or shouldn't be done about it. Whether it's right or wrong, moral or immoral, these actions or their implications are beyond the scope of this article.

Instead, we suggest that you put together your own financial plan to address your future. Just like your fingerprint, your financial situation, needs, and goals are unique and cannot be addressed or even encompassed by a single, one-size-fits-all solution. Whether you're looking to buy, sell, or refinance your home, you need to meet with a mortgage professional you trust right away to create a plan that best fits your individual needs as it relates to the opportunities available in today's turbulent market. What follows are merely suggested discussion topics you might want to consider depending on your individual needs.

Buying or Selling a Home
If you're looking to take advantage of lower home prices and historically low interest rates, credit is still widely available for borrowers who qualify. Qualifying for mortgages today simply means being prepared to provide documentation that supports your application. If you do have credit issues, you might want to consider government loans offered by the FHA, USDA, and VA.

If you're a first-time home buyer (someone who hasn't owned a home in the last 3 years), ask your mortgage professional about the new $7,500 tax credit. This incentive could be a valuable tool in helping you reach your homeownership dreams in today's buyer's market. There is one catch, however. This incentive is temporary, and expires in 2009, so don't wait.

It's important to note that Congress recently passed other legislation banning certain down-payment assistance programs (DAPs), so ask your mortgage professional about VA and USDA loans that, insured by the government, allow for 100% financing to qualified borrowers. There's currently a bill in the House to overturn the ban on DAPs, but congress is pretty busy right now and may not get to it before the end of the year. Some argue, this bill may never pass, so again, don't count on the government's help when you're planning your future.

For sellers it's important to understand these options as well. There are a lot of potential buyers looking to buy a home who may need creative financing options to get the deal closed. Make sure you're working with an experienced real estate agent and a mortgage professional who know how to market your property and make it stand out from the pack. In many instances, you won't have to lower your home price again to create an attractive package for home buyers.

Refinancing
September was one of the most volatile months in the financial markets in years. In one session, the Dow lost 504 points, which was the worst single-day drop since 2001. The Dow then had a two-day session advance of 779 points, the biggest since March 2000. Then, when the government's initial rescue plan was voted down, the Dow lost more than 700 points, the largest single-day decrease in history!

Mortgage interest rates, which are based on the performance of mortgage-back securities (see YOU Magazine April 2008), were so volatile in September that the market experienced price movements within days that used to take weeks or months to occur. In fact, mortgage rates reached six-month lows in September, bounced back in following weeks, only to fall again immediately after the government's rescue plan was voted down.

This volatility is a great advantage for many homeowners looking to refinance, as rates are still near historic lows. If you're connected with a mortgage professional who has access to and understands how changes in MBS pricing can affect mortgage rates on a daily basis, you may be able to secure a lower long-term rate as these short-term movements occur, depending on your situation. (See YOU Magazine July 2008 for an explanation of why bad news for stocks can be good news for mortgage rates).

Loan Modifications
Last month, YOU Magazine discussed loan modifications for homeowners struggling to make payments and/or avoid foreclosure. Print out that article and take it to your mortgage professional to discuss what options are best for your individual needs. If you've fallen behind with your payments or are currently in foreclosure, you may be able to benefit from an increased willingness of banks and lenders to work with you and help you keep your home.

ARMS
If you have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) that is due to reset in the next 3 to 12 months, you need to know how any adjustments will affect your monthly mortgage payment. (See YOU Magazine August 2007 to learn how to understand the terms of your ARM.)

Remember, the Federal Reserve has held the line on rates for the last two meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), after 7 straight cuts to the Fed Funds rate in previous months' meetings. And while the Fed has no direct affect on long-term mortgage rates, their actions can directly affect rates for ARMs and certain credit cards and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) that are tied to the prime rate – especially if the Fed begins a new financial policy of rate increases to address the growing concerns of our struggling economy. (See YOU Magazine April 2008 for more info on how the Fed affects mortgage rates).

In September, the volatility in the financial markets was not limited to the US. We live in a global economic environment, and financial markets throughout the world are more connected than ever.

Last month, we saw evidence of this in the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Set by the British banks, this rate is considered one of the most important rates globally – especially in the US, where about 6 million ARMs, including almost all subprime ARMs and 41% of prime ARMS, are linked to the LIBOR. This rate, which experienced the largest one-day increase in 7 years last month, is beyond the reach of the Federal Reserve and its financial policies. If rates stay elevated, gains may follow in the 3- to 12-month Libor indexes, which are used to calculate US mortgage resets. This volatility was seen again as the initial Rescue Bill failed in the House.

In other words, create your own plan of success. Don't wait to be bailed out or rescued by the government or anyone else. If you have an ARM, take 10 minutes to discuss your options with a mortgage professional you trust. Changes in your credit in the last few years could help you secure a fixed-rate mortgage and avoid the volatility that surely awaits us as we face what could be one of the toughest financial meltdowns that most Americans have ever seen.

Real Estate Update

Too Much To Store and Too Little Space

By Realty Times Staff


Do you have too much to store and too little space? If you're like many homeowners, finding enough storage space can be a challenge. Thankfully, remodeling professionals can help you create new ways to tuck away your family's treasures in a resourceful and sophisticated way, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).

Finding storage solutions doesn't always mean undertaking a major remodel. Sometimes it's about using the square footage you already have. Remodelers can help you plan and reallocate storage to accommodate your family's changing lifestyle. Getting creative with storage can improve daily living and boost the resale value of your home.

Look in Unusual Spaces: Veteran remodeler Don Van Cura, CR, CLC, CKBR, and owner of Chicago-based Don Van Cura Construction, recently won a regional CotY Award for a clever storage solution he designed for stashing canned goods under a kitchen staircase. "I'm a space freak and I don't believe that any part of the house should be wasted," he explains. "Almost every section of home has a void in it that can be made into storage -- and the older the house, the more nooks and crannies you can find."
For his stair solution, Van Cura created storage bins under the wooden treads of a staircase. He did this by attaching each tread of the staircase to the frame using hidden piano hinges, which allow each tread to open like a storage chest. The homeowner could then use the space under the tread to tuck away dry goods and cans.
This storage strategy can be used in many areas of a home. In the foyer, for example, the hidden cubbies under stairs can stash shoes and outdoor gear. In the basement they store cleaning products or seasonal accessories. For a short run of stairs, remodelers can also install a set of custom drawers underneath the stairwell with access from the either the side or the back -- another great use of space. Any good stair installer or skilled remodeler should be able to do this project, but it demands a structurally sound staircase, fine cabinetry skills and careful preparation. "It's easiest if you're planning a new set of stairs, but it can also be done as a retrofit to existing stairs," Van Cura notes.

Reconfigure Rooms As Needed: Perry Szpek, design sales associate for JDJ Builders in Milwaukee, Wis. recently created more storage for a family of six by reconfiguring two existing rooms and adding some square footage. The family's mudroom was once a cramped hallway that led from the house to the garage. "Not having a place to put on and take off their shoes was their biggest pet peeve," Szpek said. As a solution, he designed two furniture-style storage units that provide both seating and a place to store outdoor gear.

On one side of the room, a large boot-bench and locker cabinet gives the kids a place to sit down or hang up coats. The bench features storage beneath the seat and wicker baskets on a shelf above the hanging area. Drawer cabinets also flank each side of the bench, creating a personal spot for each child to stash hats, gloves and mittens. Across the room Szpek planned a shorter boot bench for mom and dad that offered flip-top storage under the seat and hooks to hang coats behind them. Both storage pieces were accented with traditional beadboard backing, crown molding and a medium-brown distressed birch finish.

In the family's 120-square-foot laundry room, Szpek created a beautiful and storage-smart workspace. Upper and lower cabinetry provides plenty of storage for detergents, brushes and sponges, and a long countertop gives mom ample space to fold clean laundry. Under one area of the counter, Szpek designed cubbies that accommodate six laundry baskets -- one for each member of the family. "When mom's done folding clothes, she can separate the loads into a separate bin for each member," he says. "The abundance of storage space worked great for this family of six."

Where to Start: While some homeowners may think that a bigger home will solve their storage dilemma, this is not always the case. Often, having better storage is about making better layout choices and putting things within easy reach. Before talking to a remodeler, homeowners should take a thorough assessment of the square footage they have and how much stuff they need to store. In addition, it's important to think about day-to-day schedules. Some areas of the home, like foyers, mudrooms and laundry rooms, could use additional cabinetry or places to drop cell phones, keys and wallets. Sometimes the project is more about reworking traffic flow or designating specific spots for tasks like folding laundry, putting on outerwear and storing cleaning products.

Copyright 2008 Realty Times
All Rights Reserved.

What'a At Stake?

Pass the Emergency Economic Stability Act
A SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED ECONOMIC STABILIZATION ACT


http://takeaction.realtoractioncenter.com/campaign/eesa/explanation