Message From the Superintendent, January 4, 2022

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Welcome back and happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a great, relaxing holiday break and are recharged. A new year creates an opportunity to give yourself a fresh start, whether starting on a project, taking a life-changing step, or simply bringing more joy into your life. Let’s all do our part to make 2022 a year full of excitement and possibilities for everyone.

We are excited to welcome all of our students back to school tomorrow: Wednesday, January 5. I think it goes without saying that we are all starting to feel the fatigue of fighting COVID-19 as we enter another year of the pandemic. While that may be the case, I do hope we can continue to find ways to generate excitement for our students. From the start, we came together to fight COVID-19 and will always prioritize a safe and healthy learning environment. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, we shared our Core Beliefs. These beliefs still guide our work today as we kick off the spring semester. We know that the best place for our children is in school learning with their peers and teachers. We know our classrooms are the most effective learning environment to deliver on our promise to provide choices and opportunities upon graduating from our district. We know that we are prepared to do what it takes to maintain the health and safety of our community. We will continue to go as fast as we can but as slow as we must to ensure we are prioritizing safety without sacrificing learning. We must remain resilient and not let our guard down. I am confident that we will have a great year ahead if everyone does their part. I encourage you to continue to follow the three Ws: Wash your hands, Wear a mask, and Watch your distance. Below, we’ve included a list of updates related to COVID, including our updated protocols for students and staff. 

Before I close, I ask that you take a moment to thank our Board of Trustees. Our school board members are volunteers who shoulder critical responsibilities and often make difficult choices for our district — all without pay. Their goal is always focused on the best interests of our students and staff. Join me in celebrating School Board Recognition Month throughout January.

Have a great rest of the week, and wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

With Aldine Pride,

Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney
Superintendent

UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan. 13: In-person ceremony for district winners of HLS&R School Art Contest. For more information, click here.

OBSERVATIONS
January
School Board Recognition Month

• Jan. 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
• Jan. 24-28: Holocaust Remembrance Week

February
Black History Month
Feb. 7-11: National School Counseling Week
Feb. 18: Student Holiday; Staff Development/Work Day
Feb. 21: Presidents Day (Student Holiday)
Feb. 22: School Bus Drivers Appreciation Day
Feb. 25: Wellness Day — Theme is Love Your Heart Month

ALDINE ISD COVID-19 UPDATES
The district leadership team is committed to doing all we can to increase the safety and health of our students, staff, and families while implementing measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We want all our students healthy, learning, and thriving in our classrooms. I ask for your continued support as we tackle the Omicron variant.

• Face Masks: As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue implementing COVID mitigation protocols. While we had hoped to lift the mask mandate after the midwinter break, we decided to maintain the mask requirement until further notice with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the Houston area. The district will require students, staff, and visitors to wear face masks at all district facilities — schools, buildings, facilities, and school buses — and events.
• Symptoms: We strongly encourage you to please keep your child home if they have COVID or any other communicable disease (.e.g. flu, whooping cough, measles, chickenpox) symptoms. Have your child tested if you suspect it is COVID-19. Here is a link to our Health Alerts web page regarding when to keep your student/child home.
• Reduce Spread of Any Communicable Disease: Please continue to protect yourself and others by taking precautionary measures to prevent infection of all viruses, including COVID-19: wash your hands often, cover your coughs and sneezes and keep a safe distance from others.
• Protocols: Our district administrative leadership team has been, and is, in constant communication. Based on CDC recommendations, we updated our protocols and guidelines. Our COVID reporting procedures have not changed. We will continue to monitor local and school cases to further adjust health and safety protocols as appropriate.
• District Dashboard: Families can always check the COVID-19 dashboard for an overview of the active cases by school. 
• Testing Sites: Please get tested if you exhibit symptoms or have been exposed to someone with the virus, or have been with groups of people over the holidays and/or traveled. Click here for a list of testing sites and to register online. 
• Vaccinations: The district continues to work with local officials, including Harris County Public Health (HCPH), to communicate the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine is available to individuals five and older. On January 3, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster vaccine in adolescents from 12 to 15 years. Booster doses are now available to everyone in the country over the age of 12. The FDA also shortened the time to receive the booster after completing the two-dose schedule. It went from six months to five months, at which point all people over the age of 12 are eligible for a booster shot. The FDA also authorized the third dose as part of the primary series for certain immunosuppressed children between 5 and 11.

REMINDERS

• Aldine’s Family and Community Engagement Department launched the Family and Community University. It aims to provide knowledge and resources to empower families to support students academically, socially, and emotionally. All programming is free and open to all Aldine families. Learn more and register today.
• The state requires high school seniors to apply for financial aid to graduate. The FAFSA application opened on October 1.
• Aldine ISD’s top priorities continue to be all students’ safety and academic success. The district will post all information related to operations along with any updates at www.aldineisd.org/healthalerts.
• Please stay connected by visiting the District News and District Podcast pages to stay up to date on all the great things happening in our district. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.