Message From the Superintendent, February 14, 2022

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Dear Aldine Community,

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope each of you is feeling the love today from family, friends, and/or Aldine team members. Today is also my 24th wedding anniversary! However, Valentine’s Day isn’t just a day to celebrate romantic love, but it is also a day to make an extra effort to show those around you that you care. With that, I’d like to kick this week off by sharing a few of the things I love about our district!

• Our full-day prekindergarten program for all three-year-olds ensures our commitment to student achievement touches all students who walk through Aldine’s doors. And our Jump-Start Program aids some of our youngest students in transitioning from home to school by focusing on the skills they need to thrive.
• We are In Year 2 of the implementation of our new literacy initiative. Launched in 2020-2021, we saw growth in students reading at or above grade level at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. We promised in our strategic plan that students would have access to high-quality schools and learning experiences, and I can’t wait to see the results this year. 
• This school year, we launched a new Multilingual Framework. Our work in equity ensures educational opportunities that represent the diversity of our district. It also ensures that we build bi-literate, bilingual, and bicultural students. The focus is on culturally responsive practices to achieve this and ensure that students are learning and progressing.
• Continuing our work in equity, we also developed a Math Vision and Framework for grades PreK-12. The goal is to ensure that all students thrive in higher-level math, including underrepresented minorities and girls. The plan also calls for more pathways in higher-level math that are seen as more practical for many careers.
• The district continues to expand its aspiring leadership pipeline of effective educators who embody the AISD leadership definition. Leaders set a vision and maintain the systems. They also advance equity and the culture required to give students access to high-quality schools and learning experiences. This school year, we added the Aldine Principal Fellow Academy.
• We also expanded the EMERGE College Prep Program to every AISD high school. The Houston-based college-readiness program prepares high-performing high school students in grades 11-12 to attend and graduate from selective colleges and universities across the nation.
• Our Board of Trustees approved a one-time Retention Bonus for all eligible full-time employees in appreciation of the work they do every day. 

Between the launch of new programs, new school openings for students new to the country and young women, and the announcement of our latest school for young men, this has been an exciting year for our choice schools. Did you know that Aldine ISD has 25 choice schools for all grade levels within the district? From dual language, magnet schools with themes from Montessori, direct instruction, and STEAM, the International Baccalaureate® program, early college, CTE and P-TECH schools, and a non-traditional school, there is something for just about everyone, ensuring choices and opportunities for all of our students. There is still time for Aldine families to apply for Choice Schools as the second lottery is now open. If you are still trying to decide if a Choice School is for you, join the Office of Transformation at the Choice Schools Family Application event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 26, at the M.B. Sonny Donaldson Child Nutrition Center. The event will be a time for families to receive personalized support to complete and submit a Choice Schools application before the next lottery. I hope that many of you will take advantage of the amazing opportunities we have available for our students.

As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, I encourage you to view the latest episode of All The Things: The Aldine ISD Podcast. Theater director Roshunda Jones-Koumba talks about the award-winning theatre program at Carver High School for Applied Technology, Engineering, and the Arts. She is also the 2021 International Thespian Society Inspirational Theatre Educator Award recipient. Joining Ms. Jones-Koumba is junior and Panther Players Troupe #6753 Board Vice-Chair Ryan Randolph. I hope you also join the Panther Players and the rest of the performing arts students at the Black History Show at 6:30 p.m. on February 25, 2022, in the Carver HS Auditorium. And I am so excited to share the sneak peek of this month’s Black History Month Showcase video. We’d love to know how you are observing this month. Make sure to share photos, thoughts, quotes, and more, with us on social media by using the hashtag #AldineBHM.

Before I close, I want to discuss college access and our latest opportunity for students. One of the greatest hurdles for many wanting to go to college is the cost. It is a barrier for many first-generation students and Dreamers who are high-achieving, low-income students. They are often underrepresented in four-year colleges and universities. College- and career-readiness and increasing access to college for students are priorities in our strategic plan. It gives me great pleasure to share that the district has partnered with Tennessee State University. TSU, like so many HBCUs, has a reputation for racial diversity. For HBCUs, equity means access to all. HBCUs provide access to many students who might not otherwise pursue higher education. TSU is offering qualifying students scholarships, including a full ride for those who meet the criteria. The goal is to build a pipeline to college for students. I hope our high schoolers take advantage of this chance to pursue their college dreams.

With Aldine Pride,

Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney
Superintendent

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Jan. 24 – Feb. 17: Black History Oratory Campus Competition 
• Feb. 1-March 5: District of Innovation (DOI) Plan Survey — The current Local Innovation Plan will expire this spring. The proposed plan is open for public comment until March 5. Click here to submit your comments on our proposal. Click here for more information.
• Feb. 16: The Multilingual Programs Department will host its next Parent Leadership Academy session at the Donaldson Child Nutrition Center, 1802 Aldine Bender Rd., from 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Families will learn how to empower their child’s academic and social-emotional achievement. For more information, click here.
• Feb. 21: Virtual information session about dual credit courses and opportunities at Lone Star College, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Click here to join the virtual event.
• Feb. 22: The Spring 2022 Dual Credit Application Night in-person event is for students who would like to submit their application for Dual Credit. Click here to sign up to attend.
• Feb. 22: Preregistration for eligible PreK3, PreK4, and kindergarten students opens for the 2022-2023 school year. Click here for details on how to register.

OBSERVATIONS
February
Black History Month
Digital Citizenship Program for K-12 Students: The focus in February is “Relationships and Communication: We know the power of words and actions.”

• Feb. 18: Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
• Feb. 21: Presidents Day (Traditional Calendar-Student Holiday)
• Feb. 21: ADSY Schools — Ermel and Vines — Regular Day for Students
• Feb. 22: School Bus Drivers Appreciation Day
• Feb. 25: Wellness Day — Theme is Love Your Heart Month
• Feb. 25: Go Texan Day

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 prioritize safety without sacrificing learning.

• Face Masks: As we have done throughout the pandemic, we continue implementing COVID mitigation protocols. While we had hoped to lift the mask requirement 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 requires students, staff, and visitors to wear face masks at all district facilities — schools, buildings, facilities, 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 keeping 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 remains 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, have been exposed to someone with the virus, have been with groups of people, or travel. Click here for a list of testing sites and to register online. Additionally, each campus has a testing opportunity weekly or biweekly. A parent/guardian must consent for testing.
• 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 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. The FDA also authorized the third dose as part of the primary series for certain immunosuppressed children between 5 and 11. The CDC announced on January 10 that at-risk Americans (immunocompromised) are eligible for the fourth COVID dose.

REMINDERS

• Aldine’s Family and Community Engagement Department launched the Family and Community University. It provides education and resources to empower families to support students academically, socially, and emotionally. Programming is free and open to all Aldine families. Register today.
• The state requires high school seniors to apply for financial aid to graduate. The FAFSA application opened on October 1, 2021.
• The state requires all entering college students to take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment. Click here for more information.
• 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.