Message From the Superintendent, April 11, 2022

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Dear Aldine Community,

Last week, I mentioned that it is National Volunteer Appreciation Month, a time to honor our volunteers for the invaluable contributions they make to help keep our district moving in the right direction — forward. Hear from volunteer and Aldine Education Foundation Board member Bill Ginder in our latest episode of All The Things: The Aldine ISD Podcast to find out how he is working with the Aldine Education Foundation to provide choices and opportunities for students.

This month we have added a new observation — National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month. We have so many ways to observe it, too. I am particularly excited to celebrate this year as we launched our new frameworks for multilingual learners at the beginning of the school year. The new frameworks are dedicated to cultivating biliteracy through culturally responsive practices and ensuring that students learn and progress, furthering our strategic plan initiatives of school culture and student achievement. Working with our bilingual/multilingual students are exemplary educators like Margarita Cruz from La Promesa, César Linares from Black Elementary School, and Anju Bhalla from Carmichael Elementary School. They won the top awards from the Suburban Houston Association for Bilingual Education (SHABE) at its annual Teacher of the Year Banquet. In addition, Aldine ISD student Kevin Fuentes received a scholarship from SHABE. Ms. Cruz and Mr. Linares will advance to the Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) annual fall conference in Houston. We can all be proud of their dedication to student success as they represent Aldine.

I would also encourage each of you to take some time to learn more about La Promesa, Aldine’s newcomer and dual-language campus. Reading about La Promesa student Kimberly Rivas’ experience would be a great place to start. Additionally, I invite you to join us at our inaugural Festival de Primavera (Spring Festival) on April 30. The event will be entirely in Spanish to share all things Aldine with our Spanish-speaking community. You can find additional information and details here. You will hear more about our wide variety of programs, choices, and opportunities for your child and family. Come and listen to students in our Mariachi Acero perform, and students dance ballet folklórico.

Congratulations also go out to the MacArthur High School boys’ and girls’ varsity tennis for winning the Team Championship in District 14-6A. MacArthur and Aldine high schools each had student-athletes who qualified to advance to the Region II 6A Tennis Tournament, which takes place in Waco today and will finish tomorrow, April 12. We also have teams and student-athletes in golf advancing to the District 14-6A in Waco from April 17-21. They include Davis HS varsity boys’ (District Champion), Davis HS varsity girls, and four regional gold medalists representing Nimitz HS, MacArthur HS, and Eisenhower HS. Good luck to all!

And what an exciting season for the MacArthur High School boys’ soccer (fútbol for my Spanish-speaking friends). Our soccer program has been getting stronger every year. On their journey to the state championship, the Generals fought hard on Saturday but lost to our neighbor, The Woodlands. The team brought home second place in 6A Region 2. I am told that this year’s team took MacArthur further into the playoffs than the school has ever been. Again, a big congrats to the team and our soccer program.

Many of our teens took part in the national 2022 #TeenBookCon on Saturday at Davis High School. It was great to see so many engaged teens actively listening and speaking with authors and picking up books. Reading is important in students’ growth. Opportunities like TeenBookCon are a great way to encourage kids of all ages to discover a genre that inspires them to want to read every day. Tomorrow, I hope you join us in observing Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day. I cannot wait to see what everyone is planning to read! You can share a picture of yourself reading on social media with the hashtag #AldineReads.

I wish everyone a great week. Don’t forget that April 15 a holiday for all students and staff.

With Aldine Pride,

Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney
Superintendent

UPCOMING EVENTS

• April/May: Click here for details and dates about STAAR testing.
• April: Click here for more information about free GED classes for Aldine ISD parents and how to register.
• April 14: Deadline to submit the online form to participate in STEMfest 2022. (a K-12 event)
• April 30: Inaugural Spring Festival Aldine ISD (an all-Spanish event)
• April 30: STEMfest 2022 at the Bamberg Professional Development and Resource Center.

OBSERVATIONS
April
National Volunteer Month
National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month

• April 12: Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day 
• April 15: Student Holiday
• April 17-23: National Volunteer Week
• April 29: Wellness Day (Love Your Heart)

REMINDERS

• Aldine’s Family and Community Engagement Department launched the Family and Community University. Programming is free and open to all Aldine families. Register today.
• The state requires high school seniors to apply for financial aid to graduate. Click on the FAFSA application or TASFA application links.
• 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.