Message From the Superintendent, April 19, 2022

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Dear Aldine Community,

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend and had the opportunity to spend quality time with your families and friends. It is hard to believe that May is right around the corner. Our hallways are bustling with excitement as students and staff participate in and prepare for art shows, athletic events, academic competitions, concerts, festivals, testing, awards ceremonies, and more. Spring always brings renewed energy to our campuses. This energy gives us the extra push we need as we head into the last weeks of school. Make sure you take a peek at Aldine ISD’s latest news stories to learn more about all the great things happening in our district.

There are two key events and an observation I would like to highlight this week. First up is National Volunteer Week, taking place this week. Please join me in recognizing and thanking our volunteers. I can’t wait to see the social media posts with the hashtag #VolunteerInAldine. Each year, Aldine has thousands of parents, grandparents, and business partners who make a difference in students’ lives by dedicating their time, creativity, and generosity. Our district is made stronger by the contributions of our volunteers. Thank you. 

We have two big events on Saturday, April 30: STEMfest meets our goals to ignite interest and encourage more students to pursue STEM fields. More than 200 students have registered to engage in hands-on activities, learning workshops, and student-led exhibitions.

On April 30, we also have our inaugural Festival de Primavera (Spring Festival). So much thought has gone into this event, which will be entirely in español to share all things Aldine with our Spanish-speaking community. We know that language can be a barrier for some of our families, and this event seeks to remove these barriers. I encourage you and your Spanish-speaking neighbors to join us to hear more about our wide variety of programs, choices, and opportunities for our students and families. We will also have entertainment provided by our students! Mariachi Acero will perform, you can enjoy watching our ballet folklórico students and talk with some of our soccer players. We also have special guest speakers. I am also excited to get an opportunity to say a few words en español. 

Don’t miss out on the district’s signature events! 

One of the topics close to my heart is literacy. I hope you will tune in on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. to watch Director of Literacy Demedia Edwards. She will participate in Channel 13’s “Turning the Page on Illiteracy” panel discussion. Ms. Edwards will share what Aldine is doing to address literacy issues, such as embracing the science of reading, high-quality lessons, teacher coaching, and more. We are only in the second year of our new literacy framework. The data shows that students are making steady growth in their reading foundation skills. Our goals are to have all rising first-grade students enter school ready to learn and have all third-grade students reading at or above grade level. Click here for details on how you can watch and hear more about our literacy journey.

I have enjoyed celebrating our students, teachers, leaders, and staff members. Honestly, there are so many great things happening. Words cannot express the joy I feel as I see the difference we are making for the young people we serve.

With Aldine Pride,

Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney
Superintendent

UPCOMING EVENTS

• April/May: Click here for details and dates about STAAR testing.
• Ongoing Until May 31: Preregistration for eligible PreK3, PreK4, and kindergarten students is open for the 2022-2023 school year. Click here for details on how to register.
• April: Click here for more information about free GED classes for Aldine ISD parents and how to register. Weeknight classes in Spanish start April 26: Weekend classes in English start April 30.
• April 30: Aldine ISD’s Inaugural Festival de Primavera (an all-Spanish event), from 9 a.m. to noon, at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center
• April 30: STEMfest 2022 at the Bamberg Professional Development and Resource Center, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

OBSERVATIONS
April
National Volunteer Month
National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month
April 17-23: National Volunteer Week
April 29: Wellness Day (Global Child Nutrition Month)

REMINDERS

• Aldine’s Family and Community Engagement Department’s 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.