A Message From Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney, Superintendent

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Dear Aldine Community,

As we mark the end of Black History Month, I hope all of you enjoyed the celebrations on campuses and in our administrative buildings. Seeing and participating in so many celebrations has been so much fun, including our Carver High School students singing the National Anthem at the HBCU Weekend Classic at Minute Maid Park and our HBCU/Divine 9 Day. Today, we ended our celebrations with our Black History Month Book Study, where we discussed Black Joy: A Story of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration by Tracy M. Lewis-Giggetts.

Monthly observances, like Black History Month, present many opportunities for growth and learning. We approach cultural diversity with a mindset and actions that embrace this fact, which leads to many benefits, like compassion and understanding and ensuring we get it right for all students.

Cultural diversity is an integral attribute of our school district. With families speaking over 45 different languages, our efforts to promote cultural diversity are driven by necessity and a desire to celebrate our students’ unique backgrounds and customs.

Daily, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from legendary civil rights leader John Lewis, who would have been 83 on February 21. And it is one that I refer back to in my work as an education leader:

“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year; it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

Aldine ISD will continue fulfilling our strategic plan. Our collective efforts ensure that our design, intent, and actions lead with love and care for the students, families, and communities we serve. All Aldine ISD students will graduate with choices and opportunities. Toward that goal, our students will continue to have access to high-quality schools and learning experiences that prepare them for their futures.

To do what is necessary, we must surround ourselves with good people. Make good decisions based on good information and feedback. We must all be committed and intentional and do work that matters. It is not a title that will mark my or your legacies but whether our work positively impacts others in our community. We must do right by our students. We must give all children every opportunity to succeed and thrive in school, college, and life.

Let’s continue to create opportunities to guide students to fulfill their potential and reach their aspirations. We must continue to work together to fulfill our promise to them. I encourage all of us to move with actions steeped in equity, love, and progress. Let’s get into some good trouble for their future and future generations.

Early Childhood Learning Preregistration
On the subject of students fulfilling their potential and reaching their dreams, we have several opportunities for our youngest learners to our older students. I firmly believe in the power of starting school early, but I am not the only one. Study after study shows the value and importance of early childhood learning. And we offer many choices for eligible families, like our free, full-day programs for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds (Head Start/PreK/K). We have great neighborhood schools, Choice Schools with specialized programs, and schools that offer dual language instruction in English and español. I encourage every family with eligible students to take advantage of preregistering now for the 2023-2024 school year! Click here for more information.

Getting A Head Start in College
Join us at our Advanced Academics Night on March 7 to learn about our multiple course options to challenge students to grow and advance in their high school journey.

Everyone in the Aldine community is invited to this event. Still, incoming first-year students and their parents will especially want to attend to meet and hear from representatives from The College Board, University of Texas-OnRamps, and Lone Star College. Learn about expectations about courses offered in our district, and see what they can expect next year. This is also your first look at what advanced academics are like at your new school! Click here for details.

Teacher Recruitment Fair
Teachers are a big part of ensuring our students have high-quality schools and learning experiences. And we are looking for the best because our students deserve nothing less! If you know of incredible teachers, soon-to-be college graduates, retired teachers considering returning to the field, and individuals with bachelor’s degrees looking to switch careers, invite them to our Teacher Job Fair on Saturday, March 4, at Davis High School! We are offering incentive pay for recruiting teachers!

Teacher Incentive Allotment
We are excited to announce that Aldine is a TIA-approved district! In the 86th Legislative Session, HB 3 provided funds for districts in Texas to incentivize high-performing teachers through the Teacher Incentive Allotment. Aldine district leaders began investigating this program in the summer of 2019. The district received notification this month that the district’s application for the Teacher Incentive Allotment was approved for the 2022-2023 school year. TIA approval means that in addition to their regular salaries, designated Aldine ISD teachers may now qualify for up to $30,000, depending on the campus need, which the Texas Education Agency determines, and their designation level. In May 2023, teachers will receive official notification of their designation from TEA through their TEAL accounts. TIA fund distribution will take place in June 2023. More detailed information will be shared shortly.

I look forward to TIA’s impact on recruiting, retaining, and rewarding Aldine’s most highly effective teachers.

Family Health Fair
Healthy families mean healthy students ready to learn! Join us at the M.B. Sonny Donalson Child Nutrition Center this Saturday, March 4, from 9 a.m. to noon. Our Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department is hosting its annual Family Health Fair in partnership with many of our community partners. The FREE event will offer testing, vaccines, resources, and more. We have planned activities for all ages, including seeing Mirabel Madrigal From Disney’s ‘Encanto” and door prizes! Click here for details.

Congratulations, Milestones & Shout-outs
Congratulations to MacArthur High School’s Coach Ernest Gonzales on his 400th career baseball win! What an incredible milestone! Go, Coach Gonzalez, and Go Big Red!

March is around the corner (tomorrow!), meaning it’s that time of the year when we start to hear about the current graduating class and where its seniors are headed off to after graduation. I found out about this shout-out because the school tagged me on Twitter. Congrats to David Villa, the 2023 Valedictorian at Aldine High School! In the fall, David will attend John Hopkins University, one of the top research institutes in the U.S.! Click here to read about the future biomedical engineer! This is an outstanding accomplishment, David. Aldine HS, thank you for sharing and keeping me #AldineConnected! I can’t wait to read about the amazing students from all our high school campuses!

Have a great rest of the week!

With Aldine Pride,

Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney
Superintendent of Schools
Twitter: @drgoffney
Contact Me

UPCOMING & ONGOING EVENTS FOR THE COMMUNITY

• March 4: Health Fair at the M.B. Sonny Child Nutrition Center, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.  (Details)
• March 4: Teacher Recruitment Fair at Davis High School, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Details)
• Now-March 24: Window for the AISD Employee Student Transfer Renewal form for 2023-2024.
• March 25: Aldine ISD is hosting TeenBookCon at Davis HS. Click here for details and to register.
• April 3: General Student Transfer Renewals (New and Renewals) opens
• April 15: Soñadores Summit from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Aldine High School; stay connected for details (a DREAMERs event)
• Now-April 21: Free GED and ESL classes for AISD parents with a student enrolled in the bilingual or ESL program in AISD. Click here for details and to register.
• Now-Apr. 22: AISD’s Health Services Department is holding monthly CPR classes. (click here)
• April 29: AISD’s 2nd Annual Festival de Primavera (an all-Spanish event), from 9 a.m. to noon, at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center
• Now-June 1: AISD is applying to receive its share of ARP ESSER III (ESSER III) funding as determined by the Texas Education Agency. Aldine ISD seeks feedback from all district and community stakeholders to help determine how the district should best utilize these resources. Click here to take the survey.
• Ongoing: Read to the Final Four® Competition has elementary students reading in a March Madness tournament. Follow us on Twitter to see which school is leading the district competition! Click here to read more.
• Ongoing: Family and Community University’s 2022-2023 — Click here to register.
• Ongoing: iEducate is hiring college students, especially Aldine ISD grads, as tutors to work with Aldine ISD students. iEducate accepts applications on a rolling basis, and interested students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHT
Nimitz HS Students Place 3rd at State CTE Fashion Competition
Watch a video where several AISD leaders discuss their Divine 9 journey for Black History Month

RECENT NEWS & ALDINE ISD PODCAST

• ESSER III Information & Survey
• Houston Food Bank Backpack Buddy Program Beneficial to Aldine ISD Community
• Aldine ISD to Host Family Health Fair & Family Fun
• Aldine ISD Educators Named HAABSE 2023 Teachers of the Year
• District Names Principals of the Year
• 7 Magnet Schools Win National Merit Awards, 1 Named Top School of Excellence
• Head Start, Prekindergarten, and Kindergarten Preregistration Now Open for 2023-2024 Advanced Academics Information Night: Learn About our Course Options for High Schoolers on March 7
• 12 AISD Students Earn Awards at Science and Engineering Fair of Houston
• Aldine ISD Announces Winners of the 2023 Black History Oratory Competition
• Aldine is a TIA-Approved School District (Teacher Allotment Incentive)
  Eisenhower College Prep to Open in Fall 2023
  Spring 2023 – Teacher Job Fair, March 4
  2023-2024 AISD School Year Calendars Are Now Available!

MONTHLY OBSERVATIONS

March

• Mar. 1: ENVI2ION School Day (ADSY Calendar)
• Mar. 6-10: Celebrate Texas Public Schools Week
• Mar. 6-10: National School Breakfast Week
• Mar. 8: International Women’s Day — Wear purple! (#EmbraceEquity)
• Mar. 10: End of Nine Weeks (Traditional Calendar)
• Mar. 13-17: Spring Break (All AISD Schools)
• Mar. 20: Start of Nine Weeks (Traditional)
• Mar. 20-24: Aldine ISD SEL Week — Join us at the Bamberg Professional Development and Resource Center for some yoga, exercise, a sound bath, and more. Click here for the celebration information, and click here for activities.
• Mar. 22: ENVI2ION School Day (ADSY Calendar)
• March 27: Report cards for the third nine weeks will be available in Home Access Center (HAC)
• Mar. 29: ENVI2ION School Day (ADSY)Click here to view the 2022-2023 school year calendars — traditional and Additional Days School Year (ADSY).

REMINDERS FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

• Outside food and beverages are prohibited on all secondary school campuses (middle, ninth-grade, and high school campuses) premises. Click here for details.
• The state requires high school seniors to apply for financial aid to graduate. — FAFSA Application link or TASFA Application links
• The state requires all entering college students to take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment. (details).
• Aldine ISD’s top priorities are students’ safety and academic success. The district posts information related to protocols along with any updates at www.aldineisd.org/healthalerts.

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Stay connected by visiting AldineISD.org. Check out our District News and Aldine ISD Podcast pages to stay updated on all the great things happening in our district. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.