A Message From Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney, Superintendent

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Dear Aldine Community,

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Spring Break! As we begin the last nine weeks of school, it is full steam ahead. There are lots of upcoming opportunities for our students and families. Let’s stay connected and engaged as we power through the final quarter of the school year.

SEL Week
Supporting the students’ and staff members’ well-being is one of the district’s strategic priorities. We have been intentional in our work, providing all students with safe and secure learning environments that focus on every student’s social, emotional, and cultural needs. We focus on building relationships and connections with students and their families. When you teach from the heart, you inspire change and positive outcomes for students.

This week, we are celebrating SEL Week in Aldine. Check out the flyer with activities and tag us on Twitter using @SELCulture_AISD!

TeenBookCon
The district is hosting TeenBookCon this Saturday, March 25, at Davis HS. The mission of TeenBookCon is close to my heart since it focuses on an important priority — reading. My love of reading began with trips to garage sales with my Big Mama. It’s where I discovered Nancy Drew, The Babysitters Club, and others. Reading has opened so many doors for me. And I want the same for our students. It can take that one book, series, or author to spark a love of reading. This is why opportunities like TeenBookCon to connect teens with authors matter. I hope our young adult readers take advantage of this fantastic opportunity. Click here to register to attend.

GIRLS Empowerment Summit
March is Women’s History Month. If there’s one thing I know is that empowered women empower women. Women in leadership can and do help young females by encouraging and guiding them in their respective fields or inspiring them. I am proud to announce a great new opportunity for our graduating female high school students. On March 30, the district will host its inaugural GIRLS Summit. The students will hear from three diverse, inspiring women. Our goal is to have our young women leave the summit believing in their own powers and self-worth. They have Grit, are Irreplaceable, are Resilient, will leave a Legacy, and cultivate Self-love.

PreK Enrollment Expo
We know that kindergarten and first-grade readiness aren’t based on age but on a set of skills. Children start school with different language and literacy skills. Early childhood learning is the key to leveling the playing field and closing those learning gaps.

Aldine offers 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. Families can join us at our PreK Enrollment Expo on Saturday, April 1. They can meet with teachers and school leaders from all our early childhood schools and learn about district resources like special education, English language learners, student transportation, gifted and talented, and more. Click here for details about the event.

Soñadores Summit
There is a quote by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk that states, “A good teacher is like a candle — it consumes itself to light the way for others.” It’s a great analogy showing that we educators exist to assist students in pursuing their dreams. Aldine ISD is committed to ensuring all our students have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals, regardless of residency status — all means all. The inaugural Soñadores Summit on Saturday, April 15, is part of our commitment to providing students with resources and support. For my non-Spanish-speaking friends, soñadores translates to “dreamers.” The summit will offer a college fair, admission and financial aid lab, and more. Click here for details.

Festival de Primavera
Aldine is a diverse school district. I am always impressed when I hear that more than 45 languages are spoken in Aldine. Another district goal in our strategic plan is to expand communication to meet our families’ needs. The district has contracted with a company to provide telephonic interpretation in multiple languages for our families that need them. These services include 37 languages other than Spanish and ASL. This is a huge step forward in communicating with our families!

I am also excited to announce that Aldine will host our 2nd Annual Festival de Primavera. Once again, the event will be entirely in español so families can learn about Aldine, like our programs and student opportunities. I encourage our Spanish-speaking community to join us at the M.O. Campbell Educational Center on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to noon. We’ll share more details as they become available.

Congratulations & Shout-outs
Ya’ll, I do look at social media. It’s a great way to see all the happenings throughout the district. I also see the great things students are doing and achieving. Congratulations to our MacArthur High School and Eisenhower HS speech and debate students who made it to the UIL Texas State Debate Tournament!

I loved seeing our students at Eisenhower High School continuing their journey with the Newcomer Empowerment Initiative with Dr. José Luis Zelaya. Students gain life skills to be successful, like believing in themselves and individual responsibility. We want them to develop grit or ganas en español.

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

• 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.
• March 30: GIRLS Empowerment Summit (Click here)
• April 1: PreK Expo Enrollment (Click here)
• April 15: Soñadores Summit from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Aldine High School — For students born in and outside the U.S. (Click here for details)
• 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: 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.

RECENT NEWS & ALDINE ISD PODCAST
Preregister Your Eligible Head Start, Prekindergarten, and Kindergarten Students for 2023-2024
All The Things: The Aldine ISD Podcast – Episode 5, Season 4
Aldine ISD to Host TeenBookCon on March 25
Join Us at the PreK Enrollment Expo on April 1
District to Host Inaugural GIRLS Empowerment Summit on March 30
Aldine ISD Hosts Annual Family Health Fair
Diesel’s Readers Program: Free Houston Dynamo Tickets
University of Houston-Downtown Visits Aldine ISD MacArthur High School
Aldine ISD’s Names Top Educators of the Year
Aldine ISD to Host its Inaugural Soñadores Summit for All High School DREAMERs
5 Aldine ISD Soccer Teams Earn Playoff Berths
Eisenhower College Prep to Open in Fall 2023
View the 2023-2024 AISD School Year Calendars

MONTHLY OBSERVATIONS
March

• Mar. 20: Start of Nine Weeks (Traditional)
• Mar. 20-24: Aldine ISD SEL Week (Click here)
• Mar. 22: ENVI2ION School Day (ADSY)
• March 27:  Report cards are to be available to students and families on 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.

FOLLOW US!
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.