A Message From Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney, Superintendent

Disponible en: Español

Dear Aldine Community,

April came and went in a blur of activity. Can you believe that May is here? But truth be told, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is a constant reminder of how vital our role is in the community. We continue giving our students access to high-quality educational experiences and many choices and opportunities. Recently, our CTE students signed letters of intent to be teachers in Aldine ISD once they complete college and certification requirements. In addition, two of our students will be taking part in the Mickey Leland Kibbutzim Internship this summer in Israel. We also hosted the Transition Expo and Job Fair for our special education students — hearing their success stories about how these events and the district’s transition specialists nearly brought me to tears. We also hosted events like Fun Day in the Park for our families of students with autism, empowering them with resources and information; the AISD Photo Contest, where PreK to 12th-grade students submitted over 500 photographs, and our Beginner Band Festival, where students got the chance to showcase their talents. And just this weekend, we celebrated our Festival de Primavera — ¡gracias a todos mis amigos, familias y alumnos que asistieron! Again, these are just a few of many happenings and opportunities.

As we wind down the semester, there are many lasts, like my last meeting with my Superintendent Student Ambassador group. Each one is becoming the leader they want to be. It has been an honor to work with them this school year.

Graduation Dates

With May comes thoughts of graduation — one of my favorite times of the year. Students are deciding where they want to attend college, like Eisenhower High School student Sydney Prier’s acceptance to Stanford University. I also enjoyed participating in Victory Early College HS’ Signing Day. The school has 100% of students graduating with a choice and opportunity at a college, university, or military! Good Job! Good Job! As families across the district make plans to celebrate their high school seniors’ milestones and achievements, click here for the 2023 Graduation Schedule.

Community Meetings

Seeing families at our Community Meetings has been fantastic. Thank you to all who attended the Eisenhower High School and Davis High School events. Our final two Community Meetings will be at MacArthur High School on Thursday, May 4, and Nimitz High School on Thursday, May 11. Meetings start at 6 p.m.

Kudos and Shout-outs

I have to give a shout-out to our Aldine Education Foundation. The AEF Awards Ceremony was once again a huge success. The foundation awarded over $425,000 in scholarships! What a blessing that our AEF Board, Aldine ISD Board of Trustees, staff, and community members believe in our students so much that they invest in their future.

It all begins with our students’ strong start in our schools, like Kujawa Elementary. I visited the school last week and got to witness how they provide a strong start to our young scholars. Our schools are building great students, great staff, and outstanding leaders by creating equitable learning environments for students. All means all in Aldine.

And we couldn’t do any of this without teachers! I hope you join me in celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week. Teachers are a huge part of each student’s success. They change the lives of students every day by helping them learn and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. Please let them know what they mean to your child, your family, or if you are a student or staff member, what they mean to you.

There is another group that I encourage you to celebrate later this week with me — our school nutrition professionals. The “lunch ladies,” as our students sometimes affectionately refer to them, also impact students’ lives. They ensure our students have full bellies with nutritious meals that keep them energized and ready to learn. Give our hard-working cafeteria workers a shout-out and thank them on School Lunch Superhero Day on Friday, May 5.

May also marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The third most spoken languages are by our Asian American/Asian students. I have long believed that diversity is a strength, and it is definitely a strength in Aldine. Our identity, traditions, and cultures are important to each of us. They can show us more often than not how similar we all are, like how we value the importance of family. Visit our website to learn how our district leaders will celebrate with activities planned for each week this month.

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

May 2: STAAR Testing … Grades 6, 7, and 8 Math, EOC Algebra 1
May 3: STAAR Testing … Grades 3, 4, and 5 Math
May 4: Community Meeting at MacArthur High School from 6-7:30 p.m.
May 6: The AISD Day of Design event will take place at Eisenhower High School from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.,m. More than 400 students in Grades 6-12 will be taking part.
May 10: Coffee With a Cop (click here for details)
May 11: Community Meeting at Nimitz High School from 6-7:30 p.m.
May 11: Creative Pursuit, the district’s Choice Schools’ inaugural collaborative student art show, will be at BakerRipley East Aldine Campus-Reunion Hall from 5-7:30 p.m. Click here for details.
May 20: Aldine ISD Police to host an event to paint catalytic converters. Click here for details.
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.