A Message From Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney, Superintendent

Disponible en: Español

Dear Aldine Community,

As we head into the long weekend for the spring holiday, I hope you take a moment to recharge your batteries. Spend time with family and friends, and take a moment to be thankful and joyous for all the good things in our lives!

While we are in the final stretch before the end of the school year, we are still going strong with opportunities for students and families!

STAAR Testing
STAAR testing is right around the corner. This spring, TEA is launching newly redesigned assessments. Testing for eligible students will occur from April 18 through May 12. Families should receive information from their students’ schools about specific dates and tests. Click here to read an overview by the Houston Chronicle about the new test.

STAAR

Families can also visit the TEA Resources Webpage to help their students prepare for STAAR testing.

We want our students to do their best. Encourage your student to feel comfortable and confident. It’s important to be well-rested, so ensure they get plenty of sleep. Eat balanced and healthy meals — all students get to eat FREE for breakfast and lunch. Remind students that a STAAR test is not a race. Students must go at their own pace and take breaks. Additionally, a positive attitude goes a long way. Give your student something to look forward to by planning something special — a movie, favorite dinner, etc. — to celebrate when testing is finished.

Community Meetings
We held our first Community Meeting on Tuesday at Aldine High School. It was great to see families from all the feeder schools — primary, elementary, middle, and ninth grade — to Aldine High. Students entertained families — we have so many talented students — and heard about all the fantastic gains we have made and about our programs, initiatives, choices, and opportunities we offer families. It was a celebration, and wonderful to connect with our community. The second community meeting (all the meetings run from 6-7:30 p.m.) will be on Thursday, April 20, at Eisenhower High School. Click here for all the dates and locations. All Aldine community members are invited to attend these informative Community Meetings, whether they have children in Aldine schools or not. Join us! Hear our journey and about Aldine’s future.

Equity Definition
There is so much we are working on that I am excited about, including our work in equity. Over the last few years, you have heard me discuss equity and our goals to advance equity in Aldine. In the leadership discussion, we discovered we still needed to define equity. We recently took one step and put some words on paper, defining equity for Aldine ISD. Improving equity in our schools starts with understanding and listening. By better understanding the perceptions and experiences of our students, families, and community, we can take meaningful action to improve and achieve equity. We are about giving all students choices and opportunities. Remember, all mean all in Aldine.

Mark Your Calendars!
Ya’ll, we have so much going on this spring! We had an incredible GIRLS Empowerment Summit, Annual Youth Summit, and a fantastic showing at our PreK Enrollment Expo. We have our Soñadores Summit on April 15, our inaugural Fun Day in the Park for families of students with autism on April 22, and our second annual Festival de Primavera is taking place on April 29. These events occur on a Saturday, so please mark your calendars. We look forward to seeing you and your families there!

Shout-outs and Congratulations
Before I close, I need to give a few shout-outs. This week was National Assistant Principals Week. Thank you for doing fantastic work at our schools. I am incredibly proud of our dedicated school administrators and their work creating safe, welcoming school cultures. These thought leaders are instrumental in a school’s success, always putting students first. April 4th and April 5th were National School Librarian and National Paraprofessionals Day. As everyone knows, reading and books have a special place in my heart. Thank you, information literacy specialists (aka librarians), for your work in cultivating a love of reading on our campuses and for the support you provide our teachers and students.

Many adults work to support student learning — teachers, counselors, related service providers, and classroom volunteers. They may also receive support from paraprofessionals. You may also hear them called ed techs, classroom assistants, instructional aides, teacher assistants, paraeducators, and paras. No matter what you call them, paraprofessionals are essential to a school’s community. They provide instructional support, language support, behavioral support, physical and medical support, and so much more. They add another layer of support to the classroom, allowing students more opportunities for one-on-one support. Thank you for all that you do each and every day.

Congratulations to math teacher Helen Santiago from Houston Academy. She has been named the SHABE Secondary ESL Teacher of the Year. Helen will represent the SHABE district at the Texas Association for Bilingual Education annual fall conference in McAllen. SHABE also awarded a $500 scholarship to soon-to-be-grad Viridiana Ruiz Dávila from Victory Early College High School, who will attend Bucknell University to major in biology and be on the pre-med program.

Bravo to Carver High School’s Theater Troupe on receiving an impressive 21 Tommy Tune Nominations for their Summer: The Donna Summer Musicalproduction! I saw the show, and it is incredible! Every nomination is well deserved! Good Job, Good Job, G-OO-D J-O-B, Good Job, Good Job! The finalists for the awards will be announced on April 7th. Good luck!

Have a great rest of your week!

With Aldine Pride,

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

UPCOMING & ONGOING EVENTS FOR THE COMMUNITY

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)
April 18: AISD to Hold Public Hearing on the 2021-2022 APR at the Donaldson Administrative Building-Board Room, starting at 7 p.m.
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.
April 22: Inaugural Fun Day in the Park for Families of Students With Autism at East Aldine District Park, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Click here to register and for details.
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

Aldine ISD to Host Community Meetings
Aldine ISD to Host its Inaugural Soñadores Summit for All High School DREAMERs
District to Host 2nd Annual ‘Festival de Primavera;’ Event Aims to Engage Spanish-speaking Families
Preregister Your Eligible Head Start, Prekindergarten, and Kindergarten Students for 2023-2024
All The Things: The Aldine ISD Podcast – Episode 6, Season 4
Diesel’s Readers Program: Free Houston Dynamo Tickets
Eisenhower College Prep to Open in Fall 2023
View the 2023-2024 AISD School Year Calendars
Kelvin Chatham Announced as Football Head Coach and Campus Coordinator for Davis HS
Lewis Middle School Students Participate in 2023 Student Symposium
Aldine ISD Trustees pass resolution opposing vouchers
Lewis Middle School Students Participate in 2023 Student Symposium
AISD to Hold Public Hearing on the 2021-2022 APR at April 18 Board Meeting
District to Host Inaugural Fun Day in the Park for Families of Students With Autism
Carvers Theater Troupe Heads to Regionals With Multiple Nominations
Student Wins Scholarship at Houston Rodeo to Attend Western Art Academy
MacArthur Wins District Tennis Title, Davis Finishes Second
SHABE Names Helen Santiago Secondary ESL Teacher of the Year

MONTHLY OBSERVATIONS

April

National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month

Apr. 3-7: National Assistant Principals Week
Apr. 3-9: National Library Week (April 4 is School Librarian Day)
Apr. 5: Paraprofessionals Day
Apr. 7: Student Holiday (traditional & ADSY)
Apr. 10: Student Holiday/Staff Work Development Day (traditional
Apr. 12: ENVI2ION School Day (ADSY)
Apr. 15-19: National Volunteer Appreciation Week
Apr. 19: ENVI2ION School Day (ADSY
Apr. 26: 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 herefor 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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