My current letter to the Alief community will be posted directly under this message. Past letters will be in "PDF" format below.
Dear Parents and Community Members,
Recently, I had the honor of visiting and presenting awards at our seven Exemplary campuses. This year, in addition to the Exemplary campuses, Alief ISD has 21 Recognized campuses. I am so proud to be the superintendent of this great school district! Parents, you can rest assured that your children are in the capable hands of some of the finest educators in the country. Our teachers and principals continue to be firmly committed to meeting the academic needs of each one of our 45,602 students.
With the first six weeks of the 2009-10 school year behind us, we are thankful for how well everything has gone so far. Last year, at this time, all of us were recovering from the devastation following Hurricane Ike. We haven’t even been threatened by a serious tropical storm, let alone a hurricane, this year. Also, the H1N1 virus (swine flu) has not been a problem in our district as we had feared it could be. We have been closely monitoring daily absences, and our attendance has been running at approximately 98%. It is important that our students come to class each day ready to learn. But it is just as important, parents, for not sending your children to school when they are sick, and for reminding them to follow recommended hygiene practices, such as washing their hands frequently, not sharing food and drinks, and sneezing into their sleeve/elbow. We are working with the Harris County Healthy Department and have established a plan to administer H1N1 vaccinations, free of charge, to our students as soon as the vaccine is available. Watch this web site for more information as it becomes available.
Recently, during the first Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council meeting of the year, I spoke with high school students about the H1N1 virus and their ideas about staying healthy throughout the school year. Five representatives from each of Alief ISD’s four high schools gather together four times a year, as a council, for roundtable discussions with me and deputy superintendents Charles Woods and Gina Tomas. During this first meeting of the year we also discussed new graduation requirements, and the students made a point to talk about the exciting things happening at each of their campuses during this first semester. This is certainly a fine group of students who take pride in representing their campuses and their fellow classmates.
For some of our students it can take a great deal of pride and determination to make the commitment to stay in school. Because of this, I was pleased to once again be a part of the “Reach Out 2 Drop Outs” (RO2DO) initiative this fall. We knocked on the doors of 536 homes and had 29 students who committed to return to school to complete the requirements to earn their high school diploma. This is certainly one of the most important decisions they will make in their lives. I cannot say, “Thank you” enough to the numerous volunteers who turned out to participate in the RO2DO program this year. Now, we are in the process of training mentors who will be matched up with the returning students to help encourage them along the path to high school graduation. With strong support from our school board, administrators, and educators, we have been able to implement outstanding programs that help all of our students succeed.
I take a great deal of pride in all the students of Alief ISD. From pre-k through 12th grade, the children in our schools have so much hope for the future. We also have much pride in our past. It is inspirational to hear from our alumni who have gone on to successful careers in medicine, law, architecture, dentistry, space, professional sports, and education. We can all be confident in the fact that bright futures begin in Alief ISD.
I look forward to seeing many of you out at the numerous events which occur during the school year, from sports to fine arts and campus celebrations. Your support and encouragement means the world to these students, and they mean the world to us.
Sincerely,