January 3, 2023
January Superintendent Message
Happy New Year AHISD! I hope you all had a wonderful Winter Break and were able to make special memories with family and friends. My husband and I were blessed to have all four of our children under the same roof for an extended period of time along with the opportunity to share time with extended family and friends. I’m so grateful that we all get this opportunity to recharge.
A new year brings the opportunity to refocus our energy and recommit to our goals. We’re celebrating a successful first semester, yet we stay focused on the work ahead of us to support our students through this final semester.
We continue to focus on the future of Alamo Heights ISD with thoughtful planning of the next phases of construction and facility design, as well as our ongoing commitment to improving safety and security measures. Please plan to join us at our January 19th Board Meeting where we will present an update regarding our Bond 2023 plans.
This month begins the 88th legislative session. I invite you to review our AHISD 2023 legislative priorities. We will continue to advocate for adequate school funding, the reduction of the harmful effects of recapture, as well as the promotion of community-based accountability.
Alamo Promise Update
Before the close of the semester, we received some very encouraging news from Alamo Colleges regarding the Alamo Promise. Alamo Promise is a program that covers the full cost of tuition and required fees for new graduates from participating high schools seeking an academic certificate, or an associate degree at one of the five Alamo Colleges. Promise to Promise allows eligible students to start at any of the five Alamo Colleges and then transfer to UTSA to complete a four-year degree, while having educational costs covered at both institutions.
Beginning with our graduating class of 2023, Alamo Heights High School students are now eligible to receive the Alamo Promise benefits. This expands the academic pathways for our students and provides tuition savings for our families. We are very grateful to our Alamo Heights community and staff who advocated to ensure our Alamo Heights graduates are included in this city-wide initiative.
More information about Alamo Promise can be found HERE.
School Board Recognition Month
January is School Board Recognition Month and I want to thank our AHISD Board of Trustees for their passion and dedication to our district. These seven volunteers work tirelessly on behalf of our students, staff, and district, and despite the fact that the last few years have brought many challenges to public education, our board has remained resolute in its commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. The leadership and service of this team are a true blessing to our AHISD community! I invite you to reach out to our Trustees to share your own words of appreciation throughout this month of recognition.
Safety and Security
Thanks to the generous support of the Alamo Heights School Foundation, we are moving forward this month with the installation of the equipment for the Centegix Crisis Alert badge system. Crisis Alert will provide each staff member with an individual badge to “click” to signal the need for administrative support on campus or to initiate a “lockdown” for an emergency situation. The Centegix team strives to do their work during non-instructional time, mostly evenings, and includes installation and testing of the individual alert badges. Lights and hubs will begin to be installed in hallways and classrooms. We will keep you informed as the system becomes operational and as we schedule training for staff.
I look forward to all this new year holds for our school community. I am grateful for your partnership as you share your children with us each day in AHISD!
Mules up!
Dr. Dana Bashara
Twitter: @BasharaDana
Photo of the Month:
Alamo Promise Announcement Ceremony on December 14, 2022
Pictured left to right: Barton T. Simpson, Executive Director of Alamo Colleges Foundation; Dr. Jimmie Walker, Assistant Superintendent; Cory Smith, AHHS Principal; Dr. Adena Williams Loston, President of St. Philip’s College; Paul Harris, AHHS College Counselor; Amy Carcanagues, Director of Scholarships at Alamo Colleges Foundation; Phil Bakke, Trustee of Alamo Colleges Foundation
Reminders:
-Kindergarten Registration: Kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year opens on January 17, 2023. To introduce parents and children to the school, Howard Early Childhood Center is hosting Kinder Preview events beginning in January. Visit our website for the schedule and to register to attend a Kinder Preview. Please share with your family, friends, and neighbors who will have five-year-olds next year.
-Grand-Mule/Senior Mule Event: Calling our “Grand-Mules & Senior Mules” to visit our district and learn from Dr. Bashara, district leaders, and students about our AHISD Profile of a Learner. Participants will hear about the educational experience in AHISD that highlights many of our innovative programs and practices. Those participants 65 years old and older, who reside in the district boundaries, will receive their Gold Card for free admission to all athletic and fine arts events! We’ll conclude our morning together with a tour of a few classrooms to see learning in action. Choose to attend one of the two events that best fits your schedule: Wednesday, January 4, 2023, and Thursday, March 30, 2023. Please email [email protected] to reserve your spot!
-Partners for the Profile: We invite you to consider participating in our re-designed Partners for the Profile experience that will be hosted twice in the first nine weeks. The newly designed program is a ½ day learning experience for community members to find out more about the way we support our AHISD Profile of a Learner in every classroom every day. Participants will be invited to tour classrooms at our High School and an Elementary campus to see the way lesson design impacts student learning. You can choose to either attend Friday, February 3, 2023, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM or Thursday, February 23, 2022, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. If you are interested, please take a minute to fill out the following form: Partners for the Profile Parent Sign Up.
-Chats with Cat: Cat Widder, District Wellness Coordinator, is hosting “Chat with Cat.” She will discuss topics of interest at your home or a location of your choice. You select the date and time and invite participants to attend. Email Cat for more information at [email protected] and check out the January Wellness link for more details.
-Opt-In for School Text Messages: AHISD utilizes the School Messenger system to communicate important information to families through email, text, and/or phone calls. If any contact information has changed over the summer, like phone numbers or email addresses, families should contact their campus office to update our student information system. In order to receive text messages, which the district sends only in emergencies, families must opt-in to this service. Here's how to sign up for text messages. Those who have previously opted in do not have to complete it again.
-If you see something, say something! We ask all AHISD families to commit to having ongoing conversations with students about safety and security and to encourage the reporting of any concerns to a trusted adult on campus. Families can also report safety concerns on our website by clicking Students / Parents and then Safety Concerns.
-Please stay connected with all things AHISD by visiting Heights Happenings and also following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Also, I invite you to follow @WeGoPublic to support this organization that promotes the amazing benefits of our Bexar County Public Schools!
January One-Month Glance:
Below are upcoming events, throughout the district, during the month of January.
Athletic Events
Visit Rank One for all sporting events
Master Calendar Events
- Tuesday, January 3 - 3rd 9 Weeks Begins
- Wednesday, January 4 - Grand-Mules & Senior Mules Partners Meeting - 8:30-10:00 AM - Woodridge Elementary Auditorium
- Friday, January 6 - Elementary & Secondary Progress Reports Distributed
- Friday, January 6 - Cambridge PTO Stay & Play - 3:30-4:30 PM - Cambridge Elementary
- Monday, January 16 - School Holiday
- Thursday, January 19 - Regular Board Meeting - 6-9 PM - Central Office
- Wednesday, January 25 - District Professional Development - Early Release Day - HE @ 11:45, CE & WE @ 12:15, AHJS & AHHS @ 12:45 PM
- Wednesday, January 26 - Secondary Progress Reports Distributed