October 1, 2024
Dear AHISD Families-
Now that it is officially fall, I hope we will see some cooler temperatures! There are so many outdoor events at our campuses this month for our families to enjoy together. I love seeing the excitement for some of our beloved traditions and I know students, staff and families all look forward to the annual fall events like Howard Hay Day and the Woodridge Carnival that make AHISD so special.
Speaking of traditions, I hope to see you all decked out in your blue and gold at our Homecoming festivities next week! Howdy Night is Wednesday, October 9. We start with the Howdy Parade at 4:30 p.m. along Alamo Heights Boulevard and we will end up at AHHS for the festival from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the MuleDome parking lot. The pep rally and bonfire start at 7 p.m. Our Homecoming football game is Friday, Oct. 11.
There are several holidays for students in October. Please take note of the Calendar of Events below and continue to be mindful in scheduling vacations and appointments with these dates in mind.
Academic Rigor
The Texas A-F Accountability System is currently involved in litigation. As a result, the Texas Education Agency cannot release A-F accountability ratings, which are primarily based on STAAR test scores, until the case is resolved. However, parents can still view their child’s STAAR scores from last spring through the
AHISD Home Access Center (HAC). To access the scores, log into HAC, click on the "GRADES" tab, and select the new "TEXAS TEST SCORES" tab. This will provide a direct report of your child’s performance.
It’s important to remember that student learning cannot be fully captured by a single test on a single day. Please consider STAAR results alongside other information to get a more complete picture of your child’s academic progress.
Our beginning-of-the-year academic testing concluded on September 20. Students in K-2 received printed score reports, while parents of students in other grades received scores via email during the last week of September. These emails, sent by Dr. Yadira Palacios, had the subject line "Your Child’s MAP Growth Progress Report." If you haven’t received your child’s report, please check your email spam folder.
We are excited to announce that AHISD continues to surpass national academic standards across all subjects. This achievement is underscored by the recent announcement from the College Board recognizing National Merit Scholars. AHISD is proud to honor one 2025 National Merit Semifinalist and 27 additional National Merit Award Scholars. National Merit Semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of high school seniors across the country. In the spring, nearly $26 million in scholarships will be awarded to National Merit Finalists.
Students qualify for this recognition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT during their junior year. Semifinalists are selected based on their state’s highest scores, with the number of semifinalists reflecting the state’s share of graduating seniors.
These exceptional students will be honored at the October Board Meeting.
Budget Advisory Council Update
Our Budget Advisory Council has met twice now to study school finance and the current AHISD budget projections. We have two more meetings scheduled for this month and November. The task of this council is to make recommendations to reduce our 2025-2026 budget by $5 million to make up for the gap in funding from the lack of state support for public education. The recommendation will be a sort of contingency plan to utilize only if public schools are not funded adequately during this upcoming legislative session that begins January 14. These conversations weigh heavily on all of us. I am so grateful for the thoughtfulness and dedication of our Council members to help devise an emergency plan of action if we do not see additional funding this upcoming session.
Legislative Lunch and Learn
This upcoming 89th Legislative session will be critical for public schools all across the state. Last month, I shared an invitation to a Community Legislative Update on Nov. 12 in the Oaks at 6 p.m. Please also mark your calendars for a Legislative Lunch and Learn on Dec. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Barbara and Alan Dreeben Auditorium Foyer at AHHS. We will welcome a guest speaker from the Texas School Coalition and a light lunch will be provided by the Alamo Heights School Foundation. Please reach out to friends and neighbors and invite them to attend both sessions to understand the importance of being engaged in this upcoming session.
Safety and Security
I continue to ask for your partnership with us in a commitment to safety and security all across the district. Partnering with us means ongoing conversations with your children about school safety and the importance of reporting any kind of suspicious behavior, including social media posts to trusted adults on campus. If students are not comfortable making a report, I ask you to reach out to a campus administrator to share the information. These ongoing conversations should also remind students about the locked door perimeter that we’ve created on each campus and the importance of not letting anyone who is not identified as a staff member into those locked doors.
During times of drill, or times when our administrators are investigating situations, it is most helpful if parents refrain from coming to campus. This only delays the expediency of the investigation taking place, as we saw this past month at AHJS. In AHISD, we are committed to clear and timely communication with all parents once we have completed the investigation and have accurate information to report. If you have not yet opted in for text messages, you can do so by following the directions in the “reminder” section at the end of this message. We use texts to notify parents when an informative email update has been sent during these kinds of situations.