May 6-10 is designated as Teacher Appreciation Week. Can you imagine where you would be without a teacher who cared and guided you along the way? While you deserve more than I could give you on this day, I recognize that I would not be the man I am without strong teachers. I am so grateful for our educators, starting with my elementary teachers, who tolerated a student who was always active and who asked questions from the beginning of class to the end. To my middle school teachers who challenged me to stay on the straight and narrow, to my high school biology teacher, Clyde Prior, (may he rest in peace), who took the time to challenge and correct me; I thank you. As we celebrate our teachers this week, please ask yourself, “Where would I be without my teachers?” As you reflect with appreciation, get to your nearest campus and make sure that Alief ISD teachers know you appreciate them. Listed below are some ideas of how you can do that:

  1. Post to social media how a teacher made a difference in your life & #ThankATeacher
  2. Gift cards are always appropriate
  3. Provide a surprise lunch
  4. Volunteer time at a campus

Summer Fest is now live, and we are thrilled to announce that we have more than 500 seats available to support our students’ continued growth. After all, the ‘summer slide’ is a real phenomenon we are determined to avoid in our students! According to research, children in low-income households fall behind an average of two months in reading during the summer. The summer slide is cumulative; meaning those learning losses build up each summer. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the teachers who have submitted proposals for Summer Fest and will share their time and various passions with our students. Special appreciation goes to Mariehel Vega for her exceptional leadership in this program. We are proud of you, and we appreciate your dedication!

Celebrations

Alvina Hicks, our Read 180 teacher at Olle, has been named the National Read 180 Teacher of the Year! She is a special talent when it comes to growing literacy, small group instruction, and behavior management. We are very proud of you, Ms. Hicks!

Congratulations to Temitope Erinle from Elsik High School and Kelvin Sanchez from Alief Early College for winning the 2024 Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship! Temi and Kelvin won a $40,000 scholarship for college and internship opportunities at Amazon.

We celebrated our Alief All Star Day families at the annual Alief All Star Day. The All Pro Dad program cultivates strong bonds through district-wide monthly meetings, offering dads/male figures and kids opportunities for meaningful conversations and activities. Look forward to its return in Fall 2024!

 

Looking forward