The Connection

Megan Massey, Counselor at Rattan Elementary, is a finalist in the HEB Excellence in Education Award program. Representatives from HEB and Buddy, the HEB mascot, surprised her and the students with a visit and a $1,000 check for Rattan Elementary.

The HEB Excellence in Education Awards honor outstanding public school professionals and thank them for their dedication and commitment. Through this program, H E B seeks to pay tribute to educators who go the extra mile daily to serve their students and their communities and inspire others to do the same.

Massey will travel to Houston later this year to be recognized and to see if she wins the $15,000 prize.

• April 8th - Anna ISD will provide students with Solar Eclipse glasses before going outside

• All Anna ISD students will have the opportunity to view the Solar Eclipse and participate in learning activities.

• The eclipse in our area will start at 12:24 pm. Maximum viewing is at 1:43 pm. The eclipse will end at 3:03 pm.

• For all classes that require leaving the building (athletics, Ag, etc.) from 12:24 to 3:03 pm, students will be required to wear their solar eclipse glasses while outside.

• Campus principals will be sending a parent letter with more information.

Anna ISD's District Librarian, Greta Adams, spearheaded the Read Across Anna annual event, inspired by the nationwide Read Across America initiative. During the first week of March, approximately 30 community members, including firefighters, school board members, and district faculty, dedicated their time to reading in every classroom across all four elementary schools in Anna.

Mrs. Adams expressed her enthusiasm: "I am thrilled to lead Read Across Anna. This event celebrates literacy and community, where we unite to ignite a passion for reading in every elementary student. It's an honor to coordinate an event that fosters such joy and excitement for learning."

Accountability in our state is currently paused, but that doesn't mean our stakeholders should be left in the dark about how we are doing. There are so many great things going on in Anna ISD; we want to take this time to shine a light not only on how our students are doing on state and national assessments but also on how we are doing in extracurricular activities, how we are doing financially, how we are doing with facilities, and more. Our community deserves full transparency on everything that matters and makes up our district. We are launching a Community-Based Accountability Task Force to develop, monitor, and evaluate our district on targeted pillars. Our Board of Trustees has four Board Goals that will be used as our pillars:

1. Safety- Safe learning environment to include behavioral and mental health
2. Accountability- Improve performance on standardized assessments and College, Career, and Military Readiness
3. Coyote Culture- Preserve traditions, offerings for extracurricular programs, recruit and retain highly qualified staff
4. Community- Champion a supportive relationship with the community to include all stakeholders.

We are looking for staff, students, parents, and community members who are passionate about this district to serve on this task force. The dates and agenda for the meetings are listed below:

If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please complete the Google Form here.

Since receiving feedback from climate surveys in the first semester, campuses have been hard at work to address the issues you care about!

It is now time to complete the second semester 2023-3024 Campus Climate Surveys so we can get a progress check on how we are doing!

At Anna ISD, we believe that fostering a positive and inclusive school climate is essential for the growth, well-being, and success of our students, staff, and families. Gathering your feedback is important to us!

As a parent or guardian, you can access the survey now through March 28th. Check your campus newsletter for the link! Students will receive their surveys from their campuses over the next week.

WHAT IS A COYOTE SALUTE?

It's our monthly employee recognition program. A Coyote Salute is awarded to individual staff members, and a Collaborative Coyote Salute is awarded to a group of staff members that have done something EXTRA special and beyond their regular job duties.

WHY:

We want to intentionally honor staff members who have gone the EXTRA mile for our students.

WHO:

Think of teachers using innovative teaching strategies or support staff members who go that extra mile to make our children feel safe and loved. This award is not limited to individual recipients. Collaboration encourages professional growth and student success. We would also like to honor teams of staff members who collectively worked on a positive project or had a fantastic outcome on something important to our students.

HOW:

Any Anna ISD employee, parent, or community member may nominate AISD staff members who have gone above and beyond their specific job duties by filling out this form. From your nominations, a recognition committee will select the recipients for a Coyote Salute and the groups for a Collaborative Coyote Salute.

WHEN:

You may nominate staff anytime you see someone or a group that goes above and beyond their regular job duties. Staff members who have been selected for a Coyote Salute or Collaborative Coyote Salute will be notified by the Administration and recognized at an upcoming board meeting.

On February 15, the Anna ISD School Board unanimously sought voter approval for a $100 million bond issue. Following the success of Proposition A from Anna ISD’s previous November 2022 bond, a new District Stadium to serve the current and future high schools, along with the community of Anna ISD will be put before voters on May 4, 2024. This facility will accommodate programs such as football, soccer, band, cheer, drill team, Career and Technical Education classes, and graduation ceremonies.

The district’s financial advisor has determined that there will be no school tax rate increase to finance this bond. Likewise, there will be no tax rate reduction if the voters do not approve the bonds, and the existing I&S tax rate of 50 cents per $100 valuation would remain unchanged. For the homeowner in Anna ISD, this represents an increase of $0 per year. Projects are funded based on new valuations and growth within the district. The district’s 2024 bond package includes:

Bond Scope

• District Stadium

• Turf field

• Seating up to 12,000

• Press box, lighting, scoreboard, and AV equipment

• Multiple locker rooms

• Home and visitor restrooms and concessions

• Community Room

• Classrooms

• Parking

Anna ISD residents will have the opportunity to vote on the bond referendum beginning with early voting on April 22 – April 30, 2024, and on Election Day, May 4, 2024.

If you would like more information, please contact Anna ISD: at communications@annaisd.org or visit AnnaISDbond.com

• Register to be a volunteer at your child's school. Volunteer Application.
• Click on the Families button on the homepage of the website for a list of quick links.
• Join your school PTA or Booster club. AISD is grateful for the support of these parent leaders.
  

In the know: In addition to this eNewsletter, which typically comes twice a month, there are other ways to keep up with all the great things happening in Anna ISD:

• Ensure your information is current with your school, so you receive text message alerts, phone calls, and emails.
• Visit our website annaisd.org
• Follow AISD and your campus on social media. Facebook Twitter Instagram
• Download our mobile app

Tell us why you 💜 AISD.

March 21 ................... Board Meeting

April 8 ........................ Solar Eclipse