THE FLYOVER

Hello Cadets!

I hope all of you had an enjoyable Easter weekend. It is hard to believe that today is the first day of April! The end of the school year is trite around the corner. Some significant dates occur between now and the end of the school year.

Most notable is the total solar eclipse that will pass over the central Texas area on Monday, April 8th. Due to the expected influx of people in the Waco area, the campuses will be closed on this day. All students will make up this day on Friday, April 12th. All campuses will operate a normal full day scheduled on the April 12th makeup day. All Connally ISD students will be sent home with eclipse glasses. This will allow them to view the once-in-a-generation event with the appropriate safety glasses.

There are other dates that several students and teachers are focused on in grades 3 through 12 in the next month. It is the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, more famously known as the STAAR test. As opposed to a specified testing date, we must complete the specified assessments during a testing “window.” The window designates when we can begin testing in the specified subject area, and the last day we can test in that subject. Here are the testing windows:

• April 9th- 19th

• 3rd - 8th grade Reading Language Arts, English I, English II

• April 16th - 26th

• 5th and 8th grade Science

• 8th grade Social Studies

• Biology

• U.S. History

• April 23rd - May 3rd

• 3rd - 8th Math

• Algebra I

The campuses will be assigned the specific test date for each subject area. If they are absent on the day of testing, they will be assigned a make-up date during the testing window for the specified subject area being tested. Although it is a testing window, students must complete the test in one sitting on the date, or make-up date, assigned. Please refer to your student's campus newsletter and calendar for the specified test date for your student(s). We encourage the students to get plenty of rest in the days leading up to the test.

Tonight, Connally will host the junior high District 23 AAAA track meet at MacPeople’s Stadium. Field events will begin at 3:45 p.m., and the running events are scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. This will be their final sporting event of the year. Come out and enjoy the spring evening weather and support our junior high Cadets!

The varsity and junior varsity baseball and softball teams will play in Salado on Tuesday. They will play Salado again at home on Friday. Our varsity and junior varsity track teams will compete in the District 23 AAAA Track Meet at LaVega on Wednesday and Thursday. The field events and preliminaries of the running events will take place on Wednesday, and the running events' finals are scheduled for Thursday.

Several junior high band students also participated in the UIL contest last week. Ther received a rating of 2 on stage and a 1 in sight reading. A 1 is the highest score you can achieve in this competition. These students have shown a great deal of growth this year. I look forward to seeing what they achieve in the future!

This Thursday, April 4, 2024, is the final day to register to vote if you plan to vote in the May election cycle. Connally ISD has three school board seats and a bond issue for a new elementary school on the May ballot. You can vote on these issues if you reside in Connally ISD and are a registered voter. It does not matter if you own or rent. If you are residing in the district, you can vote.

If you would like to learn more about the bond election on the May ballot, please attend the Connally Bond 2024 town hall information meeting on Tuesday, April 2nd, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the elementary cafeteria. We will explain the bond process, what the funds will be used for, and the proposed project. You can tour the current facilities so you can make an informed decision when you cast your vote. There will be people on hand to answer your questions. If you are unable to attend this week’s meeting, please feel free to contact the administration building and set up a time that works for you to tour the campus and have any questions that you might have answered.

Have a wonderful week Cadet Nation!

Jill Bottelberghe

Superintendent