April 1, 2025


Dear AHISD Families-

April promises to be another busy month in Alamo Heights ISD full of exciting events as we head towards the end of another school year. I always look forward to our PTO events like SpringFest and Balloonfest, the annual Strings Festival, and our Fiesta traditions at the campuses.

I hope to see you all next Monday, April 7, at our annual Festival of Learning and Culture Night. This year we’ve relocated to The Junior School for the event which runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This festival is always an incredible showcase of the amazing learning experiences that take place across all our campuses, and an authentic celebration of the unique cultures that add to the diversity in our schools.

Technology Update

Annually, in our Feedback February community surveys, we seek input about our instructional practices utilizing technology as a tool. As a result of the feedback provided this year, we’re working this spring to publish an AHISD Technology Guideline Handbook that shares our expectations and practices for technology integration in classrooms at various grade levels.

We’re celebrating the overwhelming positive response to our new requirement at AHHS to store personal cell phones away during classes. You’ll notice in the tables below that our staff reports positive outcomes of this for our AHHS students!




Budget Update

It remains an active time in the Legislature, with no clear outcomes yet in terms of impact on public schools and funding. As a district, we must move forward with our budget planning for 2025-2026 with these unknowns. I have shared in previous messages that this means reductions to our budget in several areas with impacts that will be felt across AHISD.

I continue to make this request of our community: reach out on a weekly basis to our elected officials and ask that they support an increase of the per student Basic Allotment for school funding by an additional $1,340 to adjust for the impact of inflationary costs to our schools from 2019. Share the importance of this advocacy with your family, friends, and neighbors and encourage them to be a voice for public school students. Visit our Legislative website for additional resources.

Bond Construction Update

We continue to see progress with our Bond Construction and it’s about to become more visible across AHISD as additional projects get underway these next few months at Cambridge, Woodridge, and the AHISD Athletic Complex at Robbins. Stay up to date by visiting our Bond Construction Updates website. Elementary school families will receive updates on construction impacts based on plans developed by campus administrators with input from the architects, contractors, and the Bond Construction Manager.

Our Bond Community Council will meet in two weeks and this group of staff, parents and community members is another resource for the community for updates on bond design, planning and construction. They also provide the District with feedback as we develop our communication plans. A list of Council members can be found on our website.

Focus on Attendance

We’ve been purposeful in sharing information about the importance of good school attendance for all our students. Please refer to our published school calendar to schedule family vacations and ensure that you schedule doctors and dentist appointments after the morning hours when our official attendance snapshot is submitted.

 

Mules up!



Dr. Dana Bashara

Photo of the Month:


Earlier this month, 8th grader Elena Pena traveled to Austin to interview state legislators about school funding. Elena is part of our MuleTime Media program at The Junior School. She was accompanied by her teacher Brandon Boylan (and Buzz) and Principal Dr. Guthrie. She spoke to four elected officials for a story she’s writing. We’ll share a link to her finished story, and we’re so proud to see a young journalist in action representing AHISD.

Reminders:

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 in 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 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.

Upcoming Events:
 
Athletic Events

Visit Rank One for all sporting events.

Master Calendar Events

Tuesday, April 1 - National Month of the Military Child (Purple Up!)
Wednesday, April 2 - Autism Awareness Day
Wednesday, April 2 - AHJS 8th Grade Panoramic Picture Day - 8:45-9:30 AM - Location: Courtyard, Alamo Heights Junior School
Thursday, April 3 - Paraprofessional Day
Friday, April 4 - National School Librarian Appreciation Day
Friday, April 4 - BalloonFest - 3:45-6:30 PM - Location: Cambridge Elementary
Monday, April 7 - Week of the Young Child
Monday, April 7- AH Culture Night & Festival of Learning - 4:30-7:30 PM - Location: Alamo Heights Junior School
Tuesday, April 8 - AHHS Guitar Concert - 6:00 PM - Location: Barbara and Alan Dreeben Auditorium Foyer, Alamo Heights High School
Wednesday, April 9 - G&P/Committee Meetings - 11:00-1:00 PM - Location: Boardroom, Central Office
Wednesday, April 9 - District Early Release
HECC: 11:45 AM
Woodridge & Cambridge Elementary: 12:15 PM
Junior School & High School: 12:45 PM
Thursday, April 10 - AHISD Night of Percussion - 6:30 PM- Location: Auditorium & Alamo Heights High School
Saturday, April 12 - AHHS Prom - 7:30-9:30 PM - Location: Ivy Hall
Monday, April 14 - String District Festival - 7:00-8:30 PM - Location: MuleDome, Alamo Heights High School
Tuesday, April 15 - AHHS Senior Panoramic Picture - 8:15-8:30, Location: MuleDome
Tuesday, April 15 - AHHS Piano Recitals - 6:00-9:00 PM - Location: Auditorium, Alamo Heights High School
Tuesday, April 15 - Kinder Preview - 9:30-11:00 AM, Location: Howard Early Childhood Center
Wednesday, April 16 - Regular Board Meeting - 6:00 PM, Location: The Suzanne & Jimmy Goudge Auditorium, Woodridge Elementary
Thursday, April 17 - Elementary Progress Reports Distributed
Thursday, April 17 - CE Field Day - 8:00-3:15 PM - Location: Cambridge Elementary
Thursday, April 17 - AHHS Jazz Band Concert -6:30 PM, Location: Auditorium, Alamo Heights High School
Friday, April 18 - Student Holiday
Monday, April 21 - Library Night - 4:30-6:00 PM - Location: Library, Cambridge Elementary
Tuesday, April 22 - School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
Wednesday, April 23 - AHHS JROTC Awards Ceremony - 5:00-8:00 PM, Location: Auditorium, Alamo Heights High School
Thursday, April 24 - Kinder Preview - 9:30-11:00 AM, Location: Howard Early Childhood Center
Thursday, April 24 - CE PTO Stay & Play - 3:30-4:30 PM - Location: Playground, Cambridge Elementary
Thursday, April 24 - CE Family Art Night - 5:00-7:00 PM - Location: Fine Arts Building and Campus Hallways, Cambridge Elementary
Friday, April 25 - HECC Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast - 7:45-8:45 AM, Location: Library, Howard Early Education Center
Saturday, April 26 - AHHS Choir Pop Show - 7:00 PM, Location: Auditorium, Alamo Heights High School
Thursday, May 1 - Fiesta Events
Thursday, May 1 - HECC Mini Fiesta, Location: Courtyard & Gym, Howard Early Education Center
Thursday, May 1 - School Principal’s Day
Friday, May 2 - School Holiday


PTO Meetings

Thursday, April 10 - WE PTO Meeting - 12:00-1:00 PM - Location: The Suzanne & Jimmy Goudge Auditorium, Woodridge Elementary
Thursday, April 10 - HECC PTO Meeting - 12:00 PM - Location: Library, Howard Early Childhood Center
Monday, April 14 - CE PTO Meeting - 12:00-1:00 PM (11:30 for New Families) - Location: Auditorium, Cambridge Elementary
Thursday, April 17 - AHHS PTSO Meeting - 9:00-11:00 AM - The Barbara & Alan Dreeben Auditorium Foyer, Alamo Heights High School