Inside Aldine - Aldine Independent School District

Inside AldineFall 2005Page 2Schools & CommunitySchool Board reorganizes:A.W. Jones (right)handed over the gavelto new President RickOgden during the June14 board meeting.Dear Parents:The new school year brings withit a wealth of challenges andopportunities for students andthe educators who are responsiblefor ensuring that learningoccurs in our classrooms.Our greatest challenge is helpingstudents meet the tougheracademic standards with statefunding that falls far short ofwhat we need. The fact is thatthe state and nation are askingstudents to learn more andmore each year. Yet, many studentsin Aldine need additionalprograms during and after theregular school day, fewer studentsin classrooms, and a varietyof special services to givethem the same educationalopportunities as students inother communities and schooldistricts. They also need highlyqualified educators and supportstaff who want to remain in ourschool district. Aldine has keptsalaries among the highest inTexas so that the best educatorswill want to come here and stay.However, if state funding continuesto fall behind our needs,we will need to make eventougher choices to continue offeringoutstanding instructionalprograms.As we meet these challenges, Iwant you to know that our bestdays are still ahead. This summerwe have worked very hardto prepare for the new schoolyear. We have plans to increasestudent performance, and improvestudent behavior and attendancewhich all impact howmuch and how quickly studentslearn. With help from our parentsin ensuring that studentscome to school everyday, ontime and make the best use oftheir time, I believe the 2005-06 school year will be a banneryear for Producing the Nation’sBest!Welcome to the new schoolyear!Sincerely,Nadine Kujawa,Superintendent of SchoolsTransportation set for 2005-2006 school yearAldine ISD’s transportation department spent the summer preparing for the new schoolyear. The district’s fleet of 649 buses is ready to roll for the first day of school, Aug. 11.Aldine ISD’s fleet remains one of thethree largest in the state of Texas,according to John Wilson, executivedirector of transportation. To meetthe transportation needs of the district,the transportation departmentpurchased, 13 new 47 passengerbuses and 20 new 71 passenger busesduring the summer. Wilson saidthe new buses were purchased todeal with growth in the district andto upgrade its fleet.Transportation officials remind motoriststo use extreme caution whendriving near a school bus or bus stop.Nearly 50 percent of the childrenkilled in school bus related accidentsdie because motorists fail to stop forthe flashing red lights which signalthat a bus is loading or unloading.Bus drivers warn motorists whenbuses are about to stop by flashingtheir yellow caution lights. Oncethe bus comes to a complete stop, aswitch on the door activates the redflashing lights. At that point, motoristsin ALL directions are to stop atleast 20 feet from the bus. At thiscritical time, students may cross infront of the bus.Motorists should also be aware thatall of Aldine ISD’s police officers willbe out in full force to ensure that achild’s trip to and from school is assafe as possible.Police officers will be on the lookoutfor school zone violators surroundingAldine’s 65 campuses. Schoolzone speed limits are set up at differenttimes throughout the day, someas early as from 7-9a.m. and others aslate as 3:45-4:30p.m. Motorists areurged to familiarizethemselveswith school zonetimes during theirtravels throughoutthe district.“Motoristsshould becareful inany situationinvolvingchildrenand schoolbuses.”Aldine ISD Police Chief Brian Allenalso has cars in the district fleet thatcan be used to pace traffic. Thesecars are calibrated with a radar unitonce a month and are used as patrolcars. An officer with a calibrated carcan follow a vehicle for three cityblocks and then issue a citation ifthat person is speeding.To crack down on speeding motorists,Allen has enlisted the help ofother law enforcement agencies- Houston Police Department, Precinct1 Constables, and the HarrisCounty Sheriff ’s Department.Another problem during the schoolyear is vehicles that pass buses whileloading or unloading students,whether on a two-lane or four-laneroad. Section 545.066 of the TransportationCode clearly outlinesguidelines for school buses stoppedto load or unload students. Whenthe bus is stopped with its red lightsflashing, motorists on both sides ofthe street must stop to allow childrento exit the bus. A violation ofthis law can include a fine up to$1,000. An exception to the law is afour-lane road with an esplanade ormedian in between opposing directionsof traffic.“Motorists should be careful in anysituation involving children andschool buses. It only takes a coupleof minutes to load or unload a busand it’s worth a short amount oftime to ensure that students aresafe,” Allen said. “Drivers shouldbegin slowing down when they seethe yellow flashing lights and thenmake a complete stop when the redflashing lights are visible. Vehiclesshould not begin moving until theschool bus has turned off its redflashing lights.”New free/reduced meal guidelines announcedAldine ISD Child NutritionServices Department administersthe federal free/reduced meal program.Both breakfast and lunchwill be available to all studentsin Aldine ISD.Aldine ISD school meals meet the DietaryGuidelines for Healthy Americansand the recommendations ofreduced fat and saturated fat levels.The U.S. Department of Agriculturerecently announced new incomepoverty guidelines. The income eligibilityguidelines for 2005-06 canbe found in the chart accompanyingthis article.Children may be eligible for free orreduced price meals without applicationif they are listed on the TexasDepartment of Agriculture’s DirectCertification Program. Families whoare direct certified will receive aletter from Aldine ISD’s Child NutritionServices Department. Thisletter tells parents or guardians thattheir children are already approvedfor meal benefits. Families receivingthis letter should not completea new application. If any school-agechildren in a Direct-Certified familyare not listed on the letter, you mustcomplete a new application.All families that were approved forfree or reduced price meals at theend of the 2004-05 school year willreceive meal service through early-September. Federal law dictates thateveryone receiving free/reducedmeals must reapply each year, un-National School Lunch and Child Nutrition Programs 2005-06 Income Eligibility GuidelinesFamilySizeFreeAnnually Monthly Twice Per Month Every Two Weeks WeeklyReduced-PriceFreeReduced-PriceFreeReduced-PriceFreeReduced-PriceFreeReduced-Price1 12,441 17,705 1,037 1,476 519 738 479 681 240 3412 16,679 23,736 1,390 1,978 695 989 642 913 321 4573 20,917 29,767 1,744 2,481 872 1,241 805 1,145 403 5734 25,155 35,798 2,097 2,984 1,049 1,492 968 1,377 484 6895 29,393 41,829 2,450 3,486 1,225 1,743 1,131 1,609 566 8056 33,631 47,860 2,803 3,989 1,402 1,995 1,294 1,841 647 9217 37,869 53,891 3,156 4,491 1,578 2,246 1,457 2,073 729 1,0378 42,107 59,922 3,509 4,994 1,755 2,497 1,620 2,305 810 1,1539 46,345 65,953 3,863 5,497 1,932 2,749 1,783 2,537 892 1,26910 50,583 71,984 4,217 6,000 2,109 3,001 1,946 2,769 974 1,38511 54,821 78,015 4,571 6,503 2,286 3,253 2,109 3,001 1,056 1,50112 59,059 84,046 4,925 7,006 2,463 3,505 2,272 3,233 1,138 1,617For each additional family member add:4,238 6,031 354 503 177 252 163 232 82 116less they are Direct-Certified. Forthose who are not Direct-Certified,and feel they need assistance for the2005-06 school year, applicationsare currently available in schools orat the central Child Nutrition ServicesOffice, located at 2112 AldineMeadows. Early completion of theapplication assures families faster,better service in the processing ofapplications. Parents or guardiansare asked to only fill out one applicationper family. Applications mustbe filled out completely and signedbefore they can be processed.In accordance with Federal lawand U.S. Department of Agriculturepolicy, this institution is prohibitedfrom discriminating on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, sex, ageMeal PricesBreakfastLunchElementary $.50 $1.25Secondary $.60 $1.50Reduced-priced $.30 $.40Adults $.90 $2.00or disability. To file a complaint ofdiscrimination, write USDA, Director,Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W,Whitten Building, 1400 IndependenceAvenue, SW, Washington, D.C.20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964(voice and TDD). USDA is an equalopportunity provider and employer.Aldine ISD breakfast and lunchmeal prices, one of the lowest in thegreater Houston area, will remainAldine ISD enhancessecurity measuresBeginning with the 2005-06 school year, Aldine ISDwill begin annual criminalbackground checks on allemployees.Similar annual background checksconducted in other large school districtshave resulted in minimal disruptionsto school district employeesor operations. This procedure will assistthe district in making AISD evensafer for students and staff and followthe district’s implementation in September2004 of conducting criminalchecks on all visitors who enter campusesincluding parents, volunteersand staff from other school districtbuildings using Raptor, a system thatwas installed on every Aldine ISDcampus. Campus staff swipe a driverslicense or other acceptable formof identification presented by visitorsto compare identification informationagainst a data base of knownsex offenders. Employees who desireto enter campuses (go beyond thereception area) should be preparedto present a valid drivers license orother acceptable form of identificationto assist the district in this safetyenhancement program.the same as last year.Students are encouraged to use thecomputerized cash register systemin the cafeterias. Parents pay formeals in advance. Students use apersonal identification number topay for meals, which deducts fromthe account. The lines move morequickly and students maintain theirprivacy because no will know whatmeal plan they are on.