In the Loop

We've had a successful start to the 2022-2023 school year. Anna ISD started the school year with 4,905 students and 704 staff members. We opened Rosamond-Sherley Elementary bringing our campus total to seven. Enrollment in Anna ISD schools continues to increase. The District is expected to grow to about 5,079 students by October, a jump of approximately 650 students in a year.

All Anna ISD staff members who have completed 90 days of service in the 2021-2022 school year, and are still employees of AISD received a $500 incentive check from AISD today. This meets the Texas Retirement Services 1- year of service definition.

General admission to Anna ISD-hosted athletic events is free for Anna ISD employees and their immediate families. An AISD badge must be presented at the gate and immediate family must enter the event with the employee.

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 normal job duties.

WHY:

We want to be intentional about honoring staff members that have gone the EXTRA mile for our students.

WHO:

Think of teachers using innovative teaching strategies or support staff members that 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 an amazing outcome to something that was important to our students.

HOW:

Any Anna ISD employee may nominate staff members that 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 normal job duties. The nomination link is also located in the Staff Portal. Staff members that have been selected for a Coyote Salute or Collaborative Coyote Salute will be notified by Administration and recognized at an upcoming board meeting.

We are pleased to have Tressi Bridges as our new Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives. Tressi has a background as a middle school principal, teacher, and coach. Tressi will oversee the Teacher Incentive Allotment process as well as Gifted and Talented Education and Advanced Academics. Tressi has hit the ground running looking at our systems and structures to ensure that we are communicating effectively with teachers and leaders in regards to TIA, and evaluating our systems for GT and Advanced Academics. Tressi's strong work ethic and passion for Anna ISD are evident in all she does. The C& I department is blessed to have her on our team.

Amy Sweet is the new Director of Assessment and Accountability. Amy has a background in both elementary and secondary education, as well as significant experience as a campus testing coordinator. Amy has been busy rostering students for instructional materials and assessments, catching up on all things accountability, and getting together with collaborative groups across the district. She is committed to ensuring a smooth assessment process with her attention to detail and drive for excellence. Amy is a fantastic asset to the C & I team and to Anna ISD in this new role.

We are pleased to announce Dede Day as the Director of Business Operations. Dede joined the district in 2017 as the Business Manager for the Business Services department. She is a registered TASBO School Business Administrator and obtained her Masters of Public Administration from UT Dallas. In her new role, Dede will manage district investments and oversee business operations including accounting, purchasing, and accounts payable along with developing training opportunities for district staff.

The Texas Education Agency recently released the A-F accountability system rankings for Texas public schools. This ranking system was established by House Bill 22 during the 85th Texas Legislature to provide educators, parents and communities with a transparent view of the academic performance of Texas public schools based on three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress and Closing the Gaps.

Anna ISD scored an overall B or 86 out of 100. For a deeper dive into the accountability system or scores around the state visit

https://txschools.gov/

Congratulations to Harlow Elementary teachers, staff, and students on earning an overall "A" campus rating from the TEA Accountability system rankings. Harlow students also ranked in the top 25% for closing the gaps and received academic achievement in math.

Job well done also goes out to Anna High School teachers, staff, and students who received Distinction Designations for academic achievement in Science, top 25% in comparative academic growth, and top 25% in comparative closing the gaps.

The Texas School Safety Center will begin its surprise exterior door inspections this month. Please check the doors as you enter and exit to make sure they are locked and closing properly. If any door needs attention, please report them to your campus administration. Thank you for all that you do to keep our district safe.

Coyote Connection (external newsletter) Submissions are for announcements and upcoming events. All submissions need to be received by Tuesday at noon in order to be included in the next Coyote Connection edition published every other Friday.

AISD Communications wants to know the great things happening on our campuses and in our classrooms to highlight in our local media reports. Any time you have "a story" to share about an exciting lesson or activity, please submit this form and email any pictures or videos with the names of those in the pictures/video to communications@annaisd.org . If you are a club, organization, or team sponsor, we would love to highlight those as well.