Per new TEA guidance issued 8/19/21, notification is required to parents of students or a teacher testing positive within a classroom setting or extracurricular program. That is the new requirement issued yesterday.
However, due to the size of Alba-Golden ISD and the cross-interaction of our students both inside and outside of classrooms, AGISD will publicly post for everyone to see whenever a positive case is confirmed. This is the same procedure we used last school year.
We realize these posts can be repetitive and often people get tired of seeing them, but we had rather err on the side of caution. Thank you for understanding as we post this information here on social media and our website going forward.
If your student is showing symptoms, we ask that you keep them at home during illness or receive a negative COVID test result to rule-out the possibility before sending them back to school. Thank you for your cooperation.
The AGISD Board of Trustees announced the naming of the new agricultural project center as “Hugh Ragsdale Agriscience Center” posthumously honoring the former A-G teacher. Well respected and service-oriented, Hugh touched the lives of many students. His wife Sherry, and sons Koerth, Ethen, and Cy were present for the surprise recognition.
*** Just a reminder of the change in the flow of traffic this afternoon! ***
In order to improve the safety of our students and parents, our afternoon pickup line will be routed to the back of the football field, loop around, and come down through the elementary campus (see arrows). This will allow us to stack cars around the loop and get afternoon traffic off Highway 69, which is a huge safety concern in the afternoons. We will have a staff member at the gate directing traffic. DO NOT TURN RIGHT AT THE GATE BUT GO AROUND TO THE BACK OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD AND ENTER THE BACK GATE DOWN THROUGH CAMPUS. Again, this will allow us to get more cars off Highway 69 in the afternoons.
***COVID-19 guidance and protocols for 2021-2022 school year***
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently released guidance for public school districts in Texas. The following guidelines will be in effect (subject to change based on governmental orders) for this school year:
Effective as of date (8/9/21)
1. Masks are not required per Governor's Order for students or staff. Masks may be worn if desired and will not be prohibited for anyone wanting to wear one. We certainly recognize and honor this is personal choice.
2. Positive, confirmed cases are not allowed on campus for school or extracurricular activities. If you are experiencing symptoms, we encourage individuals to get tested and receive a negative test before returning.
3. Positive, confirmed cases must quarantine for 10-days from the onset of symptoms. Parents may voluntarily choose to quarantine their student(s) if they are known to have come in close contact with a confirmed, positive case. The school district will not be forcing quarantine of close-contacts.
4. Rapid testing is available on-campus for staff and any student with parent permission. Contact the school nurse on your campus for details.
5. School districts are not required to conduct contact tracing anymore. However, if a positive case is confirmed and close contacts are known, then parents will be notified. Public announcements broadcasting confirmed cases in the district are no longer required.
6. Confirmed cases are still required to be reported to local health officials and state health agencies.
7. AGISD will continue to perform proactive strategies such as frequent handwashing, social distancing when appropriate, and sanitization of facilities and buses at the end of each day.
8. Vaccinations are not required but opportunities for vaccination clinics will continued to be shared via email and social media to the public.
We appreciate your help in allowing us to have as "normal" a year as possible. We believe our students and staff deserve everyone's effort in making sure that is a strong possibility. Any changes to these guidelines will be communicated if they are implemented. Thank you and we look forward to a great 2021-2022 school year!
Attention Parents/Guardians:
We need your help registering all students for the 2021-2022 school year! Please take a few minutes to go to www.agisd.com Click on the Parent Portal in the top right corner. If you have an existing student, click the Login tab to complete the Returning Student Enrollment process. If you have changed your email address on your Parent Portal since last year's registration, please contact your campus secretary to get the email address updated in the AGISD system.
Students who are new to the district, please also click the Parent Portal link at the top of the AGISD website. Click the tab to "Create Account" where you will find instructions for uploading all necessary enrollment documents. Welcome to A-G! We are excited to meet you!
It won't be long before it is time to plan for back to school. Here is your list of needed school supplies for Elementary ages: https://5il.co/hw0w
Welcome your AGHS Administrative Team! Joining Mrs. Macie Thompson, Principal, will be Assistant Principals Mr. Mike Moore and Mrs. Brittany Hall.
Mr. Moore currently is a Principal in the state of Washington, but is no stranger to East Texas. He has formerly been Jr. High Principal in Spring Hill ISD and was named TEPSA Regional Assistant Principal of the Year while employed at E.J. Moss Intermediate in Lindale ISD. He received his Bachelor's from UT- Arlington, Master's from UT-Tyler, and is currently enrolled in Doctoral program at A&M- Commerce.
Students, staff, and parents know Mrs. Brittany Hall as our current Culinary Arts teacher. However, we are excited to announce she will now serve as Assistant Principal. Prior to AGISD, she was CTE Department Chair at Sealy ISD. She also was employed with Center and Angleton ISD’s as an agricultural science teacher. Brittany received her Bachelor's from Texas A&M in College Station. Her Master's degree was obtained from Stephen F. Austin University in Educational Leadership.
We are excited to see great things from this team at AGHS! They are excited about the future!
The AGISD Board of Trustees has named Mrs. Megan Smith as Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the district. Megan is currently Principal of Hamm Elementary (K-6) in Rockwall ISD. She has also been employed in Wylie ISD as a campus administrator.
Megan is a 1998 graduate of Alba-Golden High School. She received her Bachelors, Masters, and Superintendent certification from Texas A&M- Commerce.
“Megan is an exceptional administrator that supports teachers and builds leadership capacity at all levels. She is a “roll your sleeves up” servant leader that engages productively with all stakeholders in the process. Her positive attitude is contagious and her passion for learning is evident through her proven track record of academic success. I’m excited to see her work collaboratively with our students and staff to increase student achievement at all grade levels .” stated Dr. Cole McClendon, AGISD Superintendent.
We welcome Mrs. Smith and her family to our district! She is glad to be back home!
Congratulations to the Class of 2021!
ESSER III is a COVID-19 federal relief grant that school districts all across the state will be receiving in the coming months. We are asking our community members to complete a brief needs assessment survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J3HHNFG
If your child is entering kindergarten or first grade in the fall of 2021, your child may be eligible to attend the ESL K-1 Summer School Program.
Please complete the following information so that we can send you information about the summer program.
We are incredibly proud of these outstanding students and their commitment to excellence in academic achievement. Each of these remarkable young people has exemplified resilience and dedication as they’ve pursued their unique purposes, and we wish them all continued success as they continue their educational journey beyond Alba-Golden ISD.
Congratulations Lady Panthers!
Just a friendly reminder that next week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Our teachers are the backbone of the district and give so much of themselves to our students. Please help us celebrate them!
The Lady Panthers begin post-season play tonight at Rivercrest. They face James Bowie beginning at 6:30 pm.
Anyone in the community who would like to present your scholarships to our seniors on this big night, please contact Ms. Amanda Galyean at galyeana@agisd.org to be put on the program. Thank you all for supporting our students!
One final reminder....
April is Child Abuse Awareness month. Join us as we raise community awareness by participating in Blue Ribbon Week!
Attention: Parents of Bus Riders on Route 1 and Route 7 will be combined for today’s bus routes. If you have a student on one of these routes, we wanted to let you know that their arrival home could be delayed. Thank you!
The AGISD Board of Trustees has unanimously approved Mrs. Macie Thompson as Secondary Principal (Grades 6-12) beginning July 1, 2021. Mrs. Thompson is currently Associate Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Lindale ISD, where she has held that position since June 2020.
Mrs. Thompson has strong campus leadership experience as well. Prior to her district administrative experience, she was Assistant Principal/Dean of Students at Lindale High School. While serving there, the campus received an "A" accountability rating and achieved 6 out of 7 distinctions.
Prior to being employed in Lindale ISD, Macie was Assistant Principal at Weatherford High School as well as a classroom teacher instructing Government/Economics, Sociology/Psychology, Political Science and Debate courses.
She received her B.A. in Political Science from Texas A&M University, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University, and graduated from Quitman High School. She is currently pursuing her superintendent certification through University of Texas at Tyler. Macie currently resides in Quitman with her husband, Logan Thompson, an electrical engineer.
According the Dr. Cole McClendon, Superintendent, the interview committee was impressed with Mrs Thompson's proven track record of strong instructional leadership balanced with the ability to create positive relationships with students, staff and parents. "There is no doubt Macie Thompson has a passion for education and very high expectations for everyone to be successful. It was evident in her interview how she will be a great fit for Alba-Golden ISD and promote a culture of accountability and high-performance at AGHS."
Mrs. Thompson will be joined by an excellent administrative team at AGHS, which includes Brandon Bohannan (Assistant Principal for Grades 6-12) and Amanda Galyean (whose title will change from Dean of Students to Assistant Principal for Grades 6-12).
