Hello SAISD Parents,
As all your children return to school this week, know that SAISD ensures that every campus has safety protocols in place. In fact, at the beginning of this month, our Sam Houston Principal, Sharene Dixon, participated in an online discussion with our SAPD Chief McManus and other ISD Chief of Police from Northeast, Southwest, and the Superintendent from Judson ISD. They reviewed the different safety measurements that will be implemented this school year.
SAISD schools will offer mental health services for students and families. Also, SAPD has a program called “Handle with Care,” If they get any information that a student is going through something, they will alert their school so that administration knows that this student may need some assistance. Parents, please know that if any child needs help, the schools will not call out the student or embarrass them. If anyone has children attending Sam Houston High School, per Principal Sharene Dixon, “One of the things we’re doing this year is, every teacher keeps their doors locked,” so every door will stay locked in the school. According to our Chief of Police McManus, SAPD will have a quicker response time to any school campus needing help. I hope this will put some of our parents’ minds at ease because our school districts and law enforcement agencies are working together to ensure all of our children, teachers, and staff are learning in a secure and safe environment.
If anyone needs help or you know someone that needs help, please tell someone. If we all look after one another, we can help each other get through a safe and fun school year.
To all my parents, know that sometimes we need a little help from others, so never be embarrassed to reach out. As a parent, I know that we wear that shield of armor that allows us to try to fix everything because that’s a part of our superpowers. I, too, know that it’s hard to see our children in pain as we wipe their tears away and hold them to remind them that they are loved. But we must remember that all super hero’s need help too.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, please email me at lena.lopez@saobserver.com
Have a Blessed Week, Lena Lopez
SAISD students from all campuses will have the opportunity to win an entry for their family into a drawing for a car giveaway. The car giveaway is an incentive to encourage all students from all campuses to attend classes every day. This incentive program is based solely on attendance and enrollment. No other factors such as academic performance, student behavior and discipline, or involvement in volunteer or extra-curricular activities will be required or considered in this drawing. By meeting certain attendance metrics outlined below, SAISD students will be able to earn digital ticket(s) for their family/guardian to be entered into a drawing during each 9-weeks grading period. The drawing will be held at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Additional drawings for smaller prizes will be held during the 2022-2023 school year based on digital ticket(s) earned during that 9-week grading period.
Eligibility
Enrollment: All SAISD students continuously enrolled through the last day of school in the district for the 2022-2023 school year will be eligible to earn one or more digital entry ticket(s) for the free car drawing and additional smaller prizes. Students must have been enrolled for a minimum of 9 weeks and enrolled from the point of enrollment continuously to the last day of school.
Special consideration on a case-by-case basis, at the discretion of the SAISD Foundation, may be given to students who are forced to withdraw due to catastrophic injury or illness. A committee designated by the SAISD Foundation will consider and determine whether to grant any such exemptions from the continuous enrollment eligibility rule.
Attendance and Metrics: Students must have a minimum cumulative attendance rate at the end of the school year of 70% or greater to be eligible for the grand prize drawing for the car.
Allowable excused absences will be in accordance with ADA State law exemptions to the compulsory attendance requirements; all unexcused absences will determine each student’s attendance percentage for awarding of ticket(s). For a list of allowable excused absences, please see the SAISD School Attendance Rules at SAISD.net.
There are multiple ways a student can earn a ticket for entry into the drawing. Opportunities to earn tickets will occur at the close of each 9 week grading period. Attendance metrics will be based on the student’s attendance during the full 9-week period. Students may earn multiple digital tickets by meeting one or more metrics for each 9-week period.
For example, if a student has 98% attendance at the end of a 9-week period and improves attendance by 35% (an increase from their previous school year’s cumulative attendance), the student will earn a total of 6 tickets for entry based on the metrics below.
The metrics are outlined below to earn digital tickets for entry into the drawing for the car, in addition to other prizes:
1) A student that meets 90% attendance for the 9-week period will earn one ticket
2) A student that meets 93% attendance for the 9-week period will earn one ticket (in addition to the ticket for 90%)
3) A student that meets 95% attendance for the 9-week period will earn one ticket (in addition to the tickets for 90% and 93%)
4) A student that improves their attendance over their individual previous school year’s cumulative attendance by 10% for the 9-week period will earn one ticket
5) A student that improves their attendance over their individual previous school year’s cumulative attendance by 20% for the 9-week period will earn one ticket (in addition to the ticket for 10% improvement)
6) A student that improves their attendance over their individual previous school year’s cumulative attendance by 30% for the 9-week period will earn one ticket (in addition to the tickets for 10% and 20% improvement)
Please view the full contest rules at www.SAISDfoundation.com.
