August 2, 2007


Dear HISD Staff,

Once again August has arrived and it is time to begin the countdown for you to return to school. I hope you have enjoyed your summer break and are excited about returning to school. Things just are not the same when all of you are gone, but I realize all of you need the time to re-charge.

We have been extra busy it seems with painting, flooring, parking lot repair, major updates to the band hall and junior high. I believe the most stressful of all was the renovations of the football field. Most of that however centered around the deluge of rain! All in all, you are returning to a great deal of facilities improvements.

Big changes what will affect HISD are the closing of campus at the high school. No longer will our students be allowed to leave at lunch. I know each of you understand the safety issue involved. No longer will we allow students under the age of 12 to attend extra-curricular events without a parent or guardian. Our school purchased software to allow parents to electronically add money and monitor student accounts for breakfast and lunch money. We have also purchased a new software program for attendance, discipline, and student health reporting. This should help our campus personnel and data processing greatly. Well, it seems I am rambling, but there are several other things I want to share with you, so I will wait until we meet on August 13th. Remember, we all return on that Monday to hear Dr. Tom Turish. We will have campus sign in sheets. You must register because this day will actually count for the Martin Luther King holiday. Also, very important, on the 13th, we will have documentation you must sign regarding new IRS requirements. Please be in the High School auditorium at 8:30 a.m. for information and registration. Coffee and donuts will be available at 8:00 a.m. in the cafeteria. Our speaker will address us from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. You will have a lunch break and report to your campus for the afternoon.

Mrs. Tanda Jolley has worked to schedule the staff development you have asked for and you will find her schedule attached for the week of the 20th. Last, but not least, our breakfast to honor our retirees and have some time to fellowship among all campuses will be Friday morning, August 24th at 8:00 a.m. in the high school cafeteria. You will meet all of our new staff as well.

I feel so good about school starting this year. We have so many things to be thankful for in Hooks. You are a great staff and I want each of you to always remember what a difference you make every day. We have a Tradition of Excellence and you are building on that tradition every day.

Enjoy your last days off and I look forward to seeing you on Monday, August 13th.

Respectfully yours,


Kathy Allen
Superintendent

KA/mc

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