Harlandale Family,
Welcome back! I hope you all had a safe and well-deserved summer break and are excited to kick off the new school year.
As I’ve visited different campuses these first two weeks of school, I can’t help but feel genuine pride for our students, staff and district. It’s an incredible feeling to see excitement fill the halls again, smiling faces as students and teachers get to know one another, and the positive energy that radiates from our classrooms. Every one of you makes Harlandale ISD the pride of the Southside. I am looking forward to another great year.
I want to begin this newsletter by congratulating two of our high school students for being selected as youth muralists with San Antonio Cultural Arts. In the last few months, McCollum High School senior Samantha Monzon Carrillo and 11th grade student Jocelyn Quintero created a community mural about the connection between the southside and westside of San Antonio. The students, alongside a Lanier High School student, organized meetings to hear from various communities and were able to come up with their mural “The Protected Path to New Beginnings." Congratulations Samantha and Jocelyn, way to make your District proud!
I am glad to announce that Harlandale ISD is among the first school districts in San Antonio to have a police officer stationed at every campus. This is a major step forward in our commitment to continue keeping our students and staff safe. The officers will be visible and accessible to students, staff and parents, and will continue to work with our school communities to prevent crime and address safety concerns. Thank you Harlandale PD for making our schools even safer and more secure.
The Holdsworth Center and Frost Bank are inviting 120 teachers to a weekend retreat at Holdsworth's Campus on Lake Austin and we need your help to nominate a Harlandale ISD teacher who is making a difference in the lives of our students! Nominations are open from August 1 - September 1, 2023. Nominate a teacher here: holdsworthcenter.org/retreat
I would like to thank our community members who came out to our first two Strategic Planning Committee meetings. Our next meeting will be held at STEM ECHS Cafeteria tomorrow, Aug. 26 from 10am-12pm. Learn more about our District’s strategic plan, and join us in discussions about the strengths and challenges affecting our district. We value your input and look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas.
We're excited to announce the launch of our new Harlandale Perks Program. This program is designed to help our staff save money, while also supporting local businesses. As a Harlandale Perks partner, local businesses can offer exclusive discounts and deals to all Harlandale ISD staff. If you know of a business who may be interested, have them visit www.harlandale.net/employeeperks for more information or call us at 210.989.4355 for details. We are adding new businesses to the list every week, so you can already start to take advantage of the deals!
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and our Harlandale Family, I want to wish you all a happy and successful 2023-2024 school year. We are all here for the same reason, and that is to provide the best education possible for our students. Let's celebrate our successes and continue to strive to preserve the Harlandale Legacy.
Sincerely,
Gerardo Soto
Harlandale ISD Superintendent of Schools