Administrators spent the morning scouting the next generation of educators at Stephen F. Austin State University! We’re blessed to have a strong partnership with SFA’s Educator Preparation Program, and many of our outstanding teachers first joined us as SFA student teachers. 🪓🐝

School Calendar Update: No Makeup Days Required! 🎉

We know many families have been wondering how this week’s closures on Monday and Tuesday will impact the rest of the school year. Here’s the good news: these missed days will NOT require makeup time.

Texas public school districts are required to provide a minimum of 75,600 instructional minutes each year. Our district calendar was intentionally built with extra instructional minutes to account for situations like this. As long as we are able to operate as scheduled for the remainder of the school year, no makeup days will be needed.

The softball scrimmage scheduled for Friday afternoon has been bumped up to 2:00 p.m. Come out and support the Lady Jackets if you're able!

Alto ISD phone lines are currently down. If you need to reach an Alto ISD campus, please email the campus secretaries using the addresses below or send a Remind message to your child's teacher.

Elementary: cblankinship@alto.esc7.net
Middle School: tmoore@alto.esc7.net
High School: shicks@alto.esc7.net
Administration: hking@alto.esc7.net

The issue is expected to be resolved by Thursday or Friday. Thank you for your patience as we work through this inconvenience.

Weather conditions in our area have improved, and Alto ISD will be open tomorrow, Wednesday, January 28, on a regular schedule. See you soon!

Alto ISD Update:
Due to poor road conditions that are expected to worsen overnight, there will be no school on Tuesday, January 27.

We miss our Yellowjackets and hope you’re staying safe and warm! 💛🐝

Reminder: No school tomorrow! The River Church (across from Tractor Supply) is open as a warming center for anyone in need.

Due to road conditions and widespread power outages, there will be no school Monday, January 26, 2026. Please stay home and stay safe!

Mean Sting- Thank you for another AMAZING week at Alto ISD!!☝️ I would like to share a few highlights of "Hard Work and Respect" from this week with you: 1. Alto Middle School 7th grade Girls Basketball defeated Cushing on Thursday!!🏀 2. Enrollment stays consistent at 521 students. ⬆️ 3. Alto ISD celebrated our School Board with many gifts and words of encouragement at our monthly meeting on Tuesday night. 📚 4. Coach Soto and our Baseball team began work last week in hopes of continuing our playoff appearances with 10 boys participating in the first week of practice. ⚾ 5. Great week of academics with our Alto Elementary students working very hard and showing progress on our Mid-Year MAP testing.✍️ It is always a great week to be a Jacket!!🐝 -- Derrick Conley Superintendent Alto ISD

Today’s teens are facing more stress than ever 😰 — but many haven’t been taught how to manage it in healthy ways.

Without real coping tools 🧠💡, they may turn to quick fixes like substances or excessive screen time 📱, which can lead to even bigger challenges down the road.

Parents can change the game by:
✅ Teaching practical, age‑appropriate coping skills
✅ Validating emotions instead of brushing them aside 💬❤️
✅ Modeling healthy stress‑management at home 🧘‍♀️🏡

👉 Help your teen build lasting skills — not risky shortcuts. Find strategies that work at angelinacoalition.org/resources

The Drug-Free Council program is funded by a grant from TxDOT to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes in Texas. #DriveLikeATexan

#PreventionPlaybook #ParentingTeens #HealthyCoping #TeenSafety @thecoalition936

Join Your Jacket for Breakfast has been postponed. A new date will be shared as soon as possible!

Don’t forget—tomorrow will be a regular school day, and all students are expected to attend.

We are continuing to monitor weather conditions for this weekend and any potential impacts to school operations next week. If a delay, early release, or closure becomes necessary, we will communicate as early as possible, hopefully by Sunday afternoon.

Don't forget--this Friday, January 23rd will be a regular school day. All students are expected to attend.

Congratulations to Zoey H. for earning an AMS Gold Standard Award! Zoey is a great example of hard work and respect. She stays focused, listens carefully, and puts in real effort to improve. Her teachers say that her respectful attitude and determination make Zoey a wonderful part of their classrooms!

Mean Sting- Thank you for another AWESOME week at Alto ISD!!☝️ We are building relationships and inspiring growth. 📈 I would like to share a few highlights of "Hard Work and Respect" from this week with you: 1. Alto High School Boys Basketball defeated Carlisle 68=51 on Tuesday!!🏀 2. Enrollment stays consistent at 522 students. Alto Middle School attendance reaches our goal of 96% for the week.⬆️ 3. Alto ISD welcomed Scott Ponder as our new Athletic Director/ Head Football Coach. Coach Ponder has 25 years experience as a Head Football Coach with 174 career wins, 20 playoff appearances, and one State championship. He has helped develop 46 college football players, 9 Division 1 college football players, 4 Division 1 Quarterbacks, and 4 NFL players. 🏈🏆 4. Coach Blagg and our Softball team began work last week in defending our District championship with 19 girls participating in the first week of practice. 🥎 5. Great week of academics with our 3rd-8th Gifted and Talented students attending student seminars hosted by Region 7. 📚 It is always a great week to be a Jacket!!🐝 -- Derrick Conley Superintendent Alto ISD

Today, Alto ISD honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His words remind us that character is revealed not in moments of comfort, but in how we respond when challenges arise. As educators, students, and community members, we are called to stand up for what is right, care for one another, and serve others with courage and compassion. May we continue to model these values in our schools and beyond.

🎓 FAFSA Help for Seniors!
Seniors and their parents have two more opportunities to receive assistance with the FAFSA process from an Angelina College representative:
📅 Thursday, January 29
📅 Wednesday, February 11
Don’t miss out—mark your calendar and take advantage of this chance to get expert help completing your FAFSA!

Mr. Conley loves ending the day with good news calls! The parents of Ezekiel, Lily, Ernesto, Leo, and Madison received calls letting them know that their students showed excellent effort on the recent Gold Standard test!