Alto ISD

In Mrs. Dickens’s Forensics class, students are learning professional investigative techniques like lifting and developing latent fingerprints. This week’s lab included superglue fuming Dr Pepper cans to reveal hidden prints!

Delivering the dough—in more ways than one! 🍪💵 Mr. Conley and our campus principals made campus visits to hand out cookie dough and Annual Christmas Incentive checks to all employees. We’re grateful for our incredible team and all they do for our students!

Federal Report Cards Now Available (2025)
The 2025 Federal Report Cards for Texas public schools are now available. These report cards include state, district, and campus-level information required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

To view the report cards you can visit https://www.alto.esc7.net/page/assessment-accountability and scroll down to 2024-2025 Federal Report Cards, or visit alto.esc7.net > Departments > Assessment & Accountability.

Alto ISD is proud to recognize Mary Claire Sarandos for earning the Olds Endowment Award for Outstanding Elementary Educator, an award that honors one exemplary student teacher from SFA’s Educator Preparation Program each semester.

Ms. Sarandos spent the fall semester as an intern teacher in third grade with Mrs. Landrum and Mrs. Mabry. Her high energy and infectious smile made a lasting impression on students and staff alike. We’re excited to share that at last night’s board meeting, she was officially hired as a sixth grade teacher! Congratulations, Ms. Sarandos—we’re so glad you’re part of the Alto ISD family! 💙📚

Alto Elementary will have classroom Christmas parties on Thursday, December 18. Any adults attending must be screened through Raptor and have a visitor badge. Please complete the visitor badge form ahead of time if you plan to attend. Forms have gone home with students or can be completed at the link below. Thank you!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqSIk1n2E2He1ZcUwMxUV1GwQn5qkUXhkHqBxqbq972VN2MA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=111410216645947665752

🎶 It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
All through Alto ISD,
Artwork in the hallways bright,
Festive doors, a joyful sight,
And smiles in every class you see.
🎄

Our fifth graders held a very special funeral this week…for "six seven!" 🪦😄 If you know, you know. Their teachers turned this into a creative learning activity, and students wrote and delivered heartfelt (and hilarious!) eulogies for the “dearly departed.” What a fun way to build writing, speaking, and critical-thinking skills! ✍️📚

Alto ISD Angel Tree gifts will be available for parent pickup on December 16 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Gifts may be picked up at that Alto ISD Library located on the middle school campus. Many thanks to our generous donors!

Mean Sting-

Thank you for another GREAT week at Alto ISD!!☝️

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 Girls Basketball wins the Cody Sell tournament on Saturday!!🏀

2. Enrollment stays up at 525 students.⬆️

3. Alto Middle School and Elementary UIL Academic teams traveled to SFA to compete in the district meet. Congratulations to many of our students for individual success and special congrats to Alto Middle School for a second place team finish. 🏅

4. Alto Elementary Fall Behavior Incentive Trip with a huge majority of our students earning the opportunity to enjoy a field trip to the movie theater in Lufkin on Thursday. 🍿

5. Alto, Texas Christmas parade was a big success. Special thanks to all in our community for their support in making it happen for our kids. 🧑‍🎄

It is always a great week to be a Jacket!!🐝

Derrick Conley
Superintendent
Alto ISD

Several staff and students made the nice list by donating blood yesterday! 🎄❤️
Thank you to all of our donors and to the AHS Student Council for hosting the blood drive. Your generosity helps save lives!

Join us for the Annual Alto Elementary Christmas Program tomorrow, Thursday, December 11, at 6:00 PM in the Alto High School Gymnasium. The front entrance of the high school will be open so guests can park in the big parking lot and enter the gym through the high school building.

Our AES students will share their musical talents as we celebrate the season together!

Tonight's Lady Jacket basketball game vs. Union Grove has been canceled. Please come out to support the Lady Jackets next Tuesday as they "tip off" district play versus Mt. Enterprise!

A big shout-out to Justin, Feleena, Stevee, and Makenzie for achieving success on the TSI test! These students have big goals for their future, and they’re already putting in the work to reach them.

We’re excited to celebrate our November Students of the Month: Janet, Anabel, Jocelyn, and Jaelyn! These students demonstrate dedication, positive attitudes, and a strong work ethic. We’re proud of their achievements and thankful for the leadership and enthusiasm they bring to AHS each day. Congratulations to all! 💛👏

We're also proud to recognize Mr. Massey, AHS Teacher of the Month for November! Mr. Massey teaches with passion and purpose, and his dedication shows every day in his classroom. His colleagues share that he continually works to ensure students stay engaged and on track so they can be successful.

Congratulations to the Alto Lady Jackets – Cody Sell Invitational Tournament Champions! 🏆 These ladies showed heart and grit—coming back from 20 points down in the championship game to win it! 💛🖤🏀

Mean Sting- Thank you for another GREAT week at Alto ISD!!☝️ I would like to share a few highlights of "Hard Work and Respect" from this week with you: 1. Alto Girls Basketball defeated Garrison yesterday and have won 6 out of the last 7 games!!🏀 2. Enrollment stays up at 523 students. Attendance was great, and reached our goal, at an awesome 96.85% for the week.⬆️ 3. Alto Middle School and Elementary UIL Spelling teams began our competition with some great success this week. 🏅 4. Alto ISD students began our next round of Gold Standard Testing Days, and we are very proud of the effort and growth in our kids. 💪 5. Alto Boys Basketball with a big win yesterday versus Cumberland Academy. 🏆 6. Incredible overall community and school partnership to organize a great event to honor Cody Sell with an invitational basketball tournament. 💛🖤 It is always a great week to be a Jacket!!🐝 -- Derrick Conley Superintendent Alto ISD

🎉 It’s time to celebrate our AES Students of the Week! 🎉

We are so proud of these amazing students. Each one has shown what it means to be a Yellowjacket—working hard, treating others with respect, and being a positive part of our school community. Their effort in the classroom, kindness toward others, and “can-do” attitude make AES a great place to learn and grow.

We are also excited to celebrate Mrs. Cirkel, who runs our AES computer lab. She takes on extra duties with a smile and steps in wherever she’s needed. Her dedication, flexibility, and willingness to support students and staff make a huge impact on our campus. Thank you, Mrs. Cirkel, for all you do!

Thank you to two of our local churches—Calvary Tabernacle and A. Frank Smith Methodist Church—for ensuring every student has a warm coat this winter. We are truly blessed to have such caring and generous community partners! 🧥💛

We’re a little late sharing, but we still want to celebrate our AES Students of the Week from the week before Thanksgiving break! 🎉

These outstanding students showed what it means to work hard and treat others with respect. From giving their best effort to being kind classmates, they truly shined leading up to the holiday break.

We also want to recognize our Staff Member of the Week, Mrs. Blair Castillo! Mrs. Castillo teaches first grade, and her caring heart and creativity shine in everything she does. She brings an artistic touch and creative ideas to her classroom, making learning fun and meaningful for her students. 💛

Thank you to those who took time out of their evening to attend Bilingual Family Night! 💛 We loved getting to connect with families, and the book giveaway was a fun highlight!