Dear Team AISD,

It feels as if we were just singing Call Me Maybe at the district's All-Staff Convocation and kicking off the 2012-13 school year with the first day of school. 

And now, as the school year has drawn to a close, I’m happy to share with you that all of your hard work to serve our 86,000 students has not only made a difference—it has made 2012-13 a banner year for Austin ISD. 

Thanks to you, our third through eighth grade students achieved gains in four subject areas on preliminary 2013 STAAR results. Thanks to you, our community voiced its support for AISD last month by approving $489 million in bond funding for facilities investments. And, thanks to you, more students than ever are graduating from our schools. This year, the district’s graduation rate increased by 2.5 percentage points and is now at an all time high of 82.5 percent. 

Last week, we celebrated the culmination of years of hard work, when nearly 4,400 seniors walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Some will be the first in their families to enter college. These graduations are a great reminder of why we’re all here, working so hard to serve our students and prepare them for college, career and life. 

As we congratulated these graduates for their achievement, so many of them responded by saying “thank you” to everyone in AISD who has supported them. 

With the assistance of AISD student photographers, we have created a video tribute to AISD’s Class of 2013 featuring our seniors. 

Please take a moment to watch it, remember why it is you do what you do, and remember that your work matters everyday. It did for these students. 

Congratulations, to our graduates, and to Team AISD for a stellar year. And, from our graduates to you: thank you! 

Sincerely,

Meria 

Meria Carstarphen
Superintendent

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