Good morning!  Welcome back for the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.  I hope you had a good summer and enjoyed some time off and got some rest.  Today we will welcome almost 88,000 students to Northside.  I know that for both students and teachers it is an exciting time.  Our students will come to school with great anticipation of what they will be confronted with at school and this brings anxiety to both the students themselves and their parents.  Everyone is always looking forward to the first day of school and I know it will be an exciting day for everyone.  It is a wonderful time for students, parents, teachers, and administrators as we start another school year.

 This week we welcome five new schools to the Northside family:  Brandeis High School, Vale Middle School, Scarborough Elementary School, Carnahan Elementary School, and Forester Elementary School.  This now makes for us sixty-two elementary schools, sixteen middle schools, nine comprehensive high schools, four magnet high schools, and nine special schools.  We continue to grow as we are the fourth largest school district in Texas and the fortieth largest in the nation in terms of student population.  We anticipate we will grow between 2500 and 3000 students this year which is somewhat lower than the last few years, yet we know the growth will continue.  To the principals, faculties, and staff at our five new schools I want to say thank you for all your hard work and effort in getting the schools and classrooms ready as we greet the students.  A big thank you to Jim Martin, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operations, and his staff for the great job in overseeing the construction and completion of these facilities.  Thanks to Ron Gerth, Director of Purchasing, and his staff for making sure the schools are furnished and equipped, and to Kelly Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services, and her staff in making sure these schools are equipped with the technology needed to operate as well as help in the instruction of students.  Opening five schools is no easy task and I appreciate all that everyone has done to get these schools ready.  And, a special thank you to the custodial staff of all of our schools for the great job they do in getting the schools ready.

 As we begin school today we will have almost 800 new teachers in Northside.  Thanks to Jim Miller, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, and his staff for the great job they do in assisting our principals in hiring the new staff for our schools.  I always tell our new principals that the most important thing they do is hire teachers, because the most important thing in the education of a child is the teacher in the classroom.  No one does a better job than Northside in handling growth, building, equipping, and staffing schools.  Great job this year in having five new schools ready to open and greet students on the first day!

 I hope you enjoyed the convocations and other activities that preceded the start of school.  Summer is a busy time with many activities taking place and I appreciate all the staff development that occurs.  From our curriculum institutes to our administrator institute to new teacher academies and campus inservice activities, there is a lot of professional development that enhances our staff and prepares us as we start school.  All of this culminated last week in our District convocations and I thank each of you for your participation.  The energy and enthusiasm of these convocations are contagious, and it helps all of us understand the importance of what we do.  The convocations are important for many reasons, but one reason is that it makes everyone feel a part of something larger than just their campus.  In a district this large, it is important for everyone to realize that it is not just where I work in my department or on my campus that is the only thing, but that we all are a part of something much larger and that is a part of the school district itself.  We all are a part of Northside and this is what makes us a great District.

 I want to thank Pascual Gonzalez and the staff in the Communications Department for the wonderful job they do in preparing the convocations and producing the many videos and performances.  I truly believe that no one does convocations any better than Northside, and it is because of Pascual and his staff.  This year we did eleven convocations, and I enjoy each one so much, because it is so great to see the fun, excitement, and enthusiasm for our District.  A special thank you to Gerri Berger, principal of Brandeis High School, and all her staff that worked so hard hosting us.  A special thanks to the Brandeis band and cheerleaders and to the students of the Clark JROTC that performed at the convocations.  To all their instructors and sponsors I say a big "thank you."  It was great!

 Last year our theme was "We Are Northside" and there is no doubt that we affirmed this through the achievement of our "Recognized" status as a school district along with many other achievements of our students, faculty, and campuses.  The achievement in our District of having fifteen exemplary campuses and forty-five recognized campuses is outstanding.  Yet as we begin this 2008-09 school year we transition to the theme "We Believe."  We must believe in one another and what we can accomplish working together for student success.  We must believe in our students and their ability to achieve success.  As I said at convocations, we must believe that we can accomplish whatever we set our hearts and minds on accomplishing.  We believe in the power of public education and its power to educate all people.  The great thing about public schools is that we take all children who knock on the door, and we believe that we can help each one of them be successful.

 As I continue to talk about student success I want to remind you that we will continue with the weekly publication entitled "Inside Northside Weekly."  Please send information about the successes of our District, our campuses, our teachers, and our students to Monica Faulkenbery, Assistant Director of Communications, so we can share that success with everyone.  Northside is a great District and the successes we experience are so important!

 As we begin this 2008-09 school year, let each one of us resolve that we will work as hard as we can to help every student be successful.  Also we will work as hard as we can to see that our campus, our department, our District remains as one of the best districts in Texas and the nation.  We have great principals, great teachers, great staff, and great students!

 "We Believe" in Northside!  Have a great week and a great Labor Day weekend!