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Hello Families! 👋🏻🌷
I hope you had a fun and productive spring break. 🐝
We have an update on Special Education including several events 🗓️ coming up where the entire community is welcome.
📣 Start off Saturday morning with the annual ¡Sí Se Puede! César Chávez March & Day of Action at 10am at Parque Zaragoza.
☑️ Then at noon, the board will hold a special voting meeting to adopt a profile for the search for Austin ISD’s new superintendent.
And at 5:00 pm, 🏳️🌈 Austin ISD will be hosting the “Pride for All! Community Event 🌈 🎭 at the Performing Arts Center.
Please remember to mark your 📆 calendars that Friday, March 31 and Friday, April 7 are holidays in Austin ISD. All schools and district offices will be closed.
Elementary campuses 🍎 will host a districtwide Early Learning Day on 🗓️ Wednesday, April 5, a perfect day to ask all of your questions and complete online registration 💻 and the pre-k screener.
Now, let’s get started…
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Family Newsletter
By Nayeli Santoyo & Collaborators ● Mar 24, 2023
Smart Brevity® count: 4 mins...1101 words
Hello Families! 👋🏻🌷
I hope you had a fun and productive spring break. 🐝
We have an update on Special Education including several events 🗓️ coming up where the entire community is welcome.
Please remember to mark your 📆 calendars that Friday, March 31 and Friday, April 7 are holidays in Austin ISD. All schools and district offices will be closed.
Now, let’s get started…
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1 big thing: Special Education update 🏫
🏫Addressing the challenges around Special Education and the backlog in student evaluations is a shared priority for Interim Superintendent Matias Segura and the board.
Since his first day on the job, we've devoted hours and resources toward providing the services students need and families expect.
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We've improved our tracking and responsiveness by building a dashboard that brings together district and campus level data.
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We've also begun providing “Step-by-Step for Inclusive Schools” training to campus teams and Central Office staff that will increase the quality of instruction and support campuses in developing highly effective staffing models.
Go Deeper: View our Special Education Update from Interim Superintendent Segura.
Next up: Families, community members and staff are invited to attend our upcoming special education “Power Hour” learning opportunities.
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🗓️On Thursday, March 30, national expert Dan St. Romain will be presenting via Zoom on Avoiding Power Struggles. Please RSVP and join via Zoom.
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🗓️In April, we’ll host a three-part series focused on Autism in partnership with VELA.
Questions? Please contact liena.deleon@austinisd.org for more information or view the full schedule of events.
What they’re saying: “I want to thank you all for the grace you’ve extended to me, the board and the team as we work to improve,” said Interim Superintendent Matias Segura. “ We hold the same high expectations of ourselves as you have of us and are committed to meeting them.”
The bottom line: We will not resolve everything in six months but we have developed a plan we believe in and are committed to tracking and sharing our progress with you.
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2. Celebrating 🎉 the life of bilingual education pioneer Hermelinda Rodriguez
This is the third in a month-long profile series spotlighting women leaders and trailblazers for whom Austin ISD schools are named.
🏫🍎 As Austin ISD continues its celebration of Women’s History Month, we profile bilingual education pioneer Hermelinda Rodriguez.
🎓 Educational legacy: At Zavala Elementary, Rodriguez became the district’s first Mexican-American principal in 1967 and implemented Austin’s first bilingual curriculum, 📚 earning national acclaim and the nickname “mother of bilingual education.” Working with faculty at UT Austin 🐂, Rodriguez’s curriculum became the standard for bilingual education.
📣 In her own words: “We've got to find our identity, find out who we are and where we come from," said Rodriguez. "We have two cultures to learn and profit from. It is not our job to eliminate one or the other.”
🎤 Indelible impact: “These were the happiest years of my childhood, I grew up proud of being Mexican,” former Zavala Elementary student Roy Soto said of Rodriguez’s early bilingual classes.
National model: Rodriguez’s contributions to bilingual education were recognized with a nomination to the White House Council on Education in the early 1970s.
⛏️ Go deeper: Rodriguez Elementary School in southeast Austin is named for this Mexican-American trailblazer. As befitting the mother of bilingual education, a majority of current students at Rodriguez Elementary are English language learners.
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3. 📅 Austin ISD honors César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Day 🏫🍎
📅In honor of Chavez and Dolores Huerta Day, Friday, March 31 is a student and staff holiday.
Everyone is invited to join us for the Annual ¡Sí Se Puede! César Chávez March & Day of Action! Saturday, March 25 at Parque Zaragoza, 2608 Gonzales St., Austin, TX 78702.
🕤 The details: We’ll begin gathering at 9:30 a.m. The brief march will start at 10 a.m. and proceed along a short route around Parque Zaragoza.
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4. Pride Y’all! community event Saturday! 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
🏫🍎🏳️🌈 Austin ISD Pride Week is a time to highlight the district's commitment to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.
🏳️🌈 Pride Week activities wrap up with the districtwide "Pride Y’all!" community celebration.
All are welcome to enjoy exhibitors, performances, activities, books, swag and breakout sessions on Saturday, March 25, 5–9 p.m. at the Austin ISD 🏫🍎Performing Arts Center.
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5. 🎉Highlights of Black History Month celebrations at Garcia YMLA
Lee Lewis Campbell Blue Dragons STEP Squad performed at Garcia YMLA during the Black History assembly.
Garcia YMLA incorporated Black History materials into morning announcements and hallway displays.
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Women’s History Month, March 1-31
Austin ISD Celebrates Pride Week, March 20-25
Austin ISD-Themed Days for Pride Week
· Pride and You – Creative Expression, March 23
· Local Pride and Sprit Day!, March 24
· Pride Y’all- Connect and Celebrate at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, March 25. (5 p.m.-9 p.m.)
Ramadan, March 22-April 21
Austin ISD Board Regular Voting Meeting, March 23
¡Sí Se Puede! César Chávez March & Day of Action, March 25
Staff/Student Holiday –Cesar Chavez/Dolores Huerta Holiday, March 31
Early Learning Day, April 5
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Nayeli looks forward to attending some of the great events this weekend where 🍎 Austin ISD will be participating, as well as doing some spring cleaning 🧽🧹.
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