The International Welcome Center serves as a resource hub for newly arrived students and their families enrolled in Austin ISD. For newly arrived students, we support to two main groups: (1) refugee and asylum students and their families and (2) newcomer students and their families.

• Refugees are people forced to flee their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution and who arrive in the United States already designated a refugee.
• Asylees are immigrants in the U.S. or at a port of entry who are found unable or unwilling to return to their home country of nationality because of a well-founded fear of persecution if they return to that country.
• Newcomers include students new to the country who do not qualify as refugees or asylum seekers.

Services

The International Welcome Center serves as a liaison for students and families (Pre-K through 12), linking them to Austin ISD schools, empowering parents and guardians to advocate for their students’ success, and connecting students and families to school and community resources. The services provided by the International Welcome Center include:

• Family and student interviews and screenings 

• Oral Language Proficiency Assessment in English 
• Oral Language Proficiency Assessment in Spanish for qualifying elementary students
• Online registration assistance
• Family and student orientations which provide information on:
  • Texas Compulsory Attendance Law 
  • 90% Rule for Attendance 
  • Overview of the school day
  • Transportation options
  •  School Safety – explanation of different emergency drills
  • Cyber Safety
  • Dress code and school behavior expectations
• Parent Workshops for Emergent Bilingual students at requesting AISD school campuses tailored to campus needs
• Pre-LAS and LAS Links professional development

Translation / Interpretation

The International Welcome Center supports more than 18 languages and can facilitate interpretation or translation of the following:

The team provides translation and interpretation for:

• Parent/Teacher conferences
• Meetings
• Day-to-day interpretation services—such as assisting families with understanding school forms—for 90 campuses
• Campus events targeting refugee families (e.g., Coffee with the Principal, Back to School Night, Know Your Rights events, etc.)
• Home visits
• Emergency language support for families and campuses
• Disciplinary matters

Resources for Refugee / Immigrant Families

Please visit our Multilingual Resources page for documents and videos that will be helpful to parents and families. 

Additional Services

• School registration support
• Tutoring
• Special education assistance
• Social/Emotional support
• Training for school staff and community agencies

The International Welcome Center is located at Webb Middle School.
601 E. St. Johns Ave.
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 414-0545

Office Hours: 8 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. 

For all interpretation and translation requests, support, and more information, please contact us at 512-414-0545.

You can also contact the office through Let's Talk!