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Staff Weekly
By Christina Burbank & Collaborators ● Sep 27, 2023
Smart Brevity® count: 5 mins...1346 words
🍏 Hello, Austin ISD Staff!
As we close out September, I want to share a few shout-outs that have come my way. 🎉
First, the 50th Annual Marching Band Jamboree was full of musical surprises! Marching bands are gearing up for their UIL contest. Show the band directors some love this week! That includes the elementary and middle school music teachers who set the foundation of rhythm and reading music! 🥁
Next, let’s all take the time to give our coaches a high five this week! 🏆 Fall sports have started district play, and coaches had the opportunity to thank their UIL officials as part of Officials Appreciation Night. The Athletics Office recognizes Eastside ECHS volleyball coach Eloisa Nava, LBJ ECHS volleyball coach Timesha Moten-Tibbs, and Travis ECHS football coach Joe Frank Martinez for going above and beyond by teaching their students to honor their referees on and off the court/field. (see pics)
Our last shout-out goes to all campuses, departments and performing groups that helped make the Austin ISD Showcase a success this past weekend! 🤖 📚 🎶 Robots, mascots, haircuts, books, games, music, and so much more! You highlighted your campus programs and provided valuable resources and connections to families! Congratulations on helping students Find Their Seat in Austin ISD.
Break a leg,
Burbank
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🍎 1 big thing: Trustees approve TEA proposal for Special Education
Last night, by a vote of 8-1, Austin ISD trustees voted to approve the Texas Education Agency’s final negotiated order related to Special Education and governance.
What they’re saying: “The board felt it was the best available option to allow the district to continue implementing our transformational plan for improving Special Education for students while maintaining the greatest level of local control and representation of our community’s values. View the full conversation among the board,” trustees said in their message to the community.
Catch up quick: TEA had proposed a strict set of rules and deadlines for the Special Education Department as well as for the board itself.
What’s next: We want to thank everyone who has thoughtfully engaged with us around this important decision.
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Improved School Finder helps families find their child’s next Austin ISD school
The new Austin ISD School Finder helps families find a school that's the best for for their student.
Austin ISD has launched an entirely new version of School Finder, the program that families use to find the school that’s the best match for their child.
What’s new: While the previous version was solely a school locator, the revised version gives families and students more control.
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Families and students can search by address, student grade level or program.
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There’s also a school comparison tool so families can see their options side by side.
Learn more: School Finder video
What’s next: We’re launching our new enrollment system in early November!
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Hispanic Heritage Month profile: Montserrat Garibay
This is the second in a monthlong profile series spotlighting Hispanic heroes and pathbreakers.
By Paul Stinson
As Austin ISD continues its celebration of Hispanic History Month, we profile Montserrat Garibay, a bilingual Pre-K teacher-turned-education, immigration, and labor rights activist.
She started her career at Austin ISD two decades ago as a teacher, and now serves students as Deputy Assistant Secretary & Director for the Office of English Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education.
Mexico origins, ACC & UT Schooling: Born in Mexico City, Garibay came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant and became a U.S. citizen 20 years later in 2012.
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Along the way, she started school at Austin Community College before graduating with a bachelors in education from University of Texas at Austin.
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It is there during her time as a student teacher that she discovered the importance of bilingual full day Pre-K programs.
Austin ISD Career Beginnings: Garibay’s involvement in education took full flight in 2002 after joining Austin ISD as a bilingual Pre-K teacher, providing opportunities for students in that role for more than nine years.
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She followed that experience with a five-year stint at Education Austin, where she represented 3,000 union members at Austin ISD. She then joined the Texas American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), and later, the U.S. Department of Education.
Overcoming obstacles in dual language learning: One of the challenges, said Garibay, was addressing the misconception that Spanish-speaking parents were disinterested in the education of their children because they didn’t speak English, when in fact she found the opposite to be true.
“I learned how to build relationships with them by doing home visits; inviting them to our classroom to read in Spanish; and asking them to volunteer, join field trips, and share their beautiful culture,” she said.
Early parental involvement is key: “Pre-K is the best time to engage parents in the education of their children,” she said. “Learning at the Pre-K level needs to be engaging and fun. We must provide a strong foundation and promote the love of learning so our students will be lifelong learners.”
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Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed receives Patriot Award
Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed was honored recently with a Patriot Award as part of a Defense Department program that promotes cooperation between military reservists and civilian employers.
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Javier Padron-Solis nominated Chief Sneed for the award after Sneed helped Padron-Solis get settled into Austin.
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Padron-Solis is an Austin ISD School Resource Office at Lively Middle School, and is also a machine gunner in the Marine Corps Reserves with a unit based in Corpus Christi.
What they’re saying: “[Chief Sneed] has been asking how I’m doing ever since I joined the department,” said Padron-Solis, who joined Austin ISD PD in Summer 2022. “He helped me with groceries, helped me find a place to stay and has been helping me out, lending a hand… [the department has] been phenomenal.”
In presenting the award to Chief Sneed, Hayward Bethel of the Defense Department’s ESGR program commended Chief Sneed for “building a family-oriented culture of support and respect for each other.”
Bethel retired to Austin in 1986 after a 24-year career with the United States Air Force.
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After his retirement from the military, Bethel taught as a substitute teacher for Austin ISD.
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He volunteers with the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve program and the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit that brings veterans, free of charge, to share in a day of honor in Washington, DC.
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Tools for Success- Austin ISD SEL and CP&I: Caregiver Partnerships— Sept. 27, 2023
Tools for Success- Maestro en Casa: Class options this year—Sept. 27, 2023
Calendar Task Force Meeting—Sept. 27, 2023
Mental Health and School Safety Community Conversations—Sept.27, 2023
Austin ISD All City Orchestra Concert—Sept. 28, 2023
MacTheatre’s musical production of Sweet Charity—Sept. 28–Oct. 8.
American Indian Heritage Day in Texas—Sept. 29, 2023.
Mid-Autumn Festival/Harvest Moon—Sept. 29, 2023
Multilingual Education Advisory Committee Meeting—Oct.. 2, 2023
Mental Health and School Safety Community Conversations—Oct. 3, 2023
Marshall Middle School Grand Opening Celebration—Oct. 4, 2023
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❄ Turns out, I was wrong about the cooler weather. Looks like we won’t see our highs drop into the 80s until Oct. 9. Until then, I hope you get to focus on other inspiring things at Austin ISD and in your own world. ✨
Enjoy the end of September and see you again in October! 🍂
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