| Happy Fall, y鈥檃ll!听It鈥檚 Hispanic Heritage Month and we鈥檙e hosting a virtual talent show. Submit your talent by Oct. 15 for a chance to win!Also, don鈥檛 miss this story on how our social studies teachers are responding to state laws restricting social studies lessons.听Let鈥檚 get into the news鈥 |
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| Family Newsletter |
| By Scott Thomas 鈼 Sep 23, 2021
Smart Brevity鈩 count: 4.5 mins... 1143 words
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Happy Fall, y鈥檃ll!听
It鈥檚 Hispanic Heritage Month and we鈥檙e hosting a virtual talent show. for a chance to win!
Also, don鈥檛 miss this story on how our social studies teachers are responding to state laws restricting social studies lessons.听
Let鈥檚 get into the news鈥
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1 Big Thing: Superintendent: 鈥楾he main thing has to stay the main thing.鈥
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Superintendent Stephanie S. Elizalde had a message for principals听at their Sept. 14 meeting in the Performing Arts Center: This year鈥檚 primary focus is on academics.
Why it matters: Elizalde told principals to stay focused on academics after more than a year of COVID-19, which can easily distract administrators and campus staff.听
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鈥淒o they need social-emotional learning? 100% yes. Do they need true culturally responsive, culturally relevant instruction and practices, 100%,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not an either-or, it鈥檚 a both-and.鈥
Dive deeper: Read more about her speech and how she addresses school collaboration and more
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2. Worker shortage affecting cafeteria menus
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Your child鈥檚 lunch may be different than what was on the menu because nationwide worker shortages are impacting our kitchens and suppliers.
The big picture: If your child gets a meal that鈥檚 different from what鈥檚 listed on the menu, it鈥檚 partly because we鈥檙e looking to fill nearly 100 open positions in our kitchens.
Yes, but: We鈥檒l still prepare delicious, healthy foods for our students. It might just be different than what they were expecting.
You should know: 果冻传媒app ISD students will still receive free meals all year no matter what their family income is.
Dive deeper: View daily menus, nutritional information, and allergens at .
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3. Program that prepares students for jobs in technology expands
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Travis and Northeast are the most recent schools to receive the Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-TECH, program.
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P-TECH can help your student get an associate鈥檚 degree and a job.
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Akins, Crockett, LBJ and Navarro have had the program for years.
Why it matters: 听P-TECH programs are open to anyone in the district. It opens up well-paying jobs to students who may not want a traditional four-year degree.
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Your student can learn about computer technology, cybersecurity, and construction technology.
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It鈥檚 not limited to technology. We also offer pathways focused on real estate, teaching, health, and hospitality as well.
You should know: The P-TECH program collaborates with industry-leading partners to make sure what they鈥檙e teaching is what employers want.听
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Collaborators include 果冻传媒app Board of Realtors, Apple, Dell, Huston-Tillotson, IBM, Samsung, Tesla, Baylor Scott & White, St. David鈥檚 and more.
Dive deeper: You can learn more about 果冻传媒app ISD鈥檚 P-TECH program on our website.
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4. 果冻传媒app ISD clarifies need for holy day form
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果冻传媒app ISD administrators are clarifying that a holy day form is only used for tracking excused absences in case of an audit.
Why it matters:听If a student is out for a holy day, 果冻传媒app ISD can receive funding for them that day, but the state may audit the school district to make sure it鈥檚 complying with .听
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Any absence for religious reasons is automatically excused, per the law.
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The information in the form is what the state says they need to document the holiday and any travel for the day.
What they're saying: Some parents found the form invasive.
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听鈥淎s usual, when you start digging into things, you understand why they鈥檙e created and what they鈥檙e used for, so you gain a better perspective,鈥 said Regional Director of the 果冻传媒app Anti-Defamation League Renee Lafair. 鈥淧art of the problem, as a form, it can a little triggering for members of the Jewish community, unintentionally so.鈥
You should know:听If a student has to travel for a religious observance those days spent traveling could be excused absences as well.
Dive deeper: If you plan to observe a religious holiday in the near future and need the form, reach out to your campus principal. Families can also provide a hand-written note to receive an excused absence as well.听
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5. Let鈥檚 Talk Question of the Week:听 Parent volunteers are welcome on campus
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Families can ask district officials anything via听, our two-way question and answer platform. Each week, we鈥檙e going to highlight some of the questions we get that might help you.
Kathy asks: Why are some elementary schools allowing parent volunteers and others aren't?
Answer:听We鈥檙e sorry if there鈥檚 been some inconsistency, but that should be cleared up as we sent clear guidance to our campuses yesterday. Yes, parent volunteers are allowed on campus. Though we try to limit visitors, we are happy to welcome our parents to听volunteer to do things like monitor lunch.
But we can鈥檛 have parents just sitting and eating lunch with their kids.听
Big picture:听Having students eat and learn outdoors is one part of our COVID protocol, so having parent volunteers help monitor our students 鈥 when done properly 鈥 is immensely helpful
You can submit your own questions via Let鈥檚 Talk by going to听听or texting 512-886-6434.
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6. COVID cases continue to decline
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We had a total of 146 COVID-19 cases this week, which represents about 0.17% of our students and staff.*
Why it matters: 鈥We鈥檙e working to make two years鈥 worth of academic progress this year. We can only do that with healthy students and staff who are ready to learn each day.听
By the numbers: Student COVID cases stagnated this week, staying at 126 total cases.听
The bottom line: Vaccination is still one of the best ways to prevent COVID-19.
*The data is calculated with the latest sum of students and听staff (81,932) and will be updated officially in October once the district submits the official snapshot to the Texas Education Agency.听
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