Hello family,

Hope you are having a great week!

This week is Food Service Workers Appreciation Week! To celebrate, Superintendent Matías Segura surprised Brad Carr, Inventory Facilitator, with a Golden Rave Award. Congrats to Brad for all his hard work in keeping everything running smoothly!

Reminder: Don’t miss the Destination Life Transition Conference this weekend! They’ll have helpful resources for families supporting students with disabilities after high school. 

Mark your calendars for ConnectFEST — an event just for you! It’s a great way to connect with educational programs, services and support in our schools. With free food, carnival games, Ed Talks from district leaders and live entertainment, you won’t want to miss it!

Plus…If you’d like to help out, there’s still time to volunteer! Just sign up through our Voly system if you haven’t done so already.

Now, let's get started with this edition…

Austin ISD is proud to announce the formation of a Girls Flag Football League, which will begin competitive play this Spring 2025, with support from the Dallas Cowboys organization. 

The details: Each Austin ISD high school will form a team to participate in the league. 

• Over the last nine months, Austin ISD and the Dallas Cowboys have partnered to form varsity-level 7-on-7 programs which will play competitively in the Spring. 

• Austin ISD is one of 11 districts to pair with the Cowboys, with a championship tournament taking place in May at Ford Center in Frisco. 

   

What they’re saying: “The life lessons and values these young ladies will learn from the game of football extend well beyond touchdowns and teamwork,” said Dallas Cowboys Co-Owner and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones. “We are also thrilled that with girls’ flag football becoming an emerging sport at the collegiate level, the game can now provide these young women a path to continuing their education at a higher level as well.”

Each school district participating in the Dallas Cowboys High School Girls Flag Football Regional Leagues received grant funds to assist with coaching stipends and other start-up costs, team uniforms, equipment packages from USA Football, coaching education and general support from NFL FLAG.

Another week, another Austin ISD board meeting. We’re back this week with the latest actions of the Board of Trustees at its February Regular Voting Meeting. 

This month, the board held a public hearing on the Texas Academic Performance Reports and inked a big deal with a local partner.

• First up, the Texas Academic Performance Reports, or TAPR. 

  • Each district receives this annual report that outlines demographics and academic performance. The data lags by one year, so the latest TAPR covers the 2023-24 school year. For college readiness, the data is focused on the 2022-23 school year. 

  • Some highlights of the report include the district’s graduation rate and college, career and military readiness rates, both outpacing regional and state peers. 

  • The CCMR rates, in particular, have Austin ISD students performing at significantly higher than the state and region with 70% of students showing college, career and military readiness. That’s compared to 48% at the state level and 57% regionally.

  • Additionally, these trends are mirrored in nearly every student group, including economically disadvantaged, African-American, Hispanic, Emergent Bilingual and Special Education students.

  • That data is backed by our tracking of Class of 2022 graduates, which shows 60% of those who enrolled in a Texas four-year public university in the year following high school graduation earned a GPA of 3.0 or better.

Go deeper...head over to our website for the full details.

The Austin ISD community gathered last week at the 42nd annual African American Heritage Celebration to honor top students, staff and community partners.

• This year’s theme, “Unity in Diversity: Celebrating Trailblazers in the Community” focused on community leaders and featured student performances from Akins Early College High School. 

Why it matters: Each year during Black History Month, this celebration is a space to highlight the rich tapestry of African American culture and celebrate the achievements of our Austin ISD community. 

Check the details and learn more information on how Austin ISD celebrates Black History Month, visit theBlack History Month page on the Austin ISD website.

Pride week is one of the many ways we highlight the district's commitment to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all.

Why it matters: When students feel safe and can show up as their full selves at school, they’re better able to engage in learning and thrive academically.  

What to expect: This year's celebration is March 24–28 and the theme is beYOUtiful. Campuses may participate in Pride-themed spirit activities outside instructional time:

• Monday - All are welcome! Post, share, or display student work, pictures, and items that represent your family, things you're proud of, and what makes you feel connected.

• Tuesday - Differences are beYOUtiful! Wacky socks day!  Wear something fun that expresses your unique and awesome self.

•  Wednesday - I am beYOUtiful! Wear something that makes you feel beautiful, confident, and proud of who you are.

•  Thursday  - Our community is beYOUtiful! Mix It Up Lunch! Take the opportunity to sit with new people and celebrate our diverse community.

•  Friday - All the colors! Each grade level wears a different color or school spirit gear. Don’t forget to snap a picture of all your beYOUtiful colors!

Families should hear from their schools by March 10 about the activities they have planned. If you have any questions, please reach out to your campus principal.

What’s new? This year, pride-themed activities will take place outside instructional time such as before or after school, during lunch, morning meetings or advisory. 

• This means the district will not provide a Blend course with suggested classroom activities as in years past. 

• Activities will be voluntary in nature for students and staff.

• While district-purchased swag will not be provided this year, PTAs and other organizations can still fund and distribute materials to celebrate. Contact your campus if you wish to donate.

Why in March? Both National Pride Month and the Austin Pride Parade take place in the summer when students are not in school. 

• Austin ISD hosts Pride Week during the school year to show support for our diverse students, staff and families.

Go deeper…with the Pride 2025 FAQs

Support the Austin Ed Fund March 5-6 during Amplify Austin! Learn more about that Ed Fund at austinedfund.org.

Women's History Month- March 1 to 31

Destination… Life: Transition Conference- March 1

Austin ISD Educational Diagnostician Appreciation Week- March 3- 7

Parent Support Specialist Appreciation Week- March 3-7

School Social Worker Appreciation Week- March 3-7

Special Education Family Advisory Committee- March 3

Equity Advisory Committee (EAC) Meeting- March 4

Austin High School Vertical Team Trustee Conversation- March 4

Family Empower Hour: Social Emotional Learning- March 5

Navarro Early College High School Vertical Team Trustee Conversation- March 5

Family Empower Hour: Social Emotional Learning- March 5

Tools for Success/Why Does My Teenager Do That? The Science Behind the Adolescent Brain- March 6

For more events, please visit the Calendar of Events website.

Applications are open for 2025-26 Tuition-based Early Bird Enrollment.

Austin ISD joins state program to boost salaries for top-performing teachers- CBS Austin

Austin ISD eyes $1.5M YMCA lease to tackle budget shortfall- KVUE

Austin ISD teachers on the path to higher salaries through state program- Community Impact

Pease Elementary to reopen as a child care center, bringing kids back to the historic Austin school- KUT

I’m officially 39 weeks pregnant, so my weekend plans are pretty simple — lots of rest! My suitcase is packed, and now I’m just waiting for the baby girl to make her grand entrance. Wish me luck!! 🤞

Have a great weekend and be safe!

Nayeli 💛

Have a story idea?

Got a great story about an Austin ISD student, staff, parent, or community member? Share it with us! It could be featured on our website, in our newsletters, on social media, or even on the news!

For questions or comments please email me at nayeli.santoyoflores@austinisd.org

For languages other than English and Spanish, we use an AI-powered translation tool. As a result, there may be some contextual inaccuracies or other errors. We apologize for this. Please email translation@austinisd.org if you are in need of clarification. To change your preferred correspondence language, contact your school's front office. 

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