Hello Families,

Welcome back to this 2025-26 school year!

Update: Appitol News will now be published every month. You may find the latest news updates on the news section of the Austin ISD website.

New this school year, we are sharing audio news updates. Our first episode is embedded in this newsletter, but you can also find them on Spotify.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month - Take a moment to check the Austin ISD Family Resource Guide–it is full of helpful resources to support you and your family.

…and check out how you can get involved in what's happening at Austin ISD this month—just scroll down to find all the details.

Let’s get started…

A new visualization of the school consolidation and boundary change process is available for families to understand factors impacting the analysis, boundaries, feeder patterns, projected empty seats and programming. 

What’s next: A draft consolidation plan will be shared with the community on Oct. 3 and the Board of Trustees will discuss the plan at its Oct. 9 Information Session. This plan will include recommendations for each school, new boundaries and any proposed changes to programs or transfers.

• Oct. 9: Board Information Session, preliminary districtwide consolidation and boundary plan presented to the board. 

• Nov. 6: Board Info Session and Special Vote

• Nov. 20: Board vote on the final consolidation and boundary plan 

Starting this fall, progress reports and standard report cards will now be emailed to families directly to their email. 

Why it matters: We’re committed to building connections between our students’ homes and our classrooms. By sending these documents directly to families, we’ll ensure they won’t get lost at the bottom of backpacks and caregivers can check in on how their child is doing throughout grading periods.

The details: Parents and students can continue to view current grades for all assignments through Parent Self Serve (PSS) and Student Self Serve (SSS) located in the Austin ISD portal.

• In addition to the new email distribution method, the report card format will appear the same districtwide. 

• Report cards and progress reports will no longer be posted in the student documentation tile. 

• Need a paper copy? Connect with your campus for support.

What’s Next: Progress reports are scheduled for release Sept. 16 so look out for them! As a reminder, only students at middle and high schools receive progress reports. 

• All students will receive the first report cards in early November.

Looking for ways to support Austin ISD students and staff this month? Here’s what’s on our radar for September:

The Faculty and Staff Fine Arts Exhibit is a must! The exhibit showcases amazing work from our educators and staff from across the district. 

• Happening now through Sept. 26 at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. 

• Wait… there’s more! The community is invited to attend the Artist’s Reception, 6-9 p.m. Sept. 26, to connect with our educators and celebrate their work. 

Tools for Success is Austin ISD’s districtwide family workshop series designed to connect families with valuable insights into the district. 

• September’s workshop, “How are schools funded in Texas?” features a presentation for families on how school funding is impacted by attendance, Title I services and how continued engagement directly supports student success. 

• Join the conversation, 10-11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 13 at LBJ Early College High School, 7309 Lazy Creek Dr., Austin TX 78724

Do you love music? Do you love supporting our students? Come on out to the Band Jamboree and the Middle/High School All-City Orchestra performances. 

• Band Jamboree takes place at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Toney Burger Stadium. This annual event showcases the district’s high school marching bands’ incredible talent, dedication and spirit! 

• Middle School and High School All-City Orchestra performs at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Austin ISD PAC. Celebrate student musicians as they come together for an inspiring evening of orchestral music. You won’t want to miss this event! 

Don’t miss out on the Day of Dance FREE Community Festival! Bring out the whole family for a full day of professional performances, free dance classes, live music and…a secret performance. The fun-filled day event includes a Flash Mob! 

• Happening 10 a.m.-4 p.m, Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Austin ISD PAC.

• Join the Flash Mob at 1 p.m. Look for the Flash Mob leaders who will be wearing pink hats to help guide you through the steps!

Save the date! September 27 the Native American Cultural Center and Austin ISD Native American and Indigenous Education Program will host a grand opening and open house of their cultural center at the former Brooke Elementary School Campus. The event will honor Texas’ American Indian Heritage Day. 

• Join the celebration noon-2 p.m., Sept. 27, Brooke Elementary School, 3100 E. 4th St., Austin TX 78702 

And...September is Teaching Assistant, Custodians and Groundskeeping Appreciation Week! If you want to highlight a great story with an Austin ISD staff member, tell us about it! Fill out this form on our website. 

For more calendar events visit Austin ISD Calendar of Events.

MAP: Which school districts increased teacher pay for the 2025-26 school year?- KXAN

Austin ISD to extend prekindergarten care at 9 campuses with Travis County funding- Community Impact

Austin ISD inviting families to attend virtual meetings on school consolidation process- KVUE

I also want to recognize September is Deaf Awareness Month and the start of Hispanic Heritage Month! Check out events happening in the city for the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month on the Statesman’s website.

Thanks for being part of the Austin ISD family! We love keeping you updated and if there’s anything you’d like to see in the newsletter, feel free to let us know

Have a great weekend!

-JJ

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 jorge.maldonado@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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