Hello Friends,
It's Oct. 31 and that means we've made it to Halloween! If you're taking the kiddos out tonight here are some Halloween safety tips!
This is no trick! Tomorrow is a student and staff holiday in observance of Diwali.
Sunday is Daylight Saving Time. This means we will fall back an hour. Don't forget to change your clocks on the stove and microwave!
Now, let's get started…
The Austin Ed Fund’s 10th annual Inspire the Future luncheon brought public education advocates across the city together this week in support of Austin ISD.
Why it matters: Strong Schools, Stronger Austin isn’t just a saying in Austin ISD. With the support of businesses, elected officials and community leaders, our students will continue thriving in our classrooms.
The details: The Austin Ed Fund is the district’s non-profit arm that raises funds to support education and educational projects within Austin ISD.
The luncheon has grown over the last 10 years from 200 guests and 30 sponsors to 740 guests and 142 sponsors.
The event showcased student performers from across the district including the Kealing Symphony Orchestra, Bowie High School Drumline, MAC Theatre and the Crockett Early College High School Ballet Folklorico and Mariachi.
Get involved: Donations can be made to the Austin Ed Fund throughout the year by visiting the Austin Ed Fund’s website.
Austin ISD has made the difficult decision to move to a new special education data management system to replace Ed Plan for the 2025–26 school year.
Why it matters: Reliable, accessible data is essential for us to meet the needs of students receiving special education or 504 services.
A new system would allow us to streamline processes for data input and improve tracking and visibility for our users.
It will also be key to ensuring that we can continue to comply with the requirements of the TEA Order.
How we got here: Despite the tremendous amount of effort invested in enhancing our current system, it continues to present challenges for district and campus staff as they support students with disabilities.
What they’re saying: “Please know that this decision wasn’t made lightly,” said Superintendent Segura. “It is not lost on me that yet another transition for the special education data management software will be difficult news for our staff. I ask for your honest feedback, patience and mutual support along the way.”
What’s Next: Staff voice — including general and special education teachers, related service providers, campus leaders, etc. — will be critically important as we go through this transition. Please take advantage of the opportunities below to help us understand what matters to you most in a new system and what we can do to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Complete the Special Education Data Management Software Survey by Friday, Nov. 8.
Attend an upcoming listening session:
Wednesday, Oct. 30
2:15–3 p.m. District Staff - Meeting Link
3:15–4 p.m. ES Campus Staff - Meeting Link
4:15–5 p.m. MS Campus Staff - Meeting Link
5:15–6 p.m. HS Campus Staff - Meeting Link
Wednesday, Nov. 6
2:15–3 p.m. District Staff - Meeting Link
3:15–4 p.m. ES Campus Staff - Meeting Link
4:15–5 p.m. MS Campus Staff - Meeting Link
5:15–6 p.m. HS Campus Staff - Meeting Link
With the new district attendance initiative, your child’s attendance could mean extra money for their school.
Why it matters: Improved attendance is not only essential to better academic outcomes, it’s also directly tied to how the state funds Austin ISD. If Austin ISD increases attendance by just 1%, the district would see $4.5 million in additional revenue.
By the numbers: In the 2022-23 school year the Average Daily Attendance percentage reported to the Texas Education Agency was 90.96. The district’s goal is to raise that percentage to 92.3 which means 737 additional students on campus each day.
How it works: The initiative aims to boost campus attendance through financial incentives that schools can use for campus needs.
Schools will receive funds if they meet specific attendance goals at the end of the first semester and the end of the year.
Money will be distributed based on overall increases in the district's Average Daily Attendance.
Each school will receive support tailored to its individual needs.
How you can support attendance goals:
Motivate your child to go to school every day to help meet attendance goals.
If your child feels sick but doesn’t have a temperature over 100.4 degrees, they’re generally fine to attend school.
If your child has a temperature over 100.4 degrees please don’t send them to school and fill out the school absence note.
If your child is running late, or has a doctor’s appointment, remind them that they can still be marked present if they attend school.
If there are other reasons affecting attendance, reach out to campus administrators for assistance.
Go Deeper: Learn more about attendance and how you can better support your child.
Before Cybersecurity Awareness Month comes to a close, we want to share what our district is doing to protect you, our families and how that complies with HB 18 also known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act (SCOPE).
Why it matters: The SCOPE Act is a new state law that is intended to protect minors from harmful content and data collection practices.
Go deeper… What else can you do to protect yourself online? We’ve put together some tips to help you and your family stay safe.
50 Years of Excellence at LBJ - Nov. 1
Student/Staff Holiday–Diwali- Nov. 1
Native American Heritage Month- Nov. 1
Prop A Virtual Community Conversation- Nov. 2
School Psychologists Appreciation Week- Nov. 4-8
Student Holiday/ Staff Development- Nov. 5
All City Guitar Concert- Nov. 6
Calendar Task Force Meeting- Nov. 6
Austin ISD 18+ Programming Information Sessions- Nov. 7
Board Information Session- Nov. 7
For more events, please visit the Calendar of Events website.
LBJ Early College High School is celebrating a huge milestone Friday! Please join the Jaguars as they celebrate 50 years of excellence. The celebration starts with a tailgate before their homecoming game starting at 5:30 p.m. at Nelson Field.
Early voting ends Friday. The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. It's also a staff development and student holiday. Many of our schools will be the site of polling locations for Election Day.
-JJ
For questions or comments you may 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.