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Family Newsletter
By Nayeli Santoyo & Collaborators●Apr 07, 2023
Smart Brevity® count: 5 mins...1383 words
Hello Families! 🌸🐝
I hope you are enjoying this long weekend and the 🗓️beginning of April. The end of the school year is less than two months away and as a reminder, don't forget to ✍🏻register your children for next year.
🗓️During this month we will be telling stories in✨ honor of Arab American Heritage Month. And in this edition you will meet a student who graduated 🎓from Anderson High School 🏫and is now a freshman at Harvard University.
💻Keep reading for information on a series of virtual workshops on autism that Vela is offering this month in conjunction with 🏫🍎Austin ISD.
🎉Congratulations to the finalists of 🍎"Teacher of the Year 2023"!
And last but not least, a reminder that 🗓️Saturday, April 15 is the . 💼
Now let's get started....
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1 Big thing: Interim Superintendent Segura taps 🍎🏫Teacher of the Year finalists🏆
On Thursday, April 6, Interim Superintendent Matias Segura and other district leaders visited four schools to surprise the🏆 finalists for 🍎🏫Austin ISD Teacher of the Year 2023.
Why it matters: Each year each Austin ISD campus selects a Teacher of the Year who exemplifies excellence in teaching and commitment to the district’s mission, vision, and values.🥇
📣Who they are: There are four finalists for Teacher of the Year 2023.
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Carey Conner, an 🎨 art teacher at , has been with Austin ISD for 11 years. Conner focuses on connecting her students to the community and creating a community in her classroom.
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Jose Sanchez, a 📖 social studies teacher at , has been with Austin ISD for 10 years. Sanchez has made it his goal to help students understand how history has shaped them and how their future will be determined by their current actions.
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Samantha Marion, 🎒special education and life skills transition teacher at, has been with the district for 10 years. Marion’s goal is to ensure that her students graduate from high school with the resources necessary to be an active member of their family and community.
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Megan Vasquez, 👟physical education teacher at , has been with Austin ISD for 12 years. Her goal is to help students live a healthy, happy, and active life.
What’s next: 🥇The winners will be announced at Salute on Wednesday, May 10 at the Austin ISD 🎭 Performing Arts Center.
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2. Local non-profit Vela provides free resources, support for families of children with disabilities 💻
With tears in her eyes, Maria Saucedo becomes emotional talking about what her son Jose means to her.❤️
“He is an angel to me…. He has come to change my life because we have struggled, but I don't know what I would do without him," Maria says.
Seeking help: 🔎Looking for help to understand and support Jose, Maria found out about the local organization Vela through a friend and 📱social media.
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Since he was 3 years old, Jose has been diagnosed with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (commonly known as ADHD), language challenges and other disabilities. Jose is now a 10th grader at .
Why it matters: 📣Vela, a non-profit organization established in 2011, offers free learning courses for families of children with disabilities. Vela’s vision is to create a community where all families of children with disabilities thrive.
Struggling with a diagnosis: Before connecting with the Vela community, Maria says she felt depressed, not knowing how to help Jose or what his future would be.
"More than anything [Vela] gave me the tools," said Maria, adding that Vela classes taught her about Jose’s rights at school and how to be more organized with his education and medical files. "I learned to understand that I am not alone, that there are more parents who are going through a similar situation.”
Get connected: Vela, in collaboration with Austin ISD’s Special Education department, is offering a free series of workshops in April for families that have a child with autism.
Questions? ❓For more information please contact liena.deleon@austinisd.org.
Go deeper: Visit Vela’s website for their of free, virtual & interactive parent courses on autism, special education, caregiver wellness and transition to adulthood for disabled youths.
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3. From Lady Bird Lake 🛶 to the Charles River, Austin ISD graduate embraces Harvard 🎓
As Austin ISD celebrates Arab American Heritage Month, we profile Anderson High grad and Harvard freshman Aseel Rawashdeh.
The first thing Aseel Rawashdeh plans to do the next time she’s home in Austin is go to Chuy’s for some refried beans. 🌮 “They’re probably not authentic,” says the 18-year-old as she chuckles. “But they are delicious!”
Reminders of home: Rawashdeh is an Austin ISD-graduate-turned--freshman. And Chuy’s is just one of the many Texas things she misses: H-E-B, 🛶 kayaking on Lady Bird Lake, and especially her family, friends and former teachers at. “Some weren’t even my teachers,” she says, “But they were always helping me with my labs and stuff.” ⚗️
Inspiration: Rawashdeh loves celebrating Arab American women; in particular, those who are scientists. “I want to become that person,” she says.
STEM path: What kind of scientist will she be? That’s currently a mystery but – as a freshman - she still has time to decide. Her heart ♥️ is divided between biology 🔬 and statistics. “On the days I struggle with math, I think I’ll major in biology – and vice versa!”
Ramadan in New England: Living so far from home in Boston 🌃 is a big transition, particularly during Ramadan.
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Traditionally, during Ramadan, Rawashdeh – whose roots are Palestinian and Jordanian - would fast from sunrise 🌅 to sunset and break her fast with a family meal. 🍽️
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At her new home she is becoming friends with people of many backgrounds. Her old traditions are now infused with new colors. At times, something as simple as greeting other Arab Americans becomes a delightful discovery of new phrases from other parts of the world. 🌏
Go deeper: is a month of fasting (refraining from food or drink) from sunrise to sunset for members of the Muslim community. This year Ramadan runs from March 22 to April 21. 📆
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4. National expert, parents discuss post-pandemic⚕️ education🏫
Dr. Jesus Amaya, a nationally recognized education researcher 🔎and author of 35 books 📚on education and parent-child relationships, spoke with parent leaders and UpClose program participants this week about the aftermath of the pandemic and how to help children move forward successfully.
Dr. Amaya and parents discussed post-pandemic mental health ⚕️and how discipline, technology 📱and other factors affected children during and after the pandemic.
“Respect and firmness are two things we need to use with our children today,” said Amaya, adding that these elements can help parents navigate many situations with their children.
about Dr. Amaya.
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6. Rounding up the news📰🗞️
(Austin FC Communications)
(Statesman)
(FOX 7)
(KVUE)
(KXAN)
(KXAN)
(Statesman)
(Texas Tribune)
(KUT)
(KVUE)
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Nayeli is excited to see her family 🛬🧳visiting from 🇲🇽México this weekend. They will be visiting Austin🤠 for the first time and only for a couple of days.
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