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Volume 25 | Number 5 | October 3, 2024

What great news! Robert B. Green Elementary at Riverside Park was officially announced as National Blue Ribbon School last week. During a watch party attended by Superintendent Jaime Aquino and Trustee Art Valdez, students and staff cheered as the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recognized them as one of 356 schools in the nation, and the only school in Bexar County to receive the nod as an exemplary high performing school by the U.S. Department of Education. “We’re proud and very excited for the entire Green community,” Valdez said. “This level of achievement has been earned through the hard work and dedication of everyone. It’s a team award, and that’s the greatest part about it. I feel that this is something the community needs and deserves right now.” Congratulations, Green at Riverside Park, on this monumental achievement.

Medal of Honor recipient, CSM (Ret.) Gary Littrell visited Lanier High School this week to discuss leadership and citizenship. Littrell was welcomed by Lanier Mariachi, and toured the school’s Career and Technical Education building, before he spoke to students in the JROTC classroom. Littrell is among 26 Medal of Honor recipients in San Antonio this week for the 2024 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Celebration. “CSM (Ret) Gary Littrell is a humble soldier whose courage, dedication to duty and unwavering bravery over a four-day period against an enemy force of over 5,000 shows the impact one person can have when they have the will to win,” Lanier JROTC educator LTC Santiago Bueno said.

This week we celebrated National Custodian Appreciation Day, and we took the time to visit with our custodian team at Ball Elementary. The team of four works seamlessly together to make sure that the school is clean and ready for learning. They said it is a pleasure because they know they are doing it for the students, and they can feel the appreciation from the campus as a whole.

“I think that starts even in administration because they’ve always been inclusive of us,” porter Angie Duran said. “We’ve always felt like we were family here. They’ve always been inclusive. When you come to work it’s not work.”

On behalf of all of the SAISD Familia, we thank our Ball custodians, and all our custodial staff for all they do!

October is National Principals Month. Our principals work so hard planning, supporting, and cheering for the teaching and learning successes of their teachers and students. We commend you and your selfless leadership as the leaders of academics on your campuses. Throughout the month, we are sharing stories of some of our amazing principals who are working tirelessly for their campus communities. This week, we bring you the story of Nikki Martinez, principal and parent at Ogden Elementary.  

Martinez is in her 19th year in education, and the last 10 of those have been at Ogden, where her children all attend. Jason is in fifth grade. Xiomara is in second, and Ariela is in kindergarten. 

“All of my kids have literally grown up within these walls,” Martinez said. “That’s what also makes it personal. It is very integrated into my family – it is both work and home at the same time.” 

You can read more about Martinez at the link below, where we will be profiling more of our outstanding campus leaders throughout the month.

More than 200 campus and district leaders and staff attended professional development Sept. 20 to hear from Dr. Karen Mapp, senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Dr. Mapp spoke about the power of authentic family engagement (versus mere family involvement) and what that can look like on campuses. 

“Dr. Mapp provides practical, research-based strategies that can be applied immediately and help shift how we view family engagement in education,” Dr. Thamesia Handford, principal of Whittier Middle School, said. “Her insights resonate with educators and administrators alike, encouraging us to think more inclusively about our family partnerships.” 

Congratulations to Fenwick Academy head custodian Susanna Hernandez, the KSAT-12 Educator of the Month. She was surprised in front of all the students in the gym when the station arrived to give her the award. “I love what I do," Hernandez told KSAT. "It’s very obvious. The kids — everybody means a lot to me."

This is Hernandez's first year at Fenwick Academy. She followed many students and staff there following the closure of Huppertz Elementary last year.

“Just to see a familiar face has really helped them with the transition,” Hernandez told KSAT. “Parents have told me they’re so happy I’m here.”

Learn more about Ms. Hernandez and the award she received at the link below.

This Sunday is National Coaches Day, and one of the greatest gifts coaches can receive is to watch the success of their teams. Burbank football coach Michael Mull (left) had that opportunity when senior defensive end Ryan Vasquez was honored by KENS-5 last week. The senior defensive end was recognized as an All-Star Athlete for both his work on the field and for his volunteer and academic efforts. "We have a saying here, 'man first, player second,'" Mull said. "Since I've walked into this building, he's aspired to be a better man every day." Congratulations to Coach Mull and Ryan, and thank you to all our coaches — athletic and instructional — for all they do for our teams.

Reimagine our SAISD Spaces! All members of the community are invited to participate in a survey about repurposing SAISD's former school buildings. Together, we can reimagine how these buildings can bring new life to our communities. Help create positive change by taking our survey. Share Your Voice! 

You are invited to attend a ribbon cutting celebrating the completion of Rogers Middle School's Bond 2020 improvements. Come by Tuesday, Oct. 8 for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. followed by self-guided tours of the school's enhanced fine arts and athletic spaces.

This morning, the SAISD Foundation made their 100th mini-grant award for the year at Cameron Elementary. A crew from the Foundation joined campus administrators in surprising dyslexia specialist Margaret Threadgill with a grant for flexible seating. "I submitted this mini-grant for my students," Threadgill said. "We are a multi-sensory classroom, so we wanted to incorporate more of a kinesthetic aspect for my students who need to move, who need to bounce or like to stand up so we can learn in a flexible environment that is inclusive for every single learner." Teachers, do you gave an idea for a mini-grant in your classroom? The funding cycle is still open for this school year. Learn more about how the SAISD Foundation can help you fund a classroom or school-wide project.

When our SAISD Familia gives back to our community we make San Antonio a better place to live and work. The district's United Way campaign is open through Oct. 26. Employees can give online via a link in the employee portal. If you choose to give, you are able to designate your gift to more than 80 eligible organizations in the area, including the SAISD Foundation (8031). Remember, any amount, when added to the cumulative effort of our SAISD United Way campaign, makes a difference. 

The Office of Family and Community Engagement and the Fine Arts Department collaborated to bring the community an evening of resources and entertainment to celebrate San Antonio Neighbors Together. San Antonio Neighbors Together is a city-wide campaign held annually on the first Tuesday of October, with the mission of strengthening relationships between local police and the communities they serve and to build community by bringing neighbors together. The resource fair featured representatives from different district departments, including our San Antonio ISD Police Department. More than 400 families received resources and free children’s books. After the fair, families enjoyed the Marching Band Pre-UIL Showcase, where they previewed the routines that bands will take to UIL contest this month, and several bands brought back awards for their performances. 

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