Almost Time to Perform With the Austin Symphony!

I’ve been practicing the recorder with AISD Instructional Coordinator of Elementary Music Patty Moreno to prepare for next week’s Young People’s Concert with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. This year, thousands of AISD students will play the recorders and sing with the Austin Symphony, and I’ll be joining them. On Tuesday, May 22, at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, I’ll join students from Allison, Cowan, Govalle, Kiker, Mills, Pillow, Reilly and Woolridge elementary schools in a performance of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and other compositions. I hope the other students are practicing as hard as I am!

UpClose Graduation

May is a big month for graduations around AISD, and today we celebrated the graduation of the 2012 class of AISD UpClose. The 27 graduates have spent the past year learning about AISD: its infrastructure, programs, and services, as well as the challenges and opportunities involved in running a large urban school district. Each month, AISD UpClose classes met at various district sites to have an "inside look" at key programs.

Over the past year, this UpClose class heard about state and federal accountability systems; budgeting; intergovernmental relations: board governance; how we provide increased academic support for struggling students; curriculum and instruction;  parent support; our Pre-K, elementary, middle and high schools; special education; our English Language Learners; and our Human Capital operations, including our REACH program.

Today, AISD Board President Mark Williams and Vice President Torres joined me in congratulating this outstanding class. Thanks, UpClose graduates! We hope to see more of you in the years ahead!