Dear El Paso ISD:

This week, El Paso's District has been actively engaging with community partners to inspire and empower learners. We firmly believe that when we work together, we all benefit.

One of our recent initiatives is the Reconnect EPISD Attendance/Recovery Walk, which aims to promote consistent attendance, a key predictor of student success. We were honored to have El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser, Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Judge Josh Herrera, and U.S. Army School Liaison Officer Dwain Gulley join us in launching this important campaign. Our administrative leaders and Alpha Team members also visited families at their homes to outline plans for students to maintain or resume their educational paths after the challenges of the previous school year.

We are grateful for the support of our city leaders in emphasizing the importance of showing up for school, especially during Attendance Awareness Month. We have more walks planned and will be recognizing campuses with notable attendance figures after the first six weeks. Show up! You Matter!

Earlier this week, we held community meetings, joined by Mayor Leeser and city leaders, to gather input on the future of the Morehead Middle School site. We value the opinions of our community members and want to provide ample opportunities for them to learn more about the campus and share their thoughts. Keep an eye out for updates on our website and social media for more community meetings.

Next week, we invite parents to attend parent-teacher conferences at our campuses. Please make plans to meet your child's teachers and be part of their success. Elementary school conferences will be held Tuesday, Sept. 12, high school conferences Wednesday, Sept. 13, and middle school conferences Thursday, Sept. 14. Students will have early release on their conference dates.

We are proud to showcase the talent of our fine arts students at the El Paso ISD Stanton Gallery. The Home is Where the heART Is exhibit, featuring original student works, will have an opening reception Tuesday, Sept. 12, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This exhibit commemorates El Paso Day and is a testament to the creativity and skill of our students.

In the realm of sports, our high school football teams are taking the stage at the iconic Sun Bowl Stadium on the University of Texas at El Paso campus. Franklin and Coronado faced off Thursday night, and on Saturday, Sept. 16, long-time rivals Bowie and Jefferson will compete for the 75th time at 11 a.m. Come out and support our teams and all the student groups that make game day special!

I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Cristy Rubio, an English teacher at El Paso High School, for receiving the Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award from Humanities Texas. This prestigious award recognizes exemplary K-12 humanities teachers, and Ms. Rubio is one of the 14 El Paso ISD teachers who have earned this honor since 2004. Well done, Ms. Rubio!

Save the date for El Paso ISD Night at the Locomotive at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. Join us for a fun night of soccer at Southwest University Park as our El Paso Locomotive takes on the Phoenix Rising. Look out for information on special ticket pricing for El Paso ISD staff, which will be sent to your inboxes soon.

As we return to campuses Monday, let us remember and reflect on the events of Sept. 11, 2001, which marked a pivotal moment in our history. This year, we commemorate the 22nd year since that fateful day. It is important that we ensure the memory of 9/11 lives on, especially for the younger generations who may not have experienced it firsthand. Through education and remembrance, we can foster empathy, patriotism, and a commitment to a brighter future.

Together, we can build that future for ourselves and our children. Let's move forward together.

It starts with us.

Sincerely,

Diana Sayavedra
Superintendent of Schools

Sept. 8, 2023