Dear Akins Family,

I hope you and your family had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We are excited to begin approaching the end of the fall 2021 semester. Here are a couple of reminders of what will be happening in the next couple of weeks.

The first week of December is STAAR retesting week. This means that on December 7th - 9th any 10th grader - 12th grader that did not test in the Spring of 2021 or Summer of 2021 and was due for a STAAR test will be testing during this time. This also includes any student that still needs to take and pass a STAAR test to graduate. Due to the amount of testers we have, we will be stopping the normal class day and assigning rooms for all students. Therefore students will either be taking the STAAR test, going to their practicum, tutoring, or staying in one location to study for finals. Seniors may go on college visits (with appropriate documentation), or go to the CCC to work on FAFSA or apply to colleges.

December 13th is the last regular school day of the semester. December 14th -December 17th are finals. There will be two finals per day that are 2 hours each. We will provide breakfast on these days but not lunch. On the days of finals students will be released at 1:10 pm and are not allowed to visit or go to any other campus in AISD.

There are many events occurring over the next couple of weeks that I have included below.

The winter break is from December 20th - January 4th. We will welcome all of our students back to campus on January 5th, 2022 for the first day of the spring semester.

I wish all of our students and families a safe and restful winter break!

Sincerely,

Tina Salazar

Principal

Akins ECHS

Congratulations to the BLUE and GOLD teams of Akins ECHS that placed 1st and 2nd at the YMCA District Competition. These students excelled in trial court, appellate court, legislative, media, and public affairs! These teams are led by attorney and Akins teacher, Carlos Garcia.

The Eagle’s Eye picked up 3rd Place in Best In Show at Texas Educators of Journalism Educators Fall Fiesta Convention in San Antonio. Congratulations Eagles Eye staff!

Huge congratulations to the Region 18 Jazz Ensembles for their incredible performances! These students are rock stars! Shout out to our three representatives: Drew Sterling, Daniel Jordan, and Quinten Hanson!

Congratulations to Deonne Gonzalez and Kristen Fonseca for finishing in 2nd and 3rd at the Capital Classic!

Congratulations to Jacob Ortiz, Julio Menchaca, and Javier Rodriguez for placing 3rd at the JV Capital Classic! Tristen Nombrana and Jamarion Carter both finished in 4th. Awesome job!

Correctional Services Internship competed in the Regional TXPSTA Criminal Justice Competition and was able to place in every event we competed. Please congratulate the following students who are headed to state competition in January:

3rd Place Inmate Processing

Alexis Calderon-Gonzalez

2nd Place Misdemeanor Traffic Stops

Brandon Dang

3rd Place Female Law Enforcement Agility Course

Ana Lefranc-Pierantozzi

1st Place Female Law Enforcement Agility Course

Serenity Shaw

1st Place Cell Extraction

Cell Extraction Team Includes…

Ana Lefranc-Pierantozzi

Andrea Gonzales-Maya

Mathew Fan

Serenity Shaw

Alexis Downs

Victor Cerda

I am a School Social Worker at Akins Early College High School in south Austin. I am skilled in crisis management, clinical interventions, and working in fast paced environments. I am passionate about serving children, adolescents, and families, so individuals can have the support and access to services they need to be the best they can be. I look forward to connecting to learn how to continue to better serve our community!

We believe in using Restorative Justice practices to build healthier communities, promote peace, and create a space to heal from stressful social situations.

WHAT ARE CHECK INS, CHECK UPS, AND CHECK OUTS?

These circles can be used at the beginning of class or as a quick break in the middle of a class period. Using classroom circles gets student's engaged and participating! These circles not only help develop relationships that make teaching easier but also asked students to identify critical emotions currently impacting them such as: excited, sad, passionate, happy, content, fear, anger, hurt, or sad.

Check in: Use at the beginning of the week to gauge emotions being carried over from last week.

Check up: A mid-week circle to identify how the week is going.

Check out: Find out student's weekend plans and learn how the week has impacted them.

If you need to chat with Ms. Bell or need a circle here is the form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVtWg4DgTE-AM7xtX_SqPgaxNmlm8MMSnQEaRgtfCaSCGEjQ/viewform

The Communities In Schools (CIS) mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CIS works to ensure students’ needs are addressed so they can come to school consistently and engage fully in learning. CIS establishes partnerships with service providers, business organizations, community members, and school personnel to effectively provide the vital resources and supports youth at risk of dropout need to stay on the path to graduation. CIS will provide professional site staff to work on campus with students and families in collaboration with school personnel. Through site coordination and case management the CIS site staff will connect the school and students with the following tiers of support to address campus goals and individual student needs. If you would like to speak to Ms. Pouncy you can email her at mary.altum-pouncy@austinisd.org. Her office is located in the New Tech Office wing.

Hello, Akins High School Parents and Families,

I am the new Parent Support Specialist and I am your Parent Support Specialist at Akins High School. You are the single, major driving force in your students’ life. The education of our students depends on a successful partnership between you and Akins High School. Principals and teachers cannot do it alone. This is why your involvement is so important. There is no one like you!

As your new Parent Support Specialist, I can assist in several ways. Together you and I can:

• Find Resources. I can help parents and families find assistance from school supplies to services in the community.
• Learn new things about the school and how to help your child succeed. We can come together for workshops throughout the year on topics that meet your needs or interest.
• Become leaders in our school. We need parents and families for more than volunteering. Your input and participation in the Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) and other school committees can ensure that your voice and expertise as a parent are heard.

If I can be of any support or assistance please let me know. My phone number is (512) 841-9805 and my e-mail address is connie.agueromiralrio@austinisd.org. Provided is my contact information and list of upcoming parent events, please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or ideas. Have a great day!

We are working on having Parent Events.

Sincerely,

Connie Aguero Miralrio, Parent Support Specialist

Akins High School

(512) 841 - 9805

Hi everyone! I am Ms. Arellano, your Project ADVANCE Facilitator at Akins High School, aka College and Career Advisor. Not only was I born and raised in Austin, but I am also a proud Akins alumni! I am a first-generation graduate from Texas State University, where I majored in Family and Consumer Sciences. After graduation, I went into the non-profit world, working with an organization where they focused on building girls’ self-efficacy, which is one’s belief in their ability to succeed. Self-efficacy is something that I plan to bring to the Akins College and Career Center, especially with post-secondary plans for students. I am excited to work with the students at Akins because I too was once in the same seat that they are in now. It has always been my vision to work with youth from the community I grew up in, and I am so happy to work with students building their future post-high school. Feel free to stop by the CCC for any of your College and Career needs.

Hi beautiful people! I am Ms. Wilkins! The College Adviser with Advise Texas which is one of the largest college access programs in the nation, serving at Akins High School! I was born and raised in Dallas Texas. And I moved to Austin, Texas to attend the University of Texas at Austin. I received my bachelor’s degree in Educational Psychology becoming a first-generation college graduate. After graduation, I went into domestic violence, working with a national non-profit organization to support survivors of intimate partner violence. Being able to support others has always been a strong suit and passion of mine. I believe all students deserve to have access to higher education. I want to give students hope, a safe space, support, and inspiration to believe in themselves and achieve their dreams! Feel free to stop by the CCC for any of your College and Career needs.

https://www.akinseagles.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=296651&type=d&pREC_ID=685056

Click on the Academy button to see Academy contact information.