Parents and Families Newsletter

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Boletín informativo para Padres y Familias.

Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome to the Summer edition of our Parents & Families Newsletter! This issue is focused on helping you continue to support your child’s learning through fun, engaging activities. We hope you will revisit this newsletter throughout the summer and try out a couple of our suggestions.

Remember, you can always have web pages translated to your native language by adding the Google Translate Extension for android or Apple devices.

Don’t forget to fill out a quick survey to share any information or suggestions you might have for the next newsletter. We value your input!

Your child has been learning all year long, and the STAAR test will allow you as a parent to see how much they have grown academically. The Understanding Your Child's Score (STAAR) webpage helps you as a parent understand the STAAR report card and will give details for each test that your child participated in. You will find samples of the report card in over twelve languages!

To understand the language progression of your child, we recommend you visit the Understanding Your Child's Score TELPAS) webpage. This resource provides a sample TELPAS report card in English and Spanish which includes TELPAS proficiency levels for all four language domains (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) as well as a composite score.

To view your child’s results, please visit the Texas Assessments Family Portal.

Mark your calendar for this great opportunity. Come learn about impactful practices happening in districts, schools, and classrooms and be the spark for change in your child’s school. This in-person conference for educators and parents will take place in beautiful Corpus Christi, Texas and registration is open!

The following educational websites are free resources schools have shared that will help your child improve their English language skills.

Target Skills: Language Learning

Recommended Grade Levels: All ages

Improve English language skills by completing an online course.

The easiest way to use this resource is to:

1. Open Duolingo and select the language you speak fluently on the top right corner.

2. Click on “Get Started” and create a FREE account.

3. Select the language you want to learn.

4. Click on the path you want to take: “Learning for the first time” or “Already know some”.

We recommend that you select “Already know some.” Once you select that learning path, you will be given a short quiz that Duolingo will use to tailor its lessons to meet your current skill level. This is a fun and engaging way to practice either English or your home language.

Target Skills: Reading, Math, Science, Geography

Recommended Grade Levels: K-8

FunBrain has free learning games that will keep your child learning.

Getting Started with Funbrain:

1. Open Funbrain and browse by Grade level or select a game.

We recommend playing “What on Earth” with your child to learn about famous places on Earth and their locations. During the game, you are given a daily chance to guess one famous place on Earth and its location. After you guess, you get the opportunity to read about the place and learn more about it.

Target Skills: Career and life skills

Recommended Grade Levels: 6-12

Coursera offers free courses on a variety of topics.

Take an online course to learn more about a topic that you are interested in such as food and health, fashion, communication, and more.

1. Go to Coursera and create a free profile.

2. Click “For Individuals” on the top menu bar.

3. Click “Explore” and select “Take a FREE class.”

We recommend starting with “The Science of Well-being for Teens.” This course teaches behaviors that will help boost your child’s mood. Log in and complete the course with your child, at your own pace.

Don’t forget to visit txel.org/SupportingChild for more interactive educational websites to help your child continue their learning during the summer.

In preparation for summer, we have gathered some tips to help you support your child’s physical and emotional well-being from “Give Your Kids a Healthy Body and Mind this Summer,” an article published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The article outlines 3 areas to focus on: Physical activity, healthy eating, and emotional well-being. Below are some suggestions to try at home.

Did you know that children should get 60 minutes of physical activity every day? Movement helps decrease stress and improve thinking skills. Whether indoors or outdoors, you can lead activities that get your child moving. An easy indoor activity to try is dancing during commercials. Every time a commercial comes on, turn on your favorite music and have everyone get up and dance. While dancing, have your child tell you about a show or book that they enjoy. This activity gives them an opportunity to practice retelling events while dancing!

Healthy eating can seem a little intimidating, but simply adding more fruits and vegetables to snack-time will help your child in the long-term. Set some time aside to prepare fruit and vegetables with your child for easy snacking. Slice oranges, apples, watermelon, or any other fruit you have and mix it up in plastic bags. Then, have your child make a snack with the cut fruit by having them follow the directions to a healthy recipe like the Fruit-a-licious Breakfast Cup. Now, the next time your child wants a snack, a healthy one is ready-to-go!

Gardening, arts and crafts, and group activities all help develop healthy emotional well-being in children. This summer, take some time to build a habit that can last into the fall, like planting a seed and tracking its growth. An easy seed to start with is a cucumber seed. Just take the seeds out of a cucumber and wash them off. Once they are dry, place the seeds in a small pot with soil, water them regularly, and watch them grow. Your child can track the growth using a notebook to describe the experience.

Social Self-Care is not at the top of the list in the article, “8 Types of Self-Care,” but it is an important one. Social self-care is about surrounding yourself with people that you trust and asking for help when you need it. Social self-care can include using social media in positive ways, establishing healthy boundaries, connecting with a support group, taking time to play, and asking others for help. This summer, when you think you’re too busy to play, think again and play a game of catch with your child or join a book club at the library. Taking care of your own needs is an important part of a balanced life.

Remember to check out our previous newsletters for advice on other areas of self-care.

The summer months are a time of rest and recharge. Balancing out the days with healthy food, activities, and self-care can make for a meaningful time for the entire family. Older children may shy away from participating in family events, so be sure to support their involvement in team sports or activities that will keep them active and engaged. When school resumes in the fall, your child will be better prepared to navigate school routines and new learning.

If you would like to access the previous Parent and Family Newsletters, click below.

Spring Newsletter Highlights

Learn about the state tests your child faces and find out ways to help them succeed.

Winter Newsletter Highlights

Learn how keeping routines can create a positive learning experience and lead to more success for your child in the Winter Quarterly Newsletter.

Fall Newsletter Highlights

Identify ways to team up with your child’s teacher to support your child throughout the year.

August Newsletter Highlights

Discover how to help your child adjust to a new school after a move. The August issue offers suggestions to help students navigate through this challenging time.

July Newsletter Highlights

Find out what to do if your child has changed school, help your child develop some practical skills around the house, and get some tips for physical self-care routines.

June Newsletter Highlights

Learn about ways to keep your child engaged both mentally and physically. Also, check out numerous websites for local and digital adult English classes.

Stay informed about the resources and support available by subscribing to TEA’s Txel.org web portal. Click on the Subscribe Today!

TXEL.org is a web portal that provides information and resources that are relevant, accessible, and impactful to support educational leaders, teachers, parents and families, and community partners to ensure the academic success of the State’s emergent bilingual students.

Contact us at: https://www.txel.org/contact/

Email: EnglishLearnerSupport@tea.texas.gov

Visit: tea.texas.gov