Parents and Families Newsletter

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Boletín informativo para Padres y Familias.

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Dear Parents and Families,

As summer marches on, the extra time together as a family can feel like a wonderful gift or extra work - but it doesn’t have to be! It’s possible to use this time to strengthen your child’s independence while increasing language proficiency by completing everyday tasks around the house. Also, check out tips for your physical self-care that can be squeezed into your normal routine.

Subscribe to the Site

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

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

If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities and resources available to migrant families, register for the AMET Conference. It will be in San Marcos, Texas on November 16-18, 2022 and will give you the opportunity to meet migrant families as well as educators dedicated to servicing the migrant communities of Texas.

Interested in learning more about how to support your child’s learning journey to meet academic standards? 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 Frisco, Texas and registration is open!

Last month, we focused on websites to work on your child’s reading skills. This month, we want to offer suggestions to help your child develop their writing skills. Remember, there are many more websites found on the Supporting my Child page on the TEA’s Txel.org web portal.

ESL Writing Wizard

Target Skills:

Writing

Recommended Grade Levels: PK-8

Create your own worksheets to practice handwriting at all levels. Try the Android or Apple app if you don’t have access to a printer.

Make Beliefs Comix

Target Skills:

Reading and Writing

Recommended Grade Levels: 1-12

Combine love of drawing and writing to create comics at all ages.

Typing Club

Target Skills: Writing

Recommended Grade Levels: 2-12

Work on improving typing skills to make writing papers even easier.

Get that GED!

Are you ready to take your job prospects to the next level or simply further your education, check out GED.com for study materials, local or online GED courses, and schedule your GED exam at a local test center.

Find the resources for you

Check out HealthCare.gov if you are looking for health insurance for your family. While the Open Enrollment begins November 1st, if you have a qualifying event like moving, getting married, having a baby, getting divorced, and others; you will qualify to apply for healthcare coverage.

New device? No problem!

If you want grow your skills or to solve everyday tech problems, take a look at the Tech Boomers site which has tutorials and courses for hundreds of tech topics. So if you need to do some research or are struggling with a new tech device, check out the numerous resources that they have for Apple, Android, Alexa, Siri, Google and so many more!

Did your family move this Summer?

We understand moving can be stressful for the entire family and cause anxiety for both parents and children especially when moving causes them to have to change schools. To make things easier for you and less scary for your child, check out our recommendations below.

Save time…Get the paperwork

Before moving, stop by your child’s old school and ask for a folder or envelope of confidential student information for your child. Having this information will make it easier for the receiving school to enroll and place your child in the appropriate educational setting before school even starts.

New School Information

If you need to get to know your new school community, make sure to:

• Ask your current school if they can provide you with contact information for the new school or visit TXSchools.gov and locate your new school by entering your new address and check out the school’s rating.

• Ask for a school tour at your new school to ease any anxiety that you or your child might be experiencing.

• Check to see if you can sign your child up for an extracurricular activity that will help them get to know other students.

Summer is in full swing and many parents might be counting down the days until school starts again. Why not make the most of the rest of the summer by using the extra time the kids are at home to get some help and teach some valuable skills.

Shopping Assistant Wanted

Do you have to go grocery shopping and need to take the kids with you? Use the time together to challenge them and keep them engaged by having them count out the produce, hunt for certain colors, or search for specific brands using their reading skills. You can even ask them to keep track of the grocery bill as you go shopping.

Let’s get things done!

As a parent, you might feel overwhelmed by the amount of work around the house. Ask your child to help out with creating a household chore chart by daily, weekly, and monthly chores. This will give them some experience managing people and tasks and challenge them to think critically while evenly distributing jobs by time and effort for each one.

“Adulting” for your high schooler

Is your teenager planning on leaving the house after graduating high school? Get them ready and involved in budgeting with their own income and expenses. Start by reviewing their income from jobs and allowances then ask them to write their weekly or monthly expenses, and have them do the math! Once they know their budget after necessities, talk to them about how they would spend or save the remaining amount. Consider looking at various budget apps that they can download to get them started with smart financial habits.

We often hear about how we need to make sure we are practicing “self-care,” but what does that even mean? Many mental health professionals believe there are 8 types of self-care which include physical, intellectual, professional, financial, spiritual, social, environmental, and emotional.

For the month of July, challenge yourself to incorporate a few physical self-care routines.

1. As caregivers, we often are much better at making sure our children are well cared for, but often forget about ourselves. When you are scheduling school physicals for your children, make sure to schedule a wellness check for you as well.

2. Especially with the heat of summer, make sure you are drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration and the many consequences of it like feeling tired, lightheaded, or experiencing headaches.

3. Try to take just a few minutes each day to go outside to get that much needed Vitamin D. Carving out time might mean taking the longer route to your car after work, eating breakfast or dinner outside, or watching your children play outside for a few minutes before bedtime routines.

Check back in with the newsletter in August for some tips on intellectual self-care suggestions.

Taking it to the next level

While summer time can sometimes feel overwhelming, take this time to challenge your child to grow their skills by helping around the house on family tasks. This will allow you to make those important connections with them while helping your child become more independent and confident with each new skill they master.

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

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.

May Newsletter Highlights

Visit the Goodwill Community Foundation for free courses about various technology programs.

February Newsletter Highlights

Visit Go-Digital to enhance your technology skills. Also check out the TELPAS parent brochure on how to get your child ready for TELPAS.

January Newsletter Highlights

Visit findhelp.org to find food assistance, help paying bills, and other free or reduced cost programs, including new programs for COVID by entering your zip code.

November/December Newsletter Highlights

Visit findhelp.org to find food assistance, help paying bills, and other free or reduced cost programs, including new programs for COVID by entering your zip code.

October Newsletter Highlights

Visit the TEA Back to School Parent Conferencing Tool web page, to learn more.

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 English learners.

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

Email: EnglishLearnerSupport@tea.texas.gov

Call: 512-463-9414

Visit: tea.texas.gov