Welcome to the District 1 community for the 2021-2022 school year! On August 16th, I had the opportunity to join Dr Michael Hinojosa at his first day of school event in Prestonwood Montessori at ED Walker. It was great to be able to personally welcome the students to one of our brand new schools and see all those happy faces in class.

As we continue to navigate through the pandemic, we are working on different strategies to address unfinished learning. Classroom learning remains the best option for students, as teachers can help those who need it most and include social and emotional learning practices throughout the day. Safety measures, including mask requirements, sanitation stations and social distancing, will remain in place to ensure the health of our students. However, we know that many families still fear sending their children to school. To allay those concerns, the district recently announced a Virtual Academy, which began on August 24, for students under the age of 12, who will receive virtual education for nine weeks. The program will be reassessed towards the end of each rating period.

A big thank you to the Junior League for funding teacher projects up to $ 86,880

For nearly three decades, the Junior League of Dallas’ Grants for Innovative Teaching project has funded district educator dream projects to provide meaningful and unique learning experiences for students. This year, 41 teachers received grants to cover the cost of dozens of projects – for a total of $ 86,880 in grants.

Many thanks to the Junior League of Dallas, and congratulations to the following District 1 educators who received grants: Yvonne Duque (Thomas Jefferson High School), Heather Dunlap (Thomas C. Marsh Preparatory Academy), James Peerson (George HW Bush Elementary School), Keesha Graves (Chapel Hill Preparatory School) and Jose Armendariz (John J. Pershing Primary School).

Spanish Website for Parents of Dallas ISD

As part of the Dallas ISD Hispanic Heritage Month campaign and racial equity initiatives, the Dallas ISD Parent Advocacy Department has launched a Spanish web page, www.DallasISD.org/PADRES, to provide culturally relevant information to parents. The site includes weekly Spanish info sessions broadcast live on Facebook, Spanish podcast episodes, parent resources and links to the Dallas ISD department, all on one page.

For the latest district-wide information and events, parents can also visit the district’s main webpage in Spanish: www.dallasisd.org/espanol.

Recognitions in the first district

First of all, I would like to welcome Mr. Ben Jones, the new principal of Thomas Jefferson High School. Principal Jones had a 14-year career as an educator, including seven at Dallas ISD. I wish him the best for continuing the incredible work of Thomas Jefferson.

I also want to congratulate John Erickson, a fifth grade student at Chapel Hill Preparatory School. His article on Roger Farkash, the mastermind behind Trains at NorthPark, won third place in the Best Profile Feature Story of the National Newspaper Association Awards.

And finally, congratulations to Mr. José Armendariz from Pershing Primary School for being recognized as Teacher of the Year 2021 of Region 10. As you may recall, Mr. Armendariz was the Elementary Teacher of the year of last year here at Dallas ISD.

For the latest district news, follow us on social media @Dallasisd and @dallasisdEspanol.

Dallas ISD Trustee
Edwin Flores, District 1