Subject Expert: Casie Bland, SAISD Director of Special Education Disability and Learning Support Services
Bland leads the SAISD “Braille Team” and can speak to the great lengths that transcribers go through to ensure that a quality education is accessible for all.

January is Braille Literacy Month. San Antonio ISD has a Braille team that is working 12 months a year to give vision-impaired children the same access to learning materials as their classmates. That’s why the SAISD Disability and Learning Support Services transcribes all classwork, print outs, and assignments for visual impaired students. Some team members are braille transcribers (two of them have more than 25 years of experience). Others are teachers for special needs students. Peek behind the curtain as the team of professionals uses multiple tools to create engaging accessible learning materials. San Antonio ISD is one of only three districts in the area to transcribe materials in house.

Calendar items

Jan. 21 (Sat.) – SAISD Educator Career Fair 
9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Brackenridge High School, 400 Eagleland Dr., 78210
RSVP: https://www.saisd.net/jobfair
New Year, new career! San Antonio ISD is recruiting teachers, instructional assistants and more at an Educator Career Fair at Brackenridge High School Jan. 21. There will be in-person interviews and on-site hiring. Job seekers are encouraged to register in advance. Walk-ins also welcome. SAISD offers teacher salaries starting at over $55,000 with opportunities to earn up to $26,500 more with the Master Teacher Initiative. (During online registration, educators may request to virtually connect with a recruiter at a later date if they cannot attend in person.)

Jan. 23 (Mon) – SAISD Board Meeting B
5:30 p.m., SAISD Board Room, 514 W. Quincy St., 78212 or online
Link: https://www.saisd.net/page/dis-board-videos
The SAISD Board of Trustees will hold its regularly scheduled meeting at the central administrative office.

Jan. 25 (Wed) – CAST Med High School Global Changemakers DreamWeek event
6 p.m., CAST Med High School, 2601 Louis Bauer., 78235
CAST Med High School invites the community to Global Changemakers, an event in collaboration with DreamWeek San Antonio. A panel discussion will touch on the topic of international collaboration from the perspectives of young people. Students across the CAST Schools, based in San Antonio, will represent North America. These CAST students are involved in international collaborations and will share their experiences and projects specific to the environment and sustainability.

Jan. 26 (Thur) – Club 1923 – Hawthorne Academy 100-year anniversary kickoff
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Hawthorne Academy, 115 W. Josephine St., 78212
Hawthorne Academy is one of the original eight schools in San Antonio ISD that made up the nation's first "junior high school system." This unique cohort, including Hawthorne Academy, is turning 100 years old this year. Hawthorne is instituting a yearlong series of celebrations to commemorate the campus’ century mark, following a “Club 1923” theme. Each event, one per month during 2023, will take a trip back in time to the year Hawthorne was founded. Attendees will experience the Roaring 20s through music, movies, fashions, and cars. 

Jan. 27 (Fri) – Patti Radle Appreciation Parade at Carvajal Elementary
1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Carvajal Elementary, 225 Arizona, 78207
Many in the community call Patti Radle “The Queen of the West Side.” Radle has been the Single-Member District 5 Trustee for 12 years, and she recently announced that she will not seek re-election this May. As January is School Board Recognition Month, Carvajal Elementary School has plans to honor Radle with a celebratory parade. This event may very well launch the unofficial “Radle Retirement Tour.”

Jan. 28 (Sat) – Jefferson HS BBQ team competes at San Antonio Rodeo Cook-Off
5 a.m. to 4 p.m., Freeman Coliseum Parking Lot, 3201 E. Houston St., 78219
While the annual San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo BBQ Cook-Off happens nearby, high school students from across Bexar County and the state of Texas will go head-to-head in a barbeque competition of their own. The Jefferson High School BBQ team is back to represent SAISD in the cook-off. Pits get lit bright and early at 5 a.m. in the morning. Winners will be announced around 5 p.m.