Amarillo ISD Bilingual/ESL

Shoutout to our May Amarillo ISD Dual Language Teacher winners! 🎉✨
Your dedication, passion, and commitment to our students shine through every single day. Thank you for the impact you make in and out of the classroom. We’re so proud of you! 🧡🥳👩🏻‍🏫

The summer meal program (June 1st - June 26th) provides free, healthy meals.

El programa de comidas de verano (del 1 de junio al 26 de junio) ofrece comidas nutritivas sin costo.

Join us today at 5:30pm at the Amarillo Downtown Public Library (413 SE 4th). Come register for a library card, learn about online tools and sign up for ESL (English as a Second Language) summer classes. We hope to see you there!

For Library Card you will need: Drivers license with current address or any photo ID with proof of residence.

Acompáñanos hoy a las 5:30 pm en la Biblioteca Pública del Centro de Amarillo (413 SE 4th). Venga a registrarse para obtener su tarjeta de la biblioteca, conoceherramientas digitales y regístrate para las clases de inglés (ESL) de verano. ¡Esperamos verte allí!

Para obtener la tarjeta de la biblioteca necesitará: Licencia de conducir con dirección actual o cualquier identificación con foto y comprobante de domicilio.

Zainabu Mwamini graduates from Palo Duro High School this month, just three years after she arrived in America. For Zainabu and most children in Uganda, education was merely a dream. It’s not free in Uganda, and many children work to help support their families.

She remembers one particularly harrowing evening after a long day working at the family’s farm. Zainabu’s parents had stayed behind to keep working, and she began the two-hour walk home, her little brother on her back and her younger sister holding her hand. When it began storming, they huddled under a tree and used banana leaves to shield themselves from the downpour.

“That’s what we used as an umbrella. When I saw my sister shivering and my brother crying, I also got mad, because I’m just a kid myself. I would look up at the sky and ask what we did to deserve such a life,” says Zainabu.

Life changed when Zainabu, her mom and four younger siblings emigrated to America from Uganda with the help of UNICEF. Her father had to stay behind. Without hesitation, she recalls the day she arrived in America. “It was March 15, 2023. And then I was able to start school.”

Fast forward three years, and Zainabu has quickly caught up with her peers and leaves high school with a list of academic accolades, scholarships and more than 20 college credit hours. Swahili is Zainabu’s first language, but she can understand or speak 11 languages.

Today, she’s planning to start college at AC, with dreams of becoming a cardiologist.

“My father believes in the power of women going to school. I want to show the people in my country that we girls can also become something.”

It’s a future filled with possibilities. Zainabu, who believes the sacrifices her parents made and the opportunities given to her must be honored with hard work and achievement, is also working on letting herself be happy and enjoy life.

“I used to feel like happiness was a soup, and I was a fork. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hold enough,” says Zainabu. “I’ve come to understand that my story has power and to start using it as my power by not hiding in the shadows of it.”

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Don't forget! Join us on May 14, 2026 at 5:30pm. Come say hi, register for a library card, and sign up for ESL (English as a Second Language) summer classes. We hope to see you there!

¡Recordatorio importante! Le invitamos a nuestro evento el 14 de mayo a las 5:30 p. m. Tendrá la oportunidad de obtener su tarjeta de la biblioteca y registrarse para las clases de inglés (ESL) de este verano. ¡Contamos con su presencia!"

Two languages, SO many possibilities. 🌎💬✨

Being bilingual is more than speaking two languages‼️It helps children connect with family, celebrate their culture, build confidence, strengthen their brain, and open doors for the future.

Bilingual kids aren’t just learning another language… they’re gaining another way to see the world. 🌎 👀🎉

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!

Families of students participating in the Amarillo ISD ESL/Bilingual Program, join us!

¡Familias de estudiantes participando en el Programa BILINGÜE/ESL de Amarillo ISD, acompáñenos!

There is still time to register!

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is providing a virtual learning opportunity for parents focused on sharing information to benefit parents and families or emergent bilingual students. This session is specifically for parents of students enrolled in the Amarillo ISD Bilingual/ESL Program. If you are interested in attending this virtual session from the comfort of your home, please use the link below to register:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTq-dz8BIw6rwDz0CDKP3Q5s8BSrl89kzgJR5mzvYi_JR1yg/viewform

To come watch virtually in person at Travis Middle School, 2815 Martin Rd. (Migrant department portable); please use the link below to register:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeL9fHCvFAfTfxXS3dvPVe2twOZNNUvEUGkMOmpOOiwvu9ZJA/viewform?usp=dialog

La Agencia de Educación de Texas (TEA) ofrece una oportunidad de aprendizaje virtual para padres, centrada en compartir información que beneficie a los padres y las familias de estudiantes bilingües emergentes. Esta sesión está dirigida específicamente a los padres de estudiantes inscritos en el Programa Bilingüe/ESL del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Amarillo (Amarillo ISD). Si le interesa participar en esta sesión virtual desde la comodidad de su hogar, utilice el siguiente enlace para registrarse:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTq-dz8BIw6rwDz0CDKP3Q5s8BSrl89kzgJR5mzvYi_JR1yg/viewform

Para asistir de manera virtual desde Travis Middle School, 2815 Martin Rd. (oficina del programa migrante), por favor use el siguiente enlace para registrarse:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeL9fHCvFAfTfxXS3dvPVe2twOZNNUvEUGkMOmpOOiwvu9ZJA/viewform?usp=dialog