

IALAS September Newsletter
September 2023
President Message by María Burgos
Dear IALAS Familia,
As September dawns upon us, it brings with it a tapestry of colores, culturas, and celebraciones! It's a month filled with significance, from marking the beginning of a new school year to honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, which pays tribute to our beloved Latin American countries of many of the students we have the privilege of leading. During this month, we celebrate the vibrant cultures, histories, and contributions of our Latin American brothers and sisters. This month is not just a celebration; it is a profound opportunity for us to reflect, learn, and embrace the contributions of Latin American countries to our world.
Throughout this month, let us celebrate the achievements of Latino leaders, past and present, who have left a profound mark on our world. Their stories are a testament to the power of education, resilience, and the enduring spirit of our communities. Let us also embrace the responsibility of empowering Latino students, fostering a sense of pride in their heritage, and creating inclusive environments where they can thrive academically and culturally.
As members of IALAS, you play a pivotal role in promoting inclusivity within our educational institutions. It's a time to share best practices and initiatives that ensure our schools are welcoming and respectful of diverse backgrounds. Let’s continue to forge partnerships and organize experiences that strengthen the bonds between our schools and our communities. Together, we can create a supportive network that empowers our students and enriches our educational programs.
As we step into September, let us embrace the opportunities it offers. Let us be the change-makers, the mentors and advocates, and the guiding lights that empower our students to soar to new heights. Let’s carry the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month with us throughout the year. Together, we can continue to work towards our goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in education.
It goes without saying but let’s also celebrate the achievements of our own members within IALAS. Each of you contributes to the success and well-being of Latino students and the broader community. Your dedication is commendable, and your impact is immeasurable.
With deep appreciation,
Maria Burgos, Ed.S.
President, Illinois Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (IALAS)
Scholarship Updates by Vice President Nick Guerrero
One-time scholarships will be awarded to IALAS candidates in Latino/a serving districts. We will be offering three $1000 scholarships each. Here is the overview of what will need to be submitted. Please share your application with Nicholas Guerrero at Nguerrero@ialas.org. Application deadline will be in early 2024.
IALAS Scholarship Application Form
Introductory essay
Brief biography
Profile picture
ALAS member letter of recommendation.
Professor letter of recommendation #1
Professor letter of recommendation #2
Professional reference letter of recommendation
Partnerships, Membership and Advocacy
Partnerships by Treasurer Kris Rivera
As the new Treasurer of IALAS, one of my main responsibilities is to generate partnerships with sponsors. Sponsorships assist us in funding our events, the scholarship program, and to offset expenses related to our financial software, social media, our website access and other expenses that IALAS incurs. To that end, I would like to highlight last year's sponsors that I will be reaching out to for this upcoming year. They are: Care Solace, Imagine Learning, Curriculum Associates, Renaissance, Grand Canyon University, IXL, Achieve 3000, Lexia, matific, and Franklin Covey. Next, I would like to provide my contact information for you to share with any vendors that you currently work with that may be interested in partnering with IALAS. My email address is krivera@ialas.org.
Membership Announcement and Career Opportunities by Members at Large Darlene Vargas
IALAS is hosting a variety of events in the coming months that offer members a chance to learn from and collaborate with one another, as well as to get up-to-date on the latest research and trends in the educational field. Additionally, they provide members with the chance to expand their professional networks, which can be invaluable for career growth.
Please keep the following dates open:
Fall Mixer: October 12, 2023. More Information to Follow
Winter Educational Conclave: January 19, 2024- More Information to Follow
- Annual Statewide Conference: April 12. 2024- More Information to Follow
Renew your IALAS membership today!
If you are interested in an individual membership click here!
If you are interested in an organizational membership click here!
Advocacy by Historian Rocío del Castillo
10 ways to build a bridge between ELL and mainstream teachers
Market Scale
Being an ELL or Bilingual teacher comes with many gifts and challenges. What is one challenge you face the most in your professional teaching career? Many ELL teachers say lacking communication with mainstream teachers can be one of the most significant challenges they face in school. Read More
Meta releases multilingual speech translation model
The Verge
Meta released a new speech-to-text model that can translate nearly 100 languages called SeamlessM4T, as the company continues to try to make a universal translator. Read More
How education leaders can restore, retool, recommit now and all school year
New Leaders
It's so important for educators and leaders to take time to catch their breaths, especially after a sprint to the end of last school year and the sprint to the start of another school year. This new school year is coming around the corner fast enough (or maybe already here!), and you want to feel rested and reenergized for everything a new school year brings. Read More
Career Opportunities
Feel free to reach out to IALAS if you have administrative employment opportunities in your district! We will post them on our IALAS website and will pass the word along to our membership. Please send all submissions to dvargas@ialas.org and include information regarding the vacancy along with all other pertinent information you would like shared. Thank you in advance for your support as we work together to strengthen the Latino administration pipeline. Click here to view employment opportunities listed on our website and don’t forget that IALAS members are eligible to submit job postings for free!
Professional Book Recommendation
Secretary I Martín Da Costa
Secretary II Francela López
Encouraging the Heart
A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others
By James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner
Many people assume that money is the mainstay of motivation. But in truth, the desire to accomplish extraordinary things is linked to basic human need: We all want to be respected for who we are and recognized for the things we do. While many leaders know this from experience, few know how best to act on it. In Encouraging the Heart, the best-selling authors of The Leadership Challenge team up again to reflect upon one of the most elusive aspects of leadership--caring--and offer readers a deeper understanding of how and why it works. More importantly, they extends a set of principles, practices, and examples that show how to energize people to excel and then reach for even greater heights. Kouzes and Posner maintain that people will aspire to higher standards of performance when they are...
Source: Publisher
Secretary of Education Letter to Chief State School Officers
Click here to view September 6, 2023 correspondence from our U.S. Secretary of Education regarding updated Newcomer supports.
The 2023 Multilingual IL Statewide Conference, in Conjunction with ESSA, returns as an in-person event this year on December 5-7, 2023, at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, Illinois. Mark your calendars and check back here in the coming months for information about calls for proposals and more! Click here for more information.
Valley View School District 365U Collaborative Literacy Retreat
Valley View School District 365U Collaborative Literacy Retreat
In this powerful professional learning event, educators and leaders from Valley View School District 365U and other Illinois districts will come together to discuss their instructional challenges and what they're doing to promote student engagement, accelerate learning growth, and empower teachers. Click here for more information.
Keynote Speaker : Dr. Gholdy Muhammad Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture, University of Chicago and author of the bestselling book Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy
Thank you to our 2022-2023 Sponsors!
Upcoming Events
Please keep the following dates open:
Fall Network Mixer: October 12, 2023- More Information to Follow
Winter Educational Conclave : January 19, 2024- More Information to Follow
Annual Statewide Conference: April 12, 2024- More Information to Follow
Follow IALAS on Twitter @IllinoisALAS or Linkedin @Illinois Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents
Use the QR Code to join your familia on Linkedin