News & Announcements

Dear Families, Caregivers and Staff, We just participated in a call with the National Weather Service and all city and county first responders. They have extended the Winter Storm Warning until Thursday morning.   We are expecting multiple rounds of freezing rain through Wednesday night.  Temperatures might not rise above freezing until mid morning on Thursday.  We will continue to monitor and keep you updated about Thursday.

Dear TSD Families and Caregivers, TSD will be closed on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 due to a Winter Storm Warning. We will not have after school activities today, Monday, January 30, 2023. We are closely monitoring local weather forecasts and are in contact with Austin ISD; an official decision regarding Wednesday is still to be determined.

Dear Parents, We are excited to share with you a wonderful event happening at the ZACH Theatre. ZACH Theatre in partnership with Deaf Austin Theatre will be performing Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, January 25th through March 5.

Austin, Texas – Author, Rebecca S. “Becky” Gage, a 1988 graduate of Texas School for the Deaf (TSD), recently released an innovative pop-up book all about Deaf culture, history, jokes and stories, aptly titled, “How Much Do You Know About…American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, History, Jokes, and Stories?”

Dear Staff, It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of Marvin B. Sallop, our former TSD Superintendent from 1987-1997 earlier today.  His passing almost seems unreal to many of us who had just  re-connected with Marvin at the GAFD Gala 3 weeks ago after a long hiatus.  He was truly moved to see so many old friends and commented that he hadn’t been called Mr. Sallop in 25 years.

On this issue (Volume 7, Issue 4): Signing Santa at Barton Creek Square • TSD Students Deliver Cookies to Legislative Leaders • TSD Holiday Celebration • Egg Drop Competition • Spotlight: Tech Girls • Spotlight: Charles Graves • The Bisons Reached Division III Playoffs with a Few TSD Alums.

Austin, Texas – December 14, 2022 – Today, students from Texas School for the Deaf’s (TSD) Culinary Arts program visit the Texas Capitol delivering homemade goodies to state leaders in time for the holidays - a tradition the school began more than 25 years ago.

TSD, TSD Foundation, NW Sertoma Presents
The Superintendent's Annual Holiday Celebrations!

Austin, Texas – December 8, 2022 Thanks to the use of video technology, each week from the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD), 51 classrooms across Texas are connected with American Sign Language (ASL) storytellers from TSD’s Statewide Outreach Center’s distance learning studio, who make reading come alive for students who are deaf and hard or hearing.

December 7, 2022  Santa arrives at Barton Creek Square mall today ready to check wish lists from area children who are deaf or hard of hearing, starting at 3:30 p.m., until 8:00 p.m. Santa Claus knows all languages, including sign language. Signing Santa is a tradition that began in 2004 by the North Austin Optimist Club.

On this issue (Volume 7, Issue 3): TSD Homecoming • TSD Students Celebrate First Responders • Trunk or Treat • YES! TSD's Performing Arts Program is BACK! • TSD Thanksgiving • High School Forensic Class Visit Travis County Courthouse • Austin Mayoral Candidate and CODA visits 2nd Graders

The Lone Star, Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf • On this issue: Graduation Ceremony 2022 • Class of 2022 • Deaf Authors Book Festival • Sam Street shines at the Special Olympics • Warren “Wawa” Snipe • Superheroes Celebrate Superpowers • TSD Summer Camps & Programs • Troy Kotsur visits TSD • Interview with Dr. Shawn P. Saladin • Family Weekend Retreat • Statewide Conference on Deaf Education • TSD Homecoming.

Dear TSD Parents, Caregivers and Staff, I want to begin this letter by thanking our amazing staff, families and students for a very successful fall semester.  Together we have worked hard on our goals in academics social-emotional learning and safety. As we strive to keep our community healthy, we continue to monitor important information from Austin Public Health (APH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Currently, COVID-19 community spread is low; however, APH is reporting a high influenza (flu) rate in the Austin-Travis County area, and Austin-area hospitals are reporting increasing cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory illness that can cause severe breathing problems for children...

On this issue (Volume 7, Issue 2): Deaf Awareness Week • Fleet Feet Donates Running Shoes to Cross Country Team • TSD Foundation Gala Raised Over $121,000 • TSD Students' Work Displayed at Bee Cave Art Gallery • Vocabulary Parade • Board Member Spotlight: Kathy Sellers.

During the October 21st Governing Board meeting, it was announced that JG Consulting will assist with the superintendent search. To follow the search process, please visit the Superintendent Search webpage.

Austin, Texas – October 18, 2022 – Everyone at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) is gearing up for the school’s annual homecoming celebration this weekend at the iconic 167-year-old south Austin campus, located at 1102 South Congress Avenue. The campus is already abuzz with excited students participating in daily themed costume contests and spirit competitions. It all leads up to the school-wide pep rally at 1:30 p.m., Friday, October 21, with the entire campus, draped in blue and white, celebrating together ahead of the biggest day of the entire year.

Texas School for the Deaf will be distributing an in-home child identification kit to your child on behalf of the State of Texas. This program is entirely voluntary.

Dear Families, The week of October 17th is National School Bus Safety Week. Our TSD drivers and monitors work very hard each day to keep your students safe when traveling to and from school. Next week they will have a little help from our Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) officers. They will ride along on a couple of our yellow school buses. We are writing just to let you know in case you might be concerned to see a DPS officer on the bus.

SSES funds are still available to eligible PK-12th grade families if you have not yet been awarded. It is a one time $1,500 award to be used through a digital wallet. If awarded, you must use the funds within 6 months.

Sonesta’s executive staff gives a select group of TSD culinary students the opportunity to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime experience working in a high-tech, professionally equipped kitchen. Students work alongside Sonesta’s top chefs to create a unique, gourmet banquet for 250 lucky guests Friday evening – a fundraiser presented by the TSD Foundation. Event seating is sold out, though the public can still participate with bidding on silent auctions items until 9:00 p.m., by scanning the QR code.