TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District’s Bilingual/ESL Department will showcase its programs and services to the community when the department hosts its first EB Con 2024 next weekend. The event will be held Saturday, April 27th, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Santa Fe Plaza (301 West Avenue A, Temple, Texas 76501).
EB Con 2024 is a community focused free event designed to highlight TISD’s Bilingual/ESL Department. The theme of the event is “Bilingual is my Superpower!” and programming is mainly targeted to emergent bilingual students and their families. There will be district employees on hand to provide information about educational opportunities, academic programs, and support services available to families throughout the district. Career and Technical Education and digital learning representatives will also be in attendance to share information about their programs. The event will also have a STEM flair with areas featuring projects and experiments for students and families to work on together. Temple College will also be on hand with its Mobile Go Center to provide information about adult ESL classes and other programs the college has to assist families.
“We want our students and families to feel welcome in the district and in the community and know where the resources are to help them,” said Consuelo Sisneros, director of Bilingual/ESL for Temple schools. “We want our kids to be proud that they speak two or more languages and embrace that fact. We need to be sure that we help them find ways to maximize that ability because not everyone has that talent or skill.”
There will also be a variety of presentations scheduled throughout the day, including a performance from Tierra Mestiza Ballet Folklorico. The cheer squads from Garcia Elementary School and Thornton Elementary School will also be on hand. Other community partners committed to being part of the event include the City of Temple Public Library, the Master Gardeners, and RE/MAX with information, t-shirts, and raffles. There will also be free hot dogs available during the event.
“We have had such an amazing response from the community, especially once they understood the purpose behind this event,” said Erika Rains, coordinator of Bilingual/ESL for Temple schools. “We want to give our students and families the opportunity to engage with each other. We want them to feel comfortable and build relationships with other students who speak the same languages through various activities.”
And while the EB Con event is geared toward bilingual families, Sisneros is also quick to point out that it is not limited to those families or community members who are currently bilingual. She is also hopeful that the event will help families understand that the Bilingual/ESL Department can provide resources that go beyond just curriculum and instruction.
“It is never too late to learn another language and we want to help people understand that and maybe they can join us for some future sessions or events where they come learn with us,” Sisneros added.