All are welcome in Life Skills!
The Life Skills program at Barton Hills is designed to meet the academic, developmental and functional needs of students whose needs cannot be met solely in general education. We learn our fundamental academic skills in ELA and Math while mastering our daily living skills.
The Life Skills program is tailored to individual needs and appropriate for each student's developmental level. All students in our Life Skills program are an integral part of the Barton Hills Community and are receiving instruction in the best environment for their current needs.
Our favorite activities are interactive, and play based where we can feel successful and access problem solving skills. Legos, MagnaTiles, puzzles, games and more are where we shine! In Life Skills we use multimodal communication to express our wants and needs in the best way possible.
Our related service providers (Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Adaptive PE Teacher) make us successful in other areas and classes around campus. Find more information about AISD Special Education here.
Ella Hawvermale
Life Skills Teacher
ella.hawvermale@austinisd.org | 512-414-2013
Mrs. Hawvermale has been teaching at Barton Hills for six years. She moved to Austin from Minnesota six years ago after receiving her Master Degree in Special Education. Driven by a genuine love for teaching and advocacy, Mrs. Hawvermale specializes in supporting differently abled students through meaningful, real-world learning experiences. As a Life Skills Teacher, Mrs. Hawvermale believes every learner deserves respect, opportunity, and the tools to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.
Mrs. Hawvermale has a lot of family and friends that still live up north and who love to visit her in the warm weather. Her favorite thing to do when she's not teaching is to try new food with friends, bake, read and watch Below Deck on Bravo! Also, Mrs. Hawvermale thinks that plain M&Ms are underrated.
Emma Baker
Life Skills Teacher Assistant
emma.baker@austinisd.org | 512-414-2013
Ms. Baker is in her first-year teaching at Barton Hills Elementary. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders (Hook ‘Em!). Ms. Baker grew up with deaf family members which inspired her to pursue working with individuals with communication differences. White attending college, Ms. Baker worked as a caregiver for adolescents and adults with disabilities.
In her free time, she loves hiking, seeing live music, swimming, playing guitar, and spending time with her sweet pup, Ivy.
Justin Martinez
Life Skills Teacher Assistant
justin.martinez@austinisd.org | 512-414-2013
Mr. Martinez is in his first-year teaching at Barton Hills Elementary. He graduated from Texas State University with an English degree emphasizing creative writing and a minor in media studies. Mr. Martinez is actively working towards getting his teacher certification and plans on becoming a full-fledged teacher next year through the Region 13 program. (Woohoo!)
Mr. Martinez enjoys cooking and eating good, pretty food. He loves taking his dogs, Ivy and Yucca, for walks in the evenings and spends his free time doodling, knitting, and gardening.
Irene Muniz
Life Skills Teacher Assistant
luz.muniz@austinisd.org | 512-414-2013
Ms. Muniz has been a teacher with AISD for 19 years and is in her second-year teaching at Barton Hills Elementary. Prior to joining the Barton Hills Life Skills team, Ms. Muniz was at Dawson Elementary.
Ms. Muniz enjoys spending time with her two adult kids, three adult granddaughters and a 12yr old grandson. She also enjoys playing bingo and being part of her church community.
Andrea Smith
Life Skills Teacher Assistant
andrea.smith@austinisd.org | 512-414-2013
Mrs. Smith is in her third-year teaching at Barton Hills Elementary. She graduated from Trinity University with an undergraduate degree in Sociology and Master of Arts in Teaching. Previously, Mrs. Smith taught Kindergarten for seven years in Leander ISD and taught at St. Mark’s Episcopal School while her son attended preschool there. She is excited to be back in the classroom with Life Skills and to be a part of the BHE staff!
Mrs. Smith and her husband have lived in the Barton Hills neighborhood for 14 years and their son is currently in middle school. When she's not in the classroom, she loves to be outdoors with her family, trying out new restaurants around town, and traveling. Most weekends you can find her on the soccer field watching her son play or watching an Austin FC game!