Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! I hope that everyone had a restful and wonderful Fall Break. I, for one, was so very thankful for the week. During the month of December, we will continue to focus on student learning growth and enrichment opportunities, as well as on safe and secure practices. And as we prepare for the upcoming Winter Break, there will be a flurry of activities to quicken the time. Please see important information for the week below.
Mr. Tinnon
STAFF NEWS
We’d like to introduce Alyssa Ortegon, as our new Teacher Assistant in the ‘Toddler Class’ of the Casis Child Development Center (CCDC). This position has been vacant for a very long time, so we’re so excited that Ms. Ortegon has taken on this much needed role in our Childcare program. Alyssa’s great prior experience in childcare and strong professional references made her the perfect candidate. We are so thankful that Alyssa Ortegon has joined our childcare program and school community!
SILVER RAVE AWARD PIN FOR NOVEMBER
The RAVE (Recognizing All Valuable Employees) program exists to recognize AISD employees who take the extra steps to provide equitable and exceptional experiences for our students, families, staff, and community members. Campus Principals have been provided with ‘Silver Rave’ pins to acknowledge local staff members each month. The recipients for the month of November are two wonderful members of our Special Education Team: Rebekah Parker and Donna Colvin. These two Teacher Assistants have taken on additional instructional responsibilities, in light of an unexpected vacancy of a Special Education Teacher position. Both of these educators are certified teachers and willingly stepped up to ensure that our students served in the Special Education program were properly supported, in spite of our staffing shortage. They have both provided excellent services to our students, team, and school. We are so fortunate to have such experienced professionals on our campus who care so much about the students that they serve everyday. And we are so ‘Casis Cougar Proud’ of these two exceptional individuals!
CASIS FOOD DRIVE THANKS
Thanks to everyone who donated to the Food Drive! As a campus, we collected over 6,000 food items for the St. John’s Community Center. This is the largest amount collected so far and will ensure that many needy families will be provided food during the upcoming winter months. There was also a class contest to see who could bring in the most food items. The top five classes were: 1st – Hanson (844), 2nd – Springer (726), 3rd – Garcia (674), 4th – Maxwell (667), and 5th – Price (588). The top three classes will be receiving a special ‘Fun Friday’ surprise during P.E. Class and the top class (Hanson) will take a ‘field trip’ to actually help out at the St. John Community Center Food Bank. We truly thank Larry Chauvin for coordinating this annual event and the parent volunteers who helped to count the food items every day during the Food Drive. Way to go Casis!
AISD FILMING AT CASIS
As part of the district’s communication and marketing initiative to support enrollment, a 90-second campus highlight film will be made for every AISD school. A film crew will be on the Casis campus, Monday, December 5, 7:30am – 9:30am. The film will capture activities and spaces that make each campus so unique and such great educational options for families. Please know that the video crew will primarily be filming sides and backs of student heads, in addition to spaces. This video footage will live on the district website, along with a campus one-page summary document.
HUMAN SEXUALITY & RESPONSIBILITY (HSR) CURRICULUM
In accordance with Austin ISD Board Policy EHAA, the Human Sexuality and Responsibility (HSR) curriculum will be taught this fall semester during science class for K – 5 students. There are 3 – 5 available lessons at each grade level. This curriculum has been established to provide information and skill development for students, so that they may reach their highest potential for physical, emotional, mental and social health. All information regarding the HSR policy, grade level lesson overviews, family resources, and more can be found on the HSR website: https://www.austinisd.org/pe-
FALL LOST & FOUND REMINDER
As we go into the colder months of November and December, we anticipate that even more school items will be lost and left at school. Families should be sure that all student items are labeled, labeled, labeled (First & Last Name), so that it is much easier to reunite those items with the students. Students should be encouraged to regularly check the Lost & Found Bins that are located in the front and back of our school. During morning drop-offs or lunch-visits, Parents are encouraged to regularly check for lost items as well. Casis Parents, Michele Karp and Mary Polan, are our ‘Lost & Found Coordinators’ this year and we truly appreciate their support and leadership in this area. Thanks in advance to everyone for your cooperation and vigilance.
ONE MILLION MINUTES READING CHALLENGE
Dr. Anthony Mays, Interim Superintendent, is challenging PK – 12th Grade students in AISD to read one million minutes this school year. Book titles and genres of interest will be recorded as well, to see and understand what our various learning communities are most interested in reading by age level. See the following information to participate: (1) Students should Log Minutes Here [Elementary Teachers/Parents should walk students through completing this form.], (2) Follow the reading competition on the Website Here, (3) See Flyer Here with QR code to post and log minutes as well. This healthy reading competition will result in the top school receiving a prize and a traveling trophy. This challenge will run through April 30, 2023.
MORNING ARRIVAL WINDOW REMINDER
A noticeable amount of our families are arriving to school right after the 7:40a.m. school bell rings. Please remember that students are considered ‘tardy’ if they arrive after this time. We purposely have a 30-minute window of time for all students to arrive at school everyday (7:10a.m. – 7:40a.m.). This window of time gives families ample time to plan their arrival. If you are a family that typically arrives right at 7:40a.m., please consider adjusting your morning routines by 5 – 10 minutes to ensure an ‘on-time’ arrival to school. It’s so very important that students have enough time to settle into their classroom and begin their day of learning. Consistent and timely routines help ensure that students are at their very best and able to be the most successful student that they can be for the school day. Thanks in advance for your compliance and cooperation with this request.
2022 SCHOOL BOND PASSED
Austin Voters recently passed all three of Austin ISD’s bond proposals, an investment of $2.44 billion in local schools. The 2022 Bond will fund capital projects, such as upgrades to safety and security, repairing failing building systems, new facility construction and renovations, technology upgrades and other improvements. Nearly every AISD campus will receive improvements with these bond funds, helping the district to save money on repairs and maintenance, thereby freeing up money that can be used to increase teacher pay. This new work on bond projects will begin in Summer 2023, starting with safety upgrades to keep students and teachers safe. While Casis has just completed a fully modernized facility (2017 Bond), our school is also included in the 2022 Bond package and will receive additional bond items. Please see the following link for more information about its impact for our campus: Casis ES Facility Project Sheet. For more information about the 2022 Bond Program, visit AISDFuture.com.
SEL & EQUITY PRACTICES
In Austin ISD and at Casis Elementary, we believe that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is at the heart of equity-centered systems and structures. Our goal is to use and grow our social and emotional skills, while creating brave, respectful, collaborative spaces that support all students, staff, families and communities throughout our district and in our learning community. Throughout the school year, we will teach specific skills-building strategies to our students, in order to develop important character traits, like respect, empathy, compassion, and friendships. Mindfulness strategies and principles will also be a common core of this instruction as well. Administration, Teachers, and Support Staff will all be working with students throughout the school year to develop a strong social/emotional foundation, that includes building a lense of fairness and equity for all, no matter the differences among us.
The SEL word for the month of November/December is Friend. A friend is a person you like and enjoy spending time with. You can be a good friend by listening with attention, having empathy, showing compassion, and considering your friend’s perspective.
The Equity word for the month of November/December is Ally. One way to be a good friend is to be an ally. The word ally means to unite. When people unite against a wrong they see in their community, they become allies. There are lots of different ways to be an ally. When an ally sees or hears something unjust, they can: speak up in the moment, get help from a caring adult, talk to the person in private or sometimes walk away.
Following is a resources sheet for the month of November/December that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER RESOURCES SHEET
IMPORTANT DATES
November – Native American Heritage Month
Fri., Dec. 2 – Special Education Day
Tues., Dec. 6 – 2nd Grade Choir Concert at 5:30pm (Cafeteria)
Wed., Dec. 21 – Last Day of School
Mon., Dec. 26 – Fri., Jan. 6 – Winter Break (School Holiday)
January – School Board Appreciation Month
Mon., Jan. 9 – Staff Development Day (Student Holiday)
Tues., Jan. 10 – School Resumes
Mon., Jan. 16 – School Holiday (MLK Day)
TRAFFIC SAFETY PROCEDURES
Please adhere to the guidelines in your particular arrival/dismissal area (Front Circle Drive or North Parking Lot). See our Arrival & Dismissal Plan here. We continually ask for your patience and cooperation in exercising safe practices in your area.
Additionally, please see the following reminders/updates:
- Walkers should use crosswalks at all times.
- Bikers should park bikes at bike racks and walk bikes through crosswalks.
- Drivers should ALWAYS be aware of our foot and bike traffic.
- Drivers should consider TURNING OFF ENGINES when not moving forward.
- Avoid Parking in the Casis Village, if conducting school business.
- Front Circle Drive & Hillview are available for parent parking during the day.
- The North Parking Lot is designated for staff parking only.
- Vehicles using the North Parking Lot during arrival and dismissal (3rd – 5th) should be aware of all walkers who are using the parking lot crosswalks.
- Vehicles cued on Northwood for Circle Drive afternoon pick-up should TURN ON THEIR HAZARD LIGHTS and remain in one moving line to avoid double-parking.
- Vehicles who need to enter the North Parking Lot for morning/afternoon drop-offs/pick-ups of 3rd – 5th graders may by-pass the ‘Circle Drive’ vehicles to enter the parking lot.
We ask that everyone exercise extra caution and patience. Adherence will help to maintain safety for all. We truly appreciate everyone’s compliance with the above requests.