Cougar PRIDE Families,
Albeit short, it’s going to be another great week at Casis! During the month of December, we have continued to focus on student learning growth and enrichment opportunities, as well as on safe and secure practices. As we finish out these last few days before our Winter Break, please know how appreciative we are for such a successful Fall 2022 semester. The cooperation and support of our parents has been exceptional, the resilience and tenacity of our students has been inspiring, the hard work and dedication of our staff has been phenomenal, and the unity of our community has been so very uplifting. Casis truly is a ‘World of Pure Imagination’ because I just can’t imagine leading a better or more excellent learning community. My hope is that everyone will spend the break enjoying family and friends, as well as being reflective on how much has been accomplished this first half of the school year. I look forward to a bright and amazing new year, when we return in 2023. Well wishes and blessings to all! Please see important information for the week below.
Mr. Tinnon
WELCOME MORE NEW STAFF
- Nina Danilovich, P.E. Teacher Assistant, will be joining us in January, 2023. Ms. Danilovich will have just completed her degree in Health & Kinesiology in December. She has also had some great experience with children, as a Gymnastics Coach, a Private Nanny, and a Camp Counselor. We’re so excited that Ms. Danilovich will be joining our learning community and finally completing our P.E. Team. So glad that Ms. Danilovich is on the way!
- Shelly Guerrero, Book Keeper, will also be joining us in January, 2023. Ms. Guerrero will be bringing some great administrative office experience to this role, as well as a strong financial background from prior roles. Her service-minded attitude, along with her personal and professional experience, will make her the perfect fit with our current Clerical Team, finally completing this ‘Office Trio’. We just can’t wait to start working with Ms. Guerrero!
- Sheri Parr, Special Education Teacher Assistant, will be joining us in January 2023, as well. Ms. Parr will be working in our Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) class and brings some varied, but transferrable, professional skills to this support position. Her professional experience and background in the public health field, as well as in the wellness community, will bring a great perspective to her work with our special needs students. Ms. Parr’s prior roles in adult education, training, facilitating, and her administrative experience will all make her a wonderful new addition to our school community. Welcome aboard Ms. Parr!
- Jason Tran, Special Education Teacher Assistant, began working as a Teacher Assistant in our Life Skills program last week. Mr. Tran’s formal background and recent training, as a Behavioral Therapist, will make him a welcomed asset to our Special Education program. While he has been assigned to our campus by AISD to provide some specific 1:1 student support, we fully expect Jason to become an integral part of our school team and learning community, in this support role. So glad that you’re here Mr. Tran!
TEACHER OF PROMISE AND TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Alexandria Orr, Special Education Teacher, has been selected as our AISD Teacher of Promise. As a first year teacher, Ms. Orr has displayed such a warm and caring attitude towards all of the students who she serves and the colleagues that she works with daily. She has also shown a true commitment to teaching, with a strong focus on supporting and providing quality interventions for students who need them the most. Her presence and professionalism improves the overall culture and climate of our campus. Ms. Orr is just awesome!
James Rider, Special Education Teacher, has been selected by his peers as our AISD Teacher of the Year. Mr. Rider’s cool and calm demeanor has made him a welcomed addition to our school family, since joining us some years ago. His interactions with students, staff, and families are always so professional and respectful. And the sheer presence of James brings about a peace and comforting feeling to any challenging situation. Mr. Rider has truly developed a strong, positive, and trusting rapport with our entire learning community. He is so very deserving of this recognition. You rock Mr. Rider
Both of these educators will be honored in the ‘AISD Salute Awards’ ceremony in May and we couldn’t be more proud of them, as our school representatives. Two other staff members, Rachel Daniel (1st) and Jessica Garcia (2nd), were also nominated as campus finalists for Teacher of the Year. We recognize and appreciate these excellent teachers as well.
SILVER RAVE AWARD PIN FOR DECEMBER
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 December are two excellent teacher leaders on our campus: Rosemary Barilla (4th) and Derek Springer (5th). These two Classroom Teachers take on additional leadership roles on our campus and do a wonderful job of coordinatoring campus-wide happenings that enrich and enhance the lives of our students. Ms. Barilla’s recent coordination of our 3rd – 5th Grade Spelling Bee was such a rewarding and commendable event for our school. Rosemary, also being a National Board Certified (NBC) Teacher, facilitates, supports, and leads other NBC Teachers in our school district. Mr. Springer has been a Casis Teacher for a very long time and still maintains a youthful and enthusiastic energy that spreads throughout his entire class. Derek also has taken on additional campus leadership roles over the years, like the Science Committee who sponsors the school-wide Science Fair, and most recently, he took on the role of campus contact for the newly implemented Human Sexuality & Responsibility lessons roll-out in AISD. This role was integral in making sure that both parents and teachers were fully informed and educated, prior to the lessons delivery. Both of these educators are wonderful exemplars of life-long learning and committment to the profession of teaching. They both care so much for their students and colleagues. We are so fortunate to have such persons of their caliber, experience, and skillset on our campus. We are so ‘Casis Cougar Proud’ of these two exceptional individuals!
PICTURE DAY IS COMING
Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, January 18, 2023. This will be our school ‘Picture Day’ where all classes will take individual and group pictures for the school year. Additional communications about the schedule, available purchase packages, and other related information will be shared, upon our return in January. Debbie Williams, Office Clerk, will be the point of contact for our Picture Day.
2nd 9-WEEKS REPORT CARDS
All Elementary report cards will be available to parents via the parent portal by Friday, January 13, 2023.
2023 – 2024 REGISTRATION INFORMATION
The online registration process for both the current 2022 – 2023 and next year’s 2023 – 2024 school years will be open concurrently, starting Monday, January 9, 2023. Families enrolling in the current school year will be able to continue to do so. This process will also apply to out-of-district transfer families as well.
Following are important links, regarding enrollment, registration, and transfers:
(1) Enrollment: https://www.austinisd.org/enroll
(2) Important Dates: https://www.austinisd.org/transfer/dates-deadlines
(3) Questions: https://www.austinisd.org/letstalk
All current and prospective families are encouraged to begin the registration process as early as possible. This information allows the school district to make impactful and accurate decisions in the areas of school budgeting, staffing, and student services to all campuses in the district.
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
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)
Wed., Jan. 18 – Individual & Group Picture Day
Sat., Jan. 21 – Community Chess Tournament (Casis ES)
Mon., Jan. 23 – Fri., Jan. 27 – Holocaust Remembrance Week
Wed., Jan. 25 – Prospective Parent Tour at 9:00am
Fri., Jan. 27 – Administrative Coffee Chat at 8:00am (Community Room)
Mon., Jan. 30 – Korematsu 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:
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.
- 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.