Cougar PRIDE Families,

It’s going to be another great week at Casis! Last week, AISD Pride Week was a wonderful celebration, where we highlighted the importance of being an accepting and welcoming community for all students. And at Casis, we work hard to support all of our students in being the best versions of themselves, so it was particularly rewarding to have adult staff members read messages in our morning announcements and to also provide lessons that reinforce the core values of respect, dignity, and equality for all people. We’re excited that this week will be full of other special events/activities, like Casis Math Week and our next Prospective Parent Tour. As we continue our work together this second semester, there is still much to learn, to do, and to look forward to. We will also continue to focus on student learning growth and enrichment opportunities, as well as on safe and secure practices. Please see important information for the week below.

Mr. Tinnon

LATEST SCHOOL & PTA NEWS

STAFF NEWS

We’d like to welcome our new Special Education Teacher, Amy Morton, to our Casis Learning Community. Ms. Morton has been a long-term Substitute in AISD and was previously a Special Education Teacher in another school district. Her teaching experience ranges from working with elementary to high school level learners. Ms. Morton’s energy, professionalism, and heart for kids makes her the perfect addition to our Special Education Team. We’re so happy that Ms. Morton is joining our school family. So glad that you’re here Ms. Morton!

SILVER RAVE AWARD PIN FOR MARCH

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 March are our Pre-Kindergarten Team: Samantha Sridharan and Miki Hopkins (Pre-K Teachers), as well as Mika Carr and Samiya Alexander (Pre-K Teacher Assistants). Ms. Sridharan and Ms. Hopkins are excellent teachers who ensure that our youngest learners have exceptional care and stellar instruction every day. With the support of Ms. Carr and Ms. Alexander, our Pre-Kindergarten program is strong, preparing students for a great Kindergarten experience. They all foster and reinforce the most important foundational qualities for learning that students will need to have a successful path in their life-long learning journey. We are so ‘Casis Cougar Proud’ of this amazing team of teachers!

CASIS MATH WEEK IS HERE!

Monday, March 27 – Thursday, March 30 will be Math Week at Casis Elementary. During this week, we will emphasize the importance of home/school connections and support, in ensuring that Casis students are engaged in meaningful numeracy and place value practices. When students participate in math activities, like number talks, fluency games, and number sense lessons, they become more confident and proficient in demonstrating the use of flexible thinking in mathematics. Teachers and Teams will coordinate various activities for both home and school to celebrate the importance of Math in our lives. We love Math at Casis!

SPRING PROSPECTIVE PARENT TOURS 

Prospective Parent Tours are great opportunities for families to get to learn about our school culture and programming, as well as take a tour of our new facility and amazing outdoor learning spaces. School Administration and PTA Leadership will lead these adult only tours. We look forward to sharing and showing all of the things that make Casis Elementary such a stellar educational choice for their children. The next tour of this school year will take place on Wednesday, March 29 at 9am – 10am. Can’t wait to show these potential new families our amazing school community!  

SCHOOL HOLIDAY

Friday, March 31 is Cesar Chavez / Dolores Huerta Day in Austin ISD. This will be a school holiday for both students and staff. These individuals are two of the most significant leaders in the American farmworker’s movement. Austin ISD will also participate in the Annual Day of Action (Sí Se Puede) on Saturday, March 25. We’re so proud to honor the lives and legacies of both Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta! Here are Elementary Lesson Plans that campuses can access and use at their discretion. 

NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION DAY

Our Pre-K, Kinder, & New Student registration event is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, 8:30a.m. – 10:00a.m. in the Casis Cafeteria. Please help spread the word to any new incoming families who plan to enroll in the 2023 – 2024 school year. Parents will get to meet the School Administrators and PTA Leadership, as well as be provided support and information on completing the registration process. Special Note: On this day, there will be some interaction opportunities between PK & K students and PK/K teaching staff, while other new students (1st – 5th) will be taken on a short campus tour. We can’t wait to meet our new up-and-coming Cougar Pride Families!

CLIMATE SURVEYS FOR PARENTS, STAFF AND STUDENTS

AISD will be administering online climate surveys to Parents, Staff, and Students (3rd – 12th), beginning Monday, March 20. Communication and live survey links will come directly from the AISD Communications Team. These surveys can be easily accessed by computer, phone, and screen readers. Information/instructions to parents on how to opt-out their child (3rd – 5th) was sent in previous AISD family newsletters. All stakeholders are encouraged to complete the survey, when received. All surveys are confidential and will remain open until Friday, April 14.

 REPORT CARDS 

Report Cards for the 3^rd 9-Weeks will be available to families in their Parent Portal by Friday, April 7.

FAMILY & STAFF ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS

The AISD Special Education Department offers families and staff members learning opportunities around goal setting and positive behavior support in Power Hour Sessions. Although the sessions are set up for families with students receiving special education services, any parent or caregiver is welcomed to attend. Presenter, Dan St. Romain, is a national education consultant with roots in special education support and development. He will present virtually on goal setting and positive behavior supports. There will one session in March, with lunchtime and evening virtual offerings. See information below.

SUPPORT OUR MUSIC TEACHER

Nicole Stevens, Music Teacher, will once again participate in the ‘Recorders Without Borders’ program this summer in Kenya. As a founding member, Ms. Stevens continues to embrace and embody their mission to facilitate a cultural exchange between U.S. students and educators with those in developing countries throught the gift of musical instruments and instruction. For more information about the program and ways to support Ms. Stevens, please see the flyer here: Support Nicole Stevens and informational website here: Recorders Without Borders. Ms. Nicole Stevens is an excellent ‘World Ambassador’ for learning – way to go!  

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 in January, 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 – 12^th 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 March is Accountability. Accountability means you are responsible for your own actions. When you make a mistake, it means being honest with yourself and others. You can own your mistake by naming it, apologizing, and making a plan to do better next time. Taking accountability is an important part of living in a community.

The Equity word for the month of March is Belonging. Belonging means you belong to a family, group, neighborhood or school. At Casis, we work hard to make sure everyone feels a sense of belonging. You can help others feel like they belong by honoring their unique identities, welcoming them to your space each morning, and including them during games. How do you feel when you belong? How do you create belonging for others in your community? 

Following is a resources sheet for the month of March that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. MARCH RESOURCES SHEET

IMPORTANT DATES

March – Women’s History Month
March – National Youth Art Month
Mon., Mar. 20 – Sat., Mar. 25 – Austin ISD Pride Week 
Mon., Mar. 27 – Thurs., Mar. 30 – Casis Math Week
Wed., Mar. 29 – Prospective Parent Tour at 9am
Fri., Mar. 31 – School Holiday (Cesar Chavez / Delores Huerta 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.

PTA NEWS