Cougar PRIDE Families,

It’s going to be another great week at Casis! Last week, our first round of the STAAR test was very successful, our last Parent Tour was well-attended, and our Volunteer Breakfast was heart-warming. This week, we will wish our 5th Graders luck, as they take their Science STAAR test. A lot of the upcoming happenings in the months of April and May will continue to bring closure to this school year, as we also plan for the next school year. 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 NEWS

SILVER RAVE AWARD PIN FOR APRIL

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 April are two of our awesome Teacher Assistants: Rene Mendez and Shannon Sims. Both of these exceptional young men support students in our Special Education program on a daily basis. They have each built amazing relationships with students over the years and in each of their own special ways. Special Education Staff have the unique honor of serving students with some of the most challenging needs on our campus, but they serve with care, compassion, and competence. And we couldn’t provide such an excellent level of service and support for students without them. Additionally, these two very talented individuals have other skills and gifts that they both incorporate into how they interact with all of our students, further enriching our learning community even more. Their use of music and humor endear themselves both to students and adults alike. We give Mr. ‘Mayonnaise’ Mendez and Mr. Shannon Sims a rousing ‘Casis Cougar Salute’! 

3rd – 5th STAAR TESTING DAYS PROTOCOLS

Mark your calendars! Spring testing days for the STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) tests have been scheduled for Tuesday, April 18 (3rd – 5th Reading Language Arts), Tuesday, April 25 (5th Science), and Tuesday, May 2 (3rd – 5th Math). Please note that parents will not be able to visit our campus for lunch or other activities on these days, due to strict testing protocols. 3rd – 5th Parents are asked to make sure that (1) students arrive to school on time [with their laptop], (2) they have not scheduled any types of special outside appointments, (3) students have eaten a good breakfast, and (4) students have gotten plenty of rest the night before testing. See 3rd – 5th Parent Letter Here. We appreciate the compliance and cooperation of everyone, as we support these students in doing their very best on these state assessments.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS’ DAY

Wednesday, April 26 is Administrative Professionals’ Day. Join me in honoring the untiring work of our Clerical Team – Shelly Guerrero: Book Keeper/Principal Secretary, Mary Hernandez: Registrar/Attendance Clerk, and Debbie Williams: Office Clerk. These ladies are the central nerve system of our school and help to hold us all together. They are the front line, face, and voice of Casis, as they assist, take calls, answer questions, purchase school items, order supplies, register children, and perform countless other tasks that help our school to run so smoothly. As a new Clerical Team this school year, I’m so very proud of what an exceptional job they each have done in their individual roles and their collective responsibilities. On this day and throughout this week, we want to appreciate them and the vital role that they play in our learning community. We love these ladies and they are truly the best new Clerical Team ever!

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. AISD has partnered with VELA for a three-part series in April focused on Autism. See information below. 

PARENT FEEDBACK FOR NEXT YEAR CLASS PLACEMENT

[Please Read Carefully] In an effort to create balanced classes for next year and to foster a positive school-home partnership, parent input is taken under consideration. And while not guaranteed, parental feedback about placement is strictly based on input letters, not verbal interactions or promises between parents and staff. Know that Administration does not keep placement input from previous years, therefore, if there is important student information to be considered, please provide that information in the current year’s parent input process. Feedback is due by Friday, April 28.

A letter regarding placement for next year is not required, however, if parents have extenuating circumstances or significant concerns, please see the following guidelines: (1) A separate letter (email attachment OR hard copy) MUST be submitted. Limit to one-page (10-12 font size). Due to the amount of input received every year, general email communications WILL NOT be accepted. (2) Specific teachers or classmates CANNOT be requested. All teachers on our teams are skilled and competent individuals. (3) Share traits and characteristics of your child(ren) that describe their learning styles/needs. (4) Share the type of educational setting and class dynamic that you feel will best meet your child(ren)’s needs. (5) Email attachment OR hard copy MUST be sent to the Principal, NOT the Classroom Teacher. Please note that I DO NOT schedule meetings to discuss next year placement. Thanks for all of your support, as we strive to make the best placement decisions for your child(ren). 

CAMPUS ADVISORY COUNCIL 2023 – 2024 MEMBERSHIP

There will be some parent openings on our Campus Advisory Council (CAC) for the next school year. The membership term is for two years. If you’re interested in serving on this Principal advisory organization, please consider applying. The campus CAC meets on the first Tuesdays of each month after school. Please visit the district website for more information about CAC (CAC in AISD). If interested, please submit the application (CAC Application) to samuel.tinnon@austinisd.org. The deadline for application submittal is Friday, April 28. New members will be notified in May and the two-year term will officially begin in the 2023 – 2024 school year.

DONATE BOOKS FOR CASIS’ ANNUAL BOOK SWAP

Please consider donating any unwanted books, regardless of reading level, to the Casis Library. These books will be available for trade in our annual Book Swap event in May. Books that are not selected by students will be donated to classroom libraries and/or local charities. The deadline for these donations is Friday, May 5. If you have additional questions, please contact our School Librarian, Courtney Ewing.

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 through 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!

SPRING LOST & FOUND REMINDER

As we go into the final months of this school year, we want to reunite as many lost items as possible with their owners. Because a large number of families have made sure that their student items are labeled, labeled, labeled (First & Last Name), it has been much easier to reunite those items with the students. During these last months of April and May, 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 also 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 all of their support and leadership in this area. When all items are brought to the front of our school for reclaiming, please take a look. Thanks in advance to everyone for your cooperation and vigilance.

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 

(2) Important Dates

(3) Questions 

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 lens of fairness and equity for all, no matter the differences among us.

The SEL word for the months of April & May is Integrity. Integrity is when you are strong enough to do what is right, even when it’s difficult, and even when no one is watching. It can be hard to do the right thing when your friends aren’t making the same choice. It’s important to act with integrity in our community. When we do, it makes our school a kinder, more inclusive, and more just place for everyone! The Equity word for the months of April & May is Justice. Justice means people behave in ways that are fair, equal, and balanced. When we work to create a more just and equitable community, we interrupt stereotypes or biased language, we are allies and friends, and we work to make things fair for everyone. When we all work hard for justice, we create a kinder, safer, more welcoming community for all.

Following is a resources sheet for the months of April & May that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. APRIL/MAY RESOURCES SHEET

IMPORTANT DATES

April – School Library Month
April – Arab American Heritage Month
Fri., Apr. 21 – Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast at 8am (Community Room)
Tues., Apr. 25 – STAAR Testing – Science (5^th) **CAMPUS CLOSED**
Wed., Apr. 26 – Administrative Professionals Day
May – Jewish American Heritage Month 
May – Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 
May – National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
Mon., May 1 – National School Principal Day
Tues., May 2 – STAAR Testing – Math (3^rd – 5^th) **CAMPUS CLOSED**
Tues., May 2 – CAC Meeting at 3:30pm (Community Room)
Wed., May 3 – National Walk-Bike-Roll To School 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