Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! It’s hard to believe that we’re heading into the third week of school already. This week, Administration, Teachers, and Staff will continue the work of building our learning community in this new school year. And we will be welcoming parents back onto the campus for lunch visits as well (see ‘Lunch Visit Reminders’ in this week’s newsletter). It’s already proving to be a great start to another great school year. Please see important information for the week below.
Mr. Tinnon
LATEST SCHOOL NEWS
STAFF NEWS 
We’d like to welcome Kevin Mouton as our new P.E. Teacher Assistant. Mr. Mouton was our long-term substitute in this position last school year and we were so grateful to him for filling in the way he did at that time. As we began this school year with the same need, Kevin willingly stepped up again, but quickly agreed to come aboard as the permanent Teacher Assistant in our P.E. program. Mr. Mouton has an undergraduate degree in business from Texas State University. He has worked in educational product support for the Region 13 Educational Service Center in the Austin area and also has a skilled background as an Artisan Furniture Maker. He did a great job as our substitute and always showed such care and kindness towards our students. We’re so happy that Kevin Mouton is now an official member of our Casis Learning Community!
LUNCH VISIT REMINDERS
As we welcome parents onto campus for lunch visits this school year, please be reminded of the following guidelines:
- Children must remain in the cafeteria with their class during lunch.
- Due to space, bringing younger siblings is discouraged.
- Due to space and large class sizes, be aware that there are a limited amount of seats for adults.
- Parents may bring lunch for their child(ren) only.
- Parents may not just drop off lunches – must be present.
- Parents must check-out in the office immediately after their child’s lunch time.
- Parents may not stay with children during their outside recess time.
EMERGENCY DRILLS ON CAMPUS 
Student and staff safety are a top priority in the district and at schools. At Casis Elementary, we will have monthly rotating drills that practice safety measures that are taken, in the event of campus emergencies. Here’s a visual poster that is in every classroom, explaining all of the drills that will take place during the school year: SAFETY POSTER. If parents happen to be volunteering or visiting during any of our monthly drill exercises, they will be expected to participate and follow the group that they are closest to at the time. It’s important for students to be aware of our safety measures and to participate in these practice drills. Please know that staff members are expected to speak about the topic of safety, using child-friendly language and terms, so as not to cause undue anxiety or stress around these required drill activities.
CASIS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS – READY, SET, GO!
Our After-School Programs have either already begun or will be beginning very soon. If you have not signed your child up for any of these extended/enriching programs, but are still interested, please be sure to sign up right away. You can see a listing and description of our offered after-school programs HERE. If you have additional questions, prior to signing up, you may reach out to the program sponsors. Please know that seats are limited in most of these after-school program clubs.
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
LABOR DAY HOLIDAY 
Monday, September 4, will be a school holiday, in honor of Labor Day. Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. As you observe Labor Day in your own way, it offers a time to enjoy family, friends, and the fruits of your own labor. I hope that this upcoming three-day weekend provides everyone a little time to slow down before the rest of the school year takes off.
CAMPUS ADVISORY COUNCIL (CAC)
The Casis Campus Advisory Council (CAC) meets every 1st Tuesday of each month at 3:30p.m. Our first meeting will be Tuesday, September 5, in the Community Room. This group of staff, parents, and community volunteers assist in making site-based decisions about various school topics. The CAC acts as an advisory to the campus Principal. There is also always an opportunity on the agenda for non-members to have citizen communication. We are thankful for the parents and staff members who participate on this council, as we discuss important matters that concern our learning community and school district.
GIFTED & TALENTED INFORMATION SESSION 
There will be an Information Session for parents who are interested in learning more about the gifted and talented services provided at Casis and the nomination/identification process for AISD on Friday, September 8 at 8:00am in the Casis Community Room. Attendees will receive both local and district information, like the new 2nd grade universal GT screener, which is a district initiative this year. Please know that there will only be one parent information session for the school year, so all interested parents should plan to attend. The GT nomination window for this year will be September 18 – October 6, 2023. Thanks in advance to our campus GT Advocates, Lauren Vienne (K) and Vickie Price (3rd) for leading this information session.
Additionally, the AISD Advanced Academics Office is hosting a virtual Fall Family Workshop on Tuesday, August 29 (6-7pm) and Wednesday, August 30 (12-1pm) called, “Raising Critical Thinkers”. See FLYER and ZOOM LINK here. All interested parents are encouraged to participate in these district sessions.
STUDENT HANDBOOK & STUDENT SUCCESS GUIDE
Please see the most updated editions of our campus Student-Parent Handbook and the district Student Success Guide for this school year. In alignment with AISD, both of these documents act as guidelines for our school community practices and policies. Please review and reference them throughout the 23 – 24 school year.
ANNUAL NOTIFICATION LETTERS 
Austin ISD is mandated by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) to provide written notification regarding the availability of asbestos management plans for District facilities. Note: This notification is required, even if our facility does not have any asbestos-containing building materials. The school district is also mandated by the Texas Structural Pest Control Act to provide written notification of the types of pesticides used, and their scheduled application, on school grounds. Please see links to these Annual Notification Letters here.
COUGAR P.R.I.D.E. FRIDAYS
Your child(ren) will start coming home with blue half-sheets of paper, titled ‘Casis Cougar P.R.I.D.E.’ This incentive program is connected to our school-wide expectations. Every Friday, classroom teachers will be able to select two students to come to the office and be recognized with a certificate and some goodies. This gives Administration an opportunity to interact with as many of our kiddos as possible in a positive way. When your child(ren) brings their items home, please reinforce how proud they should be of themselves, as well as taking the opportunity to discuss the school-wide expectations of P.R.I.D.E.
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 month of August is Respectful. Being respectful means thinking about how others want to be treated and treating them that way. Being respectful helps you learn and it helps teachers teach.
The Equity word for the month of August is Identity. What makes you who you are? Your identity can be internal or external character traits, your beliefs, values and/or religion, your interests and hobbies and your culture. It is important to have an open mind when talking to others about their identity and to respect people who are different from us.
Following is a resources sheet for the month of August that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. AUGUST RESOURCES SHEET
IMPORTANT DATES
September – National Hispanic Heritage Month
Mon., Sept. 4 – School Holiday (Labor Day)
Tues., Sept. 5 – CAC Meeting at 3:30pm (Community Room)
Mon., Sept. 18 – Fri., Sept. 22 – Celebrate Freedom Week
Mon., Sept. 25 – Elementary Parent Conference Day (Student Holiday)
Fri., Sept. 29 – American Indian Heritage Day (Texas)
TRAFFIC SAFETY PROCEDURES
Please adhere to the guidelines in your particular arrival/dismissal area (Front Circle Drive or North Parking Lot). See 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 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 safely 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