Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! I hope that the three-day weekend provided everyone a little time to slow down before the rest of the school year takes off. Please see important information for the week below.
Mr. Tinnon
School News
Silver RAVE Award Pin for September
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 recipient for the month of September is Keith Statler. Senora Statler’s primary role on our campus is being our Spanish Teacher, but she takes on so many other vital roles throughout our campus. Keith is also our Campus Innovation Coach, which means that she takes on a lot of responsibilities around technology on our campus. One of the major technology roles that Ms. Statler fulfills is that she ensures that all student devices are distributed to all grades every year and maintained throughout the school year. She also helps us to maintain and keep up with district technology protocols, expectations, and initiatives. Keith also does a lot to support our English Language Learners on campus, including assisting Administration with language testing. Additionally, Ms. Statler is always willing to lend a helping hand in any areas where there is a need. She is passionate about ensuring that all students have equal access and opportunities on our campus, so she collaborates with both staff and family groups to make sure that they are all properly supported. Words can not express how grateful we all are to have Keith Statler as a part of the Casis Learning Community. She has such a willing heart and innovative spirit that just makes our learning environment so much better. We love you Sra. Statler!
Health Office Staff News
We’d like to welcome our new Clinical Assistant, Karla Collins-Murphy, who started working in the Casis Health Office this past week. Ms. Karla comes with loads of healthcare experience and has worked at other schools in AISD. This year, we will share Sunitha Cohen (Nurse) and Karla, with Becker Elementary School. They will work an alternate weekly schedule, where each of them will be on our campus 2-3 days each week. We are so glad that Karla Collins-Murphy has joined the Casis Cougar PRIDE Family, as she assists in taking care of all of our students. So glad that you’re here Ms. Karla!
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.
Austin High Future Maroon Night
Casis Elementary is a part of the Austin High School Vertical Team of Schools. Friday, September 15, at 6:30p.m. will be ‘AHS Future Maroon Night’ at the House Park Stadium (1301 Shoal Creek Boulevard). Students are invited to attend, wearing their school shirts, and will run through the AHS Football Team tunnel on the field to signal the start of the game (Austin High vs. Lake Travis). The first 150 elementary students be admitted for free (adults must buy a ticket). See flyer here: AHS Future Maroon Night Flyer. It’s always a great night of family and fun. Hope to see many of you there!
Administrative Coffee Chat for September
Casis Administration will host a series of meetings during the school year, to engage with parents about various school topics and happenings. During these informal meetings, Mr. Tinnon and Ms. Navickas will share school information and dialogue with parents about school topics of their choice. The goal of this platform is to build our shared knowledge and make community connections. Our first ‘Administrative Chat’ will take place on Friday, September 22 at 8:00a.m. in the Casis Community Room. We look forward to having some very authentic conversations with our learning community.
Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences
Elementary Parent Fall Conference Day is scheduled on the AISD School Calendar to take place on Monday, September 25. This day will be a Student Holiday. At Casis Elementary, these important meetings will be scheduled within a ‘window of days’ from Monday, September 25 – Friday, October 27. Teachers will soon begin to schedule times during the day and/or after school. During these meetings, Teachers will share information about your child(ren)’s academic and emotional well-being, with a specific focus on individual learning growth, as well as discussing any factors that might hinder that growth this year (learning needs, attendance, behavior, etc.). Parents can then expect ‘1st 9-Weeks Report Cards’ to be available in their AISD Parent Portal by October 31.
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.
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 September is Empathy. Empathy is a feeling or understanding of what someone else is feeling. Focusing your attention on a person’s face or body can help you know how they’re feeling. When you have empathy for others, you can say or do many things to show your care or concern.
The Equity word for the month of September is Equity. Equity means that everyone gets what they need. Equality is when everyone gets the same thing. Think about someone that wears glasses. Equality means everyone has to wear the same glasses. Equity means everyone wears the glasses that are just right for them. Everyone has different needs and circumstances. It’s important we recognize each person’s individual needs and honor them.
Following is a resources sheet for the month of September that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. SEPTEMBER RESOURCES SHEET
Important Dates
September – National Hispanic Heritage Month
Tues., Sept. 5 – CAC Meeting at 3:30pm (Community Room)
Fri., Sept. 8 – GT Information Meeting at 8am (Community Room)
Thurs., Sept. 14 – PTA General Meeting at 9:30am (Community Room)
Fri., Sept. 15 – Austin High Future Maroon Night at 6:30pm (House Park)
Mon., Sept. 18 – Fri., Sept. 22 – Celebrate Freedom Week
Fri., Sept. 22 – Administrative Coffee Chat at 8am (Community Room)
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 areavailable 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
Casis Families,
We hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend.
We are still collecting student enrichment fees. These fees help us fund many of our unique Casis programs and services. If you have not paid yet, CLICK HERE to pay. Thank you!
Mark your calendars for our first PTA meeting on September 14th (more information below). We hope to see you there!
Warmly,
April Allen
PTA President
WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
Please note that our PTA website is temporarily down for maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to be back online later this week. In the meantime, please use our campus site for information about school happenings, building protocols and more.
IMPORTANT-ANNUAL STUDENT ENRICHMENT FEES
We continue to rely on 100% participation in direct donations to pay for enrichment programs and services that are unique to our campus. Help us keep the beloved Casis Forest thriving, organic garden growing, outdoor student learning and cultural arts events flourishing. In other words, help keep Casis a special place to learn!
For this school year, we have simplified enrichment fees into a single flat fee of $100 per student. The simplified fee reduces the parent cost as compared to the total suggested contribution in past years. Please help as you are able. CLICK HERE to help fund these extra programs that directly benefit our students. If you are interested in making monthly installment payments for the Enrichment Fees, please send an email to casis.treasurer@gmail.com requesting more information.
PTA GENERAL MEETING
Our first general PTA meeting will be next week on September 14th at 9:30 in the community room (the room across from the office in the safety vestibule). Our guest speaker will be the school board representative for our area, Lynn Boswell. She will be here to give us more information on the newest legislation initiatives and to answer questions.
We hope to see you there.
PTA MEMBERSHIP FEE
Get involved and help support the PTA’s efforts for 2023-2024! This $15 fee covers your membership in the Casis PTA for the 2023-2024 school year, as well as the Texas PTA, and you can purchase here.
CARNIVAL IS COMING
It’s time to get your game face on for Casis Carnival 2023. Mark your calendars to join us on October 27, 2023 as we level up to Super Casis World.
CARNIVAL SPONSORSHIPS ARE LIVE!
Our annual Carnival provides Casis with the resources to supplement the diverse needs of our learning community. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to directly support our children’s education, unique programs, and activities. MAKE A SPONSORSHIP GIFT ONLINE HERE and read more about the SPONSORSHIP LEVELS. The deadline to be
recognized as a Carnival sponsor in the first issue of Carnival Times is
September 18.
CARNIVAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The Casis Carnival is not possible without our many parent volunteers! Please sign up HERE and let us know how you would like to help! Thank you for helping to make this such a special event for our Casis community.
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS
Whether in the classroom, lunchroom, or garden, we have a way you can jump in at Casis. The best way to stay in the loop about upcoming volunteer opportunities is to join the “Volunteer Sign Ups Committee” on our Konstella parent communications platform, to receive direct notifications about signups. If you would like to be added to the Volunteer Sign-ups Committee, provide your name and email HERE. You can also always review our Volunteer Page on the Casis website. If you have questions regarding volunteer opportunities, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Laurie Pompa.
VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENTS
All volunteers at Casis must complete a simple background check annually through APIE. If you plan to volunteer in any capacity this year, it is mandatory that you complete this step. This check is FREE. You DO NOT need to donate to APIE in order to complete the background check. Please complete your background check HERE.
FOREST CLUB
The Casis Forest Club, which is sponsored by the PTA, is gearing up for its first meeting this year and are looking for new members to join the BEST club at Casis! The club meets one Saturday per month from 9 -10:45 am – dates are TBA. This is a club open to the whole family where we meet and learn about, work and play in the forest! Interested folks can send a message to casisforest@gmail.com to be added to the Forest Club email list. We’ll see you in the forest!
COUGAR BOOK FUND
This fund buys books for our library. Your donation may be made in honor of a child, friend, special teacher, etc. The cost is $20 per book. CLICK HERE to buy books.
*Please note this is NOT a Casis yearbook, but a book purchased for the Casis Library.
CASIS DADS POSSE
Want to meet some more Casis Dads in this community and help out our school from time to time? Please consider signing up for the Casis Dads Posse mailing list. Being on this list does not commit you to any work - just jump in when you can - and we might have a meet up here and there so please sign up so you can get that info as well! Thank you for your support!
LOST AND FOUND
Get this year started off on the right foot by ensuring you LABEL, LABEL, LABEL all of your child(ren)'s items and clothing. Our Lost & Found Chairs, Mary Polan and Michele Karp, work tirelessly to reunite the items in the lost and found with their owners - we are so grateful for their efforts!
FREE MONEY FOR CASIS
Link your Randall’s card to Casis and collect Box Tops…all to EARN FREE MONEY for our school! If you have questions regarding these programs or how to link, please contact Katie Romano.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS!
Kristin Pohl, Sara Trantham, Jenny St. George, and Madeleine Cody for ordering school wide shirts.
Tegra Swogger, Ashley Hollmig, and Melanie Dow for leading the homeroom parent meeting.
Elle Langston for managing our Casis Yearbook.
Sarah Reyna for serving as PTA historian.
Michele Karp, Mary Polan, and Morgan Gaddis for helping setting up our lost and found.
Kate Rohlrich for working so hard to get the Casis Directory up and running.
And all the parents who signed up to be a PTA volunteer or a homeroom parent!