Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! It was wonderful to see everyone return back from what I hope was an enjoyable and relaxing winter break. We were also happy to welcome some new families to our Casis Cougar PRIDE family. And Monday, January 15, was another school holiday, MLK day. Whether you participated in some service-oriented event or just relaxed with family, I hope that everyone took the opportunity to think about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the fundamental human rights and values that he represented, and the legacy that he left behind. As we continue our work together this second semester, there is still much to learn, to do, and to look forward to, as we get 2024 started. 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
STAFF UPDATE & NEWS
We are sad to announce that Debbie Williams, Office Clerk, resigned from her position before the winter break. Ms. Williams and her husband made the difficult decision to move out-of-state to be closer to family. We will miss her greatly, as Ms. Williams did an excellent job as our former/retired Book Keeper, before returning to take on the Office Clerk position in the 2022-2023 school year. We are so very grateful for the time that Debbie Williams served the Casis Learning Community and wish her the very best.
We’d like to welcome Samantha Huffaker to Casis, who will be our new Office Clerk and start later this week. Ms. Huffaker has some excellent related professional experience in Human Resources and Administrative Office work. Samantha also has owned her own business and has been a parent in AISD, so she has a heart for service in the community and the public school system. Please welcome Samantha Huffaker to our Cougar PRIDE family!
BOARD APPRECIATION MONTH
January is School Board Appreciation Month. The theme for 2024 is “Locally Elected, Community Connected”. We thank and celebrate all of our AISD Board Members for their work and commitment to public school education. These elected officials play a vital role in our communities and schools. Our District 5 Trustee, Lynn Boswell, has strong Casis community ties and is a valued partner with our school, as our area representative. Please join me in recognizing Ms. Boswell and the entire Board in the role that they fulfill in our school district!
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
ADMINISTRATIVE COFFEE CHAT FOR JANUARY
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 next ‘Administrative Chat’ will take place on Friday, January 26 at 8:00a.m. in the Casis Community Room. We look forward to having some very authentic conversations with our learning community.
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, January 31 at 9am – 10am. Can’t wait to show these potential new families our amazing school community!
NEW ENROLLMENT SYSTEM NOW OPEN
AISD has moved to a new unified enrollment system for families interested in their neighborhood school, transfer schools, application-based programs, or Pre-Kindergarten. The move to this new “Enroll Austin” system is meant to make enrollment more accessible and equitable by providing a more streamlined platform all in one place. Registration will be split into two periods: (1) Priority Registration Period (Nov. 8, 2023 – Feb. 6, 2024) and (2) General Registration Period (April, 2024 – Summer, 2024). Visit www.austinisd.org/enroll to access the enrollment application or go to portal.austinisd.org and find the “Enroll Austin” tile. If families have questions, please go to the Find Your Seat Call Center at (512) 414-SEAT (7328) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the weekday. Want to learn more? Please explore the Enroll Austin FAQs.
LOST & FOUND REMINDER
As the winter months are upon us, we anticipate a higher loss of winter items at school, like coats, gloves, hats, and other layer apparel. Families should be sure that all student items are labeled, labeled, labeled (First & Last Name), so that it is much easier to reunite those items with the students. 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 encouraged to regularly check for lost items as well. Casis Parents, Michele Karp, Morgan Gaddis and Mary Polan, are our ‘Lost & Found Coordinators’ and we truly appreciate their support and leadership in this area. Thanks in advance to everyone for your cooperation and vigilance.
FAMILY LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS
AISD’s Special Education, Section 504, and Dyslexia Departments are sponsoring Empower Hour Sessions for families throughout the 2023 – 2024 school year. These one-hour sessions are designed to provide valuable information, resources, and support to families on various topics. Both virtual and in-person sessions are available. We hope that families will avail themselves of these community learning and engagement opportunities.
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 January is Self Talk. Self-Talk is talking to yourself in a quiet voice or in your head. Using self-talk helps you stay focused and manage strong feelings.
The Equity word for the month of January is Connection. We are all connected in our school community. We can strengthen our relationships and connections by communicating with each other and build upon our strengths. As we come back from Winter Break, this is a great time for us to reconnect as a class and school family.
Following is a resources sheet for the month of January that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. JANUARY RESOURCES SHEET
IMPORTANT DATES
- January –School Board Recognition Month
- Thurs., Jan. 11 – Clairlea Eckert’s 41st Anniversary as Casis Crossing Guard
- Mon., Jan. 15 – School Holiday (MLK Day)
- Tues., Jan. 16 – CAC Meeting at 3:30pm (Community Room)
- Mon., Jan. 22 – Fri., Jan. 26 – Holocaust Remembrance Week
- Fri., Jan. 26 – Administrators Coffee Chat at 8am (Community Room)
- Tues., Jan. 30 – Korematsu Day
- Wed., Jan. 31 – 100th Day of School
- Wed., Jan. 31 – Prospective Parent Tour at 9am
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 Villag, 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.