Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! As we continue in the new school year, it’s hard to believe that we’re already entering the fifth week of school. Various school activities, like our ‘Fall Carnival’ and ‘Class Field Trips’ are currently being planned, promising to make this school year one that will be full of both fun and learning. Please see important information for the week below.
Mr. Tinnon
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
VISION, HEARING & SPINAL SCREENINGS
The Casis Health Office will administer vision and hearing screenings for PK, K, 1st, 3rd & ‘New to Casis’ students during the weeks of September 23 – October 18. If your child wears glasses, contacts, or any hearing device, families are asked to ensure that they are worn for the screenings. Additionally, all 5th grade girls will be given a spinal test and should wear light t-shirts for the exam. Classroom Teachers have been provided a screening schedule for their grades. For more information or questions, please contact the Casis Health Office (512-414-7149).
GIFTED & TALENTED REFERRAL WINDOW & INFORMATION SESSIONS
The Gifted & Talented referral window is now open and will remain open until October 7. Parents may submit a referral HERE for the English link. Additional languages can be found here. Note: Prior to submitting a referral, it is recommended that parents notify their child’s classroom teacher. Slides from last week’s Parent Information Meeting and more district-level information can be found HERE. Additionally, the AISD Advanced Academics Team will host two virtual information sessions for families Tuesday, September 24 at 6pm and Wednesday, September 25 at 12 noon via this zoom link.
AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE DAY & ORANGE SHIRT DAY
AISD will recognize Orange Shirt Day on Friday, September 27. In the state of Texas, this day is also American Indian Heritage Day. Orange Shirt Day, also known as National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, recognizes the impacts of residential schools on Indigenous children, life ways, and cultures. Orange Shirt Day is a day of mourning for Indigenous people in the U.S. and in Canada. Students and Staff are encouraged to wear orange on this day, as a call to action. Following is an Orange Shirt Day Community Toolkit full of information and resources that can help to create a community that celebrates and honors Indigenous children and communities.
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, Ms. Davis, 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 27 at 8:00a.m. in the Casis Community Room. We look forward to having some very authentic conversations with our learning community.
SCHOOL MODERNIZATION SURVEY
Casis Elementary School was modernized, as a result of the 2017 Bond Program. AISD would like to get feedback from our learning community to better understand the impact of our school modernization. Receiving this feedback is also instrumental in ensuring that future bond efforts truly meet the needs of students and staff throughout the school district. Here’s the survey link: 2017 Bond Satisfaction Survey. Families and Staff are asked to complete this survey by Monday, September 30. We hope that many of you will participate by providing this very valuable feedback.
FIELD TRIP INFORMATION
Field trips are wonderful extension experiences for students outside of the classroom learning environment. At Casis Elementary, we will offer a few field trip opportunities for each grade level throughout the school year. Parents will be asked to pay a bulk one-time ‘Field Trip Fee’ to cover the costs of these planned educational outings. A letter will be sent home over the next two weeks (electronic or hard copy), outlining a new process for payment, as well as sharing field trip information from each grade level. All families will be asked to pay this fee by Friday, October 18. We are hopeful to get full participation from all of our families, but regardless, please know that no student will be excluded from any of the year’s field trip events. Stay tuned for specific field trip payment instructions.
CHECKING STUDENTS IN & OUT DURING THE SCHOOL DAY
We certainly understand that students will have occasional appointments during the school day. For the safety of your child(ren) and for accountable documentation purposes, please know and adhere to the following campus protocols:
- Students will not be sent to the office prior to parent arrival.
- Plan accordingly and arrive early enough to anticipate some delay in your child(ren) coming to the office.
- When bringing your child(ren) back to school, please accompany them to the main office to check them back into school.
- A note documenting the reason why the student missed part of the instructional day should be submitted to the Attendance Clerk (hard copy delivered or emailed to casis@austinisd.org ).
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and compliance with the above safety and security standards.
STUDENT HANDBOOK & SUCCESS GUIDE
Please see the most updated editions of our campusStudent-Parent Handbookand the districtStudent 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 24 – 25 school year.
FAMILY LEARNING & ENGAGING SESSIONS
AISD’s Special Education, Section 504, and Dyslexia Departments are sponsoring Family Empower Hour Sessions throughout the 2024 – 2025 school year. These one-hour sessions are designed to provide valuable information, resources, and support to families on various topics. These sessions will be recorded and accessible on the AISD Special Education website. We hope that families will avail themselves of these community learning and engagement opportunities throughout this school year.
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
Mon., Sept. 16 – Fri., Sept. 20 –Celebrate Freedom Week (Texas)
Mon., Sept. 23 – Fri., Sept. 27 – AISD Teaching Assistant Appreciation Week
Fri., Sept. 27 – Administrators Coffee Chat at 8:00am (Community Room)
Fri., Sept. 27 –American Indian Heritage & Orange Shirt Day
TRAFFIC SAFETY PROCEDURE
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.