Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! Our first Administrators’ Coffee Chat of this school year was very engaging. It was great for myself, Ms. Navickas, and Ms. Davis to dialogue with parents about how the year has been going so far, as well as share thoughts about various school topics. Well October is here and it’s ‘Casis Carnival Month’! The planning for our ‘Under the Sea’ extravaganza is in full swing and you won’t want to miss it, so everyone should mark their calendars for Friday, October 25. It will be epic! Fall Parent Conferences are also getting underway, so families should be hearing from your teachers about that. And while learning certainly remains to be our top focus, we’re going to have a lot of fun too. Please see important information for the week below.
Mr. Tinnon
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
CUSTODIAN APPRECIATION WEEK
Monday, September 30 – Friday, October 4 is recognized as Custodian Appreciation Week in AISD. This week, we recognize and appreciate the hard work of our campus Custodial Team. Casis has been so very fortunate to have an exceptional group of individuals who take excellent care of our school. On a daily basis, they work to keep our modernized facility looking new and well-maintained. Kudos to our team: Richard Castro (Head Custodian), Kenneth Brown, Alvaro Hernandez, and Norma Sarinana. We love and appreciate you all so very much!
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 recipients for the month of September are our Front Office Team Members: Shelly Guerrero, Mary Hernandez, and Sammy Huffaker. These ladies are just amazing at providing exceptional service to our entire school. They each show how much they care about our learning community, as they serve our students, staff, and families daily. They consistently provide information and give support to our entire school community. Any given day, these individuals are assisting new families, answering various questions, and providing the most excellent of customer service to us all. And they have all given particular support this school year, during the implementation of our new enrollment system, which was a significant ‘heavy lift’ for both our school and the district. We are deeply grateful for and appreciate the work of our Front Office Staff. We love each of you Ms. Shelly, Ms. Mary, and Ms. Sammy. Best Office Team ever!
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 12Noon via this zoom link.
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.
FALL PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Elementary Parent Fall Conference Day is scheduled on the AISD School Calendar to take place on Monday, October 14. This day will be a Student Holiday. At Casis Elementary, these important meetings will be scheduled within a ‘window of days’ during the month of October. Teachers will be scheduling 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 November 6.
CANDY DRIVE FOR AUSTIN ISD POLICE OCTOBER EVENT
The Austin ISD Police Department will be hosting its 5th Annual ‘Trunk or Treat’ event on Sunday, October 20, 4pm – 7pm at the Nelson Athletic Complex (7105 Berkman Drive). This is a free city-wide event that provides a safe and fun environment for all families to enjoy. Casis Elementary will be collecting candy donations, beginning Tuesday, October 1 – Tuesday, October 15 for this great cause. There will be marked bins at the main front door, front courtyard area, and north parking lot entrance of our school for folks to drop off candy donations. We thank everyone in advance for your sweet contributions.
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. Please see the following letters from each grade level, sharing the planned field trips and their associated fees: PreK, Kinder, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, & 5th Grade. Additionally, here’s a flyer that gives guidance on how to process payment: Fee Payment Flyer. 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.
WALK, BIKE, & ROLL TO SCHOOL DAY
Wednesday, October 9, is ‘International Walk, Bike, & Roll To School Day’. Join children and adults around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking and bicycling, and in spotlighting the importance of traffic safety. Days like these intend to make routes to school safer for active trips or by encouraging children to be more physically active in their lives. We want to encourage as many Casis families as possible to participate. Get those steps in as much as you can!
2024 – 2035 DISTRICT CALENDAR TASK FORCE
AISD is seeking membership for the District Calendar Task Force. The Calendar Task Force is charged with developing and recommending an instructionally sound calendar for the 2025-2026 and the 2026-2027 school years that focus squarely on the district’s academic mission and Strategic Plan. The Task Force is charged with placing the needs of all students first and foremost, but shall also consider the needs of parents, the community, and district staff. If anyone in our school learning community is interested, please fill out the Standard Membership Application form and select [Other], and type Calendar Task Force.
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 October is Compassion. When you have empathy for others, you can say or do many things to show your care and concern. Showing care or concern for others is called compassion.
The Equity word for the month of October is Inclusion. Inclusion makes sure each person at Casis feels welcome to be their authentic selves. Look around your class today and find each person’s strengths. Think about how you can include people in your class and community in a way that honors their truest self.
Following is a resources sheet for the month of October that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. OCTOBER RESOURCES SHEET
IMPORTANT DATES
Sun., Sept. 15 – Tues., Oct. 15 – National Hispanic Heritage Month
Mon., Sept. 30 – Fri., Oct. 4 – AISD Custodian Appreciation Week
October – Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Austin ISD Website & Resources
Thurs., Oct. 3 – Student Holiday / Staff Professional Development Day
Fri., Oct. 4 – Student Holiday (Rosh Hashanah) / Staff PLED Day
Mon., Oct. 7 – Fri., Oct. 11 – AISD Principal Appreciation Week
Wed., Oct. 9 – International Walk, Bike, & Roll To School Day
Mon., Oct. 14 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Thurs., Oct. 17 – Fall Individual Picture Day
Fri., Oct. 18 – Austin High Vertical Team Night at Burger Stadium
Mon., Oct. 21 – Fri., Oct. 25 – AISD Transportation Employees Appreciation Week
Thurs., Oct. 24 – Casis Carnival Parade at 8:10am (Front Circle Drive)
Fri., Oct. 25 – Administrators Coffee Chat at 8:00am (Community Room)
Fri., Oct. 25 – Casis ‘Under the Sea’ Carnival at 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Thurs., Oct. 31 – School-Wide Crazy Hat Day
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.