Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! October is here and it’s ‘Casis Carnival Month’! The planning for our ‘Deep Blue Casis’ 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! While our Fall Parent Conferences have been occurring, Monday, October 14, is the official conference day for Elementary Schools. Also ‘Fall Individual Picture Day’ is this week, so get those smiles ready! We’re excited that, 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
MY GENUINE THANKS
I want to personally thank all Casis staff, students, and families for all of the wonderful gestures that were done for me during ‘AISD Principal Appreciation Week’ last week. I feel so blessed to be able to lead a learning community like Casis Elementary. I don’t take my position as the Casis Principal lightly and it is an honor to work beside such dedicated and talented people like each of you everyday. The many kind messages, food, gifts, cards, posters, and other items of appreciation were simply amazing. Each act of kindness showed me just how much you care and definitely helped to affirm that my daily work with each of you, while not always easy, is absolutely worth it. Each of you makes me a better leader, person, and professional. Please know that your kindness and thoughtfulness was truly appreciated. It’s just an honor to serve. You have all made me so ‘Cougar Proud’!
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.
BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH IN AISD
October is Bullying Prevention Month in Austin ISD. We believe that every student has the right to feel safe and supported in their school environment. This month, our schools will focus on raising awareness about bullying, educating students on its various forms, and promoting kindness and inclusion within our community. Here is a Parent Letter that informs families about this month’s initiative. Additionally, here’s a visual graphic about the difference between Conflict & Bullying. Lastly, please join us in wearing ORANGE on Wednesday, October 16, which will be Unity Day, when we will show our support for bullying prevention across the district.
DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH EVENTS
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and AISD will sponsor a special free event for both staff and families. Beginning, Thursday, October 10 – Thursday, October 31, the Central Texas Dyslexia Conference will take place. A YouTube channel link will be available to watch any and all of the presentations throughout the month on this AISD page. See flyer HERE for more information. We hope that our learning community will join AISD in recognizing Dyslexia Awareness Month and consider participating in the annual conference.
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).
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.
FALL INDIVIDUAL PICTURE DAY
Thursday, October 17 will be Fall Individual Picture Day at Casis Elementary. All students will have their individual pictures taken and families will have the opportunity to purchase picture packages. Families may pre-order pictures by visiting www.mylifetouch.com (use either your Student ID or Picture Day ID: EVTJSGK6N). For more information and questions, visit www.lifetouch.com/support-us. Note: This does not apply to any families who have indicated, during enrollment, that their child is not to be photographed.
CANCELED EVENT – AUSTIN HIGH FUTURE MAROON NIGHT
The Austin High Vertical Team Night scheduled for Friday, October 18, has been canceled. That evening is the Homecoming Game for Akins High School and we want to respect this important event for their community. Due to a limited number of games left in the season and other activities already scheduled for those games, we are unsure if we will be able to reschedule for this year. We will keep our community posted if we’re able to schedule an alternative plan.
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.
ADMINISTRATIVE COFFEE CHAT FOR OCTOBER
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 next ‘Administrative Chat’ will take place on Friday, October 25 at 8:00a.m. in the Casis Library. We look forward to having some very authentic conversations with our learning community.
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
- October – Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Austin ISD Website & Resources
- October – AISD Bullying Prevention Month
- October – Dyslexia Awareness Month
- Mon., Oct. 14 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- Thurs., Oct. 17 – Fall Individual Picture Day
- Fri., Oct. 18 – Austin High Vertical Team Night at Burger Stadium – CANCELLED
- Mon., Oct. 21 – Fri., Oct. 25 – Love Your Brain Week (formerly Red Ribbon Week)
- 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 (Library)
- 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.