Stay In-the-Know: This week’s top news you can’t miss
- Silent auction party sales close today at 3pm! Links below
- This Thursday is Crazy Hat Day
- School holidays this Friday November 1st and next Tuesday November 5th
- Lunchroom Monitors needed – sign up below
- New November mini-session added for Wicked Workshop after-school club – scroll down for more info
Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! Last week was an amazing week of carnival activities. The ‘Deep Blue Casis’ carnival was just outstanding and will go down in school history as one of the very best fall events ever!. The On-Line Auction, Student Raffle, Cake Decorating Contest, Parade, and the Carnival itself, were all huge successes and so enjoyable. And our school staff truly appreciated the delicious breakfast, free wristbands, and food vouchers that were provided. Special thanks to our exceptional Carnival Co-Coordinators (Stephanie Edgar, Genny Hill, Callie McCown, and Jenny St. George), their excellent Sub-Committees, our wonderful parent volunteers, and our outstanding Custodial Team. And while I didn’t experience it myself, I also heard that this year’s ‘Haunted House’ (Makerspace) was also a rousing success – thanks to those volunteers as well. Everyone showed true Cougar ‘PRIDE’ with their teamwork, cooperation, and hard work, to make sure that we all had an unforgettable experience. Please see important information for the week below.
Mr. Tinnon
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
SILVER RAVE AWARD PIN FOR OCTOBER
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 October are our First Year Teachers: Sarah Mendez (K), Paige Davis (1st), Julia Alvarez (5th), and Isabel Ostos (Art). These ladies have done a phenomenal job of acclimating to their new roles as Teachers. And while we know that everyone must start somewhere, when embarking on a new professional journey, each of these individuals have shown us early on how fortunate we are to have them as a part of our Casis Learning Community. Each one of them is so very talented, intelligent, hard-working, dependable, and already contributing greatly to their teams. These educators have all shown true potential and a strong desire to be the very best in their field. They each show how much they care about our learning community, as they serve students, collaborate with staff, and merge themselves into our Cougar PRIDE Family. We can’t wait to see what great things they will continue to do in their professional lives at Casis Elementary and in Austin ISD. We are so very fortunate to have Ms. S. Mendez, Ms. P. Davis, Ms. Alvarez, and Ms. Ostos on our school team.
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.
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.
SCHOOL-WIDE ‘CRAZY HAT DAY’ AT CASIS
We’ll celebrate ‘Crazy Hat Day’ on Thursday, October 31. In lieu of costumes, all grades (students and staff) are invited to wear a fun, unusual, or unique (purchased or home-made) hat of their choice. Please see ‘hat wearing’ guidelines: (1) Must be appropriate in nature (no violent or inappropriate depictions/words), (2) No halloween-type masks are allowed, and (3) Teacher discretion as to when worn during the class time. We look forward to seeing all of the wonderfully interesting ‘crazy hats’ in the hallways of our school. And Mr. Tinnon will be giving away a hat to staff members every hour on the hour throughout the whole day. Hope that everyone joins in on this fun annual event!
NOVEMBER SCHOOL HOLIDAY
Friday, November 1 will be a School Holiday for the observance of Diwali. Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. Diwali is a Hindu observance celebrated throughout the world. Festivities include the illumination of lights, candles, firecrackers, and diya (clay lamps) to symbolize the victory of good over evil, inner light over spiritual darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Diwali is a time for gathering with loved ones, celebrating life, and committing to making the right decisions in life. See additional resources and information about this observance HERE. We hope that all families will enjoy time together during this special observance.
REPORT CARDS
Parents can expect ‘1st 9-Weeks Report Cards’ to be available in their AISD Parent Portal by November 6.
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
October – Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Austin ISD Website & Resources
October – AISD Bullying Prevention Month
October – Dyslexia Awareness Month
Thurs., Oct. 31 – School-Wide Crazy Hat Day
November – Native American Heritage Month
Fri., Nov. 1 – School Holiday (Diwali)
Tues., Nov. 5 – Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
Mon., Nov. 11 – Fri., Nov. 15 – Casis Book Fair Week (Library)
Mon., Nov. 11 – School-Wide Veteran’s Day Program at 8:15am
Wed., Nov. 13 – Casis Book Fair Family Night at 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Thurs., Nov. 14 – General PTA Meeting at 9am (Community Room)
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.
PTA NEWS