Stay In-the-Know: This Week’s Top News You Can’t Miss
- Don’t be tardy for the learning party! Read Mr. Tinnon’s message below about getting to school on time
- Casis Forest Club meeting this Saturday, February 8th at 9am. More details below
- Next Monday, February 10th, is the 100th day of school
- Casis Author Visit is scheduled for February 27th. Order your signed books below
- Early Bird PK4 Tuition Seats enrollment is this Wednesday to Friday, February 5th-7th. More info and registration links below
Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! Our second Prospective Parent Tour occurred last week and was a great turnout. We also had some great parent conversations in last week’s Administrators’ Coffee Chat. The month of January has just flown by and February is here. We’re also really excited to celebrate the 100th day of school next Monday, February 10. As we continue our work together this second semester, there is still much to learn, to do, and to look forward to. 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
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
SCHOOL COUNSELOR APPRECIATION WEEK
This week is ‘National School Counseling Week’ when we appreciate the vital service that School Counselors render to schools and districts all over the world, but particularly here at Casis Elementary. Our stellar Counselor, Veronica Colegio, does an outstanding job everyday with our students, staff, and parents. Counselors have such a tremendous impact on students, as they help to meet the needs of the whole-child, as well as support staff members and families in being the best they can be. In this day and time, when there is such a large focus on societal mental health and wellness, the supportive role of Counselors has been even more necessary and instrumental. Ms. Colegio offers daily support to all of us in such a kind, calm, and heart-felt way. Interactions with Veronica consistently makes us all feel heard and cared about. Please join me in acknowledging the daily contributions that Ms. Veronica Colegio makes to our Learning Community. We appreciate you so much Ms. Colegio!
PK4 EARLY BIRD TUITION SEATS PROGRAM
AISD will be offering early PK4 tuition-only seats for in-district AISD Families. The enrollment timeline for this special program will be Wednesday, February 5 – Friday, March 7. Seats will be selected and offered through a random lottery system. Please note that (1) staff members and (2) families who anticipate qualifying for free PK4 (See Criteria Here) should not enroll during this early period. The next PK4 application window will begin on Tuesday, April 1. The following documents provide additional clarifying information about this program: (1) Parent Guide Slideshow (2) Early Bird Website and (3) Early Bird Flyer. Participating families will be notified about the lottery outcomes by Friday, March 14.
MORNING ARRIVAL WINDOW REMINDER
A noticeable amount of our families are arriving to school right after the 7:40a.m. school bell rings. Please remember that students are considered ‘tardy’ if they arrive after this time. We purposely have a 30-minute window of time for all students to arrive at school everyday (7:10a.m. – 7:40a.m.). This window of time gives families ample time to plan their arrival. If you are a family that typically arrives right at 7:40a.m., please consider adjusting your morning routines by 5 – 10 minutes to ensure an ‘on-time’ arrival to school. It’s so very important that students have enough time to settle into their classroom and begin their day of learning. Consistent and timely routines help ensure that students are at their very best and able to be the most successful student that they can be for the school day. Thanks in advance for your compliance and cooperation with this request.
SPRING PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Elementary Parent Conference Day is scheduled to take place on Monday, February 17. At Casis Elementary, these important meetings will be scheduled during the month of February. Conferences scheduled in the Spring may be traditional (parent-teacher), student-led, or optional, based on the grade level and student progress/performance concerns. No matter the format, Teachers will still share information about student progress/performance for all students. During this month, please know that conferences may be requested by either the Teacher or Parents. Parents can then expect the ‘3rd 9-Weeks Report Cards’ to be available in their Parent Portal by Wednesday, April 9.
AISD GIFTED & TALENTED SHOWCASE
Gifted & Talented students are encouraged to submit a project for the AISD GT Virtual Showcase. The project is optional and to be done from home. The submission window is February 7 – April 11. See details about this district happening here: AISD GT Virtual Showcase Information.
STATE AND FEDERAL SCHOOL REPORTS AVAILABLE
The 2023 – 2024 Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR) (HERE) and the Federal Report Cards (HERE) for schools are now available on the website of the Texas Education Agency. The TAPR pulls together a wide range of information on the performance of students in each school and district in Texas every year, while Federal Report Cards provide information about student performance on the STAAR test, enrollment, class size averages, and financial expenditures.
2025 – 2026 ENROLLMENT IS OPEN
Austin ISD Priority Registration for Kinder-12th grade for the 2025–26 school year is Nov. 6, 2024 – Feb. 4, 2025. [Pre-K Registration will open in the Spring.] Students interested in admissions- and campus-based programs must complete their enrollment and any campus-specific application requirements on or before February 4, 2025. If families have questions, they can go to the enrollment website or call the Enroll Austin Help Line at 512-414-SEAT (7328). Want to learn more? Please explore these Enroll Austin FAQs.
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 February is Conflict Resolution. Conflict Resolution is when two or more people work together to peacefully solve a problem. Some common steps to solving a problem include (1) naming the problem, (2) thinking of solutions, (3) exploring what might happen with different solutions, and then (4) picking the best solution together.
The Equity word for the month of February is Upstanding. Upstanding means what it sounds like – STANDING UP. An upstander speaks up when they see someone being attacked and bullied. They work to promote justice and fairness everywhere they go. They recognize and interrupt stereotypes in their community and even in their friend group.
Following is a resources sheet for the month of February that will help support these two important concepts, both at school and at home. FEBRUARY RESOURCES SHEET
IMPORTANT DATES
February – National African American Heritage Month
Mon., Feb. 3 – Fri., Feb. 7 – School Counselor Appreciation Week
Tues., Feb. 4 – CAC Meeting at 3:30pm (Community Room)
Mon., Feb. 17 – Elementary Conference Day (Student Holiday)
Mon., Feb. 24 – Fri., Feb. 28 – Food Service Workers Appreciation Week
Tues., Feb. 25 – Prospective Parent Tour at 9am – 10am
Thurs., Feb. 27 – Casis Author Visit Day (Raul the Third)
Fri., Feb. 28 – Administrators’ Coffee Chat at 8am (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.