Stay In-the-Know: This Week’s Top News You Can’t Miss
- Today is the last day to order books for the Author Visit. Link below
- The deadline for ordering Yearbooks is this Friday! See below for sales link and list of students who have already placed orders
- General PTA Meeting this Thursday, February 20th at noon with guest speaker Dr. Mike Brooks, author of Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World
- Help Ms. Navickas complete her dissertation by filling out a quick survey about whole child development. See more below
- Welcome to our newest Teaching Assistant, Ms. Heins!
Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! It was so much fun last week to see how some of our classes celebrated the 100th Day of School. What a milestone! In addition to the district scheduled day, Spring Conferences are also underway during this month. Grade Level Teams have sent out information about Conference options and scheduling. Also, we’re all getting excited about our annual Author’s Visit Day that will occur next week. As we continue our work this school year, 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
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.
STAFF NEWS
We’re excited to welcome Jordynn Heins to Casis Elementary, as our newest Teaching Assistant. Ms. Heins will be joining our Special Education Team and comes with some great childcare experience in both the public and private settings. Jordynn has a bachelor’s degree and is currently pursuing a masters degree in Elementary Education, both from Texas State University. We are so happy for Ms. Heins to join our school family, as we support her in being the best educator that she can be. Glad you’re here Ms. Jordynn Heins!
SCHOOL COMMUNITY SURVEY REQUEST
Our own Assistant Principal, Katie Navickas, is currently completing her doctorate in Educational Leadership at Baylor University. Her dissertation will examine school staff and family perceptions of whole child development through an anonymous survey. With permission to conduct her research in AISD, Ms. Navickas is seeking the support and feedback of our Casis school community, as well as other selected schools in AISD. Both the district and school names will remain confidential in both the survey and the dissertation. The survey takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete and will close on Friday, February 28th. Following is the link to the survey in both English and Spanish. English Version/Whole Child Development Survey / Versión en español / Encuesta de Desarrollo Integral del Niño. We hope that many will consider participating in this survey to assist the future Dr. Navickas in reaching her professional goals!
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.
CASIS HEALTH ROOM CORNER FOR FEBRUARY
During the month of February, while it’s important to spread love to those special people in your life, it’s also just as important to spread the same love to your own heart. Here are some ways to ensure that your child has a happy and healthy heart! Check out the following health links: Your Child’s Heart Health, Heart Disease Prevention Starts In Childhood, and Keep Busy Kids Focused On Heart Health. If you have any questions about health guidelines in the school, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Health Room Staff, Natasha Gosek (School Nurse) and Alicia Henry (Clinical Assistant).
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.
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.
PROSPECTIVE PARENT TOUR
Prospective Parent Tours are great opportunities for families to get to learn about our school culture and programming, as well as take a tour of our new facility and amazing outdoor learning spaces. School Administration and PTA Leadership will lead these adult only tours. We look forward to sharing and showing all of the things that make Casis Elementary such a stellar educational choice for their children. The next tour of this school year will take place on Tuesday, February 25 at 9am – 10am. Can’t wait to show these potential new families our amazing school community!
ADMINISTRATIVE COFFEE CHAT FOR FEBRUARY
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, February 28 at 8:00a.m. in the Casis Community Room. 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 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. 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.