Stay In-the-Know: This Week’s Top News You Can’t Miss
- Today at 5pm is the deadline to purchase Carnival silent auction parties
- Friday is school-wide Crazy Hat Day
- No school next Tuesday, November 4th
- Volunteers are needed for the PRIDE Reading Program. See more info in the PTA section below
Cougar PRIDE Families,
It’s going to be another great week at Casis! Last week was an amazing week of carnival activities. The ‘Enchanted 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, Build 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 (Hillary Arnaoutakis, Rosemarie Caskey, Tina O’Jibway, and Natalie Standefer), their excellent Sub-Committees, our wonderful parent volunteers, and our outstanding Custodial Team. I must give special recognition to the creators of this year’s first ‘Enchanted Forest’ experience. It was a magical hit with everyone! And while I didn’t experience it myself, I also heard that this year’s ‘Haunted House’ 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
FIELD TRIP FEES DUE
Parents are asked to pay a bulk one-time ‘Field Trip Fee’ to cover the costs of planned educational outings. Please see the following letters from each grade level, sharing the planned field trips and their associated fees: Pre-K, 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 were asked to pay this fee by Friday, October 17. If additional time is needed to pay these fees or if there are other extenuating circumstances, please reach out to your classroom teacher(s). 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.
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. And in honor of Unity Day on Wednesday, October 22, school communities are encouraged to wear ORANGE, showing support for bullying prevention and safety for all students.
DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and AISD will sponsor some free events for both staff and families. Monday, October 27, there will be a free in-person screening of The Truth About Reading at Ann Richards School for Young Women. Tickets are available HERE. Wednesday, October 29, a virtual ‘Empower Hour’ session entitled, ‘Practical Strategies for Students with Dyslexia’ will be offered. See FLYER and zoom LINK for this event. We hope that our learning community will join AISD in recognizing Dyslexia Awareness Month and consider participating in these awareness events.
SCHOOL-WIDE ‘CRAZY HAT DAY’ AT CASIS
We’ll celebrate ‘Crazy Hat Day’ on Friday, 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!
2025 – 2026 1ST 9-WEEKS REPORT CARDS
Families can expect to access and view Report Cards for the 1st 9-Weeks on Wednesday, November 5. The AISD Portal/Frontline Parent Self Serve platforms give parents/guardians direct access to their child(ren)’s grades.
CHARACTER STRONG IMPLEMENTATION & PRACTICES
This year, AISD and Casis Elementary are implementing a new Character Education and Behavioral Support program called Character Strong. This program is meant to provide students with the necessary skills and strategies to be the very best humans that they can be in the world. Students will hear morning messages and receive lessons from their teachers about topics like respect, gratitude, honesty, courage and more. Teachers will be providing weekly lessons and sending home monthly information to families about the different program topics learned each month. The lessons derive from a program called, “Purposefull People”. Here’s a Family Introductory Letter about Purposefull People. Each month we will cover a different Character Strong topic and resources will be shared to help families have meaningful conversations at home about the learned trait. Here’s an Overview of the monthly topics that will be taught. The Character Strong trait for the month of October is Responsibility. Here’s the Family Connection Newsletter – Responsibility for this month’s theme. We are so excited to be ‘Character Strong’ at Casis Elementary!
IMPORTANT DATES
October – National Principals Month
Fri., Oct. 31 – Annual School-Wide Crazy Hat Day
November – Native American Heritage Month
Tues., Nov. 4 – Student Holiday / Staff Development Day
Mon., Nov. 10 – Fri., Nov. 14 – Casis Book Fair Week (Library)
Tues., Nov. 11 – School-Wide Veteran’s Day Program at 8:15am
Tues., Nov. 11 – Casis Book Fair Family Night at 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Thurs., Nov. 13 – General PTA Meeting at 9:00am (Community Room)
Tues., Nov. 18 – Prospective Parent Tour at 9:00am
Mon., Nov. 24 – Fri., Nov. 28 – School Holiday (Fall Break)
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.