Panther Print
July 27 Update
Note From Ms. Muehling
Important Fall Dates To Remember!
August 3-6
- New Panther/Kinder Orientation Video available
- Curbside Registration
Friday, August 7
- Virtual New Panther/Kinder Orientation Q&A, 10 am
Tuesday, August 11
- Welcome Back Teachers
Wednesday, August 12
- Virtual Class Lists Posted on Living Tree 4:00 PM
Friday, August 14
- Virtual Meet the Teacher (details coming soon)
Tuesday, August 18
- Students' First Day
BW Curbside Registration
New Panther Orientation
Welcome families! We are so excited to have you join our beautiful community and can't wait to learn and grow with you!
New Panther/Kinder Orientation Week- Aug 3-7
- Orientation Video will be available on our website, LivingTree all week
- Video will include information about our mission/values, history, traditions, programs, communication, and PTA
- We will have an additional video for ALL families to address specifics around schools reopening and remote learning during Meet the Teacher (Aug 14)
- We'll introduce you to the staff
- August 7 at 10:00 am we will have a live Q&A session on Zoom
- Submit questions prior to Q&A here: New Panther Orientation Questions
How Do We Communicate
Living Tree:
- LivingTree Family Support Guide
- www.livingtree.com
- Teachers use LT to share newsletters, upcoming events, celebrate students and keep families connected to the classroom
- Admin uses LT to share Panther Print (community newsletter), school-wide announcements, events, meetings and celebrate students
- PTA uses LT to share meeting agendas, minutes, events, and committee information
- Please use staff AISD emails to communicate about anything in LivingTree or any other question- Please do not use the LivingTree messenger as we cannot guarantee a speedy response with this platform
- New Kinder Code: DDEDFBC64B
- New Family Code: 0B5FBF282B
- School Messenger is an AISD program that allows the administration to send out group emails/phone calls to the entire community, grade level or individual classrooms
- Admin uses this to share Panther Print (community newsletter), important district/school notices (school closures, health concerns, emergency information)
- Please be sure that you have not blocked AISD emails in order to receive this communication
BLEND:
- All students and families will have access to the BW Community BLEND Course through the Student and Parent Portal
- All students and families will have access to your Teachers' BLEND Courses
- Weekly/Monthly Family Panther Prints
- Morning Announcements
- BW Handbook for Remote Learning/Returning to School
- Family Resources
BW Teacher BLEND Course
- Weekly Newsletter in Announcement Section
- Grade Level Handbook/Class Information
What Will School Look Like?
First Three Weeks of School
- 100% Online
- Students will be assigned to a Virtual Class List
- Begin at 7:40 with Morning Announcements and a synchronous Morning Meeting
- Students will have a set schedule that will include core academics, recess, lunch, and specials
- AISD and teachers will be providing all curriculum for families/tutors (you will not need to create your own curriculum or lessons)
- Students will be able to interact with teachers and classmates multiple times a day through synchronous lessons
- Small group synchronous lessons will be important to support individual learning, provide one-on-one feedback and monitor student goals
- Students will work independently (away from a screen) on assigned asynchronous lessons
- Students will have specific lessons that need to be completed and submitted for feedback and a grade
- All lessons will be available on BLEND
- Daily structure and curriculum delivery will be very different from the emergency remote learning that occurred in the spring
- Students and families will receive ongoing feedback
- School Ends at 2:57
Learning Platform and Tools
- All students will access the AISD Portal daily
- All students will access BLEND (Canvas) for schedules, assignments, synchronous/asynchronous learning, links to additional resources through the AISD Portal
- All teachers will be using a common BLEND Course Template for consistency across grade levels
- BLEND will be easier to navigate than in the spring (more organized and fewer clicks)
- BLEND support/preview will be available the week of Aug10-15 from the Parent Engagement Support Office (I'll send out more information when it's received)
- K-2 will have SeeSaw embedded to support primary student learning and feedback
Technology and Device Requests
- This spring, AISD distributed computers to students in grades 3-12 who requested a device
- Students who have just completed grades 3-11 can continue to use the Austin ISD computer they were assigned
- All devices delivered are covered under the Austin Independent School District Acceptable Use Guidelines.
- Austin ISD has retrofitted its buses with WiFi capabilities up to a distance of 200 feet in order to serve apartments and neighborhoods identified as having the highest needs. Available from 8:00am-2:00pm, the locations are being adjusted as needed. Map of Mobile Wifi Locations
- Ipads will be distributed to K-2 families who request a device in August
- Chromebooks will be distributed to 3-5 families who request a device in August
Technology requests for the 2020/2021 school year can be made in August.
Families will request a device by using the AISD Cloud Technology Distribution Tile-
COMING SOON
Class Lists/Family Requests
- Every student will be assigned to a homeroom virtual teacher
- Students may have opportunities to learn from various campus teachers through synchronous or asynchronous lessons
- We recognize the stresses that families are under with remote learning and child care, however, we cannot commit to any request for specific teachers or grouping of students due to the many factors that drive student placement: special education, ESL, 504, GT services, social, emotional and academic needs, class size, new/transfer students, and the numerous family requests/learning pods
- Class Lists will be posted on LivingTree on Aug 12 at 4:00 pm
New Family Pulse Survey Coming Soon
- AISD will be sending another Family Pulse Survey in the coming weeks
- Please complete this survey as it helps with staffing, scheduling, operational and safety plans
- New Kinder and New BW families will have access to this survey
New Superintendent
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees has named Stephanie Elizalde as the lone finalist to serve as Superintendent of the Austin Independent School District.
To learn a little bit more about our lone finalist, please review her bio online here: https://www.austinisd.org/sites/default/files/dept/superintendent/docs/Dr_Elizalde_Bio.pdf.
The road to selecting a finalist has been an extensive process which included six weeks of gathering stakeholder input from over 200 organizations, 2,000 community leaders and individuals in multiple languages. The process also included community surveys, public testimony, and outreach by parent support specialists during a nationwide search which included the consideration of 64 applicants from 24 states through a comprehensive candidate interview process.
Dr. Elizalde embodies our community’s values and has the experience to take Austin ISD to new heights. Please stay tuned for information about opportunities to meet her in the coming weeks.
The AISD School Board will work to schedule an official vote on the Superintendent's contract in August following a required 21 day waiting period.
Families may call the Family Support line at 512-414-9187. You can also send a Let's Talk! text to (512) 886-6434. Support is available weekdays from 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Bryker Woods Elementary
Email: kristina.muehling@austinisd.org
Website: www.byrkerwoods.austinschools.org
Location: 3309 Kerbey Lane, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2054