Join us this Thursday for an unusual Back to School Night. First, drive by the campus to get your curbside SWAG bag from 2-4 pm. Then join your child's teacher's Zoom meeting at 5 pm to get a virtual tour, ask questions, play and game, and have a PRIZE RAFFLE! Be sure you ask the teacher how to sign in virtually. The 3 teachers with the most parent visitors will also get a prize. This is an unusual year and this will be an unusual Back to School Night, but we will still have fun together!

We offer a coffee talk each month, but this month it will have to be a virtual coffee talk. So join us this Friday from 8:15-9:15 or 3:30-4:30 pm on Zoom. We will discuss remote learning and plans for Face-to-Face phase in learning, and any other topics you would like to discuss.

Zoom Meeting Link

Meeting ID: 956 3302 9281

Passcode: 1234

Fall is the time to join PTA. It costs $9 to join online. You do NOT have to do anything else once you join. Your membership fee alone does sooooooooo much to support the school! You can join online at txpta.org.

If you are interested in doing a little more, we do need to establish a new PTA Board, to include a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. If you are interested in being a board member, please email Ms. pace or Ms. Salinas.

jennifer.pace@austinisd.org

idalia.salinas@austinisd.org

Now is the time to nominate your child for consideration for the AISD Gifted & Talented Program.

To learn more about this program, please click here.

To submit a nomination, please click here.

If a person needs help with rent or medical bills as a result of COVID-19 and lives in 78744, you can apply for relief money from DSP (only 1 application per household, and application does not guarantee assistance, amount of assistance varies) To apply follow the steps below and email all information below to dovespringsproud@yahoo.com.

First join Dove Springs Proud Facebook group, then accept DSP President Friend Request on Facebook.

Submit proof that you have or had COVID with your name.

Submit a government-issued ID that matches your current address with your name and your address in 78744.

Submit proof of medical bill from COVID, and/or proof of electric or rent/mortgage bill for DSP to consider paying due to COVID such as loss of job

Post DSP logo on your personal FB page and tag DSP President.

Create Paypal.me account online to get $ online with your debit card or bank account linked to it. Send link.

Complete the survey application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QSFB62X

With thanks from Ricardo Zavala, President of Dove Springs Proud

Beginning on October 5th, AISD schools will begin to phase in students who wish to return to school for face-to-face instruction. Schools will operate at 25% capacity for two weeks, October 5th through October 16th. During the first week of phase in, priority will be given to Early Childhood Special Education, students whose parents work for AISD, PreK-3, PreK4, Kindergarten, and siblings. Capacity and social distancing requirements may result in limited space for Pre-K and kindergarten students. And dependending on how many students actually want to return, some space may be available for students in other grades. If space allows additional students will be added to the phase in, beginning with first and second grade students during the week of October 12-16th. Then, if conditions allow, we will move to a 50% capacity model, adding 3rd and 4th grade students during the week of October 19-23rd, and 5th grade students October 26-30th. This week Widén administrators will process parent survey results to plan for the phase in by identifying priority students. We will notify all parents wanting students to return of their child's return date during the week of September 28-october 2nd. Please call our office with any questions or concerns. We are here to help, and we will work through the phase in process together!

This is a friendly reminder that starting this week, every Wednesday during remote learning, will be a day for students to complete independent work and for teachers to plan for online instruction. Teachers will be checking in with students on Wednesdays, but we will not follow our regular daily zoom schedules on Wednesdays. All teachers, including music, art, and PE will have lessons and activities for students to complete on their own in their Blend courses. Please contact your child's teacher or our front office (512)-414-2556 if you have questions or need assistance.

What is PTA and who has time for it? It is not scary at all! It is easy to participate! And it is just a good thing to do. Can we have 30 minutes of your time this Friday, September 18th, at 2 pm? We just want to tell you what PTA is and what PTA does. There is no cost to attend this meeting, and no obligation to join, volunteer, or do anything at all. And to show our appreciation for joining the online meeting, we will have a tabletop whiteboard easel for your child to use at home for remote learning.

Click HERE to join the meeting. Meeting ID: 956 3302 9281 Passcode: 1234

Beginning on October 6th, schools will reopen at 25% capacity. The capacity will increase over a six week phase-in period. Families will have the option to return to the school building or continue with remote learning. What would you like to do? It will be important for schools to know how many families want to return and how many families want to continue with remote learning in order to prepare for enough teachers in the building and enough teachers providing remote instruction.

AISD sent a survey to parents (on Thursday, September 10th) via email and text message to collect information about whether your student(s) will return to school or continue to do remote instruction when campuses reopen. If you have not completed this survey, please do so as soon as possible, so that we can prepare. You will need your child's ID number for the survey. If you do not know your child's ID number, please contact your child's teacher or our front office at (512)-414-2556.

Click HERE to take the survey.

If you have questions regarding the survey, please submit them using the AISD Let's Talk site.

Would you like to get text messages from Widén Elementary? Click here to join the Widen Elementary Remind App

Curbside meals will continue to be free for any person under the age of 19 years old. Drop by to pick up a to-go meal between 10:30 am and 12:30 pm.

Click HERE to learn about AISD Community Learning Spaces.

Let your child join the FREE ACE online enrichment club! Click HERE to register.

Call our office (512-414-2556), the student help desk, (512-414-4357) or parent help desk (512-414-9187) and ask a staff member to report the device as lost or stolen. You may be asked to provide information and details.

**NOTE: Reporting the device as lost/stolen authorizes us to use location tracking to identify the device’s location.

Student devices in need of repair: Families can take iPads, Chromebooks, and hotspots in need of repair to either your school or to one of the Curbside locations, where they can be swapped out as long as supplies allow.

What type of art should the City put up on East William Cannon in 78744? Use your voice to direct public art near you! Complete an Art-on-the-Corridor survey in English or Spanish. Tell us where the street meets your story.

Art-on-the-Corridor is working with the City of Austin’s Corridor Program Office and neighborhoods to identify public art or cultural spaces along nine designated roadways in Austin. The Art-on-the-Corridor Project is gathering stories from community members to express the culture and spirit of each corridor. These stories will help create public art to support each community.

Thank you. Ricardo Zavala, MPA

Dove Springs Proud (DSP) Founder/President for 78744

It's official! School has started, and we are so excited! It is a busy month. Here is our September Parent Calendar.

Remote learning from home will be challenging for all of us, but we will get through this together! Join our At Your Service Hour for Parents every Wednesday, from 2-3 pm on zoom . We will try to help answer any of your questions!

Click Here to Join The Meeting

Meeting ID: 555 667 8471

Password: 1234

We have paper Learning Guides available for students experiencing special circumstances and challenges. We strongly recommend participating in online instruction to the greatest extent possible; however, curbside paper Learning Guides are available for pick up. Learning Guides are available in 2 week bundles. Work completed in the paper Learning Guides must be communicated to teachers on a daily basis for attendance and grading purposes.

In addition to paper Learning Guides, consumable textbooks can be provided for special circumstances. Textbook pick-up requests must be made by contacting our front office at 512-414-2556.

We want to show our love for GRANDPARENTS. Please drive through on Monday, September 14th, between 9 am and 3 pm so that we can run some cookies out to you in the office side drive through lot. If your grandparent cannot make it to the school, please come pick up some cookies for them.

The district has developed electronic handbooks for parents to help with the use of Blend and Seesaw. We hope that these will be helpful! You can also contact the AISD Technology support line at 512-414-9187 for assistance or submit an electronic request for assistance by clicking here. For support via text message contact 512-886-6434.

English Parent Handbook

Spanish Parent Handbook

There is also an Early Childhood Checklist for parents to help with at home learning.

We would love to give you some school supplies to use at home during online learning! Please drive through the front office drive-through parking lot Tuesday - Friday this week from 9-11 am and 1-3 pm, to receive your supply pck! One per family while supplies last.

Free curbside meals are provided in the to-go drive through lane on the cafeteria side of the building Monday - Friday from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm!

Our records indicate we have 98 students who still need to get their iPad and 22 students who still need to get their Chromebook. To speed up the distribution process so that all families have devices in time, the district is delivering all remaining devices to campuses. We received our iPads on Friday, and the Chromebooks will be delivered on Monday. If you requested a pick up or a delivery, we are asking that you come to Widén Elementary this week for curbside device checkout. The district is delayed in deliveries, so pick up at Widén will be the fastest method for our students who still need devices.

Widén Elementary device pick up 9 am - 3 pm

Technology FAQ

If you need technology assistance please contact the AISD Technology support line at 512-414-9187 or submit an electronic request for assistance by clicking here.

Please let us know if there is anything you need. We will have paper copies of Learning Guide Packets available each week, and we have some take-home textbooks available by request for special circumstances. Please let your child's teacher know if you need these, or call our front office at, 512-414-2556, to arrange a curbside pick up time. You can email front office staff for assistance also!

Principal: jennifer.pace@austinisd.org

Assistant Principal: patricia.williams@austinisd.org

Registrar: jessica.bustamante@austinisd.org

Front Office Support: brenda.gill@austinisd.org

Our Virtual Meet the Teacher event will take place this Tuesday, August 25th, from 4-5 pm and then again this Wednesday, August 26th, from 9-10 am. The event will take place on Zoom. Parents can drop in anytime during the Zoom hour using the clickable links on the flyer above. The main goal is to allow you to meet your child's teacher and exchange contact information. Don;t worry if you miss the event. Your child's teacher will reach out to you to connect personally prior to the first day of virtual school on September 8, 2020.

Widén staff will be reaching out to all families to see if your child is ready to begin online instruction. We want to be sure that you have everything you need and that you are ready to go on September 8th. We are here to help you in any way we can. So please be expecting a call from someone this week. If you prefer to share your information with us electronically, please use the 2020-2021 Parent Contact Information Form Above, and provide any specific comments about what your child needs or how we can help you access online instruction.

Cafeteria staff is providing free meals for any child under 19, and their parents or caregivers. When school resumes on September 8, students or parents must show documentation they are enrolled in AISD, and free meals will only be available to students. Documentation may be a student ID card, student ID number or an official letter or email from the school showing that the child is currently enrolled at an AISD school. Meals will be provided along the drive-through pick up lines on the west side of the building. Each day, students may pick up breakfast and lunch meals, packaged together. Meals will not be provided on Labor Day, September 7th.

Grades 3-12: Families who need a Chromebook can now go to one of the Computer Curbside locations to pick up a device. The Technology Department will be reaching out about deliveries and campus-based distributions once the iPad deliveries are successfully up and running.

PreK3-2nd: Families who missed the assigned iPad pick up days last week or who register late, will be able to pick up an iPad at one of the Computer Curbside locations. We will soon expand to seven.

Are you in need of school supplies to use at home? We will be providing a drive-through, curbside supply giveaway September 1st-4th from 9-11 am and 1-3 pm. We will have backpacks with school supplies for our students. Quantities will be limited to one bag per family while supplies last.

Our Virtual Meet the Teacher event will take place on Tuesday, August 25th, from 4-5 pm and then again on Wednesday, August 26th, from 9-10 am. The event will take place on Zoom. Parents can drop in anytime during the Zoom hours using the clickable links on the flyer below. The main goal is to allow you to meet your child's teacher and exchange contact information. Your child's teacher will reach out to you and your child to connect more personally prior to the first day of virtual school on September 8, 2020.

Are you in need of school supplies to use at home? We will be providing a drive-through, curbside supply giveaway September 1st-4th from 9-11 am and 1-3 pm. We will have backpacks with school supplies for our students. Quantities will be limited to one bag per family while supplies last.

For families without technology or internet access, we will be providing textbooks to use at home during the online only instruction weeks from September 8th through October 2nd. Materials will be distributed through the front office drive through lane.

Please sign up today and reserve your child's virtual spot in our program. We will offer both "Anytime" and "Live Virtual" activities! You can now choose what works best with your schedule at home!

Please read the instructions carefully and submit your completed registration when done. You will need to do one registration for each child in your household.

ACE After-School Activities will begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. All activities will be available from 3:30 - 6:00 pm, a schedule of activities that are grade level specific, will be emailed to you.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ACE NEWSLETTER

In order to for teachers to better prepare for full day online instruction (synchronous and asynchronous), The AISD Board of trustees voted to push back the first day of school for students to September 8th. The last day of school will be pushed back to June 3, 2021. A new calendar will be developed and shared with parents soon.

We want to share basic online schedules with you to help you prepare for online learning at home. Teachers will be sharing more detailed schedules with you at the start of the year that will include specific small group instruction times for your child.

THE SCHEDULES ABOVE WILL BE FOLLOWED MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAYS ARE RESERVED FOR ONLINE ACTIVITY PLANNING & PREPARATION AND STUDENT INDEPENDENT WORK COMPLETION. TEACHERS WILL CHECK IN WITH STUDENTS INDIVIDUALLY ON WEDNESDAYS AS NEEDED.