Hornet Herald
News and notes for the week of 4/4/2021
Principal's Message to Hornet Families for the week of April 4th, 2021
Happy Sunday fantastic family members,
I hope everyone was able to enjoy the 3 day weekend with your families. The staff and I used April 2nd as a professional development day. The staff began the day with a virtual breakfast where we had time to connect with non work related memories such as where everyone grew up and how much those areas have changed since we were young. We went on to start our day with a welcome/faculty meeting where we reflected on different items such as: aspirations when you were in middle school, favorite middle school memory, personal/professional growth since last year, and tools you plan to continue to use post pandemic era. We then went on to receive professional development in Autism & STAAR testing. We ended our day in grade level meetings to review choice sheet responses and lesson planning. It was a full day for our educators but we know it helps makes us a stronger school community. We also spoke of looking forward to continuing and even bettering our efforts to create an engaging and GREAT learning experience for our scholars in the final weeks of the school year.
Last but not least, we want to encourage perfect attendance for all scholars(remote and on campus) in these final terms of the 2020-2021 School year. We know the highest levels of learning occur when students are actively engaged and attendance is consistent. Thank you all for being such an amazing school community, it is truly my pleasure to serve you. Let's have a great week of teaching and learning! #DBGBG (Don't Be Good, Be GREAT!)
BTO/Stafffing Update as of 4/4/2021 - We are in the finalizing stages!
- We had enough campus flexibility to avoid placing any of our teachers in the AISD priority pool
- Fewer staff members than last year (We will have 67 teachers on campus)
- 2 additional special education teachers
- campus based dyslexia teacher
- 1 additional counselor
- Funding .5 of an English instructional coach position from Title I funds
- Funding the other .5 of the English Instructional coach position from local funds
- Funding 100% & 90% additional teachers from title I funds to maintain Mathematics & Reading double block for struggling learners (This will help close the achievement gaps on our campus)
- Funding Summit K12 Language Acquisition and TELPAS Prep Program to support growing population of Emerging Bilingual Students in our school.
- Funding 85% of AVID teaching position from College Career Military Readiness Funds & the other 15% from local funds. (This adds another teacher to our campus' total teacher bank)
- Funding Communities in Schools and the Campus Parent Support Specialist from Local Funds (These services help our students and families by supporting in areas that are not academically related)
- hosting BTO final update @ April 8th CAC Meeting @ 3:15pm, Please click here if you wish to reserve a space and join the meeting.
2021 STAAR Information - Upcoming test: 7th Grade Writing Exam - April 6th
Families who complete the STAAR survey indicating their 7th grade students would participate in STAAR Writing received an email earlier today with room assignment and additional testing information. Please review the email with your student.
Students (7th grade) who are not participating in STAAR Writing, remember to engage in the learning activities by completing the asynchronous assignments your teachers will post in BLEND on Tuesday. You MUST complete these assignments to be considered present for the day.
Resources
STAAR Information SMORE
Upcoming Dates - A Week!
Monday - April 5th A Day
Tuesday -April 6th - B Day
7th Grade STAAR Writing Exam
Wednesday -April 7th - A Day
Thursday - April 8th- B Day
KMS CAC Meeting @ 3:15pm, Please click here to register for the meeting
Friday - April 9th - A Day
Saturday - April 10th
AISD Operation Reconnect - Northeast Austin Area
April 9th & April 23rd will be instructional A days
Congratulations Model UN Delegates!
Congratulations to all the Kealing students who participated in the virtual Model UN conference on Monday 3/29! All delegates did an outstanding job representing their countries on various issues, but 5 Kealing students recognized for speaker awards (out of 9 possible awards).
- Aarush Baradwaj (Saudi Arabia) -- UNODC: Best delegate
- Kieran McDonald (Iran) -- UNSC: Esteemed delegate
- Rachit Kakkar (Ireland) -- WHO: Best Delegate
- August Martin (Central African Republic) -- WHO: Distinguished delegate
- Olivia Kraft (Saudi Arabia) -- WHO: Honorable delegate
Thank you and congratulations delegates!
Free Minds application is open!
Apply Now for the Free Minds Class of 2021-22!
If you’ve been thinking about returning to school, Free Minds is calling your name! A program of Foundation Communities’ College Hub, Free Minds offers a free two-semester college course in the humanities for adults looking to start a new chapter.
Free Minds offers a supportive environment for adult students. Classes will be two evenings a week between August and May. Tuition, books, childcare, and support services are provided at no cost to students. Faculty from UT and ACC lead students through classes in literature, philosophy, history, art, and writing. Students who complete the course earn six credit hours from ACC.
If you’re ready to make a fresh start in the classroom, please consider applying.
You are eligible if you:
1. Are at least 18 years old
2. Have a high school diploma or GED
3. Don’t have a college degree and haven’t been enrolled in a degree program in the past two years
4. Have demonstrated financial need
5. Possess the ability to read challenging books in English
6. Are ready to commit to attending class regularly and complete all assignments
Prospective students can apply online by July 9, 2021 by visiting FreeMindsAustin.org. For any questions, please email
freeminds@foundcom.org or call 512-610-7961.
AISD Mental Wellness for Families Smores
We are excited to announce that our third 2-sided flyer with mental health resources/strategies
will be distributed to parents/families during Austin ISD food distributions next week. We plan
to create a new Mental Wellness flyer/Smore every two weeks. These
resources are part of a collaboration between Child Study Systems, Social and Emotional
Learning, Health Services, Family and Community Engagement, and Austin ISD Communications.
1st Edition
2nd Edition
3rd Edition
Bike & School Day - May 5th
Join Bike and School Day on May 5. AISD’s transportation and sustainability teams have partnered with Ghisallo Cycling Initiative for students to learn about biking, engage in physical activity and celebrate sustainable transportation in Austin.
Students can participate by using the Bicycle Skills Challenge at Home program, a guided lesson plan for students to learn and practice bicycle safety and riding skills. The program is a modified version of the advanced bike rodeo clinic that the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative provides through AISD physical education programs. The dual-language, 30-minute program in English and Spanish can support both synchronous and asynchronous instruction.
SIgn up for the KMS Bike & School Program here!
Benefits
Schools will be selected by receive free bikes and helmets to raffle to participating students.
Students learn bike safety and riding skills so they can safely bike to and from school, for fun and recreation, or to get wherever they want to go.
The fun, interactive lessons are aligned with TEKS and can help youth engage in physical activity and improve their health!
How to participate
Contact cycleacademy@ghisallo.org to confirm participation and receive the materials. Ghisallo Cycling Initiative team members will drop off bikes and helmets to selected schools.
Ensure the students complete the knowledge quiz through BLEND or preferred learning platform or collect answers in the classroom.
Questions? Contact
cycleacademy@ghisallo.org.
Virtual Volunteer for Junior Achievement at Kealing
Junior Achievement work-ready and entrepreneurship programs are being implemented in Kealing's AVID classes though the end of this spring semester. We need ten virtual volunteers to mentor the students through these programs. The commitment is one-hour a week for about six weeks per program. JA will give you everything you need. Please feel free to email
emily@jacentex.org and check out the JA website at
https://www.jacentex.org/ja-volunteer AISD Curbside Meal Site
AISD to Continue Free Meals through the 2020-21 School Year
The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) recently announced an extension of current school meal programs through the 2020-21 school year. Through the federally-funded program, all Austin ISD students will receive free school meals through June 3, the last day of school.
For students participating in remote, off-campus learning, free 7 day meal packs will be available each Thursday at more than 40 curbside locations throughout Austin. While Austin ISD plans to continue curbside service as long as needed, meal sites are subject to change as more students transition to on-campus learning.
Curbside meal sites and more information can be found here
Austin ISD COVID-19 Dashboard
Austin ISD is committed to putting health and safety protocols in place that will prevent the occurrence and/or spread of COVID-19. However, we must be prepared to quickly and effectively respond to and communicate a lab-confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 at a school or other Austin ISD facility.
The Austin ISD COVID-19 Dashboard will be updated by noon each Tuesday, starting the week of Sept. 21. All lab-confirmed positive cases on campuses will be communicated directly to the campus community. Individuals who may have been exposed will be contacted directly and provided information on the next steps, including a quarantine timeline if needed.
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