Bee Cave Beehive
9.23.21
***IMPORTANT NOTICE ***
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, IS A STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY & HOLIDAY FOR OUR BOBCATS
Dear Bobcats,
Last week our Bobcats began eating lunch outside. Each class, at each grade level, is on a rotation where each class has the opportunity to eat outside about once every week, to week and a half. I hope your children are enjoying this opportunity...they sure appear to be! It has been a bit warm lately, so some students try it and then choose to go back inside which is just fine since this is completely optional. I look forward to the weather getting cooler, so we will have more students participate. Also, we are looking for applicants to cover this outside lunch monitor duty each day. If you are interested please apply online. It is a monitor position 5 days a week for 3 hours a day from 10:30am - 1:30pm.
Sincerely,
Principal Kellner
#bobcatsgrowbettertogether
9/24/21...................Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
10/7/21...................End of 1st 9 Weeks
10/8/21...................Student Holiday/Staff Development Day
10/11/21.................Student/Staff Holiday
10/12/21.................Start of the 2nd 9 Weeks
GIFTED -- SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST SMART KIDS!
The yearly nomination window to have your child tested for the LTISD Discovery (Gifted & Talented) Program is currently open. The deadline for nominations is October 15, 2021. You can find the nomination form here or on the district GT website. The form is accessible in both English and Spanish.
Students who participate in services designed for gifted students will demonstrate skill in self-directed learning, thinking, research, and communication as evidenced by the development of innovative products and performances that reflect individuality and creativity and are advanced in relation to students of similar age, experience, or environment.
Elementary Discovery Program
● Program is based on intellectual ability, creativity, and advanced academic achievement.
● Needs based program
●Thematic curriculum addressing depth and complexity of ideas, creativity, and problem solving (not accelerated coursework)
● GT teachers provide: pull out program, classroom enrichment, and resources for teachers
Identification for the GT Program
● Looking for students who score in the top 4% nationally
● Tests are given to measure aptitude, creativity, and achievement
●The profile generated from the identification process will show a preponderance of evidence that gifted services are needed
● No single indicator can include or exclude a student from placement
Referral Process
● Submit a Discovery Referral Form by October 15, 2021.
● The nomination form can be found here.
● Testing - takes place during the 2nd grading period or in January for virtual students
● Committee Review of Results
● Parent/Guardian Notification
● Placement/services in GT program begin at the start of 2nd semester (January 2022) for in-person learners and in the spring for virtual students.
Questions? An informative slide show about the LTISD Gifted & Talented Program is available, and we recommend that you view it before joining us for a virtual question and answer session to be held October 1, from 11:30 am to 12 noon.
District to offer free voluntary antigen testing for asymptomatic students in grades K-12 Saturday, Sept. 25 at Hudson Bend Middle School
Dear Lake Travis ISD Staff, Parents and Guardians,
Lake Travis ISD will offer free voluntary antigen testing for asymptomatic students in grades K-12 between 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Saturday, September 25 at Hudson Bend Middle School. Parents should use this link to review our testing process and to make an appointment for their child.
Please note, the testing site is for asymptomatic students only. Anyone who is currently experiencing COVID-like symptoms must stay home and should contact their primary healthcare provider or utilize a testing location that offers molecular (PCR or NAAT) testing. For your convenience, there is a Curative testing kiosk located in the parking lot of Hudson Bend Middle School, 15600 Lariat Trail, Austin, 78734. Appointments with Curative are required separately and must be made online.
“Screening tests are beneficial because early detection allows infected people to isolate sooner and minimize their exposure to others prior to becoming symptomatic,” said Becca Harkleroad, RN, Lead Nurse for Lake Travis ISD. "However, a negative antigen test does not mean you do not have the COVID-19 virus. This test identifies COVID-19 once the body reaches a threshold of detectable viral load. For example, if you are exposed to COVID-19 the day before or the day of a COVID-19 test, you may not have enough of the virus to be detectable. You should still maintain viral safety precautions including wearing a mask and maintaining physical distance even if your result is negative, especially if you have a known exposure to a person who has COVID-19. If there is still a concern that a person has a COVID-19 infection after a negative antigen test, that person should be tested again with a molecular test."
For more information, contact Becca Harkleroad, RN, at harkleroadb@ltisdschools.org or at 512-533-6015.
Sincerely,
Marco Alvarado
Executive Director of Communications & Community Relations
Morning Assembly/ Morning Announcements/Morning Class Meetings/Student Broadcast
LUNCH INFORMATION
Kindergarten.......11:35 - 12:05
1st Grade............10:25 to 10:55
2nd Grade...........11:00 to 11:30
3rd Grade............12:05 to 12:35
4th Grade............12:40 to 1:10
5th Grade..............1:10 to 1:40
Please visit the Bee Cave website to access the district’s Food and Nutrition (FANS) website to add money to your child’s lunch account, view your child’s purchases, access the daily menu, and to set restrictions for your child’s lunch. It is not permissible for the cafeteria and school staff to restrict your child’s purchases. Please take the time to review the FANS site and establish your child’s lunch account. It is suggested that all students have an account with a few days credit on it in case lunches or money are misplaced or forgotten.
CAMPUS SECURITY
Safety and security is our top priority. We believe relationships are critical to successful schools, and ultimately, our families and students are the best partners in keeping our campuses safe. Our principals and school administrators investigate every reported tip or threat. We work with law enforcement and take quick and appropriate action, including notifying families, if there is a valid danger on campus.
We ask all of our families and students to please share any information regarding school or student safety by either directly contacting a school staff member or by using the Cavs Who Care Tip Line, our anonymous alert system. As LTISD grows, we will continue to explore and collaborate with other school districts to find new ways to improve safety and security at our campuses.
Standard Response Protocol
A critical ingredient in the safe school recipe is the classroom response to an incident at school. Weather events, fire, accidents, intruders and other threats to student safety are scenarios that are planned and trained for by students, teachers, staff and administration.
LTISD is expanding its safety program to include the Standard Response Protocol. The SRP is based on these five actions: Lockout, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter and Hold. In the event of an emergency, the action and appropriate direction will be announced on the PA system.
Students and staff will be trained and the school will practice these drills over the course of the school year.
Absences
Consistent school attendance is critical for the development of your child. When they miss school, we miss them! The entire school day is needed to deliver the full instructional program. Students need to come to school and attend the full day unless they have fever, a communicable disease, or family emergency. Help us communicate the importance of daily attendance to your child and schedule necessary appointments around school hours. When an absence is necessary, report the absence using School Dismissal Manager. For questions regarding attendance concerns, e-mail the registrar, Pam Mylius-Anderson at myliusandersonp@ltisdschools.org. A note explaining any absence is required upon the student’s return to school.
A message from our nurse, April Hicks
When to Keep your Bobcat Home from School
Adapted from LTISD Safe Return COVID protocols
Should I keep my child home from school?
If your child recently begun experiencing any of the following symptoms in a way that is not normal for them, they should be kept home:
○ Loss of taste or smell
○ Cough
○ Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
○ Headache
○ Chills
○ Sore throat
○ Muscle or body aches
○ Diarrhea
○ Fatigue
○ Congestion or runny nose
○ Nausea or vomiting
Does my child need a doctor’s note and/or COVID PCR to return to school?
If your answer is YES to ANY one of these questions, then you should get cleared by a doctor or have a negative PCR to return to school.
-Did your child have a temperature over 100 degrees?
-Did your child’s symptoms persist longer than 24 hours despite reasonable interventions?
-Does your child have a symptom and has been in close contact with an individual who was positive for COVID, either at school, home, or elsewhere?
***This was created by Nurse Hicks to outline guidance given in the Safe Return Plan, please refer to the complete document on the LTISD website for more information.
LTISD COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
The Lake Travis Independent School District (LTISD) continues to respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The health and safety of our school community is of utmost importance as we continue to closely monitor COVID-19 conditions in our community. Please refer to our Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Instruction Plan that will be in effect for the 2021-2022 school year.
On August 6, 2021, the District announced a temporary online learning option for LTISD students in grades K-6. This opportunity is only available for in-District students. Online learning will be available at least through the fall semester and will be reevaluated and extended as necessary.
The District will continue to implement a number of strategies to address the impact of COVID-19 on student learning and mental health. This includes the use of evidence-based interventions to address learning loss and investments in additional support for students’ social emotional learning and behavioral needs.
Our special COVID-19 health and safety protocols may be viewed here.
Common COVID related Q & A
MANY ARE ASKING WHO IT WAS THAT WAS POSITIVE
Due to privacy laws, we are unable to release that information.
MANY WHO RECEIVED THE NOTICE THAT THERE WAS A POSITIVE IN THEIR CHILD'S CLASSROOM ARE ASKING IF THEIR CHILD IS CLOSE CONTACT
Schools are not contact tracing in the same manner that we did last year. We are unable to social distance.. Parents can use this information to determine if you choose to quarantine your child if you are notified that there was a COVID positive in the classroom. If you DO choose to quarantine due to a COVID positive in the classroom, please put that information in SMART TAG. This change in practice is required by the Texas Education Agency. It was not a local decision.
IF MY CHILD GETS COVID OR IF I CHOOSE TO QUARANTINE FOR CLOSE CONTACT, HOW DOES MY CHILD GET WORK?
We are not doing virtual school the same way we did last year. This year, when your child is home for these reasons, you will contact the teacher for makeup work just like we did pre-COVID.
MY CHILD'S TEACHER WAS ABSENT. CAN I KNOW WHY?
This is the employee's private information, so no, we do not share why a teacher is absent. Our teachers have a high attendance rate, when they are absent it is usually based on taking care of someone in their family, personal illness, or being required to self-isolate due to a positive COVID close contact. Again, employee personal information privacy is protected by federal and state law.
MY CHILD'S TEACHER WAS ABSENT WITH NO SUB. WHAT HAPPENS THEN?
If we are unable to find a sub for a teacher that is out, the students in that class are divided into the other classes on the grade level so that they do not miss instruction.
IF THERE IS A COVID POSITIVE IN THE CLASSROOM, ARE ALL STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM SENT HOME?
No. We do not have the authority to quarantine students like we did last year.
From Our Amazing PTO
Dear Parents,
The BCE PTO newsletter is automatically sent out to everyone who has an active account on our PTO website, bcepto.com. If you haven't yet registered or need to update your information, please do! You won't want to miss out on all the important updates for PTO meetings, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers, and more!
Need Tech Support? Here is where to go.
Skyward Questions skyward@ltisdschools.org
Schoology schoology@ltisdschools.org
Technology issues - password resets, computer issues 512 533 6545
Technology webpage https://www.ltisdschools.org/Domain/27
TEA on Minimum Standard Health Protocols on Visits to Schools During Campus Closures
https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/health-safety-discipline/covid/minimum-standard-health-protocols-for-school-employees-in-school-building-during-campus-closuresBee Cave Elementary
Website: https://www.ltisdschools.org/Domain/12
Location: 14300 Hamilton Pool Road, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-533-6250
Twitter: @BCEBobcats