Mathews Messenger, 6
September 19, 2022
From Grace
Hello, Wonderful Mathews Community! Happy weekend to all of you. Can you believe we're half-way though the month of September and half-way through the first quarter of learning? Each day I'm inspired by our students, teachers, and staff and am loving all of the learning taking place throughout the school. Be on the lookout to sign up for parent/teacher conferences so you can learn more about your child's academic and social growth so far this quarter. :)
Last week was a busy one for us - we celebrated International Dot Day, the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month and Dies y Seis as a whole community. And we were blown away by the dynamic and friendly visit by Christina Soontornvat on Thursday. She was amazing! Then, during assembly, Mr. Briceno shared some of his history and culture with the group before leading us in a series of gritos. Our 4th and 5th grade students then shared the Hat Dance and Los Machetes (both dances they learned last year for International Festival) and Ms. Campos provided a history of each. What a lovely way to wrap up the week! You can see pictures of our students' beautiful art work and the assembly below:
As always, thank you for your support! Please take the time to review the information included in this message so you'll be informed of school and district news. We'll see everyone bright and early Monday morning!
This Week at Mathews
Monday, September 19, 2022
- Gifted and Talented Nomination Window Opens
- Virtual Gifted and Talented Parent Information Session at 6:00 pm
Tuesday, September 22, 2022
- Virtual Gifted and Talented Parent Information Session at 12:00 pm
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
- Vertical Team Principal and PTA Rep Meeting at 9:00 am at Casis Elementary
Thursday, September 22, 2022
- First Day of Fall
Friday, September 23, 2022
- School-wide Assembly - 8:00 am - Blacktop
September 28-29: Parent Conference Evenings
September 29: PTA Meeting
September 29: CAC Meeting
October 6: Mando Rayo Author Visit for PreK-2nd Grades
October 7: Student Early Release/Teacher PlanningOctober 14: Staff Development/Student Holiday
October 25: 2nd Grade Musical Performance
October 27: PTA Meeting
October 27: CAC Meeting
October 28: Book Character Dress Up Day
October 29: Octoberama!
November 4: School-Wide Real Aloud Begins
Save the Date for Octoberama!
After a two year hiatus, Octoberama is back! Mark your calendars for October 29th. We will be celebrating our community with music, games,food, and fun. More information to follow. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Greg Garcia via Konstella.
Positivity Project (P2)
This week our school community will be focusing on the Other People Mindset of Being Present and Giving Others My Attention. This means when I’m with other people, I’m present and give them my full attention.
This element of the Other People Mindset is so important today due to the increasing number of distractions vying for our time and attention. Phone calls, text messages, emails, social media notifications all have the dangerous capacity to pull us away from the present moment and, what’s most important -- our relationships with other people.
Just like plants need sunlight to grow, our relationships need attention. If we don’t give our attention to the people we’re building relationships with -- whether family members, close friends, or even distant colleagues -- we can’t build those relationships. It’s vitally important that we pick our heads up from our cell phones and truly listen to other people when they’re talking. A positive culture is built on positive relationships -- and we can’t build positive relationships without attention.
To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.
Mathews Art Club
Click on the flyer below to sign up for Art Club! Limited spaces available. :)
Austin ISD Bond Information for Mathews
Early voting in the 2022 Bond election begins October 24, 2022 and Election Day is November 8, 2022. Please see the flyer below to see the proposals for Mathews. You can find more information on the Bond package and what is proposed for each campus/facility here.
AISD Community Conversations
The district is hosting a series of community conversations to resume the repurposing process for the Anita Ferrales Coy, former Pease Elementary and former Rosedale School sites. Participants will discuss potential new uses for each site based on community feedback from earlier engagement and findings from site assessments and feasibility studies. Please see this list of events .
Gifted and Talented Fall Nomination Window
Our school is pleased to announce that referrals for gifted and talented students are being accepted from September 19-October 7. Please note that starting this year there is one window for all students in K-12.
Each campus will screen referred students to determine if they are eligible for Gifted and Talented (GT) or Talent Explore (TE) services at the school. Not all students who are screened will automatically qualify to receive services. Parents are encouraged to speak with their child's teacher, during parent-teacher conferences, if they have any questions about whether this is a good option for their child.
Interested parents and guardians should pick up a referral form from the front office or download the form HERE. Completed forms should be brought to the front office or emailed to our GT Advocate, Felica Adams, at felicia.adams@austinisd.org GT screening and testing requires parent/guardian permission by the campus deadline. A variety of measures are used for screening and testing including assessments for Emerging English students.
A virtual Gifted and Talented Information Session on September 19 (from 6-7pm) and September 20 (from 12-1pm) will be presented by AISD. For more information about the Austin ISD gifted program, please visit the Austin ISD website and view the resources linked below.
GT Parent Resources:
There are numerous characteristics of gifted children and not all children will exhibit the same characteristics; however, this list can serve as a guide to recognizing students who may be potentially gifted.
Did your child start talking (and never stopped talking) before most other children the same age?
Does your child have a lot of curiosity, and ask a lot of questions about all kinds of things one after another?
Does your child give complex and detailed answers to questions (even simple questions)?
Does your child have a wide range of interests? Does he/she enjoy trying new things?
Does your child get lost in his/her own world and become so involved that she/he isn’t aware of anything else?
Does your child often have unusual ideas and give logical, reasonable explanations for events and occurrences?
Does your child pay close attention to details, is highly observant, and does not miss a thing?
Does your child notice likenesses and differences between people, events, or things?
Does your child come up with powerful, persuasive arguments for almost anything?
Does your child show empathy and sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others?
Does your child show an awareness of problems that others don’t notice?
Does your child worry about the world, other people, and/or the environment?
Expanded and adapted from the work of Judy Galbraith, MA.
CATCH
What Are You Teaching Your Children?
Do you think your children notice? Your kids are watching and learning from everything you do. So, be a healthy role model! Teach your kids how to eat smart and be active:
• Did you eat your fruits and vegetables today?
• Did you drink water? Low fat milk?
• Did you get any exercise, go for a bike ride or walk?
Think about what you are teaching your children. Think twice the next time you:
• Order a super-size fast food meal.
• Eat because you are stressed or bored; or
• Decide to spend the afternoon in front of the TV.
Being active and eating healthy is good for all of us so let's set an example for our kiddos! :)
Cub Scout Information
Mathews Campus Advisory Council
Our Campus Advisory Council (CAC) will meet the last Thursday of every month, immediately following our PTA meetings at 9:15 am. Meetings will be held both in person with zoom-in availability. Our first meeting will be held on September 29, 2022.
COVID Request
Families, please call 512-414-4406 or email Grace at grace.martinobrewster@austinisd.org to notify us if your child has tested positive for COVID-19.
We will notify our confidential district health team and send out a campus-wide notification without any identifying information. Thank you for your help! For more information on COVID protocols, please see the Review section below.
School Bus Information
2022-23 Bus information
We recommend families whose students are eligible for General Education transportation to check their bus information by checking the district’s “Bus Stop Finder''. Families whose students have special needs will receive their information in person from their bus teams. Please keep in mind routes and stops may change periodically.
“Where's TheBus” App for Families
AISD’s transportation team offers families the “WheresTheBus” app, which provides timely information about the location of their student’s assigned bus only, including when it will arrive at their stop. Please promote the app to your school communities.
The free app is available on any device with internet access (smartphone, tablet, personal computer, iPad)—and takes less than five minutes to install. Instructions are available at https://www.austinisd.org/transportation.
AISD Student Success Guide (Formally Known as the Student Code of Conduct)
AISD has published the updated 2022-2023 Student Success Guide (Student Code of Conduct). When you register your student to attend an AISD school, you are acknowledging that you can electronically access this document (linked below) as well as request a hard copy at your student’s school. Even if you do not read this document, your student still must follow the rules and expectations in the document.
Konstella
It's time to sign up for Konstella! We'll be using Konstella as our school-wide communication platform this year. Thank you to the almost 200 of you who have already done so! Yay!
Please sign up this week as our goal is to send out information on Konstella (and not both Konstella and School Messenger) by next week! :) Use the link below to sign up if you haven't already.
Breakfast and Lunch Meal Prices
Reminder: Meals are no longer free for all AISD students. Students may still qualify for free and reduced-cost meals and all are encouraged to apply apply at www.School www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD. We will also have paper copies of the application available to send home. Please call the front office at 512-414-4406 if you would like one to be sent home.
AISD New Medication Policy
AISD has updated our student medication policy. We are now required to have a written physician/provider order for all medications administered on campus. Physicians/providers are able to use their own school medication order form or they can sign the AISD Parent Authorization for Medication Authorization (attached).
IMPORTANT: This policy includes any regular daily medications as well as things like Tylenol, Motrin or short term antibiotics. For students who have emergency medications (ie. injectable epinephrine, inhalers, diabetes and seizure rescue medications) the allergy, asthma, diabetes, seizure specific order forms from the physician will be acceptable as a written order.
Please know that we will not be able to accept any medications on the first day of school without a physician order. Feel free to call the health room at 512-414-7148 if you have any questions.
School Safety
Arrival:
- We will continue to have a secure morning arrival with families/caregivers saying goodbye before students enter the building. Parents/Caregivers may walk students to the front steps or say goodbye at the lower level during car drop off/walking drop off. Staff members will be outside and inside ready to greet, welcome, and support our students as they enter the building.
- The front cafeteria doors will be open for breakfast from 7:00 - 7:30 am. At 7:30 am, the entry shifts to the main doors. Staff will be stationed at all entry doors during arrival.
- As in previous years, our PreK and Kinder teachers will be out front for the first week of school to meet and gather their classes before walking into the building together. PreK will continue this practice throughout the year.
- IMPORTANT: There is NO parking in the drive in front of the school between 7:00 - 8:00 am. This lane is reserved for drop off only. If you'd like to walk your child to the front door, please park in the neighborhood and walk to school together. Thank you!
Exterior Doors:
- I will complete a safety walk of our campus next week, noting each exterior door and locking mechanism.
- All exterior doors will remain locked at all times during the school day, including doors that lead to the playground areas. Portable classroom doors will also remain fully locked all day.
- Staff will check each exterior door every evening and morning to ensure they are locked and secure.
Interior Doors:
- All classroom doors will remain locked throughout the day.
Dismissal:
- We will continue to split dismissal locations between the front lawn and the north side.
- PreK - 2nd Grades will be escorted to the front lawn by their teachers.
- 3rd - 6th Grades will be escorted to the north side exit on 9 1/2 street.
- Bus riders will be monitored (and younger grades will be escorted) to their busses during dismissal.
- IMPORTANT: Families, please keep the bus lane in front of the school clear until all buses have arrived. There is NO PARKING in the front drive between 2:00 - 3:30 pm.
Visitors:
- Visitors are welcome at Mathews the purposes of student support. This may include scheduled parent teacher conferences and meetings, registration, pre-arranged volunteer opportunities, and other scheduled events. We will continue to offer curbside services.
- Parents/Visitors are not allowed to enter the school to walk their child to class during arrival or to pick up at dismissal.
- Lunch Visitors: Parents may have lunch with their child. Parents must sign in at the office prior to going to going to lunch. Please note that parent lunch visitors will eat outside or at a separate designated table. Parents may only have lunch with their own child. Please do not ask another child to join you for lunch.
- The main front doors are the only entry doors to the campus for visitors. The door buzzer/office communicator is on the left side wall by the front doors. Please push the button to communicate with the office and, once verified, we will buzz you in to the building.
- All visitors MUST sign in at the front office upon arrival AND sign out at the front office when leaving. Please remember to bring your photo ID with you when visiting campus.
- IMPORTANT: Families, please do not ask a staff member to hold a side or back door for you to enter the building. All students, parents, and visitors must enter through the front entry doors. Thank you!
Staff Training, Campus Drills, and Threat Assessment
- Our staff will be trained on safety prior to students entering the building.
- We will review safety plans and practices throughout the year.
- We will continue to hold all required safety drills with our students. Most of the drills will be announced drills so our students aren't surprised or alarmed by them.
- Mathews has an established threat assessment team comprised of administration, counseling and teaching staff. All members of the team have received Threat Assessment training from Texas State. Licensed Mental Health Providers and School Resource Officers are on call to assist when needed.
Phew! I know that's a lot to digest, but wanted everyone to know we're prepared for a strong, safe, and productive year.
COVID Protocols
Masks:
With the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, students, staff and visitors are not required to wear face masks when on school properties, unless they have tested positive for COVID-19. Note: Per CDC guidance, individuals with a positive COVID-19 result will be required to wear a mask for five days after returning from quarantine/isolation.
- Masks are not required, but are encouraged at any time of the school day or in any school space.
- Masks are optional at all times. Face masks will continue to be provided for any student, staff, or visitor upon request.
All students, staff, and visitors will be allowed to make their own choice.
Close Contact and Contact Tracing
Campus administrators will notify all families of positive cases on the campus using a standard notification letter. Individual classroom letters will not be sent home.
With masking now being optional, all students and staff at the campus may be considered close contacts when there is a positive case identified.
Campus Administrators will not be required to track close contacts.
Any asymptomatic individual (except those who have tested positive) may remain at school as long as they are asymptomatic.
Testing Availability
Testing sites are located at specified district sites and can be found on the COVID-19 district webpage.
All sites will accept insurance, medicaid, and self-pay.
Site will be updated whenever vaccines are available.