Boone Bear Facts
Thursday, January 19, 2017
URGENT - Cafeteria Monitors Needed Immediately!
Very special people are needed to support our lunch room from 10:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please call Amie Chalberg, Boone Assistant Principal, at 512-414-5310 if you are interested. You will also need to apply via the AISD website under the Boone monitor positions. Pay is $7.25 an hour. Monitor jobs can be found under the 07 Temporary/Hourly heading on the AISD web page under the career section.
Note from the Principal
NEW RATING SYSTEM
As many of you may have seen in the news the last week or so, starting in the 2017-18 school year, a new A–F rating system will be implemented in Texas schools. As a preliminary review of schools and districts, the Texas Education Agency just released “what if” ratings.
These are not official ratings and do not replace the TEA rating that Boone received earlier this year.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath issued this statement about the A–F “what if” results:
“It is important to note that the Met Standard/Improvement Required ratings issued in August 2016 and updated in November 2016 are the official academic accountability ratings for the 2015–16 school year. A similar process will be used for the 2016–17 school year.
The A–F ratings are for informational purposes to meet a legislative requirement and represent work-in-progress models that are likely to change before A–F ratings become effective in August, 2018. No inferences about official district or campus performance in the 2015–16 school year should be drawn from these ratings, and these ratings should not be considered predictors of future district or campus performance ratings.”
In summary, the A–F data released does not take away from any of the accomplishments at Boone. In fact, Boone was awarded 4 academic distinction designations by TEA this year. These are in the areas of Closing the Performance Gaps, Academic Achievement in Reading/ELA, Academic Achievement in Science, as well as Postsecondary Readiness. We will continue to focus on student achievement, high-quality programming and building a great school community together.
In the four Domains that were evaluated, Boone received scores of:
Domain I: Student Achievement – B
Domain II: Student Progress – C
Domain III: Closing Performance Gaps – B
Domain IV: Postsecondary Readiness - B
Thank you for your support as we navigate this new system and for all you do to make Boone the great place it is for kids!!! I will provide more information on the development of this new system through the Boone Newsletter, as it is released by the state of Texas.
FACILITY MASTER PLAN
As part of AISD’s continuing efforts to improve the quality of the educational experiences it is able to provide all of our students, a Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee or (FABPAC) has been performing a comprehensive review of all AISD facilities called the Facility Master Plan (FMP). I have shared some of this information with you previously throughout the Fall, and you may have read about some of the committee’s findings in the Austin American Statesman Newspaper in December.
As part of their continuing efforts to make the public aware of their work, the FABPAC is hold a number FMP Community Engagement Meetings over the next several weeks. The nearest one of these is to be held at Crockett HS on January 25, 2017, from 6-8 pm. I highly encourage you to attend one of these meetings, if you can. You will be provided updated information and have an opportunity to ask any questions you may have on this plan. Below is a complete list of all of the scheduled meetings. More information is also available on the AISD website under Facility Master Plan.
NORTH
01/24/17 6:00-8:00 pm McCallum High School
02/01/17 6:00-8:00 pm Burnet Middle School
01/26/17 6:00-8:00 pm Garcia Middle School
SOUTH
01/25/17 6:00-8:00 pm Crockett High School
01/31/17 6:00-8:00 pm Martin Middle School
02/02/17 6:00-8:00 pm Gorzycki Middle School
Parent Survey
The AISD Parent Survey is in your child's Thursday Folder today. Look for the paper version there or go online at www.austinisd.org to complete. Your opinions are important and will be taken into consideration as we strive to serve our students better.
Counselor's Corner
GT Student Nomination Window has opened
AISD’s nomination window has opened. If you would like to nominate your child for the gifted and talented program, please email or turn in the Elementary Parent Nomination Form & Survey to the school counselor or your child’s teacher from by January 27. Students in grades K-5 are eligible.
Elementary Parent Nomination Form & Survey can be found on Ms. Lozo’s website: http://boonebearscounseling.weebly.com/giftedtalented-program.html
For more information on AISD’s Gifted and Talented Program please visit: https://www.austinisd.org/academics/advancedacademics/gifted
Science Fair Night
BOONE ELEMENTARY
SCIENCE FAIR NIGHT
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25th, 2017
5:30P.M. – 6:30P.M.
PLEASE JOIN US TO CELEBRATE OUR BOONE BEARS’ HARD WORK!!!
Come see some amazing science projects!
Participants will receive their awards!
PTA News
Spring Carnival Silent Auction Donation Requests
Boone will be holding its annual Spring Carnival & Silent Auction on April 7, 2017. This is a big fundraiser for the school, and proceeds from the carnival go towards valuable school services such as educational materials for classrooms, field trips, physical education, music & arts education, after-school tutoring, new library books and technology updates. If you, or anyone you know would be interested in donating goods or services for the silent auction please contact Jennifer Anderson at booneptaroomrep@gmail.com.
YEARBOOKS!
Yearbooks are on sale now! February 3rd will be the final day to order personalization AND be guaranteed a yearbook. They are $22.00 without personalization. Please make checks payable to Boone PTA.
An order form was sent home a few weeks ago and one will be in this week's Thursday folder. You can also order online at jostensyearbooks.com. Make sure that you pick the correct Boone Elementary School located in Austin, TX.
SCHOOL DANCE
The PTA is holding a dance for grades 3-5 on February 10 at 6:00. There will be a surprise guest DJ, snacks, and lots of fun. More details will be sent home next week, but go ahead and mark your calendars!
Calendar of Events
Jan 25 - Science Fair 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Jan 26 & 27th - Career Days for 3rd, 4th & 5th grades
Jan 27 - Lannaya Drum & Dance Performance - 3rd,4th,5th at 8:30 a.m.
Jan 27 - Lannaya Drum & Dance Performance - PreK, Kinder, 1st and 2nd at 9:15 a.m.
Jan 27 - Covington Band & Orchestra Performance for 5th Grade 9:15 - 9:45 a.m.
Jan 30 - College T-Shirt Day
Feb 3 - Wear Red Day for Heart Awareness