Principal's Message to Hornet Families for the week of November 1st, 2021
Great evening fantastic families,
We are now in week 4 of our team and just 2 short weeks away from the Thanksgiving break. Special thanks to those who came out this weekend for the November Service Day! We have a busy week ahead of us. I am excited to see how well our online bookfair does, The Alice in Wonderland Evening Show, Hornet Basketball vs Murchison, The Kealing Showcase, Kealing Clothes Pop Up Event, and the AISD Choice Fair Saturday Morning. This will truly be a week to remember. Campus wide we are beginning to see a trend of tardies and we have established a list of expectations in this area. Please speak to your scholar about the importance of arriving to class on time and encouraging their friends to do the same. We have a parent compact review meeting coming soon where we can discuss other ways parents can help assure school expectations are reinforced at home as well. Thank you for choosing Kealing Middle School and Austin ISD as your child’s primary educator.
#BEGREATMentality
#ProgressNotPerfection
2021-2022 Initiatives and Goals
1.) Daily Formative Assessment
2.) Literacy in Every Classroom
3.) Standards Aligned Instruction
4.) Progress Monitoring
Academic Goal
Utilizing an array of assessments (MAP- Measure of Academic Progress, SCA - AISD Short Course Assessment, and STAAR - State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness), the percentage of each demographic/special group of students performing at the meets level in Math & English will increase by at least 5% - 10% from August 17th, 2021 to May 27th,2022.
Social Goal
- TBA (we are still working on this but planning to look at the types of counseling visits our students are requesting)
KMS Safety Protocols as of 11/08/2021
All Day
Mask wearing is mandatory
Before School
All staff, students, and visitors are encouraged to self screen for COVID 19 symptoms before entering into a campus or other Austin ISD Facilities each day
Arrival
- We will maintain outdoor markers to social distance
Transition
- we will encourage moving halls where students are encourage to not stop while transitioning to classes
Classrooms
- We are space seating/desks at least 3 feet apart when feasible
- Each classroom will have a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration unit
- Personal Protective Equipment will be available in each room
- Plexiglass dividers available
- Additional outdoor seating
-Volunteer lunch monitors
Breakfast & Lunch
- Assigned seating
- Students are allowed to eat lunch both inside the cafeteria and outside in the courtyard
- Plexiglass accordian dividers.
Dismissal
- we will have staggered dismissal where scholars will be dismissed by areas of the building to reduce traffic.
High School Credit Class Semester Exams/Semester Exams Bell Schedule
It is important that our Hornets participating in high school credit classes, perform well on their semester exams, as they will count towards a percentage of their semester grades. To help prepare, please have your student attend teachers' Office Hours. Reach out to you student's teachers or Program Directors if you have any questions.
 |  |  |
Tuesday's Principal's Coffee! | Cheetah Sisters Mrs. Ruby and Mrs. Sosa! | Our Theater Department's Play "As You Like it " Advances! |
Tuesday's Principal's Coffee!
Cheetah Sisters Mrs. Ruby and Mrs. Sosa!
Our Theater Department's Play "As You Like it " Advances!
 |  |  |
Mrs. Ratcliffe! | Ms. Landman! | Ms. Hill! |
Mrs. Ratcliffe!
Ms. Landman!
Ms. Hill!
 |  |  |
Collaboration in Ms. Landman's class! | Mr. Ortiz! | Mr. McCormick! |
Collaboration in Ms. Landman's class!
Mr. Ortiz!
Mr. McCormick!
KEALING CLOTHES CLOSET POP UP EVENT
****Parent volunteers are need to assist Ms. Perez with folding and distribution of items.*****
UT Research Study on Parental Perspectives
The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at The University of Texas at Austin is conducting a research study about parental and family attitudes on topics in education. Parents and guardians are requested to complete the 8-minute online survey by December 10, 2021. Participation is completely voluntary, and all answers will be anonymous. If you are interested in participating, please click on the link for the survey and additional information: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7WCiUjAuVOeVZoW
Research results will be shared during the 2022-23 school year. If you have any questions, please contact heather.vaughn@austin.utexas.edu.
Thank you for your participation.
HEATHER VAUGHN, Ed.S., Sr. Educational Outreach Coordinator, Lecturer
The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life
Moody College of Communication | The University of Texas at Austin
Estudio de investigación de UT sobre las perspectivas de los padres
El Instituto Annette Strauss para la Vida Cívica de la Universidad de Texas en Austin está llevando a cabo un estudio de investigación sobre las actitudes de los padres y la familia sobre temas de educación. Se solicita a los padres y tutores que completen la encuesta en línea de 8 minutos antes del 10 de diciembre de 2021. La participación es completamente voluntaria y todas las respuestas serán anónimas. Si está interesado en participar, haga clic en el enlace de la encuesta e información adicional: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7WCiUjAuVOeVZoW
Los resultados de la investigación se compartirán durante el año escolar 2022-23. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con heather.vaughn@austin.utexas.edu.
Gracias por su participación.
HEATHER VAUGHN, Ed.S., Sr. Educational Outreach Coordinator, Lecturer
The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life
Moody College of Communication | The University of Texas at Austin
From the Carver Museum: Start Bigmedium’s EAST Weekend 2 with an early evening featuring Women and Femme Artists of Color
We will be celebrating the opening reception of our group show, Pieces and Parts, and experiencing musical performances by the electrically aligned Ivy Roots, and ATX's most ‘Ballsy’ Mama Duke!
Every year Carver Museum invites three artists of Color on the rise to participate in a group show during the Studio Tours. ' Pieces and Parts' features Textile artist Siena Smith, experimental animator Julia Zipporah, and concept artist Alexis Hunter.
Hello, Children & Nature Team!
Fall migration season is in full swing - a great time to get out to the parks with binoculars in tow. This week we have a collection of community updates including summits and fellowship opportunities along with some community events and exciting award announcements.
OPPORTUNITIES
- EngineerGirl Ambassador Program - applications are now open for the 2022-2023 EngineerGirl Ambassadors Program! An EngineerGirl Ambassador is a female, U.S. high school student who designs, develops, and implements a project in her local community that will encourage younger girls - particularly those with little access to engineering role models - to think about engineering and engineering careers and give them practical experience in engineering design. Ambassadors will receive training and support from the National Academy of Engineering, $250 in project funding, an all-expense paid trip to a training and networking event, and more. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2022.
- NGCP Fellows Program - the National Girls Collaborative Project is offering a remote-based, nine-month professional development program open to early career professionals, and graduate students interested in gender equity and informal STEM education. Fellows will contribute to NGCP’s ongoing STEM and equity projects and will have diverse opportunities to learn and collaborate with the NGCP national network. Fellows will also participate in advanced training on gender equity and cultural responsiveness and receive ongoing mentorship and support. Application deadline is November 23, 2021.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
- Hot Science at Home: Space Environmentalism - the Environmental Science Institute's next Hot Science At Home event will feature Dr. Moriba Jah on Nov 12th at 7:00pm. The talk will be streamed through YouTube and Facebook and will focus on what we can do to make space safe, secure and sustainable in the long term.
- Odditree + Austin Studio Biking Tour - Odditree Society and Ghisallo Cycling Initiative are hosting a bike ride on Nov 14 from 2-4:00pm to connect with trees and art in Austin. Meet at 654 Tillery St, under the 7th Street overpass near the Tree Garden. All ages and abilities welcome! Skill level: Beginner.
INSPIRATION
- Net-Zero Hero: Sheridan Ray - our own Youth Leadership Working Group Tri-Chair Sheridan Ray was featured this month as the Office of Sustainability's Net-Zero Hero. From interning with the Youth Forest Council to advising on the Climate Equity Plan, Sheridan has had a large impact on Austin's conservation community in her 19 years. Thank you, Sheridan, for being a champion of equity and sustainability in Austin!
That's all for now - keep an eye to the sky for our traveling monarch friends!
Julia Hill (she/her)
Program Coordinator – Cities Connecting Children to Nature
City of Austin | Parks & Recreation Department | Park Planning Division
+1 512-974-9466 | julia.hill@austintexas.gov
Thanksgiving Meal Boxes -EXTENDED SIGN UP DATE
If your family would like to sign-up to receive a box, please call 512-414-6700. We have 30 spots available. The list will close on Thursday, Nov. 11 @ 3:30pm.
Follow Us on Social Media
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/KealingMS/
Hornet Herald - http://www.kealingmiddleschool.org/parents/hornet-herald
Twitter - @KTXHornets
Webpage - https://kealing.austinschools.org/
