Kangaroo Connection
Weekly updates for our Collins families.
Happy New Year!
We are looking forward to seeing all of our students when classes resume tomorrow, January 4th. We are also excited to welcome back our students from Virtual Academy to in person! Please remember that school starts promptly at 7:30AM and students are considered tardy if they arrive after this time.
We know what to do to fight the Omicron variant. Our protocols helped us get through the fall and these protocols will help us again. We will continue to follow our safety protocols that have been in place. Students and staff will continue to follow hand washing procedures, social distancing when feasible, contact tracing and notification of positive Covid-10 areas and high touch areas will be cleaned and sanitized. In addition, face masks will be required for everyone at school. You can help us by making sure to send your child with a mask to school each day.
Together, we can continue to make this a great school year! Thank you for your continued support.
Ashley Fredo
Principal
Collins Elementary
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Important Dates
1/4: Classes Resume
1/5: 2nd 9 weeks Report Cards sent home
1/17: No School MLK Holiday
1/25-1/27: District Benchmark Tests for 3rd-5th grade
Thank you!!
Thank you to all our parents, grandparents, relatives and community partners who donated items from our campus wishlists! Classroom teachers and our front office have received items from these Amazon Wishlists to continue to support the great things happening for our students at Collins.
Thank you to the Collins Parent Committee for hosting our holiday luncheon for staff. We enjoyed a delicious Mexican food lunch together the last day of classes and it was a great opportunity to share a meal and fellowship. Thank you for taking care of us!
Thank you for your support!
Cold Weather
Please make sure to send your students appropriately dressed for the weather each day! We will have outdoor recess when it is over 40 degrees (with wind chill). Please make sure your child has a jacket for these colder days.
DVISD Current Covid-19 Protocols
We look forward to welcoming our students back from Winter Break! As we return, we want to provide an update to families and staff after Austin Public Health moved into Stage 4 of the Covid-19 guidelines.
With the Omicron variant spreading in the Austin area, Del Valle ISD remains committed to the health and safety of staff and students by keeping our Covid-19 protocols in place.
Current Covid protocols
- Masks are required for all students, staff, and visitors to DVISD buildings, according to the school board’s resolution that remains in place.
- Any staff or students who are ill should not come to school and follow absence procedures.
- Staff and students who receive a positive Covid-19 test should email information to covid19@dvisd.net.
- Additional guidelines and information is available at www.dvisd.net/covid19
Symptoms to watch for:
- 99.6 F or higher for adults (per City of Austin Order),
- 100.0 F or higher for children (per Texas Education Code and recommended by Austin Public Health Guidelines.)
- Cough
- shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
- chills, muscle pain
- headache, sore throat
- fatigue, congestion/running nose
- nausea/diarrhea
- new loss of sense of taste or smell
Updated isolation recommendations
After careful consideration, DVISD will follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance for quarantine.
- Individuals who test positive for Covid-19 should isolate for 5 days.
- Return to school is permitted on day 6 if the individual is asymptomatic or symptoms have resolved with no fever.
- If symptoms have not resolved or the individual has a fever, isolation should continue until symptoms have resolved.
- An updated decision map is available at dvisd.net/covid19.
Free Covid testing for staff and students
- Drive-up rapid tests for symptomatic staff and students are available daily from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the DVISD Administration Building and require pre-registration at https://www.dvisd.net/covidtest
- Students who become symptomatic at school can be tested in the nurse’s office, with parent permission.
Vaccines
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone ages 5 years and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19.
- Free vaccines are available every Saturday at Dailey Middle School (14000 Westall St.) or the DV Opportunity Center (5301 Ross Rd.) from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
- For other vaccine clinics in the Austin area, visit https://www.austintexas.gov/covid19-vaccines.
- DVISD continues to explore additional vaccination opportunities for our staff and students and will share any updates as these clinics are available.
DVISD will continue to monitor information from Austin Public Health when making decisions on Covid protocols. As a reminder, Monday, January 3 is a staff development day, and students will return on Tuesday, January 4.
Dismissal
Thank you to all our parents for adjusting to our new dismissal line up for car riders. We appreciate you lining up along Apogee Road as Finnial Road and Moonbeam Road (behind the school) remain closed.
Please make sure you have your student's car tag displayed in your dashboard at pickup. If you need an additional car tag, please visit our front office and present your ID to be issued a new one.
- If you are going to change how your child goes home, please communicate this with the front office by 2:00PM
- If you are going to pick your child up from school before dismissal, please pick them up no later than 2:30PM. To ensure the safety of our students and that everyone gets home, we will not pull students from classrooms after 2:30PM.
- Parents are prohibited from pulling a student off the bus at dismissal.
- Students will be released during the school day only to persons listed in Skyward.
Substitute Teacher Opportunities at Collins!
Whether you are simply looking for a flexible, part-time job or are seeking teaching experience at the beginning of your full-time teaching career, substitute teaching is a rewarding job with many benefits.
Apply today to substitute on our campus!
https://delvalle.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=2447
