Davis Elementary Principal's News
September 14, 2020
IN THIS EDITION
- Welcome from Davis Staff!
- Principal/Parent Zoom Chat- AISD/Davis Reopening Plans (9/16)
- Principal Open Office Hours (9/17)
- BLEND Davis Community Course
- Campus Advisory Council (CAC) Info & First Meeting (9/24)
- PTA Meeting (9/17)
- AISD Parent Survey
- Curbside Breakfast & Lunch Meals
- iPads: Accessing BLEND/Seesaw & Security/Student Safety Settings
- AISD Open for Learning Newsletter (link)
- Substitute Opportunity
WELCOME FROM DAVIS STAFF!
We are excited about this school year and want to welcome everyone to 2020-2021 at Davis with a back to school video from Davis staff! Our year is already off to a fantastic start, and we look forward to continuing to swim together with all of you to make it a great year! #davisdolphins #weswimtogether
PRINCIPAL/PARENT ZOOM CHAT & OPEN OFFICE HOURS
Principal/Parent Zoom Chat
Wednesday, September 16, 4-5pm
Topic: Davis School Reopening Plans
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97867538630?pwd=dWtVQ0Y0OVBlbDY1bE41MVJLQXRiQT09
Meeting ID: 978 6753 8630, Passcode: 095653
Principal Open Office Hours
Thursday, September 17, 12-1pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96253536705?pwd=RDgwTjZBbFltVFJvYlBlSDJsaXhidz09
Meeting ID: 962 5353 6705, Passcode: 062746
BLEND DAVIS COMMUNITY COURSE
- Davis Staff Pages: Contact information, office hours, and daily schedules for each teacher
- Austin ISD Open for Learning: Link to the AISD Open for Learning website, which is frequently updated and contains current information on AISD's plans for reopening
- BLEND Resources for Parents: A variety of documents, resources and videos that help with navigating BLEND
- Davis Resources: Currently contains Back to School Night presentations and other Davis information and resources will be added over the course of the year
- Counselor BLEND Course: Link to Ms. Garza's BLEND Counselor course, which contains resources for parents on various topics, mindfulness links, Counselor self-referral forms, and other valuable information
- Library & Technology BLEND Course: Link to Ms. Meyer's & Ms. Imken's Library and Technology course, which contains Grade-Level Lesson Plans with recorded read-alouds, story extensions, and technology tools, curated book lists for student reading selections, Curbside Library Program information, and a host of other resources to support parents and students
- Curbside Library Book Checkout: Link that takes you directly to the Library Book Checkout form that will be used during remote learning
- Davis Principal's Newsletter: Includes links to each Davis Elementary Principal's Newsletter published this school year
- 2020-2021 Questions, Comments, & Suggestions Form: Form for parents/guardians to submit questions, comments and suggestions for this school year
- AISD Anderson Vertical Team 2020-2021 Calendar
- Daily Announcements (published each morning)
- Highlights for the Week (updated each week)
CAMPUS ADVISORY COUNCIL (CAC) INFO & FIRST MEETING
Campus Advisory Councils are committees of parents, students, business and community representatives, teachers, principals, and other campus staff. The formation of CACs is required by state law (Texas Education Code, §11.251). Specific functions of CACs include providing review and comment on:
- Campus Educational Program
- Campus Performance
- Campus Improvement Plan
- Campus Staff Development Plan
- Campus-Level Waiver Requests to the State
- Campus Budget
As we prepare for our first CAC meeting of the 2020-2021 school year, we'd like to invite interested parents/guardians to join our CAC for this year. If you would like to be a Davis CAC member, please complete this form.
September CAC Meeting:
Thursday, September 24
3:15-4:15pm
Agenda Items: CAC Orientation, Campus Staff Development Plan, Campus Improvement Plan
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92630678600?pwd=R01PcmpVQU9FT1lMRVdsRm8zYndXQT09
Meeting ID: 926 3067 8600; Passcode: 1fcwbt
All CAC meetings are open, so everyone is welcome to attend (even if not a CAC member).
PTA MEETING
Join us this Thursday, September 17th at 7:00pm for the first official PTA meeting of the year!
We are so happy to have Sherry Garza, the Davis Counselor, as our guest speaker. She is going to teach us some strategies about how to best support ourselves and our kids during stressful situations. Since we are the first generations of parents that have to navigate distance learning at home, using a variety of new technology platforms, during a global pandemic, we just might need some expert advice, right?!
The agenda also includes a brief introduction of the PTA and our four commitments to Davis: community building, teacher and student support, enrichment programs, and public education advocacy. We will also be providing information about the different opportunities available this fall to get involved.
See you there!
Here is the link to register for the meeting. Please note, you don’t have to be a member of the PTA to attend the meetings*, but you do have to be a member to vote on any order of business. Therefore, we are asking people to register before the meeting to establish a quorum virtually. You will be sent the meeting zoom link after completing the form.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-M3m9srFjqQLDC_7FkUFKKRaC6liT1UbgO4MvKRGLAGmAGw/viewform?usp=sf_link
*But, it would be a lot cooler if you did, please consider becoming a member if you aren’t all ready. It’s only $10 and when a lot of people give a little, it goes a long way! Become a member at the Dolphin Parent Tool-kit. www.davisdolphins.net/toolkit
AISD PARENT SURVEY
Your voice is always valuable to us, and especially now as the district continues working through reopening campuses for the 2020–21 school year. Below is a link to the final, short survey that asks your instructional model preference for your student(s) starting on October 6. Answering this survey is critical for our campus reopening efforts by helping us understand what you think is best for your student(s). Survey link: https://austinisd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3EKb4cCqXqzNC97
Please note that surveys can only be taken once per each student enrolled. You will need your student’s ID number to access the survey and respond for your student. Questions about the survey or requests for help with the survey can be sent to survey@austinisd.org. The link to the survey is also available on the main AISD webpage, on the Open for Learning webpage, on the AISD Facebook, on the AISD Twitter, on the AISD mobile app, and in the AISD Parent Cloud.
CURBSIDE BREAKFAST & LUNCH MEALS
The Texas Department of Agriculture has extended current school meal programs through Dec. 31. This allows AISD to continue to provide free meals from curbside sites for any child under 19.
Students participating in off-campus, remote learning may pick up breakfast and lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at more than 40 curbside locations throughout Austin.
No documentation is needed for students to be eligible for free meals through December. Find meal sites and more information at austinisd.org/openforlearning/meals.
iPADS: ACCESSING BLEND/SEESAW & SECURITY/STUDENT SAFETY SETTINGS
Students Accessing BLEND (and then Seesaw)
Students use the Canvas Student app to access BLEND (and then Seesaw)
A video in English demonstrating this process can be seen here.
Student iPad Security and Student Safety
Please note: District-wide safety restrictions can be seen on the iPads under Settings> General > Device Management > JamfSchool MDM Management Profile > Restrictions. Families may see other options under Screen Time, but despite appearances, no Screen Time setting can be less restrictive than the General Restrictions pushed by the District. A flyer with more information can be accessed here.SUBSTITUTE OPPORTUNITY
The Substitute Office is actively recruiting to add to our substitute pool. Despite the every- changing COVID-19 context and all the implications that come with it, we want to make sure every student has the best learning experience every day. We recognize that teacher substitutes are especially vital at this time.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a substitute teacher in AISD, you can find more information on this AISD Substitute Flyer and at austinisd.org/subs.