Great evening fantastic families,

We only have two weeks remaining in this school year and we want to do all we can to make it a memorable experience for our teachers and scholars. Last week we enjoyed a visit from the AISD MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) Department. Their focus was on hallway safety. I look forward to meeting with this team again this week to see what adjustments could be made. We also received our order of retractable belt stanchions. These have worked well on our campus in tight doorways to provide physical dividers for two-way traffic in halls. This week we have STAAR make up exams, the Spring guitar concert, COVID Vaccine Clinic, and the PTA Swarm event. Next week we will celebrate our scholars for a job well done while closing out the school year. In more detail below there are celebrations scheduled for each grade level.

We are dedicating a great deal of our focus this week on assuring the best testing environment for scholars who are making up STAAR Exams, so this week's planned Principal's Coffee has been rescheduled to Thursday May 26th, 2022. I look forward to seeing you there. Thank you for choosing Kealing Middle School and Austin ISD, feel free to reach out to me directly for any reason at all and if you have not done so already, please re-enroll your scholar by using the link above. jerald.wilson@austinisd.org

Monday -May 16th - A Day (1st - 4th Periods)

STAAR Make Up Exams (Impacted families have the specifics)

Tuesday - May 17th - B Day (5th - 8th Periods)

STAAR Make Up Exams (Impacted families have the specifics)

Principal's Coffee @ 8am

Spring Guitar Concert 6p - 7p

Wednesday - May 18th- A Day (1st - 4th Periods)

STAAR Make Up Exams (Impacted families have the specifics)

COVID 19 Vaccine Clinic & Orchestra Skate into Summer

Thursday - May 19th - B Day (5th - 8th Periods)

STAAR Make Up Exams (Impacted families have the specifics)

Last day for activity buses

PTA Swarm Event at the Flaming Pit @6p

Friday - May 20th - A Day (1st - 4th Periods)

STAAR Make Up Exams (Impacted families have the specifics)

Last day students can bring backpacks to school

Saturday May 21st

5/24 - 8th Grade Celebration

5/25 - 7th Grade Celebration during B8

5/25 - Kealing 8th Grade Ceremony @ 6p, The New Eastside ECHS

5/26 - Principal's Coffee

5/26 - 6th Grade Celebration, during A4

5/27 - Last Day of School

There is a lot happening this week! We have our last PTA membership meeting of the year on Thursday, May 19 at 7:45 am in the Kealing library. We will be voting on next year's budget and electing next year's executive board.
Thursday evening we are celebrating the end of the school year with the Parent Swarm social event at The Flaming Pit from 6-9 pm. We know there is a lot going on this week but I hope you can come for part of the evening. There will be food and live music. It's free and all parents and caretakers are invited.

This Past Week

• The final biweekly climate and culture survey went out May 13th, 2022

This Upcoming Week

• Review Biweekly Climate Survey Results

• Conversations with teachers deciding to stay at KMS next year

• Treats for teachers (We have surprises for teachers scheduled for this week and next)

New intervention to address Hallway safety at KMS

• Austin ISD MTSS (Multi Tiered System of Support) Team will come by to observe our transitions Monday (5/9/22) and help develop a plan to improve hallway safety at KMS
• We have 20 dividers ordered to help divide halls, they will provide physical barriers to help enforce the walk to the right expectation & help provide structure to the small hallway corridors
• Researching systems to implement for the 2022-2023 school year

Previous Adjustments to improve hallway safety during transitions

• Frequent announcements & reminders prior to transitions

• Strategic placement of Security Guards

• Teachers at their doors

• One minute warning before tardy bell

• Dividers in tight door quarters( This was not discussed on this day but has been implemented to decrease bottlenecks on campus where pushing occurs)

• reduction of hall passes, more structured sign out routines in classrooms (to monitor who went in restrooms to decrease threats)

• Counselors and front office workers strategically placed in halls to help with supervision

• Floating administrators and other campus leaders to provide more supervision in halls

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

- Hornet Passes are available for students with anxiety about being in large groups

Classrooms

- We are seating/desks at least 3 feet apart when feasible

- Each classroom has a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration unit

- Personal Protective Equipment will be available in each room

- Plexiglass dividers available

- Additional outdoor seating (2 outdoor classrooms & the courtyard if teachers plan to use)

Breakfast & Lunch

- Students are allowed to eat lunch both inside the cafeteria and outside in the courtyard

- Dividers are available if a student prefers to use at lunch (we are taking down the plexiglass dividers)

- The courtyard comfortably seats 4 classes, which is from 25% - 100% of the lunch capacity for each lunch period.

Dismissal

- we will have staggered dismissal where scholars will be dismissed by areas of the building to reduce traffic.

Changes

- Masks are optional

- assigned seating for lunches is a discontinued practice

- We are no longer using the staggered transitions

- no more assigned seating during lunches

- we no longer use the accordian plexiglass dividers (student may use a divider if the student prefers)

Announcing Summer Reading Projects! We want all our Hornets to enjoy some reading over the summer! Please visit this site for all the details. Current 6th and 7th graders will also go over this information in their ELA classes soon. https://sites.google.com/austinisd.org/kealingacadsummerprojects

Time - 6p

Location - Eastside Memorial Early College High School

If you would like to assist contact Keri Jaworski (keri.jaworski@austinisd.org)

Hornet Herald - https://kealing.austinschools.org/parents/archive

Twitter - @KTXHornets

Webpage - https://kealing.austinschools.org/