Dolphin Splash

Dear Davis Families,

Well the temperature sure dropped quickly today, and just in time to make for a very chilly Halloween! So many of us started our Halloween celebration early with Dolphin BOO! Fest on October 20. It was such a spectacular event, with the biggest turnout ever for DolphinFest. HUGE shoutout to Dolphin BOO! Fest co-chairs Hayley Drey and Angie Nabors and their team for working so hard to make this event so special for everyone!

There will definitely be lots of excitement in the air with fall/Halloween special events this Tuesday, including a performance by our 4th grade students and the annual Monster Mash assembly.

We also have our countdown to International Week, which will start with our 2nd annual Family Culture Fair on November 14, followed by special international grade level events and activities all week.

Report cards for the first nine-week grading period will be coming home soon. Since we use a standards-based report card, you will receive very specific information about how your child is progressing with the grade level curriculum in each academic area, as well as in their social-emotional learning competencies. Look for more information on Class Dojo about when to expect report cards and how to interpret your child's grades.

I'm looking forward to hosting a Principal Coffee this Thursday morning and hopefully seeing many of you there. We'll also have our monthly CAC meeting on Thursday afternoon, and as always, anyone is welcome to attend. See more about these events below.

Thank you for being a part of Davis!

Kind regards,

Jenny Daniels Principal, Davis Elementary

jennifer.daniels@austinisd.org

512-414-2580, ext 55182

• Davis Details: Exploring Circuits in 5th Grade, Principal Coffee November 2- AVID, Project Lead the Way Launch, CAC Meeting November 2- Campus Improvement Plan (CIP) Progress Check, New AISD Enrollment System, Davis Report Cards, AISD Calendar 2024-2025, New Davis Website
• Davis Way Awards: K-5th
• From the Handbook: School and Classroom Visits
• AISD News: Equity Audit Community Conversations

Each 5th grade class visited the STEM Lab for a lesson on circuits with Ms. Isaacs. They worked with partners to explore circuit materials and complete circuit challenges, including creating a circuit to make a bulb light, making the bulb brighter, creating a switch, and creating a series circuit and parallel circuit.

Topics: Davis Special Programs- AVID, Project Lead the Way Launch

Thursday, November 2, 8-9am, Music Room (Rm. 107)

This coffee talk will include information about two special programs at Davis that enhance learning for Davis students- Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Launch and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). PLTW is an interactive program that integrates science, technology, engineering and math while engaging students in learning academic content and solving real-world problems. AVID prepares students for success at school and in life through a focus on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading. In this session, I will share what these programs at Davis look like in action and how they enhance student learning. Time will also be allowed for questions and discussion about other topics of interest of attendees.

2023-2024 Principal Coffee Dates

November 30 (Special Guest- Murchison Middle School Principal Chara Harris), January 22, February 22, March 21, April 18

Suggest a Topic

What topics would you like to learn more about? Share your input here.

Thursday, November 2

3:30-4:30pm

Davis Library

On the agenda: Campus Improvement Plan Progress Check, New AISD Enrollment System, Davis Report Cards, AISD Calendar 2024-2025, New Davis Website

All CAC meetings are open for anyone to attend. Childcare is available.

School Visits

All visitors must press the call button outside the front door, then state their name and the reason for their visit. Upon entering the building, visitors must sign in at the reception desk in the lobby or the school office using the Safety Check system and wear a visitor badge in order to enter other areas of campus. This requires a driver’s license or a state issued I.D. card. Visitors must come into the office to sign out before leaving. These procedures are essential for the security of our campus.

Classroom Visits

If parents/guardians would like to visit their child’s classroom during instructional times, the visit must be arranged with the principal or assistant principals so it may be scheduled at a time that avoids disruption to the learning environment.

EQUITY ASSESSMENT COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS: The Office for Organizational Transformation and WestEd, the research company conducting the district equity assessment, is hosting community conversations to learn from families, staff, and community organizations about what is and is not working well in AISD. All three conversations will be held over the next two weeks in person or via Zoom at the Martin MS Library. Please see the details and flyer below.

• November 2, 10:30 - 11:45 am, Community Organization/Member Conversation: https://austinisd-org.zoom.us/j/86462528731

October 30-November 3

10/30, 8am-3pm: Generation Zero- Classroom Visits (1st)

10/31, 8:30-9:30am: Kindergarten Harvest Festival

10/31, 1:45-2:15pm: Fall Performance (4th) & Monster Mash

10/31, 2:30-3:00pm: Fall Performance (4th) & Monster Mash

11/2, 8-9am: Principal Coffee, Music Rm (107)

11/2, 9:30am-12:00pm: Laguna Gloria Field Trip (3rd- group 1)

11/2, 11:30am-2:00pm: Laguna Gloria Field Trip (3rd- group 2)

11/2, 3:30-4:30pm: CAC Meeting, Library

November 6-10

Teaching Assistants & School Psychologist Appreciation Week

11/7: General Elections- Davis is polling location, P9/P10

11/8, 9:30am-12:30pm: Play For All Abilities Park Field Trip (PK/ECSE)

11/9: Fall picture retakes

11/9, 9:15am-1:30pm: Blanton Museum of Art Field Trip (4th)

11/10, 9-10am: Veteran's Day Assembly

11/10, 10-11am: Veteran's Day Reception, Rm 210

11/10, 5-10pm: Davis Skate Night @ Playland

November 13-17

International Week

11/13: Staff Development/Student Holiday

11/14, 8-10am: Family Culture Fair, Cafeteria

11/16: Jog Around the World Turkey Trot (during PE)

11/16, 8:45-9:30am: Lannaya Drum and Dance Performance, Cafeteria

11/17: Lockdown & Evacuation Drills

11/17, 8:00-8:30am: International Performance (3rd- Parker/Plamondon)

11/17, 8:45-9:15am: International Performance (3rd- Alexander/Hutchison)

11/17, 12:00-2:15pm: Bob Bullock Museum Field Trip (2nd)