Panther Print

Tuesday, August 18

• Teachers' First Day of Professional Learning

• Student Supply Pickup (please see details below about specific times/days)

• Class Lists Posted on LT

• Teacher/Family Conferences

• Live Family Technology Support Session 10:00 am

• Live Family Technology Support Session 3:00 pm

• Zoom Principal's Coffee 10:00 am (will be recorded)

• Labor Day/Staff Holiday

• Students first day of Virtual Learning

• Aug 6 Austin ISD Board of Trustees approved a revised school calendar
• Tuesday, September 8, students' first day of remote learning
• TEA guidance has changed and AISD is now required to offer in-person instruction in order to receive necessary support and funding for closure beyond the first 8 weeks of the school year
• A delayed start recognizes that the directive from local health experts is a more informed approach to protecting the health of our Austin community as a whole while still operating within TEA guidelines for funding
• A delayed start allows staff to strengthen relationships with families and further build expertise with teaching and learning online
  
• The calendar begins with four weeks of remote learning and an opportunity for on-campus instruction during the first four weeks for students who do not have access to reliable technology or internet connectivity
• Pending approval from the TEA, there will be an additional four weeks that will serve as a period where students who selected on-campus instruction may return to on-campus learning in phased-in smaller groups
• These plans are subject to change based on the guidance of local, state and federal health authorities and the TEA
  
• Further updates will be posted in the coming days and weeks at www.austinisd.org/covid19.
• FAQ in English and Spanish.

• Login support for the Portal, BLEND, LivingTree
• How to access BLEND
• How to navigate BLEND
• How to access SeeSaw (K-2)
• How to navigate SeeSaw (K-2)
• Answer any tech questions

Wednesday, August 26 at 10:00 am

Thursday, August 27 at 3:00 pm

We will also have a recorded session for families to view.

Bring Your Own Device: Due to worldwide shortages, Austin ISD is seeing some delays in receiving Chromebooks and iPads for students. Families who would like to return their Austin ISD Chromebook or iPad and use a personal device instead can do so at our Computer Curbside locations. Doing so is entirely optional, but could help a fellow Austin ISD family that needs immediate access to technology. Please check this flyer for Computer Curbside dates, times and locations: bit.ly/aisdcomputercurbside.

Technology Requests - Parent Cloud: Families can now begin requesting technology needs using a new form in the Parent Cloud. After logging in to my.austinisd.org, search for “Technology Distribution,” and the link for the form will appear. My.austinisd.org also has a link and instructions in both English and Spanish for creating a Parent Cloud account.

K-2 iPad Apps

For any student using an AISD iPad, there will be specific apps installed prior to delivery. If you are using your personal iPad and would like to install these apps, please refer to the AISD K-2 iPad App List

Technology Requests - By Phone: Families can also request technology by calling their school or the Parent Support Line at 512-414-9187.

• AISD sent out a new Pulse Family Pulse Survey
• Please be sure to complete this as it helps with scheduling, staffing, and health and safety preparations
• Additional surveys will be sent out closer to the start of school on Sept 8

BW Buddy Program

As you may have suspected, this year at school is going to look a lot different...but hopefully we can find some ways to keep our Bryker Woods community strong!

One way is the new BW Buddies Program, where families new to Bryker Woods are matched with a returning "support" family via email. The support family can welcome the new family to Bryker Woods, and help answer any questions they may have. Hopefully, this partnership will make transitioning to a new school a little easier, and provide both parties with another connection during this time of distance learning.

If you are interested, you can sign up here: BW Buddies Program Sign-Up

Questions? Contact Dana Singh at danasingh@gmail.com or through Living Tree.

• Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm- schedule coming soon!
• Agendas posted on LT and in the front entrance of the school
• PTA minutes posted on LT, website and the front entrance of the school

• Sign up for a PTA Committee- BW PTA Committee Signup Sheet
• Reach out to our PTA president for additional information- jennrustgi@gmail.com

The AISD Parent Engagement Support Office & Parent Support Specialists present ¡ADELANTE! Virtual Conference from August 11–15. The conference will be conducted in Spanish. All sessions will be broadcasted via Facebook Live. Please register.

Conference Schedule (see photo)

Introduction Session with Keynote Speaker, Dr. Paul Cruz: Tuesday, August 11, 8:30–9 a.m.

For more information, click on the photo or go to https://www.austinisd.org/adelante

Remote Learning

• Remote Learning will begin Tuesday, Sept 8
• 100% Online
• Students will be assigned to a Virtual Class List
• Begin at 7:40 with Morning Announcements and a synchronous Morning Meeting
• Students will have a set schedule that will include core academics, recess, lunch, and specials
• AISD and teachers will be providing all curriculum for families/tutors (you will not need to create your own curriculum or lessons)
• Students will be able to interact with teachers and classmates multiple times a day through synchronous lessons
• Small group synchronous lessons will be important to support individual learning, provide one-on-one feedback and monitor student goals
• Students will work independently (away from a screen) on assigned asynchronous lessons
• Students will have specific lessons that need to be completed and submitted for feedback and a grade
• All lessons will be available on BLEND
• Daily structure and curriculum delivery will be very different from the emergency remote learning that occurred in the spring
• Students and families will receive ongoing feedback
• School Ends at 3:08

• 7:40 Morning Announcements (asynchronous)
• 7:45-8:15 Classroom Morning Meeting (synchronous)
• Special Areas-45 minutes per class (3 days of week Synchronous, 2 days a week asynchronous)
• Kinder- minimum of 60 minutes synchronous/core subjects
• 1st-5th- minimum of 90 minutes synchronous/core subjects
• Each class will have various small group synchronous times to provide individualized supports
• Recess 30 minutes per class
• Lunch 30 minutes per class
• Office Hours 60 minutes per day

• All students will access the AISD Portal daily
• All students will access BLEND (Canvas) for schedules, assignments, synchronous/asynchronous learning, links to additional resources through the AISD Portal
• All teachers will be using a common BLEND Course Template for consistency across grade levels
• BLEND will be easier to navigate than in the spring (more organized and fewer clicks)
• BLEND support/preview will be available the week of Aug10-15 from the Parent Engagement Support Office (I'll send out more information when it's received)
• K-2 will have SeeSaw embedded to support primary student learning and feedback

How to Access AISD Portal

BLEND Parent Tour

SeeSaw Intro Video

• Every student will be assigned to a homeroom virtual teacher
• Students may have opportunities to learn from various campus teachers through synchronous or asynchronous lessons
  
• We recognize the stresses that families are under with remote learning and child care, however, we cannot commit to any request for specific teachers or grouping of students due to the many factors that drive student placement: special education, ESL, 504, GT services, social, emotional and academic needs, class size, new/transfer students, and the numerous family requests/learning pods
• Class Lists will be posted on LivingTree on Aug 25 at 4:00 pm

• AISD Covid-19 Updates
• AISD Reopening Plans
• Superintendent Check-Ins on Facebook
• AISD Summer Meals Sites
• BW Website

Email: kristina.muehling@austinisd.org
Website: byrkerwoods.austinschools.org
Location: 3309 Kerbey Lane, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2054