News for the Nest
Clayton Family Update for January 20, 2023
Greetings from the Principal
Hello Cardinal Family,
This week I would like to celebrate our Science Fair event, which took place yesterday. After some time off during COVID, our students made an impressive showing with their Science Fair projects. I hope you had the opportunity to check out our event last night, including BK Bones, local paleontologist. Thank you to our families, generous volunteers, and staff for supporting a great event and promoting critical thinking and literacy. A special shout out goes to our 16 students advancing to the Austin Energy Regional Science Fair - congratulations!
With Cardinal pride,
Karen McCollum
Nan Clayton Elementary principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, January 23
3:00-3:30 Clayton Special Education community Meet and Greet at butterfly garden (see below)
Tuesday, January 24
- Happy Birthday Manijeh Rustomji!
Wednesday, January 25
- 7:30 am PreK-2nd grade Parent Coffee Mix and Mingle (see below) *NEW DATE*
Thursday, January 26
Friday, January 27
7:45 am 3rd - 5th Grade Assembly
5th Grade visit to Gorzycki Middle School
Please check out our events for the current semester (link). UPDATED THROUGH SPRING BREAK. This is a list of combined school-led and PTA-led events. All events are subject to change.
Link to Austin ISD district calendar
NEW UPDATES
Dear families, please join us on Monday, January 23 at 3:00-3:30 for our Clayton Special Education community Meet and Greet! This is a great opportunity to meet and chat with our special education teachers and teaching assistants. The location is Butterfly Garden (which is across the driveway from the portables). Refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there!
INFO FOR FAMILIES of 5th GRADERS - Transition to Middle School
If you have a 5th grader this year, please check out Gorzycki Middle School's fine arts offerings at this link
WAYS TO ENGAGE AT CLAYTON
Still Have Volunteer Opportunities - Lunch
Cafeteria Monitor Volunteers: We need your help! Come hang out with us in the cafeteria- finally meet this "Mr. Chris", the cafeteria manager that all the kids talk about. Fill out this form if you want to join our volunteer team.
ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST COMPLETE A BACKGROUND CHECK HERE: https://austinpartners.org/
Student Cell Phone and Smart Watch Policy
Policy:
If a student brings a phone to school, it should be shut down and in the backpack until the student is off school property.
Texting from a smart watch is distracting to the learning environment and strongly discouraged.
Bring ID for all student check outs
Please bring your driver's license every time you arrive on campus to check your child out of school. This is a safety measure that we follow at all times as part of our routine processes. Thank you for your understanding.
How to Report a Student Absence
In the event that your child will be missing school, please follow these steps:
1) Email both your child's teacher and Deanna McDonald, attendance clerk, at deanna.mcdonald@austinisd.org
2) Please include your child's first and last name
3) Please provide the reason for the absence so we can code it correctly in our attendance system.
Trail of Resolution
The Trail of Resolution is a problem-solving path we will use at Clayton Elementary. The purpose of the Trail of Resolution is to address questions and concerns in an effective and efficient manner. If you have a question or concern, first contact the person who is directly involved in the situation. For example, if you have a question or concern about something in the classroom, first contact the teacher to seek clarification. Follow the trail if the concern persists.
Teacher → Assistant principal → Principal
Arrival and Dismissal times for 2022-23
7:15 - campus opens
7:15-7:35 - breakfast served in cafeteria
7:35 - 1st bell rings
7:40 - SCHOOL STARTS
3:05 - dismissal begins
3:10 official end of the school day
Stay Connected!
Website: Clayton has a beautiful and informative new website: https://clayton.austinschools.org/
PTA website (link)
Join our PTA (link)
Weekly News for the Nest: weekly newsletter to families from the principal, Karen McCollum