
Eagle Update: September 15, 2023
Barton Hills Elementary
Hello BHE Families:
What a fun spirit day today! All the dots were so much fun to see all day. I hope to see some of you at House Park for our Future Maroon Night tonight. We will gather outside the main gates and then enter together. While we've been so thankful for the rain this week, we're looking clear for tonight.
Our Positivity Project focus this week is Being Present and Giving Others My Attention. This is challenging for all of us in the world of constant information at our fingertips, communication devices, and all the distractions of our day-to-day lives. I encourage you to read more below.
Here's to another great week at BHE, considering how we can be present and give our attention to others. Please review the calendar and For Your Information section below for important information about our district, school, and community.
Kati Achtermann
Upcoming Events
September 23 - 9:00 AISD Showcase at Palmer Events Center
September 25 - Parent Teacher Conference Day - Student Holiday
September 26- 6:00 PTA Parent Mixer at Bouldin Acres
October 9 - Professional Development Day/Student Holiday
October 11 - Bring Your Teddy Bear to School Day - Spirit Day
October 12 - 3:30 Campus Advisory Council Meeting
October 22 - CARNIVAL 1 - 4 PM
October 24 - Individual Fall Picture Day
November 4 - It's My Park Day at BHE (Fall Grounds Work Day)
Gifted and Talented Nomination Window
Hello Parents/Guardians,
Gifted and Talented Nominations will open on September 18, 2023.
If you are interested in referring your child, please see the flyer below for information.
Nominations will close on October 6, 2023.
Please note that all second graders will be screened and there is not a need to fill out this form for them.
I advise you to speak to your child's teacher about whether or not a referral would be appropriate for your child this year.
In the past, many parents have asked me about the qualities seen in gifted learners vs high achievers. This chart is from "The Gifted and Talented Child" by Janet Szabos.
Thank you,
Stephanie White
GT Advocate Barton Hills
AISD Virtual Gifted and Talented Information Sessions
Join us at our Community Information Virtual Sessions: 9/19 (6 p.m.) & 9/20 (at Noon)!
Virtual Gifted & Talented Information Session:
September 19, 2023 @6 p.m. or September 20, 2023 @ noon (https://Bit.ly/AISDGTINFO). Contact advancedacademics@austinisd.org with questions or for more information.
Virtual Dotados y Talentuosos información sesión:
19 de septiembre, 2023 @6 p.m. o 20 de septiembre, 2023 @ 12 (https://Bit.ly/AISDGTINFO). Contacto advancedacademics@austinisd.org para mas información.
Coach's Corner
From Coaches Moreno and Mueller
PE ‘s Focus for Next Week:
Monday: Marathon Kids Monday, Focus Marathon kids Kick Off
Tuesday-Wednesday-Thurs: Continuing Throwing and Catching Underhand Rolling, Catching, and Tossing Skills will be taught. Activities and Games to help with skills taught.
Friday: Fun Friday, 2-5th Grades Student Lead activities and games inside and Outside, Kindergarten-1st Grade Inside Activities and Game stations.
Two quick reminders:
- Marathon Kids is a program used district wide that challenges youth to run, jog, walk or move the equivalent of four (or more!) marathons throughout a season. Marathons are reached by kids finishing miles in achievable increments or completing minutes of heart-pumping activity. We use a digital platform to track, while coaches bring the fun, energy, and encouragement to motivate kids to go further than they ever thought possible.
- Students are encouraged to bring water bottles that seal and/or have a secured lid every day to class.
Health Room Happenings
Beginning this week, several student health screenings will be conducted by our Health room staff. These include Vision and Hearing for all Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd and 5th Grade students; Acanthosis screenings for 1st, 3rd and 5th grades and Spinal screening on 5th grade girls only. Parents will only be contacted if there is a concern or need for further follow-up. If you have questions, please reach out to our Health Room Staff at 512-414-3336
Austin ISD Showcase
Save the Date - Austin ISD Showcase - September 23: Austin ISD is hosting our 2nd annual districtwide Showcase on Saturday, September 23, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Palmer Events Center. This event will include external community partners as exhibitors, internal departments, all schools, community service providers, student performances and interactive activities.
2023 Hispanic Heritage Talent Show
Join the Fiesta again this year! The 2023 Hispanic Heritage Talent Show started today. Please encourage your students to submit your entries by October 5. Please see the link to the flyer: ENG 2023 Join the Fiesta_8.5x11.pdf. Here is the link to participate.
¡Únanse a la fiesta otra vez este año! La Muestra de Talento por la Herencia Hispana 2023 empezó hoy. Por favor animen a sus estudiantes a que envíen sus fotos y videos antes del 5 de octubre. Adjunto la liga con el gráfico ESP 2023 Join the Fiesta_8.5x11.pdf. Este es el enlace para participar.
¡Muchas gracias!
Parent Teacher Conferences
September 25, 2023 marks the first of our Parent Teacher Conferences for the school year. As you may also know this is also Yom Kippur - the “Day of Atonement” - the holiest day in Judaism. AISD families and staff who have religious or personal obligations on September 25th will be offered an alternate time for the conference. Please be watching for communication from your child's teacher(s) about dates and time options for Parent Teacher Conferences.
Positivity Project
This week our school community will be focusing on the Other People Mindset of Being Present and Giving Others My Attention. This means when I’m with other people, I’m present and give them my full attention.
This element of the Other People Mindset is so important today due to the increasing number of distractions vying for our time and attention. Phone calls, text messages, emails, social media notifications all have the dangerous capacity to pull us away from the present moment and, what’s most important -- our relationships with other people.
Just like plants need sunlight to grow, our relationships need attention. If we don’t give our attention to the people we’re building relationships with -- whether family members, close friends, or even distant colleagues -- we can’t build those relationships. It’s vitally important that we pick our heads up from our cell phones and truly listen to other people when they’re talking. A positive culture is built on positive relationships -- and we can’t build positive relationships without attention.
To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.
O. Henry Middle School Round Up 2023!
Round Up is O. Henry Middle School’s annual school carnival featuring inflatables, booths, games, food, raffles, and a middle school dance. Proceeds from Round Up enhance the learning experience for every student during this school year. Neighbors, friends, and future students are invited to support OHMS at this fun family event on Friday, September 29th from 3:30-6:30p.m. on the school grounds. For more information please click here.
Current COVID Protocols
Please see below for the current COVID protocols for the 23-24 school year:
- People who have tested positive for COVID will need to isolate away from school for five days .
- The day of testing is considered day zero.
- People who have tested positive may return to school on day six IF they are symptom free and fever free without medication for at least 24 hours.
- Upon return to school, people who have tested positive must wear a mask for the next five days.
- The school is responsible for confidentially reporting the positive case to the district health team. Notification letters to the community are now optional.
- Masks continue to remain optional for both students and staff. We do have masks on campus if you would like your child to have one.
AISD Calendar
AISD Student Success Guide
The Austin ISD Student Success Guide (Student Code of Conduct) is now available on the Austin ISD District website for students, parents, and guardians to review. One important legislative update is that ALL e-cigarettes (THC and Tobacco) are prohibited. House Bill 114 requires a student to be placed in the District Alternative Education Program (DAEP) if the student possesses, uses, is under the influence, sells, gives, or delivers marijuana, THC, or an e-cigarette (new) while on campus, within 300 feet of school property, or at a school-related event. Under Austin ISD guidelines, this is a 20-day DAEP placement. Parents and guardians are strongly urged to talk to their students about this new policy and review the Student Success Guide to help keep our schools safe for students and staff. For resources to use when talking with your student about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes visit https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/.
School Safety
Maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for our students is our top priority. This means that we'll continue with some of the practices we put in place last year. It is important to us that our safety protocols are in place AND that our students, families, and staff continue to feel a positive and welcoming environment each day.
Arrival:
- We will continue to have a secure morning arrival with families/caregivers saying goodbye before students enter the building. Parents/Caregivers may walk students to the front walkway during car drop off/walking drop off. Staff members will be outside and inside ready to greet, welcome, and support our students as they enter the building at 7:30. Parents will not be allowed to walk students to the classrooms and portables.
- The front doors will open for breakfast at 7:15 am. At 7:30 am, all students will enter the building.
- The first week our Kinder students will meet their teachers in the cafeteria before going to class. The teachers will be there to meet them and then walk together to the classroom.
- IMPORTANT: There is NO parking in the drive in front of the school between 7:00 - 8:00 am. This lane is reserved for drop off only. If you'd like to walk your child to the front door, please park in the neighborhood and walk to school together. Thank you!
- If you need to bring something to your child after they have entered the building, please leave it on the labeled cart outside the front doors with a clearly marked label. Please call the front office to let us know you are leaving an item (lunch, water bottle, device, etc.) and we will get it to your child.
Exterior Doors:
- All exterior doors will remain locked at all times during the school day. Portable classroom doors will also remain fully locked all day.
- Staff will check each exterior door weekly to ensure they close and lock as intended.
Dismissal:
All kindergarten students will be dismissed with their homeroom teacher at 3:05pm.
1st- 5th grade car riders, walkers, and bikers will be dismissed from specific outdoor locations with their homeroom teacher at 3:10pm.
Older siblings may join younger siblings at the younger sibling location.
Extend-A-Care/YMCA After School Care students will go to the cafeteria.
*See map below for dismissal locations by grade level.
Students must leave by 3:20 at the latest.
Please see map below and note that areas in RED are NO Parking Zones - even for drop off and pick up.
Visitors:
- Visitors are welcome at Barton Hills for the purposes of student support. This may include scheduled parent teacher conferences and meetings, registration, pre-arranged volunteer opportunities, and other scheduled events.
- Lunch Visitors: You may come have lunch with your child. You must sign in at the office prior to going to the cafeteria. Please note that if you plan to have lunch with your students, you will need to plan to eat outside or at a separate designated table. Provide lunch only for your child. Do not arrange to purchase lunch for a group of students and then have your child pass it out. You may only have lunch with your own child - please do not invite other students to join you. *No lunch visitors for the first two weeks of school so we can work on routines and expectations.
- The main front doors are the only entry doors to the campus for visitors. The door buzzer/office communicator is on the right side wall by the front doors. Please push the button to communicate with the office and, once verified, we will buzz you in to the building.
- All visitors MUST sign in at the front office upon arrival AND sign out at the front office when leaving. Please remember to bring your photo ID with you when visiting campus. We will be using the RAPTOR system to scan licenses and print out Visitor tags.
- IMPORTANT: Families, please do not ask a staff member to hold a side or back door open for you to enter the building. All students, parents, and visitors must enter through the front entry doors. Thank you!
Staff Training, Campus Drills, and Threat Assessment
- Our staff will be trained on safety prior to students entering the building.
- We will review safety plans and practices throughout the year.
- We will continue to hold all required safety drills with our students. Most of the drills will be announced drills so our students aren't surprised or alarmed by them.
- Barton Hills has an established threat assessment team comprised of administration, counseling and teaching staff. All members of the team have received Threat Assessment training from Texas State. Licensed Mental Health Providers and School Resource Officers are on call to assist when needed.
Phew! I know that's a lot to digest, but wanted everyone to know we're prepared for a strong, safe, and productive year.
It's Hot Out There!
AISD Weather Guidelines
Temperature guidelines have been established in order to provide a safe and healthy environment for students participating in outdoor activities at Austin ISD.
The listed temperatures, heat indexes, and wind-chill factors are designated figures for terminating and/or modifying outdoor activities including: Athletics, Fine Arts, PE, and recess.
About Us
Website: bartonhills.austinschools.org/schoool
Location: 2108 Barton Hills Drive, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2013