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Eagle Update: February 2, 2024
Barton Hills Elementary
Hello BHE Families:
Happy February to all! While the shortest month of the year (even with the extra day for leap year!), it is full of learning opportunities! We started our week recognizing our Teacher of the Year, Ella Carlson - you can read more about her below. Wednesday Kinder and First graders marked the 100th Day of School with special shirts and accessories. And on Friday, the school was abuzz with kindness as we marked our "Bee Kind" Spirit Day.
We'll wrap up the week with a dedicated Parent Teacher Conference Day and Student Holiday, so no school for our kiddos on Friday. Your child's teacher will be reaching out to you with conference information, if they haven't already, so be on the lookout for that communication. Some grade levels will hold traditional conferences and others will have student-led conferences. Both are good opportunities to learn more about your child's progress this semester.
Here are the highlights of this week's newsletter:
- Counselor Appreciation Week - February 5 - 9. Give a loud cheer for Ms. White
- Our Fifth Graders are putting on the BHE Bash this year. See the flyer for all the details!
- Our P2 focus will be cheering on others' success.
Thank you, as always, for being a part of our Barton Hills Community!
Kati Achtermann
February: African American Heritage Month
February 9: Parent/Teacher Conference Day - No School for Students
February 19: School Holiday (Bad Weather Make-up Day) - No School for Students or Staff
March 1 - Book Character Day and Parade
March 2 - Grounds Work Day
March 11-15 Spring Break
Teacher of the Year
Counselor Appreciation Week
Coach's Corner
Notes from Coach Mueller and Coach Bergman
From Coaches’ Mueller and Bergman
PE ‘s Focus for Next Week:
Monday: Marathon Kids, Focus Marathon Kids, Track Day (Weather Permitting, may move throughout week),
TUESDAY- Gymnastics/Parkour, Jumps and Rolls, Balance & Flexibility, Yoga, Agility activities related.
Wednesday- Gymnastics/Parkour, Jumps and Rolls, Balance & Flexibility, Yoga, Agility activities related.
Thursday- Fun Friday, K-5th Grades Student Lead activities and games inside and outside. (Weather Permitting, may move throughout week)
Friday- No Students
Quick note/reminders:
- Beginning on 8FEB-8MAR Coach Mueller will be on leave from school due to military training. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility during this time. Coach Bergman will be the lead instructor for PE during this period. While I am out; there will be a substitute to assist PE classes. If you need to pass on PE information, please contact your student’s homeroom teacher first and the front office.
- With cooler temperatures now in the forecast, students are encouraged to dress accordingly for outside temperatures. Jackets/sweaters are encouraged to be worn. Students need to remember to take them after PE is over.
- If your student has a Doctors/parents note that requires them not to participate in PE. Please email to both their classroom teacher and while I am out cindy.reyes@austinisd.org (front office).
Positivity Project
This week our school community will be focusing on the Other People Mindset of Cheering Others’ Successes. This means when other people succeed, I am happy for them and cheer them on.
Being happy for other people when they succeed isn’t always everyone’s initial reaction. Often, it’s easy to become jealous or envious of others’ victories -- or even to experience schadenfreude, which is deriving pleasure from witnessing (or learning about) another person’s misfortune. People who have these reactions to the success or misfortune of others are colloquially known as “haters.” It’s important to note that these are natural emotions and in small doses can be helpful in allowing us to see what we care about -- and motivate us to pursue those goals.
But making a commitment towards cheering on other people’s successes can be a great way to improve our own health, happiness, and relationships. People can take active steps to be more genuinely happy for the achievements of others. Ways to do this include; telling others about the success of your modest friend; noticing when your reaction to a sibling’s success is envy or jealousy -- and asking yourself why that is; reminding yourself that appreciating the excellence in another is a character strength; asking your successful teammates and classmates what they do to prepare for games or tests.
Being supportive of people who succeed is good for our mental, physical, and emotional well-being and when people cheer each other on it begins a reciprocal process that forges stronger relationships. Those relationships are the foundation for a strong culture in teams, schools, and businesses.
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.
BHE Bash
Please join us for a night of games, food, and dancing. BHE Fifth Graders are putting on a bash to raise money for their trip to the Outdoor School in Marble Falls. Check out the flyer made by one of our very own fifth graders for details.
It’s My Park Day – Saturday, March 2nd from 8AM-12PM!
Parents – your school park and campus need you! Let’s work together to beautify Barton Hills Elementary Park! The PTA Greenworks Committee will be gathering on Saturday, March 2nd from 8AM – 12PM to work on various projects to beautify the school grounds and we need your help.
Show up with work gloves, a smile, and a wheelbarrow (if you happen to have one). Other tools will be provided.
Please contact Keith Hegner (keith.hegner@gmail.com) if you have any questions or want to volunteer any special skills or tools. We hope to see you all there!
Straight Talk on Smartphones
Straight Talk '24: Navigating the Smartphone Era
February 12, 2024 | noon-1 p.m. CST
Through all the uncertainties of parenting in the digital age, one thing is for sure: Smartphones are here to stay. They've unlocked a wealth of knowledge, entertainment, and convenience. But for our children, smartphones have also introduced a bevy of complications for their development and well-being.
Straight Talk '24: Navigating the Smartphone Era is a livestreamed event featuring top-notch panelists discussing how smartphones are impacting our children's minds, bodies, and classrooms. Councils (district-level PTAs) and local PTAs without councils are encouraged to host watch parties throughout Texas to enjoy this event together.
We hope all attendees will leave feeling more educated about the physiological effect of cell phones on children; more knowledgeable of recent research and studies on smartphone use; more understanding of pressures our children are facing; and more empowered to navigate how we use smartphones in our families and schools.
Click the button below to find and join a watch party near you! If you can't make it to a watch party, you can register to watch live here.
Save the Date for Book Character Day
"Save the Date" for our annual Book Character Day on Friday March 1st in the morning (time TBD). We will have a parade with costumes based upon your favorite book characters. More details to come but start planning now for your favorite dress up attire based upon a book! Thanks! Ms. Ewing
2024 Texas Primary
Importance of voting as it relates to the 2024 Texas Primary
Voting in a primary lets you impact who will be elected in November to national, state and county offices.
Only 14% of eligible Texans vote in the March primaries, and that’s when most races get decided.
If more voters cast ballots in the primaries, leaders will be elected who better reflect the spectrum of ideologies and will work across the aisle to make government more functional and representative of the vast majority of Texans.
Polling information
This link takes you to polling locations and times for both early voting and election day for the 2024 Texas Primary.
Voter education programs
Want to vote in the primary but not registered to vote? Click here to fill out an application and to learn more.
Priority Enrollment and Registration for the 24-25 School Year is Now Open
Enroll Austin Call Center: On January 17 and 18, Austin ISD will be offering extended work hours and additional staff from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm. (512) 414-SEAT (7328)
Austin ISD will host an Enroll Austin Registration Clinic for families at AISD Central Office (4000 S. I-H 35 Frontage Rd, Austin, 78704) in the Board Auditorium on Saturday, January 27, 2024 from 9:00am - 12:00pm.
Families will receive one-on-one support of the new registration process
Representatives from the departments of Enrollment and Attendance, Multilingual Education, Early Learning, Communication and Community Engagement will be on-site to support families
Nick Akery Scholarship for Graduating HS Seniors
We are calling all BHE alums who are graduating this spring!
Did you attend Barton Hills Elementary? Apply for the Nick Akery Scholarships - two scholarships of $1,000 and $500 in honor of a much-beloved former BHE Principal.
Qualifications to apply: - 3.0 GPA or higher - Attended BHE for at least two years - Plan to pursue higher education next year Applications are due by Friday, April 12, 2024. Please share if you know a BHE alum who is graduating this year!
Visit this link for application instructions:
2024 Barton Hills Elementary - Nick Akery Scholarship Application
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.
About Us
Website: bartonhills.austinschools.org/schoool
Location: 2108 Barton Hills Drive, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2013