Eagle Update: January 12, 2024

Hello BHE Families:

Happy New Year! We had a great week back from our winter break. Thanks to the generosity of our PTA, the cafeteria and hallway doors got a paint refresh! Our new colors make the spaces so much brighter.

Looking ahead to the week at school, it's another short week for us as Monday is a school holiday so both staff and students can honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's also a week where the temperatures are predicted to plummet, bringing our first hard freeze of the year. Should the weather impact our school schedules (late starts, cancellations, etc.), there will be communication from the district through the AISD website, texts, news outlets, social media, etc.

As we start the new calendar year, it is also time to consider the next school year. Registration is open for new and returning students for the 24-25 school year. We encourage you to complete the registration process sooner rather than later. The district is using a new system that we are all learning together. Speaking of registration and the 24-24 school year, I've included an update on the status of the sixth-grade program we've previously had in the newsletter.

Here are the highlights of this week's newsletter:

• No School for Students/Staff on Monday, January 15 - MLK Holiday
• AISD has posted the 2024-2025 School Year Calendar on the AISD Website - a link to the calendar is included below
• Austin High is inviting students to a Future Maroons night at the Boys Basketball game on Jan. 23
• Our P2 focus for the week is Prudence. Prudence is the ability to do the right thing for the right reason at the right time.

It's been a few weeks, so here's your friendly reminder that the school day begins promptly at 7:40 am. Please plan to have your child(ren) at school with enough time to get to their classroom before the 7:40 bell rings - let's get off to a fantastic start to the new year! Thank you, as always, for being a part of our Barton Hills Community!

Kati Achtermann

January 15 - MLK Holiday for students and staff

January 18 - Science Fair Day at BHE

January 22: Holocaust Remembrance Week

January 22: PTA Meeting

February: African American Heritage Month

February 2: Wear Red for Heart Health

February 8: Lunar New Year Celebration

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

PE ‘s Focus for Next Week:

Monday: NO School

TUESDAY- New Year Restart Cont. . . PE Core Values Review

-Reviewing Expectations and Procedures for PE, with activities related.

Wednesday- New Year Restart Cont. . . Zones of Regulation/Peace Corner Review

-Reviewing Expectations and Procedures for PE, with activities related.

Thursday- New Year Restart Cont. . . Review Expectations Activity

-Reviewing Expectations and Procedures for PE, with activities related.

Friday- Fun Friday, K-5th Grades Student Lead activities and games inside and outside. (Weather Permitting, may move throughout week)

Quick reminders:

1. 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.
2. If your student has a Doctors/parents note that requires them not to participate in PE. Please email to both their classroom teacher and philip.mueller@austinisd.org.

Come out to the Austin High Boys Basketball game on Tuesday, Jan. 23 for Future Maroon Night! Join us to cheer on the team and participate in some fun halftime activities!! Varsity game starts at 8pm! Students get in free with a school t-shirt! Adult tickets are $5 (and can be purchased through https://gofan.co/app/school/TX25425). The gym entrance is located on the West side of AHS campus. Please enter through the glass doors. See you there!!

Dear BHE Eagle Community,

Over the last several years, we have seen a decline in families opting to attend 6th grade at Barton Hills Elementary School, and based on low interest last year, there was no 6th grade programming at Barton Hills this year..

In preparation for next year, the campus surveyed 5th grade families in October to analyze interest in 6th grade programming for the 2024 - 2025 school year. Survey results indicate again that the majority of fifth grade families are not interested in attending 6th grade at Barton Hills Elementary. Only 15 students were interested in attending 6th grade at Barton Hills, if available. Given these numbers, BHE will not offer 6th grade for the 2024-2025 school year.

We’ve contacted the 5th grade families affected by this decision to support their enrollment in another campus. We will continue to work with Student Services, Human Capital, and the Office of School Leadership, as well as our own Campus Advisory Council to monitor enrollment and to ensure that BHE remains appropriately staffed prior to the start of the school year.

Campus leadership will continue to work closely with current and future families of 5th graders to support access to desired programming and opportunities for school choice.

Please feel free to reach out with additional questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Kathryn Achtermann, Principal

kathryn.achtermann@austinisd.org

Jennifer Pace, Executive Director

jennifer.pace@austinisd.org

Austin Independent School District

In order to share information about the multiple advanced pathways and opportunities in Austin ISD, an Advanced Opportunities Virtual Session will be held on Thursday, January 18 at 6pm and again on Friday, January 19 at 12pm. The session will include Austin ISD departments including:

• Dual Credit and OnRamps

• Early College High School

• P-TECH

• Career and Technical Education (CTE)

• Advanced Placement (AP)

• International Baccalaureate

• Dual Language

• World Languages

• Counseling

• Academics

• AVID

Please see this flyer in English and Spanish.

AISD Technology remains committed to providing students the devices they need to fully participate in blended learning environments. Device distribution, however, can be costly. Our warranties do not cover loss or intentional damage, an increasing issue the district is experiencing.

It’s essential that we minimize costs associated with device loss and damage. This ensures the sustainability of the bond-funded program.

We have reviewed our internal student device loss and damage incident data and now need feedback from staff and families to inform our next steps. The Everyone:1 Student Device Feedback Survey begins January 11, 2024, and is open to faculty, staff, and AISD families.

The School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) is a school board appointed advisory group of individuals who represent different segments of the community. By law, a majority of the members must be persons who are parents of students enrolled in the district and who are not employed by the district. The AISD SHAC is made up of parents, community members, students, and school staff working together to improve the health of all students and families through coordinated school health programs. Texas law requires all school districts to have a SHAC. The SHAC holds monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of every month with the exception of December and July. The meetings are from 6:00PM to 7:30PM. The meetings are held either on the 2nd floor of the AISD Headquarters Building located at 4000 S. I-H 35 Frontage Rd. Austin, TX 78704 or virtually.

SHAC Meeting Dates and Locations

Thank you for supporting this committee. If you have any questions, please contact Pat Werner at patricia.werner@austinisd.org.

January 17, 2024 AGENDA

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

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.

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/.

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.

Website: bartonhills.austinschools.org/schoool
Location: 2108 Barton Hills Drive, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2013