Eagle Update: March 10, 2023

Hello BHE Families,

I hope everyone has a delightful spring break full of good things for your family! We will be excited to welcome our students back into the building on Monday, March 20th , and look forward to hearing about their break and jumping back into learning. I wanted to highlight a few items in the Latest News Section before Spring Break takes hold:

• Registration for the 2023-2024 School Year
• AISD Early Learning Day (Kinder Orientation for incoming kinders)
• Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course Waiver (coming in March)
• AISD Climate Surveys (Opening March 20)

As we do after every long break, we'll spend time when we return reviewing and practicing routines and procedures to support a positive and productive learning environment for all. We're now officially in the time of year when time flies and there is much to do as we prepare our students for a strong last quarter of learning to ensure they're confident and ready for the next grade level! Strong learning systems are essential for making this happen. You can help by making sure your student(s) are on time for school (tardy bell rings at 7:40 am), have a good breakfast (breakfast is available at school from 7:15 -7:30 am), and get enough sleep. Together we can help our students have a happy fourth quarter full of learning and fun!

Please check the calendar sections and Latest News for updates about our school. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

You may wonder why registration starts so early, but it is essential for several reasons. The district uses the number of students registered at each school to decide how many teachers we need, how many students we're serving and impacting our budget for the following year. If we need more teachers, we want to start looking early! Mrs. Achtermann also looks at the registered students to decide how we can best support our new and returning students in the classroom.

The best part is it only takes about 5 minutes. Can't remember your username and/or password? Try the forgot username/password prompts. If that does not work, you can call the Parent Help Desk at (512) 414-9187 option 2. You can also call or come into the. office if you need assistance or have questions. Ms. Reyes, our Registrar, is happy to help. Our goal is to have 100% of our returning students registered by the end of April!

It's Registration time for all our new incoming Kindergarteners! Please see the flyer below if your family has a student for our 23-24 Kindergarten cohort. We want to make sure all of our incoming kinder students are registered by the end of May! If you know of a neighborhood family with an incoming kinder student, who may not receive this newsletter, please share this information.

The BHE PTA and Coach E are excited to announce that Ninja Anywhere is coming to BHE March 30 during your child's PE class. I have included a link to their website so you can watch an awesome highlight video of the activities. Please take a couple of minutes to watch it and then scroll down and complete their waiver.

A WAIVER IS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE. Please complete waivers by March 13.

(Students without a signed waiver will have an alternate activity.)

Step 1: Watch this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jklh7qosg1U

Ninja School Events Are AWESOME - Ninja Anywhere

Step 2: Complete a waiver for each of your students.

We are so excited to offer this program. Students participated in gymnastics and parkour in January with activities like an obstacle course and a floor is lava game. This will be next level!

Coach E

The Spring Student, Staff, and Family climate surveys will go live on Monday, March 20th. The survey window will remain open through Friday, April 14th. Surveys will be available online and can easily be accessed by computer, phone, and screen readers. You can access the survey here beginning March 20th.

Students in 3rd - 6th grades will take the climate survey at school. If you would like to opt your child out of participating in the survey, please follow the instructions the district sent in the parent newsletter on Friday, March 3, 2023. Thank you!

Between March 30 and April 10, Austin ISD will honor Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, two of the most significant leaders in the American farmworker’s movement through lessons and participation in community events.

Austin ISD will also participate in the Annual ¡Sí Se Puede! César Chávez March & Day of Action! Saturday, March 25, at Parque Zaragoza, 2608 Gonzales St., Austin, TX 78702.

Students, families and staff are invited to march along with the Crockett ECHS Marching Band and TexAnns Dance Team, Eastside ECHS Marching Band and the Martin MS Band.

Austin ISD participants should meet no later than 9:30 a.m. The march will begin at 10 a.m. and will end at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and to bring water.

Dan St. Romain, a national education consultant with roots in special education support and development, will be presenting virtually on goal setting and positive behavior supports. These are two different sessions in February and March, which are repeated with lunchtime and evening virtual offerings. Interpretation services will be provided.

Date: March 30, 2023

Time: 12-1 pm or 6-7 pm

Zoom Link: Zoom Link

Topic: Avoiding Power Struggles

Flyer: English / Spanish Flyers

RSVP Link: RSVP Link

The 2023 GT Student Showcase Theme is "Find the Good" which comes from a Jesse Owens quote:

"Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll start believing in it."

Note: We will only accept ONE link for each project submission. If students have multiple links, they need to find a way to organize/collect them into one link... for example they can create a Google Slide Deck or website and include all their links.

Austin ISD GT Student Showcase Website

Every year, to honor the experiences and contributions of LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families, Austin ISD hosts its own Pride Week. This is a time to highlight the district's commitment to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment. This year’s Austin ISD Pride Week will take place March 20–25, 2023 to align with National LGBT Health Awareness Week.

In Austin ISD. Elementary, Pride Week means…

• All are welcome.

• Everyone should be able to be who they are.

• Differences are awesome!

• Love makes a family.

The Pride Week activities our campus plans to participate in and highlight are:

• Brain Breaks

• (Compassion, Be a Good Friend,Be an Upstander, Rainbow Breathing, Kind Wishes)

• No Place for Hate 6th Graders Read Red by Michael Hall to all classes. The book is about being who you are and accepting others.

• March 20 Students have the option of taking stickers with Pride on them

• March 24, Voluntary Option of Pride Picture During Recess

• One day during week K-2 Video of Book You Matter by Chris Robinson

• One day during week K-2 Video of Book Say Something by Peter Reynolds

• One day during week 3-6 No Name Calling Week Activity NNCW-Poetic-Reactions.pdf

If you would like for your child to opt-out of these activities, Please let your teacher know which activities you would like to opt your child out of and they will provide an alternate activity for that time. If you choose for your child to not get stickers or have their photo taken, please let your child know and the teacher also.

District Event:

• "Pride Y’all!" Community Event!

• Saturday, March 25, 5 to 9 p.m. at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center

If you have any questions, please reach out to Stephanie White or Kathryn Achtermann

stephanie.l.white@austinisd.org and kathryn.achtermann@austinisd.org.

Thank you to those of you who expressed concern about the decision around transfers into our school for the 2023-24 school year and advocated on behalf of our school community.

The district has considered the various points and perspectives that were brought up and has adjusted the Barton Hills transfer guidelines for the upcoming school year as follows:

• Barton Hills is now accepting priority transfers at all grade levels during the special priority window of Thursday, Feb. 23 through Friday, March 24. This includes siblings of students currently enrolled at Barton Hills and students requesting a majority-minority transfer. You may read about these transfer types at https://www.austinisd.org/transfer/priority-transfer.
• Since the districtwide priority transfer window has closed, parents/guardians should check “general” as their transfer type and include in the comments section “sibling” or “majority-minority,” to indicate this type of transfer.
• Barton Hills is no longer frozen at 1st grade. General transfers into kindergarten and 1st grade will be approved based on available space. The campus remains frozen to general transfers at the 2nd through 6th grade levels.

The district website has been updated to reflect these changes and we will be sharing this information with surrounding schools. Please feel free to share this news among your social networks.

As we prepare for the FY2024 Budget year, please join us in conversations about Austin ISD’s 2023-24 budget. There will be several occurrences between January and May to attend. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the district's priorities, plans for staffing and programming, and how you can get involved in the budgeting process with your campus.

An updated calendar is available at https://www.austinisd.org/budget

March 13 - 17 - Spring Break

March 20 - 24 AISD Pride Week

March 21 - Spirit Day - Silly Sock Day

March 25 - PTA Spring Fling

March 30 - Ninja Anywhere on Campus during PE times

March 31- Student/Staff Holiday

April 5 - AISD Early Learning Day/ Kindergarten Orientation and Tours

April 6 - Spirit Day - Twin Day

April 7 - Student and Staff Holiday

April 11 - Spring Individual and Class Picture Day

April 19: STAAR Reading- Grades 3,4,5

April 20 STAAR Reading Make-ups- Grades 3,4,5

April 25: STAAR Science- Grade 5

April 26: STAAR Science Make-ups- Grade 5

May 3: STAAR Math- Grades 3,4,5

May 4: STAAR Math Make-ups- Grades 3,4,5

*Please note that the campus will be closed to visitors on these dates.

The district permits students to possess personal cell phones and other telecommunication devices for safety purposes; however, these devices must remain turned off and put away in a student's backpack during the instructional day. Personal devices such as Apple Watches can be permitted but may NOT be used for texting, recording, taking photos, making phone calls, allowing other students to make phone calls, playing games, etc., during the school day. We also need parents to be good role models and not text their children during the school day. If your child has an Apple Watch (or similar device) and inappropriate use is an issue, they will be asked to turn it off and put it away in their backpack or the teacher may take it up during the school day.

Please remind your student that personal telecommunication devices should not be used during the school day. If you need to message your child during the school day, please call or email your child's teacher or the front office.

During standardized testing, all communication devices (including watches) will remain turned off and put away.

The following changes have been approved by the Board of Trustees.

• Changed the Elementary Parent Conference Day / Secondary Professional Development Day / Student Holiday on Monday, September 25, 2023, in recognition of Yom Kippur

• Add a Staff Development / Student Holiday to Monday, November 13, 2023, in recognition of Diwali (Nov 12).

• Add an Elementary Parent Conference Evening to a single Elementary Parent Conference Day / Secondary Professional Development Day / Student Holiday on Friday, February 9, 2024

• Add a Staff Development / Student Holiday to Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in recognition of Eid al-Fitr.

These calendars maintain the necessary number of instructional minutes for students, and the number of required duty days (180) for teachers. The calendar would provide 84 instructional days in Fall, and 89 instructional days in Spring, for a total of 173 instructional days. The calendar adds one additional professional development day prior to previous years.

As we head into the new semester of school, a few reminders about traffic and safety. It takes all of us to make arrival and dismissal a safe experience for our students. When you have 350 students arriving and leaving at the same time, it's always a good idea to pack your patience or leave earlier if time is a concern.

• The front circle drive is the place for drive-through drop off and pick up. If you need to get out with your child for any reason, please park in the neighborhood and walk up. Please do not use the front parking lot or the back parking lot.
• Do not use the right turn lane on Barton Hills Drive to drop off or pick up students. Parents have been dropping off students in the right turn lane to avoid waiting in line for the circle drive and then either pulling a U-Turn or pulling back out into the driving lane, causing several near-miss accidents. No one wants to start their morning or end their day with that!
• Crosswalks are to be used to cross the street for students and parents.
• When driving, please follow all stop signs and signals from our crossing guards.
• School Zones are hands free zones!
• School grounds are also dog -free zones - at drop off, pick up and during school events.

Together we can ensure our students start and end their day safely! Thank you!

We know parents are excited to support our school through volunteer opportunities - and we're excited to have you! ALL school volunteer opportunities will start with the classroom teacher or sponsoring staff member. For example, volunteer opportunities for the Library will be coordinated through Ms. Ewing; classroom gardening, field trips chaperones, classroom guest readers will be coordinated through the classroom teacher. Once teachers are ready for volunteers the following will happen:

1. We will set up the volunteer opportunity on the APIE website.
2. Teachers/Event Sponsor will email parents the name of the volunteer opportunity and directions for completing the background checks.
3. Mrs Ewing will let you know when the background check is complete
4. You will bring your driver's license to Kathy Carr in the office for verification
5. Once verification is complete, Mrs. Ewing will let you and the classroom teacher know you are cleared to volunteer.

If you have questions about the volunteer opportunities please contact your child's teacher.

If your child needs to leave early for an appointment, please notify your child's teacher and the front office. When you arrive at the school, you can come to the front door or call from your car and then we will call for your student. We will not call for students until you are here. With our new schedules (and a new phone number system) please leave PLENTY of time (at least 10 minutes) from the time you call us to the time your child is ready to leave. If you have an appointment right after school, it is best to pick up your student no later than 2:45 to avoid the dismissal crunch. **If you have not had your driver's license scanned into our Raptor System in the last year, we will ask you to bring in your driver's license to the office***

Masks:

With the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, students, staff and visitors are not required to wear face masks when on school properties, unless they have tested positive for COVID-19. Note: Per CDC guidance, individuals with a positive COVID-19 result will be required to wear a mask for five days after returning from quarantine/isolation.

• Masks are not required, but are encouraged at any time of the school day or in any school space.
• Masks are optional at all times.Face masks will continue to be provided for any student, staff, or visitor upon request.

• All students, staff, and visitors will be allowed to make their own choice.
  

Close Contact and Contact Tracing

• Campus administrators will notify all families of positive cases on the campus using a standard notification letter. Individual classroom letters will not be sent home.

• With masking now being optional, all students and staff at the campus may be considered close contacts when there is a positive case identified.

• Campus Administrators will not be required to track close contacts.

• Any asymptomatic individual (except those who have tested positive) may remain at school as long as they are asymptomatic.

Testing Availability

• Testing sites are located at specified district sites and can be found on the COVID-19 district webpage.

• All sites will accept insurance, medicaid, and self-pay.

• Site will be updated whenever vaccines are available.

Temperature 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.

• AISD_Temperature Weather Guidelines_2022-2023
  

Our PTA is the best! Please check out the link for the latest PTA Newsletter below and sign up to receive them directly:

http://bheeagles.com/eagle-news/

Website: https://bartonhills.austinschools.org/
Location: 2108 Barton Hills Drive, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2013
Facebook: facebook.com/BartonhillsPTA
Twitter: @bheeagles