Panther Print

It snowed! Playing in the snow brings me so many memories. Today we were able to create new family memories as Addison experienced his first snow. We made a snowman, drank hot chocolate, and forgot about our crazy world for a couple of hours.

This week our country experienced more trauma. I sent a letter out to the community with resources on how to talk with kids about crises and how to process emotions. If any student or family needs any support, please reach out to Ms. Gee or me. We will definitely not have all the answers but we will work together to support each other.

I wanted to share some staffing updates. Some of you may be aware, Ms. Cavazos will be retiring at the end of January. We are currently interviewing candidates and hope to have a replacement soon. If you know of any wonderful teachers, please have them contact me.

Ms. Fuentes has resigned from BW and we are looking for a new bookkeeper/admin assistant.

Ms. Digaetano had a beautiful baby girl, Cecilia, at the end of December. Unfortunately, Cecilia remains in the NICU and will be there until some time in February. Ms. Digaetano is currently teaching but will take her maternity leave in February when Cecilia is able to come home. The amazing Ms. Olle will be her long term substitute while she is out. Please keep Ms. Digaetano, Cecilia, and their family in your thoughts.

This week we will have our January CAC and PTA meeting. Agendas, Zoom codes, and more information can be found on Living Tree.

Looking forward, please note that there is not any school on Monday, January 18. We will also be hosting our annual Science Fair and celebrating The Great Kindness Challenge at the end of the month. Please see below for more information.

I wish you all a great week!

Peace, Love, Panthers!

Kris Muehling

Proud Principal

Monday, Jan 11th:

• CAC, 3:15

Tuesday, Jan. 12th:

• PTA, 5:00

• Happy Birthday, Ms. Cavazos and Ms. Sullivan!!!

• Happy Birthday, Ms. Shirey!!!
• O'Henry Virtual Tour (5th Grade)

January 18: Science Fair Submission Deadline

January 19-21 Science Fair Judging

January 22: Science Fair Online Exhibit Hall

January 25-29: Great Kindness Challenge

Hey Panther Families!

an announcement from Ms. Vincent

Head over to the Bryker Woods Community BLEND course to check out the NEWLY UPDATED BW Science Fair BLEND page! Here, you can grab your copy of this year's Virtual Science Fair Information Packet and complete your online registration form. This page also contains lots of useful things such as important dates, downloads, links, and guidelines to help you with your Science Fair adventures.

Be sure and check back later next week for online volunteer sign ups and project submission pages!

As always, feel free to let Ms. Vincent or Ms. Noid know if you have any questions or need help. GO SCIENCE!

If you need to request a device, please reach out to Ms. Kettler.

carly.kettler@austinisd.org

Video Tutorial: How to Request Technology on the Parent Portal

Family Technology Q&A

iPad Home Screen/Layout Settings by The Time of Day

Beginning Friday, September 25, Austin ISD iPads have settings restrictions that vary by time of day. From 7:00 am-4:00 pm, Monday to Friday, apps will appear in the current pushed layout. Outside of those hours, the apps will revert to any customized layout caregivers have set, AND they will be able to delete apps they have added. (Note that the iPads have 32GB of storage, and currently 13GB is taken up by District-required content.)

Lost/Stolen student devices:

Families should follow the procedures outlined here.

Student devices in need of repair:

Families can take iPads, Chromebooks, and hotspots in need of repair to either your school or to one of the Curbside locations, where they can be swapped out as long as supplies allow.

“Power wash” Chromebooks to Update Zoom:

Students may notice that Zoom is out of date on their Chromebooks. Students and caregivers that Chromebooks must be “power washed” (restored to Austin ISD default settings) for Zoom to update automatically. Here is a step set as well as a link to a video.

MackinVia and Dreambox added to iPads:

The MackinVia and Dreambox apps have been added to iPads. Apps on the student iPads will soon be organized into logical folders to streamline student access and hide infrequently used apps and system apps.

Students use the Canvas Student app to access BLEND (and then Seesaw)

A video in English demonstrating this process can be seen here. A video in Spanish is in progress and a link will be provided as soon as it is available.

Student iPad Security and Student Safety

Please note: District-wide safety restrictions can be seen on the iPads under Settings> General > Device Management > JamfSchool MDM Management Profile > Restrictions. Families may see other options under Screen Time, but despite appearances, no Screen Time setting can be less restrictive than the General Restrictions pushed by the District. A flyer for distribution is available here.

Handbook for BLEND/Seesaw

• Sign up for a PTA Committee- BW PTA Committee Signup Sheet
• Reach out to our PTA president for additional information- jennrustgi@gmail.com

• AISD Covid-19 Updates
• AISD Summer Meals Sites
• BW Website
• AISD Asbestos Letter (see attachment below)

Email: kristina.muehling@austinisd.org
Website: byrkerwoods.austinschools.org
Location: 3309 Kerbey Lane, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2054