
Eagle Update: February 23, 2024
Barton Hills Elementary
Hello BHE Families:
Happy Friday. I hope everyone had a nice 3 day weekend. What a change in the weather this week - with the cool mornings and warm afternoons, the weather was just right for increasing the lost and found :). Please check the lost and found in the front of the building regularly if your child is missing a jacket, sweater, sweatshirt, water bottle, and even some shoes :).
Ninja Anywhere is Coming Back to BHE!
The BHE PTA and Coach Mueller are excited to announce that Ninja Anywhere is coming back to BHE on Friday, March 22. Please take a couple of minutes to preview their activities and complete their waiver. A waiver is required to participate and must be completed by March 19. (Students without a signed waiver will have an alternate activity.)
- Watch the 2023 BHE highlight video of Ninja Anywhere activities.
- Complete a waiver for each of your students.
We are so excited to offer this program. Students loved this event last year and we are excited to have them come back!
Step 1: Watch the 2023 BHE Ninja Anywhere Video if you want to see what to expect
BHE Ninja Day March 30 2023.mov (dropbox.com)
Step 2: Complete a waiver for your child by selecting "adult and child": https://app.cleverwaiver.com/render/templateByRefId/5e535d234123a1000d3bc4e7?groupId=ggCbuMjD
Here are the highlights of this week's newsletter:
- Thursday, February 29th is a Leap Day if you didn't know.
- Friday, March 1st is Book Character Day - please see the flyer below
- Saturday, March 2nd is our Spring Grounds Day - please consider volunteering
- Our P2 focus will be Love of Learning - you master new topics on your own or in school
Thank you, as always, for being a part of our Barton Hills Community!
Kati Achtermann
Our Goal Mosaic Progress
March 1 - Book Character Day and Parade
March 2 - Grounds Work Day
March 4 - 8 Book Fair in Library
March 7 - 3:30 CAC meeting in Library
March 11-15 Spring Break
March 29 - Student and Staff Holiday
April 8 - Solar Eclipse Day (we have plans :)
April 9 - Spring Individual and Class Picture Day
April 11 - 3:30 CAC meeting in Library
April 12 - PTA Spring Fling
April 16 - STAAR ELAR Grades 3 - 5
April 17 - STAAR Make-Up Day ELAR Grades 3 - 5
April 18 - STAAR Science Grade 5 only
April 19 - STAAR Science Make Up Day Grade 5 Only
April 24 - STAAR Math Grades 3 - 5
April 25 - STAAR Math Make Up Day Grades 3 - 5
April 26 - Field Day!
Coach's Corner
Notes from Coach Mueller and Coach Bergman
PE ‘s Focus for Next Week:
Monday: Marathon Kids, Focus Marathon Kids, Track Day (Weather Permitting, may move throughout week).
TUESDAY- Volley. . . Volley skills, Setting/Passing skills, games, and activities related. Sleeping/Stress Management Lesson.
Wednesday- Volley. . . Volley skills, Setting/Passing skills, games, and activities related. Muscular Strength Lesson.
Thursday- Volley. . . Volley skills, Setting/Passing skills, Underhand/Underhand Serve Intro games, and activities related.
Friday- Fun Friday, K-5th Grades Student Lead activities and games inside and outside. (Weather Permitting, may move throughout week)
Quick note/reminders:
- Beginning on 8FEB-8MAR Coach Mueller will be on leave from school due. This is 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 I am out, there will be a substitute to assist PE classes during this time. If you need to pass information in regard to PE please first reach out to your student’s home room teacher, then reach out to 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).
- Activities and Lessons might change depending on situation on weather, supervision, and/or understanding.
Positivity Project
This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Love of Learning. Love of learning means you master new topics on your own or in school.
Those with a love of learning are intrinsically motivated and engaged in a topic regardless of achieving an external standard. They enjoy learning simply for the sake of learning. They don’t need a prize of a high grade as a reward. Their reward is the process of doing the work and improving.
Developing a love of learning is highly beneficial for an individual. It means that they are intrinsically motivated to deepen their existing skills and abilities, or learn something completely new. Since intrinsically motivated action is correlated with positive emotions, those who act on their love of learning may also have enhanced mental and physical health. Additionally, individuals who love learning have the desire and ability to overcome challenges, due to a sense of autonomy and control over their environment.
To practice and encourage the character strength of love of learning 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.
Have a wonderful week!
Cell Phone and Communication Devices at School
Many of our students have cell phones and smart watches at school. District policy allows our students to have these devices at school for safety reasons but all devices should be turned off during the school day so as not to be a distraction during learning. Please see the district policy on cell phones and electronic devices linked in our student success guide for more information.
District Scorecard Engagement Opportunities
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees will be working throughout the spring to develop the district’s Scorecard.
Why it matters: This process is done in collaboration with families, staff, students and community members and will guide the district’s work over the next five years.
The details: The Scorecard is composed of goals and constraints.
The goals are a reflection of the community’s vision and the constraints act as guardrails that safeguard the community’s values in pursuit of that vision.
Get involved: The board invites students, families, staff and community members from across the district to share their ideas about the district’s vision to one or more of the below engagement opportunities:
Take a few minutes to complete the Vision and Values Scorecard Thought Exchange by Sunday, March 11.
Participate in one or more of the in-person or virtual engagement meetings. View the full schedule.
It’s My Park Day – Saturday, March 2nd from 8AM-12PM!
Updated with Links (get a free t-shirt!)
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.
This time we are an official Austin Parks Foundation Project, so please sign up to record your support and you will receive a free t-shirt! https://austinparks.givepulse.com/event/420604-Barton-Hills-Elementary-Park-Clean-Up%21. We can also confirm volunteer hours via the site!
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!
STEM Girl Day at UT
Elementary and middle school students, families and educators are invited to come to the Forty Acres for the annual STEM Girl Day at UT event on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This Texas-sized event will feature an array of activities led by volunteers from 150-plus partnering organizations. Throughout the day, thousands of K-8 students will participate in a broad range of hands-on educational experiments and demonstrations designed to spark excitement and inspire the next generation of STEM leaders. Just a few of the activities include:
- STEM shows
- Cybersecurity games
- Catapult creating
- Discovering supercomputers
- Solar telescope viewing
- Tiny House 3D designs
- Bracelet making with binary codes
- Mathmagic tricks
Visit the searchable activity database for the entire list of activities. Registration is free and open to the public. Go here to register. All K-8 participants must be registered and accompanied by an adult throughout the event. Go here to find more information on parking, food, activities, maps, etc.
Thanks to presenting partners Halliburton and Hologic and all our corporate, community and campus partners! We look forward to seeing you there—and be sure to follow the online conversation: #UTGirlDay, #GirlDay2024.
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.
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