Panther Print

Hi Panthers!

We had a great week of Phase One of our In-Person Learning which launched our Hybrid teaching and learning model.

I would like to thank all of you for the warm welcome I have received. Bryker Woods is a special school, and I feel lucky to be working here during this unique time in education. I am gradually becoming familiar with all the things that make BW a gem in Austin ISD. Phase One of the reopening went smoothly, and we were able to prioritize the safety measures on behalf of our students and staff, and still keep quality instruction in place. We learned everyday from our students, families, and staff, and we will continue learning about how to best teach and learn with the new health and safety protocols in place as we move forward with Phase Two.

Launching this next phase will increase the number of students who are returning to campus for In-Person learning. With this in mind, we need everyone to download the AISD app and screen your child(ren) each morning. Once our students get to school, our staff looks for the green check on the app, temperatures are taken, and then students can enter the school. It takes all of us to meet the safety standards we have in place.

The Bryker Woods staff is outstanding and has been working overtime to ensure that every child is safe and feels protected. We will continue to learn from our experiences to improve performance. I love seeing the “smiles” in the eyes of our students, when I walk into classrooms. Schools were made to have kids, so it’s been great to see the students that have returned, and we are excited to welcome those who will return in the future.

David Foyt

Monday, Oct. 12

• Phase 2 of Student Return

All Week:

• Assessments continue

October 12

• Regular day for students/staff. District has changed this "day off" to Nov. 3rd (Election Day)

October 19

• Virtual CAC Meeting

October 23

• Principal's Coffee/Chat, 8:15 am

Texas requires that all students in grades K-12 meet the minimum state immunization requirements. This applies to students receiving both in-person and virtual learning.

It is important to note that there have been no exceptions made to these immunization requirements, due to COVID-19, by the State.

All immunization requirements should be met by families by October 5, 2020, for both in-person and virtual learners.

You can find more information about the minimum Texas Immunization Requirements here: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/school/school-requirements.aspx. Please reach out to your Campus Health Room Staff for more information on resources that can be given to families and any questions you may have.

Temperature Checks Before Boarding Bus:

• As part of AISD's health screening protocols, the transportation team will check students' temperature before boarding the bus.
• Students who have a temperature of 100 degrees or higher will be asked to return home with their guardians.
• If students are alone at the bus stop, they will travel to school on a second bus. Guardians will be asked to pick up students from the campus. ·
• Please ensure guardians accompany students to bus stops.

Bus Safety/Updates:

• After each trip, bus drivers will clean high-touch areas.
• Expect delays during the first few weeks as campus communities, including team members, students, and families, adjust to the new protocols.
• Transportation team members also are adapting to further processes, including additional duties and routes.

2020-21 Bus information

• Families whose students are eligible for transportation are receiving their bus information by email or letter.
• The district's "Bus Stop Finder" is live right now.
• Families whose students have special needs will receive information in-person from their bus teams.

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

carly.kettler@austinisd.org

Device pickup procedure at BW

You will need to provide:

1. Your child’s student id number

2. The type and number of devices you are expecting to receive

(chromebook, Ipad)

When you arrive in the circle drive in front of the school please park and call the library office at 512-414-7593. You will be asked to provide your child’s full name, student id number and the type of device you are expecting. Please remain in your car while your device is being issued. Once the process is complete your device will be placed in a bin outside the library courtyard where you can then collect your items.

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

We will begin to celebrate our amazing Panthers every Friday with our Panther Proud awards. Our Panther Proud Awards are a way for us to shine the light on the MANY wonderful things our young panthers do every day. It could be showing empathy, responsibility, respect, being an upstander, speaking out, showing perseverance, or many other skills. We would like to honor our students and celebrate their hard work.

Any grownup that works with our Panthers is able to nominate a student. Please fill out the following Panther Proud Award Nomination and they will be read during Friday Morning Announcements.

Panther Proud Award Nominations

Thank you to our volunteers!

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

As you may have suspected, this year at school is going to look a lot different...but hopefully we can find some ways to keep our Bryker Woods community strong!

One way is the new BW Buddies Program, where families new to Bryker Woods are matched with a returning "support" family via email. The support family can welcome the new family to Bryker Woods, and help answer any questions they may have. Hopefully, this partnership will make transitioning to a new school a little easier, and provide both parties with another connection during this time of distance learning.

If you are interested, you can sign up here: BW Buddies Program Sign-Up

Questions? Contact Dana Singh at danasingh@gmail.com or through Living Tree.

• 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