Happy Monday Bear Creek Cubs,

Well we know we all earned that weekend!! Everyone's resilience and courage were on display all week long. Common experiences connect us and we feel confident in saying we are connected.

It was so much fun to put our beautiful campus on display for KXAN and KVUE.

KXAN: https://www.kxan.com/news/education/set-for-school/some-teachers-work-from-classrooms-for-austin-isds-first-day-of-virtual-school/

KVUE: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/education/schools/austin-isds-first-day-of-school-was-all-virtual/269-2e8bf051-f83e-4ee3-8891-3d98f601bdf2

We also started filming our virtual grand opening and we cut some ribbon on Thursday!

We are here to help. Remember administration will have office hours and I will post those links in the office hour section which will be a little farther on down the line in this issue.

Also note that your grade level newsletters are now officially linked to this newsletter. This is truly one stop shopping for all your Bear Creek news.

AJ and David

Just click the icon for your child's grade level newsletter. These will be updated weekly.

Please see the remote learning schedule below. If you have questions, please shoot us an email or give us a call. Please note this has not changed and we have full confidence that this is our final schedule.

We tried to be as consistent as possible across grade levels. Because our special areas (art, music, and PE) have to be synchronous, we had to spread them throughout the day as we would if we were on campus. Because there are different blocks for those special areas, the schedule cannot be the same for each grade level.

Please note that based on TEA guidelines the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade students have the same amount of synchronous instructional minutes and pre-k and kindergarten have the same amount of synchronous instructional minutes.

Also note that all grade level teachers will be in lock step with schedules and assignments. The schedule and these instructional expectations have been created intentionally to accommodate the multiple learning pods that are being formed to help the community distribute the logistical load of remote learning.

* Download the PDF for the clearest view of the schedule.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XztiUYbbk-k5WOi6SjLHBXB-JACuf7Dt/view?usp=sharing

As we said, this is hard but there is a lot of action happening in all the grade levels. This graphic indicates what has been happening Pre-k thru Second Grade.

Currently we have 227 responses with basically an equal split between remote learning and in person.

As you know I try to share with you facts. I have seen a draft phase in plan but it is waiting on comments from our Superintendent, Dr. Elizalde so I will not weigh in on the draft plan.

I know as of today (and obviously this is subject to change):

• All people in the building will be wearing face coverings and maintaining a social distance of 6 feet. We will be screening all adults and students. We will have four separate screening stations (car riders, bus riders, walkers, and staff.)

• You are highly highly highly encouraged to self-screen using the AISD app but you will still have to have a temperature check. If you do not use the AISD app the process will take approximately 3-4 minutes thus holding up the queue for others.

• I believe that our flexible seating and collaborative spaces will provide us with more opportunity to interact and accommodate higher numbers of students then a building with traditional designs and furniture.

• We will not be switching classes (e.g. special areas) or eating in the cafeteria.

• We will be providing outside time but we will have to thoroughly clean the areas after each use. I do believe however that we have several different areas to provide outside time so that is an advantage.

• The intent is to maintain your teacher assignment but until we have all the data I will be unable to determine if that intent will become a reality.

• Students will be taught in person by their teacher (see disclaimer above) - they will not be logging on to participate in remote learning in the physical building.

• Library books will very likely be requested online and our librarian will deliver them to children.

We will be hosting a live Q and A on Thursday and the invitation is towards the end of the newsletter.

Survey Link

https://austinisd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3EKb4cCqXqzNC97

We still have plenty of iPads that are ready to go.

We also have several Chromebooks that are ready to go.

We also have ordered several hotspots.

Let me know via email if you need assistance by emailing me at david.crissey@austinisd.org.

I know many of you do not use social media however there are several Facebook groups dedicated to the school and to specific grade levels. They are good places to connect. The main school Facebook group is primarily for branding and marketing as this newsletter has replaced it as a source of information.

Bear Creek School Page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1172057442989760/

Bear Creek PTA - https://www.facebook.com/groups/272116890829280/

Bear Creek Kindergarten - https://www.facebook.com/groups/284635179309301/

Bear Creek Kinder Immersion - https://www.facebook.com/groups/3194839180612842/

Bear Creek First Grade Immersion - https://www.facebook.com/groups/614658239467441/

Bear Creek First Grade - https://www.facebook.com/groups/784782732263559/

Bear Creek Second Grade - https://www.facebook.com/groups/335449904147942/

Bear Creek Third Grade. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/948900888893066/

Bear Creek Fourth Grade- https://www.facebook.com/groups/701523747356817/

Bear Creek Fifth Grade - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1102836326834460/

Hello Bear Creek Families!

Congratulations on your first week of Virtual School. Huge learning curve and yet you all whizzed through it like champs! 👏 I hope you all were able to get some good rest over the weekend ready to tackle another great week.

Below you will find my sign-up sheet for Meet the Counselor. This a time where I meet one student at a time and learn a little bit about them. When you sign up for a time slot you will get an email with a zoom link. This link gets you to the waiting room, where you may have to wait a few minutes for me to finish up with another student. But no worries, I will get you in as soon as I can!

Sign Up Sheet

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4cafa62aa1fbc25-counselor2

Zoom Link (will also be emailed to you, but just in case)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81241245698?pwd=WlhLR21tbkFnYXhxYThWWG40K0ZNZz09

I will be continuing Counselor Connect "Meet The Counselor" until I have been able to meet every student. If this week fills up, no worries, more opportunities to come:)

I want you to know that I am here for you. If you or your student need to meet with me for any reason at all, please don't hesitate to email me at alyssa.sheeran@austinisd.org

Did you know that I have a BLEND course too?! Yep! There are tons of links to explore in my Bitmoji Classroom. Would love for you and your child to explore some of the brain breaks, games, videos, read alouds, and even a visit to the San Diego Zoo...plus so much more as you click away in my classroom.

Check it out below - the picture is a hyperlink!

(*Your student will need to be logged in to their account to see it.)

https://aisdblend.instructure.com/courses/267652/pages/homepage

Thank you for allowing me to be your school counselor!💙🐻

Tuesday September 15th is the LAST DAY to purchase Bear Creek spiritwear. Orders will be available for pickup in late September-- stay tuned for details.

Haven't joined the PTA yet? No problem! Add a Membership to your order for one easy transaction.

Shop today before it's too late

https://bearcreekspiritstore.cheddarup.com

Mark your calendar for our FIRST PTA General Membership Meeting of the year. We will have a brief meeting to present the PTA budget and priorities for the year, followed by FUN family program. You won't want to miss this- stay tuned for more details!

Be sure you have JOINED the PTA in order to be a voting member and help us make decisions! Join OR in the Bear Creek Spirit Store.

https://joinbearcreekpta.cheddarup.com

Bear Creek PTA General Membership Meeting

Tuesday, September 29th

5:00- 6:15 pm

(via Zoom)

Parent Video For Attendance

https://www.screencast.com/t/ghb1amDe

Elementary How To For Students and Parents

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTQDgFfesYkFHDcCy19qsyd2W5AR47yeNVvaDhAPCHuRBVWWh8nzfraQGSmjiZvCfpCa07AEu5eTgsu/pub

Blend Parent Tour

https://aisdblend.instructure.com/courses/105825

AJ and I will be available from 2pm - 3pm each week day to answer your questions. These office hours and the office hours scheduled by your teacher should become your BEST FRIEND as we traverse the remote learning landscape.

David Crissey is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Bear Creek Office Hours

Time - 2pm - 3pm (Monday - Friday)

https://zoom.us/j/92989899258?pwd=NnJYVk96NTZIeVFJdkVwRHhLRWh4QT09

Meeting ID: 929 8989 9258

Passcode: 0kJKBH

One tap mobile

+13462487799,,92989899258#,,,,,,0#,,792421# US (Houston)

Hunter 5K Halloween Fun Run

Registration is open for the second annual Hunter 5K Halloween Fun Run, honoring Hunter Henderson! The event this year will be virtual.

The Hunter 5K was created to honor and celebrate the fast and free spirit of Hunter Henderson, who tragically passed away in December of 2018. Hunter was a vibrant member of the Avana/Circle C community who loved Halloween and dressed up in costume throughout the year. Funds raised from this year’s virtual event will go to Dell Children's Medical Center who helped the Henderson family immensely during Hunter’s stay. Register today at https://thehunter5k.com/.