Eagle Update: December 2, 2022

Hello BHE Families,

I hope you all had a restful and happy Fall Break and Thanksgiving Week. This week was a fairly quiet one for us as we welcome our students back to school. As we wrap up this first semester, you may notice that there is a stronger cognitive demand for our students. We've been thinking about ways to increase rigor in all grade levels and classes as we want our students to engage in productive struggles here at school. This helps strengthen their brain power and perseverance as they learn to work through more challenging learning. Additionally, students in Kindergarten through 6th grade will be doing the Middle of Year MAP Growth
Assessments and 3rd - 6th graders will be taking the Short Cycle Assessment 2. Both of these assessments will be used to help teachers plan for the second semester. Please encourage your child as we close out this quarter!

Lost and Found Reminder: Our Lost and Found is overflowing with found items! We have moved the lost and found back outside to the front of the building and we will leave it there until the Winter Break. At the close of school on December 21st, any remaining items will be re-homed. Please encourage your child to look in the lost and found and claim their items.

As always, please check the calendar sections and Latest News for current updates about our school. Thank you for your support of our fabulous school.

A Note from the Counselor:

As you prepare for the upcoming holidays, please consider sponsoring a family for the Families Helping Families program at Barton Hills Elementary. Families Helping Families is a confidential program designed to assist families in the BHE community during the holiday season.

This program allows one Barton Hills family to adopt another Barton Hills family for the holidays. Due to an overwhelmingly positive response from the recipients, we will once again be asking sponsors to provide gift cards for families in need instead of actual gifts. We suggest a $75-$100 gift card for the family and a $20 dollar gift card for each child in the family. Walmart, HEB, Target, and Visa/Mastercard gift cards are preferred. You are welcome to give more too!

If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact Ms. White by filling out this google form by Monday, December 12th. All gift cards will be due to me by Friday, December 16th.

As soon as you fill out the form, I will let you know if I have a family, I can pair you with.

https://forms.gle/pgiA9xUm9ssJCTd2A

Dear BHE Family,

Families Helping Families is a program designed to provide assistance for Barton Hills’ families during the holidays. We would like to invite you to participate in the confidential program if you feel your family might need assistance during this holiday season. If you choose to participate this year, your family will receive a gift card for food along with a toy or gift card for each child under 19, in the family. We will make sure each child at BHE receives a gift and if there are enough sponsors, we will assist with children not attending BHE.

The counselor will provide a sponsoring family with the age of each child and no other identifying information. Gifts cards will need to be picked up at the school from Dec. 20-21 by 3:00pm each day.

Please review and fill out the form below if you would like assistance.

All forms Due by December 6th.

https://forms.gle/9d59dnEe9Py4dbtu8

Kindly,

Stephanie K. White, M.A., MEd., LPC

Counselor, Barton Hills Elementary School

We are excited to announce the Barton Hills Science Fair for 2022/2023. It will be held at Barton Hills on January 19, 2023. All grade levels are welcome to participate, however, only Grades 3-6 will advance to the Austin Energy Regional Science Festival. Teachers have started conversations in class about science fair projects in class. The link for all instructions is below. Please reach out to your classroom teacher with any additional questions.

https://sciencefest.org/elementary/elementary-parents-students

The Fine Print:

Who:

All Barton Hills Students are encouraged to enter. Judges will select the top three projects in the third through sixth grades to advance to the Austin Energy Regional Science Festival.

Why:

To explore a scientific question that a student may have. To apply the scientific method. To enhance the learning experience. To discover the wonders of the natural world.

What

Experiments, Demonstrations, or Collections that meet the safety guidelines (see website) are permitted.

When and Where

BHE Fair in the library on Thursday, 1/19/23

Regional Fair at the Palmer Events Center on 2/24 & 2/25

Project due dates may vary by teacher.

Resources

ScienceFest links: Website www.ScienceFest.org

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/austinenergysciencefest Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sciencefestatx/ Twitter https://twitter.com/ScienceFestATX

December 6 - Fall Photo Make-up Day

• PTA Cookie Exchange

December 9 - Spirit Day - Pajama Day!

December 14 - 6:00 PM Winter Concert and Art Show (see flyer above)

December 15 - 6:00 PM Winter Concert and Art Show (see flyer above)

December 16 - 8:00 Prospective Parent Tour

December 21 - End of the 2nd nine weeks

• 2:00 ish Jingle Bell Run (more info to come with specific grade level times)

December 22 - January 9 - Winter Break for Students

January 10 - Begin the 3rd Nine Weeks/ School Resumes for students

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