Eagle Update: January 27, 2023

Hello BHE Families,

Well, this week has certainly brought us some colder weather! That hasn't stopped us from having a great week here at BHE, including some grade-level field trips. Last week we had our Science Fair and wanted to highlight the 3rd - 6th-grade students and projects representing Barton Hills at the Regional Science Fest on Saturday, February 25th.

3rd Grade

• Hazel Hunter "Water Quality"

4th Grade

• Alden Hegner "The Best Paper for Paper Airplanes"
• Ming Bobel & Alice Johnson "Star Counting: Light Pollution in the Night Sky"
• Aria Bautista "Does the Fat Content of Ice Cream Affect its Melting?"
• Vera Bobeck, Hannah Smith & Dahlia Helmers "The Best Slime Activator"

5th Grade

• Rory Hughes "Which is Better, Turf or Grass"
• Yuvann Khanna & David Quintanilla "Which Vegetables will Conduct Electricity Best?"

6th grade

• Sabine Andresen & Claudia Cruz "Which Water Bottle Insulates the Best?
• Clara Macaulay & Ella Goldstein "How Does Humidity Affect the Tuning of a String Instrument?"

Friday, February 3rd is our Spirit Day of "Bee Kind" to kick of the month of February! We encourage everyone to wear yellow and black and perhaps an accessory or two that fits the theme :).

Please check the calendar sections and Latest News for updates about our school. Thank you, as always, for your support and being a part of this community.

Socks are one of the most requested items by those in homeless shelters. BHE’s SEL and Wellness Committees are sponsoring a school-wide sock drive as a community service project.

• When: Weeks of January 30th - February 10th.
• What: Students may bring in new socks of any size that will be donated to a local homeless organization.
• Where: Drop-off bins will be available for drop-off in several locations in the main building.
• Questions: If you have questions, feel free to contact Mrs. Geltemeyer.

Thank you in advance for your support!

The fifth Grade will sponsor a Movie night in the cafeteria. Tickets will be sold in advance and it is possible that they will sell out (it has in the past), so plan to buy early. There will also be snacks and drinks available for purchase to enjoy during the movie. Proceeds go to defray the costs of the 5th-grade field trip to the Outdoor School at Camp Champions.

More information coming including which movie we will choose and how/when to purchase tickets.

Join Austin ISD in celebrating Black History Month throughout February! Every year, to honor our Black students, staff and families Austin ISD celebrates Black History Month, a time to highlight the district's commitment to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. Here are two upcoming community experience opportunities:

• FREE screening of The Anderson Yellow Jackets documentary with Alumni Panel Discussion

• February 4, 2023 | 1:15 - 3:15 p.m.

• Location: Austin Film Society Cinemas, 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd., Austin, TX 78752

• Space is limited. Please reserve your ticket.

• African-American Heritage Celebration at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center

• February 24, 2023 | 6:30 p.m.

• Location: Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX 78723

• Featuring student performances and student hosts from Travis Early College High School

Because of technical issues that directly affect Austin ISD’s online registration and transfer systems, all district registration processes for the 2023-24 school year are being pushed back one week. Those new dates are:

• Priority transfer window: January 16–February 7.

• General transfer window opens February 8.

Families enrolling in the current school year will not have to complete paper registration packets. In addition, out of district families will be able to register online.

Here are the important links for these two activities:

1. Enrollment landing page: https://www.austinisd.org/enroll

2. Important dates and deadlines: https://www.austinisd.org/transfer/dates-deadlines

3. For questions, please use the districts Let’s Talk https://www.austinisd.org/letstalk and click on “Student Services: Enrollment, Records, & Transfers”

Salute is AISD’s annual celebration to recognize some of the district’s outstanding team members for their continued dedication to student excellence and achievement in our schools.

District staff, families, and the community are invited to submit a nomination for a staff member they believe represents the very best of AISD. This year's Salute Awards ceremony will recognize the winners in five categories, along with honoring Teachers of Promise and Teachers of the Year.

Nominations will close February 3rd at 5pm.

As we prepare for the FY2024 Budget year, please join us in conversations about Austin ISD’s 2023-24 budget. There will be several occurrences between January and May to attend. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the district's priorities, plans for staffing and programming, and how you can get involved in the budgeting process with your campus.

An updated calendar is available at https://www.austinisd.org/budget

February 3 - BHE Spirit Day - "BEE" Kind

February 6 - 10 - Counselor Appreciation Week

February 9 - 6:00 PTA General Meeting and STAAR 2.0 presentation

February 15 - 16 Parent Teacher Conference Week and Evenings

February 17 - 1:30 Early Release Day

February 20 - Student and Staff holiday - Bad Weather Make-Up day

February 24 - 6;00 PM Fifth Grade Movie Night Fundraiser

March 13 - 17 - Spring Break

As we head into the new semester of school, a few reminders about traffic and safety. It takes all of us to make arrival and dismissal a safe experience for our students. When you have 350 students arriving and leaving at the same time, it's always a good idea to pack your patience or leave earlier if time is a concern.

• The front circle drive is the place for drive-through drop off and pick up. If you need to get out with your child for any reason, please park in the neighborhood and walk up. Please do not use the front parking lot or the back parking lot.
• Do not use the right turn lane on Barton Hills Drive to drop off or pick up students. Parents have been dropping off students in the right turn lane to avoid waiting in line for the circle drive and then either pulling a U-Turn or pulling back out into the driving lane, causing several near-miss accidents. No one wants to start their morning or end their day with that!
• Crosswalks are to be used to cross the street for students and parents.
• When driving, please follow all stop signs and signals from our crossing guards.
• School Zones are hands free zones!
• School grounds are also dog -free zones - at drop off, pick up and during school events.

Together we can ensure our students start and end their day safely! Thank you!

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