Panther Print

I apologize for the delayed PP this week. It was an extremely busy weekend for the Muehling household as all the grandparents flew in for Addison's 4th birthday. It was a busy and fun-filled weekend for sure!

This week we will kick off Kinder Orientation. Unfortunately, we will not be able to host our traditional at school event, however, we will be posting a presentation, tour, and welcome video to our website, LT, and PP next Monday. We will also be hosting a virtual Kinder Orientation Q&A on Friday, April 30 at 10:00 am. If you have questions about registering your child please reach out to Ms. Denise Wolfe at denise.wolfe@austinisd.org.

I am extremely excited to announce that AXBW will continue again this year! A huge thank you to Chris and Nicole Mueller and Ms. Jepson for making this possible. Please see more information about this virtual event below.

I also wanted to share some unfortunate news. Many of you know the beloved Ruth Hansen. She was our school secretary for over 20 years and retired last year. Her husband, Howard Hansen, passed away over the weekend. Please keep Ruth and her family in your thoughts during these difficult times.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Peace, Love, Panthers!

Kris Muehling

Proud Principal

Monday, April 12:

• CAC Meeting (3:10)

April 30: No School/DOI Professional Learning Day

May 4: PTA Meeting (5:00)

May 6: Ensemble Therapy Parent Session

May 7: Spring Fling

May 10: CAC Meeting (3:10)

May 10: Math STAAR (3rd-5th)

May 11: Reading STAAR (3rd-5th)

May 12: Science STAAR (5th)

May 13: STAAR Make Up Day

May 28: AXBW School Viewing Party

May 31: Memorial Day/No School

June 3: Last Day of School

Zoom Info:

https://austinisd-org.zoom.us/j/99834120225?pwd=cWhvcEtXOHg3MDVMQ3pXUGtoS3QyUT09

Meeting ID: 998 3412 0225

Passcode: 086412

April Agenda Below

What is AxBW?

For families new to Bryker Woods, Arts by Bryker Woods (AxBW) is our very own SXSW-style art and music festival, featuring a student art gallery and three performance stages throughout the school. From paintings to sculptures, singing to stand up comedy, AxBW fills our school with creativity and talent!

While we may not be able to share our talents in person this year, the show must go on! AxBW will be virtual once again this year, featuring the many talents of our Bryker Woods Panthers in an online showcase you won't want to miss!

What can I submit to the showcase?

Videos, artwork, short stories and poetry! Videos can be skits, musical performance pieces, singing, magic tricks, dance routines, animations... whatever talent you wish to share. Just make sure to keep your video performance to 4 minutes or less (give or take).

For group submissions, please adhere to social distancing guidelines whenever possible. This is a great opportunity to get creative with remote collaboration tools (Zoom skit, anyone?).

We are not limiting the number of submissions per student, so you may submit multiple pieces in multiple categories. The sky is the limit!

Need ideas? Check out last year's showcase.

How will a virtual AxBW work?

• AxBW will accept submissions from April 8th through May 21th.

• The committee will collect and organize all submissions into video channels, image galleries, and a folio of written work.

• The online showcase will be unveiled during a special school event on May 28th for all to enjoy! Keep on eye on LivingTree for that announcement.

I'm ready! How do I submit my piece?

Use the links below to submit your work to AxBW:

• Video Submission

• Artwork Submission

• Short Story/Poetry Submission

Note that you will need a Google account to submit video and images (but not poetry). If you do not have a Google account or if you have trouble with the form(s), just email your file(s) along with your student's name, grade, and a title and description of the material to axbw2021@gmail.com.

Questions? Email axbw2021@gmail.com.

Time to get creative, Panthers! We can't wait to see what you can do!

If you had your students photo taken, their beautiful pictures are ready to be picked up!

Please come to the front door and ring our bell. Let us know the name of your child, grade and we will bring the photos to you. Thanks!

O. Henry Band & Orchestra Instrument Selection Dates

All 5th graders are invited to join the award-winning O.Henry instrumental music program. It’s not too late to sign up for the Fall 2021 semester! Future Mustangs who attend one of our Instrument Selection meetings will be able to try out instruments under the supervision of music specialists. No previous music training is necessary. Instrument Selection will take place outside on the front lawn of O.Henry Middle School. CDC protocols will be followed and masks are required.

Please use the link below to sign up for a 15-minute time slot on one of our selection days. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Tuesday, April 20

Thursday, April 22

Tuesday, April 27

Thursday, April 29

Band Sign-Up

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044FAFA829A6F85-ohenry

Orchestra Sign-Up

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4DA4AA2EA4FB6-orchestra

Online Registration for new and returning students is now available. The online registration system is available only through the Parent Portal at portal.austinisd.org. To create a Parent Portal account, visit portal.austinisd.org.

Visit https://www.austinisd.org/transfer for more information about transfers and applications for transfers.

Current Kinder Through 5th Grade Students

Students who have previously attended an AISD school must be registered as a returning student. The returning student online registration process consists of the same process for new student registration. However, the returning student registration forms will have pre-populated information from the student’s current record. Some data (appears grayed out) will be view-only. Please call the Bryker Woods office to make changes to these fields.

All returning students who have had a recent change of address must submit proof of residency to their campus for the 2021-22 school year.

Note: Use Google Chrome as your web browser.

New Students

For parents registering students new to AISD, a Parent Portal account must be created before you can access the online registration system. To create a Parent Portal account, visit portal.austinisd.org.

Parents registering students new to AISD will need to provide the following documentation at the child’s campus, or upload the documents in online registration:

• Child’s birth certificate
• Child’s social security card (optional)
• Child’s immunization records
• Child’s withdrawal form/last report card (if applicable)
• Parent/Guardian photo ID
• Proof of guardianship (if applicable)
• Proof of residency

Family Support Help Line

512-414-9187

As library classes have started up again it has been easier to see which books are overdue for individual students. If your child has an overdue library book I will send home a report listing the titles. Any assistance I can get finding and returning these books would be greatly appreciated.

If you cannot locate the missing books:

While all books lost in 2020 will ultimately be forgiven at the end of the school year any monetary or book donations I can get would be extremely helpful in replacing the missing books and maintaining our awesome library collection.

Thank you for your support and assistance!

During the last weeks, per the recommendation of the district, we have provided families with the flexibility to participate in remote learning after participating in on-campus learning. The district is now fully re-opened for on-campus learning and we are moving back to the initial requirements set forth by the district for families to choose in-person or remote learning.

What does this mean for our students?

• Remote learning is an option for all students through the end of the school year.
• On-campus learning is an option for all students through the end of the school year.
• Families will only be able to make one change per grading period (9 weeks)
  

Starting February 8th, if your student is learning on-campus, remote instruction will not be an option when your student is off campus. Frequent changes make it very difficult for teachers to offer meaningful instruction to all students. Some teachers are assigned to all in-person instruction, just as some teachers are assigned to all remote instruction.

If you request a change in instructional setting for your student, you will not be able to change back until the next grading period. For example, if your student is learning on campus and you would like to switch to remote instruction, your student cannot return until the next grading period (after Spring Break).

Frequent Questions:

Q: Our family is going on vacation and would like to have our students switch to remote learning for the week and then come back to campus. Can we do this?

A: No. If you would like for your student to learn remotely after being on campus, this would count as a change and your student would not be able to return until the next grading period.

Q: We want to try on-campus learning but not we're not sure if we will want to continue. Can we try it and then switch back to remote?

A: Yes, remote learning is an option for the remainder of the school year. However, if you choose on-campus learning and then move back to remote learning, this will count as a change and your student would not be able to return until the next grading period.

Q: My child isn't feeling well enough to come to school today, can we just log on to Zoom and do remote learning?

A: No. If your child needs to be at home for illness, please have your child rest and get well! As always, if your child is out for more than two days, your child's teacher will work with you on make-up assignments.

Q: My family needs to change our instructional setting; will my child stay in the same class?

A: Possibly. If your child is learning with a remote only teacher and requests to come to campus, your child will be placed with an in-person teacher. Likewise, if a teacher is assigned to in-person learners and you choose to go remote, your student will move to a teacher that provides remote instruction.

Current Staff/Instructional Setting

Kinder:

Ms. Noid- Remote Only

Ms. Ruiz- In-Person Only

Ms. Reyes- In-Person Only

1st:

Ms. DiGaetano/Ms. Olle- Remote Only

Ms. Leifeste- In-Person Only

Ms. Morton- In-Person Only

2nd:

Ms. Rustgi- Remote Only

Ms. Doga- Hybrid

Ms. Loney- In-Person Only

Ms. Holloway- In-Person Only

3rd:

Ms. St. Germain- Remote

Ms. Eichner- Hybrid

Ms. Fairbrother- Hybrid

Ms. Rodgers- Hybrid

4th:

Mr. Dowell- Hybrid

Ms. Moss- In-Person Only

Ms. Morris- In-Person Only

5th:

Ms. Cross- Remote Only

Ms. Shirey- Hybrid

Ms. Vincent- In-Person Only

If you have questions or would like to change your student's instructional setting, please email admin at kristina.muehling@austinisd.org and emily.murr@austinisd.org.

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

carly.kettler@austinisd.org

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

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

• 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