News for the Nest
Clayton Family Update for March 3, 2023
Greetings from the Principal
Hello Cardinal Family,
We've had a wonderful week at Clayton! One big highlight was our 3rd grade musical last night. Our kids sounded amazing and had a blast. Thank you to our 3rd grade team and our music teachers, Barry Nunnelee and Jenni Rabago.
Our Clayton Cardinal flight plan is Respectful, Responsible, Motivated, Kind and Honest. We also have a cultural tenet of celebrating diversity and appreciating others. Every year, to honor the experiences and contributions of LGBTQIA+ students, staff and families, Austin ISD hosts its own Pride Week. This is a time to highlight the district's commitment to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment. This year’s Austin ISD Pride Week will take place March 20–25, 2023 to align with National LGBT Health Awareness Week. Pride Week is an awesome opportunity for our community to learn about and show respect and kindness, as well as celebrate diversity, with all members of our school community. Please see below for more information.
Have a wonderful weekend!
With Cardinal pride,
Karen McCollum
Nan Clayton Elementary principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday, March 5
- Happy Birthday Lisa Wenske, 1st grade teacher, and Heather Burke, 4th grade teacher!
Monday, March 6
3:30 UIL Practice
Tuesday, March 7
Wednesday, March 8
Happy Birthday Laura Ontiveros, Cardinal Support!
3rd grade field trip to Colorado River Authority
1:45-2:45 PreK Track & Field Day
Thursday, March 9
Track & Field Day 3rd-5th grades only
Friday, March 10
Track & Field Day Kindergarten through 2nd grade only
March 13-17 SPRING BREAK!
Please check out our events for the current semester (link). This is a list of combined school-led and PTA-led events. All events are subject to change.
Link to Austin ISD district calendar
Attendance Spotlight
We want to boost our daily attendance! We’ll track our progress here week by week.
Our school’s current year overall attendance rate is 95.42%
Goal: May 25 we hit at least 96% for our overall attendance rate.
Please make sure your kids are at school by 7:40 am every day (unless they are sick of course). Let’s all work together to surpass our 96% goal!
NEW UPDATES
Track & Field Days are coming!
Please make sure to send your child with:
- water bottle
- hat w/ name on it
- snack
- sunscreen if desired
- jacket if the weather is cool
Visitors are welcome. If you choose to visit for Track & Field Day, please be sure to follow these expectations:
- Check in at the front office, bring your ID
- Stay with your child's class
- Be ready to help students participate in the activity and cheer them on!
Sign up to voluteer on Field Day
Clayton Field Day will be held March 9th and March 10th, 2023. March 9th (Thursday) is for 3rd-5th Grades. March 10th (Friday) is for K-2nd Grades. The gym is the only indoor location; all other stations are oudoors. Please sign up to assist the coaches in putting on an activity-filled fun day! Thank you! If you have any questions, please send them to Coach G: adrian.guerra@austinisd.org
AISD Pride Week is coming soon! March 20-24
WHAT IS PRIDE WEEK?
In Elementary, Pride Week means…
All are welcome
Everyone should be able to be who they are
Differences are awesome!
We Promote Acceptance, Not Discrimination
- Every day we meet people different from ourselves. Promoting an attitude of acceptance supports a positive environment for everyone to be who they are.
WHY PRIDE WEEK?
Refer to our AISD website (link) or our LOCAL BOARD POLICY
The District has established as a core value respect for every individual and as a goal fostering and modeling this core value. The District believes that a valuable element of education is development of respect for all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, immigration status, or any other basis prohibited by law. The District is committed to providing all students a positive learning environment that enhances personal safety and promotes respect, dignity, and equality.
Austin ISD Pride Week Themes
- Monday, March 20 - All Are Welcome
- Tuesday, March 21 - Differences are Awesome
- Wednesday, March 22 - Austin ISD Shows Respect
- Thursday, March 23 - Pride and You - Creative Expression
- Friday, March 24 - Local Pride and Spirit Day
- Saturday, March 25 - Pride Y'all! Connect and Celebrate
5 p.m.–9 p.m. - Austin ISD Performing Arts Center
Activities: The Pride Week activities our campus plans to implement can be found here (link). Changes may be made during the week of March 6-10. If changes are made to the activity plan, families will be notified via email by March 10.
Pride Week activities do not include instruction regarding sexual orientation.
Swag: Our front office will have Pride and Ally stickers, posters, flags, pronoun buttons and more out on a table for students to take if they would like. We will not be passing out Pride swag to all students.
Info Session: Ms. McCollum will host a virtual info session for Clayton families only. It will be held on Friday, March 10 at 12:00 pm. The information session will be held virtually via Zoom. Families wishing to join the info session must RSVP using this Google Form link. The form will close at 4 pm on Thursday, March 9. The Zoom link will be shared only with those who submit the Google Form.
Opt out: If you would like for your child to opt-out of these activities, parents must email their child's teacher to notify them by Monday, March 20. Teachers will send these students to another location during the Pride Week lesson(s). These students will participate in an alternative activity and be supervised by Clayton staff. Alternative activities can be found here: link
Thank you and we look forward to celebrating Austin ISD Pride Week with you!
Congratulations to our Austin Energy Regional Science Fair honorees!
Abhinav - Are Electric Cars Really Good For The Environment? 1st
Sparsh - Food Batteries 1st
Faith - Bubble Pop! 1st
Alex R. - Maglev Trains: Does Weight Distribution Matter? 1st
Bhavik - Do You See What "Eye" See? 1st
Reid - Neurotypical Brain and ADHD Brain Compared 1st
Youssef - Send to i-Phone: How Are Electronic Devices Made? 2nd
Jason S. - Eggs-periment: Do Some Eggs Have Harder Shells? 1st
Joshua C. - Saving Lives… and Your Drink in an Earthquake 1st
Levi - Zipline Zoomer 1st
Calvin - Gas Stove Warm Globe 2nd*
Leighton - Winter Warmth 1st
Brooklyn - Strawberry Extraction 1st
Alina - Perplexing Pendulums 1st
Cora - Fizzics Experiment 1st
Samiha - What's The Dirt On This Soil? 1st
*Also earned Austin Parks Foundation Young Environmentalist Award
Have you registered for next year?
Please take a few minutes to complete online registration for next year. We are busy planning for staffing/class sizes and need to have all current students registered now. The goal for this early registration is to know where our students will be next year. If you are not 100% sure about next year, it's better to register now and adjust later. Please use this link to access our portal and use the Student Registration tile:
Please contact our registrar, Amy Turnage, with any registration questions: amy.turnage@austinisd.org
Clayto's Playland Spring Carnival is coming April 28!
Mark your calendars for our Spring Festival! Please check out this link to volunteer. Thank you to our amazing PTA for hosting this fun event!
PREVIOUS UPDATES
AISD Power Hour for Families March 30
Clayton Cultural Celebration is now April 4th 5:30-8 pm
Save the Date: Clayton Cultural Celebration Night 2023 is now Tuesday, April 4, 2023 6:00- 8:00 PM
Clayton Cultural Celebration week culminates in an exciting evening where we come together to celebrate the diversity of cultures that we each bring to make Clayton the amazing community it is.
Ways you can be part of this celebration:
•Performances - Please fill out this Google Form before February 24th if you are interested in performing:
https://forms.gle/oGiWcfNaHSTB8yCh7
Additional information and sign-up links for the following will be coming soon!
•Parade of Nations
•Culture Booths
•Pot Luck
INFO FOR FAMILIES of 5th GRADERS - Transition to Middle School
If you have a 5th grader this year, please check out Gorzycki Middle School's fine arts offerings at this link
WAYS TO ENGAGE AT CLAYTON
Still Have Volunteer Opportunities - Lunch
Cafeteria Monitor Volunteers: We need your help! Come hang out with us in the cafeteria- finally meet this "Mr. Chris", the cafeteria manager that all the kids talk about. Fill out this form if you want to join our volunteer team.
ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST COMPLETE A BACKGROUND CHECK HERE: https://austinpartners.org/
How to Report a Student Absence
In the event that your child will be missing school, please follow these steps:
1) Email both your child's teacher and Deanna McDonald, attendance clerk, at deanna.mcdonald@austinisd.org
2) Please include your child's first and last name
3) Please provide the reason for the absence so we can code it correctly in our attendance system.
Trail of Resolution
The Trail of Resolution is a problem-solving path we will use at Clayton Elementary. The purpose of the Trail of Resolution is to address questions and concerns in an effective and efficient manner. If you have a question or concern, first contact the person who is directly involved in the situation. For example, if you have a question or concern about something in the classroom, first contact the teacher to seek clarification. Follow the trail if the concern persists.
Teacher → Assistant principal → Principal
Arrival and Dismissal times for 2022-23
7:15 - campus opens
7:15-7:35 - breakfast served in cafeteria
7:35 - 1st bell rings
7:40 - SCHOOL STARTS
3:05 - dismissal begins
3:10 official end of the school day
Stay Connected!
Website: Clayton has a beautiful and informative new website: https://clayton.austinschools.org/
PTA website (link)
Join our PTA (link)
Weekly News for the Nest: weekly newsletter to families from the principal, Karen McCollum