Thursday’s Thunderword! 09/09/2021

HAPPY THURSDAY, THUNDERBIRDS!  9/09/2021

Have an announcement or other great news to share? Please submit your info to communications@travisheightselementary the week prior to when you’d like to see it in this newsletter.

PTA News

Have you joined the PTA yet for this year?  If it’s slipped your mind, you can use this link to make it easy:  Join NOW!

Back to School Night!

Join your child’s teacher for a very special Back to School Night.  Teachers will be showing their classroom learning spaces, discussing schedules, routines and learning targets for the start of the year.  The event will be online through Zoom so look for a special link to join from your child’s teacher.   Below is the schedule.

For PreK through 1st Grade
Sept. 14th from 5:00-6:30
Meeting will be held via Zoom.  Look for details in ClassDojo.
Agenda:

• Meet the teacher
• See the classroom
• Focus for the semester and year
• Communication, schedules, routines
• Campus protocols and parent responsibilities

For 2nd Grade through 5th Grade
Sept. 16th from 5:00-6:30
Meeting will be held via Zoom.  Look for details in ClassDojo
Agenda:

• Meet the teacher
• See the classroom
• Focus for the semester and year
• Communication, schedule, routines
• Campus protocols and parent responsibilities

PrimeTime

The Prime Time enrichment program returns for the fall, Tuesday, September 21st. through Tuesday November 16st. Classes take place after school from 3:15-4:15. Students are provided a light snack before their class. Students will be assigned to ONE class, based on availability. We will do our best to place students in their first choice, but classes are filled on a first come, first serve basis. 

Please complete the attached choice sheet and turn it into the office as soon as possible to have the best chance at getting your preferred class. All applications are due Wednesday, September 15th. 

Please contact Ms Sanchez in the office with any questions at 512-414-4495 or april.sanchez@austinisd.org. 

Print out and return this choice sheet by next Wednesday: Prime Time Flier

Marathon Kids (MK) will kick off on Monday, September 20th

Need Parent Account setup instructions? Check it out here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/163XLJ0fuAH6frI6w8HBJxW3Mv8IFzsAPY55AL4tAl4s/edit?usp=sharing

School Choice

The fall begins the season to consider where your 5th grader will be attending middle school next year.  The school choice application was updated in response to needs gathered from community stakeholders via focus groups, surveys, and community meetings.

To streamline the process, Austin ISD is moving to one common application for school choice programs. The common application is the first step to increase access and opportunity for Austin ISD families.  Visits will take place beginning the week of September 20, 2021.  Check with Ms. Brown or Ms. Cano for additional information.

Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Celebration

This event was created to highlight Hispanic diversity throughout our district. Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde will also make an open call to all schools to celebrate the National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) as we recognize the rich Hispanic cultures represented in AISD. 

We will enjoy special performances by Lamar Guitar ensemble, Roy Lozano´s Ballet Folklorico de Texas and the Guateque Son band.

To view the opening events, tune in to AISD.TV or visit Facebook.com/AustinISD on Monday, September 13, from 11 a.m. to noon.

Gifted and Talented Nominations for 3rd – 5th Grades

Nominations forms are in the office, or you can ask your classroom teacher. The nomination period is  September 13-24.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible to be screened for Gifted and Talented (GT) and Talent Explore (TE) in Austin ISD through a nomination and screening process. All campuses in Austin ISD provide screening, identification, and services for Gifted and Talented students.

Additionally, students screened for Gifted and Talented who are not identified for GT services are automatically considered for Talent Explore. Talent Explore identification is for high ability students who do not qualify for Gifted and Talented but demonstrate the potential to perform at high levels when grouped with Gifted and Talented students. Students may be identified through the screening process in one or more of the following areas: 

• GT STEM (science and mathematics), 
• GT Humanities (language arts and social studies), 
• Talent Explore STEM (science and mathematics), or 
• Talent Explore Humanities (language arts and social studies).  

Important Forms and Paperwork

Your child will be coming home with some important beginning-of-the-year paperwork. Please read through this information carefully and return the items that require a signature to your child’s teacher ASAP. 

In addition, you can view a safety note and our Asbestos Management Plan Here: Notification FY 21-22-RC

School Café

Both breakfasts and lunches are both for THES students this year! You can still use the handy dandy School Café app to upload funds to your child’s account for extras like snacks and such.  You can also use School Café to see what is on the menu (along with daily nutrition information). Check it out here: https://www.schoolcafe.com/

Healthy Snacks Only

We will continue to encourage our students to eat healthy at school.

Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value will not be allowed for snacks during the day. This includes candy, soda, and chips. We will share healthy snack options with families and students. Please privately remind students and remind families of our snack expectations if they bring a snack that is an FMNV.

A quick and healthy option readily available are the fruit options provided with our BIC. We will continue to inform and share ideas with our families.

School Safety

Let’s Talk about School Safety:  It’s easier than ever to address bullying or safety concerns with Let’s Talk

• Click the “Report a Student Safety Concern” button at www.AustinISD.org/letstalk.
• Or text us at 512-856-6353 to report bullying or other concerns day or night.
• Submit anonymously or leave your contact information for a personal response.

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Coordinated School Health 

(CSH) Kick-Off Week is September 20th-24th. The goal of Kick-Off Week is for students, parents, and staff to understand CSH and how departments work collaboratively to promote wellness for all. Each day the morning announcements will celebrate a campus department and how their services correspond with the goals of CSH. Students will receive additional recommended activities to complete which becomes an individual health commitment, their pledge for their health at school and home.

Covid Protocols

​​Sick Individuals

If you or your child are feeling sick, regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or not, please stay home and contact your physician and campus as soon as possible. Anyone who is sick will need to isolate for 10 days. Those who show symptoms can return early if they receive a doctor’s note stating they do not have COVID-19 or receive a negative result from a PCR test. Rapid antigen testing will still be available in campus health rooms at the start of the school year.

Those who test positive for COVID-19 need to stay home and isolate for 10-days while they await return to campus guidance. They should report the positive test result to their campus administration or supervisor immediately to initiate any needed contact tracing. 

Quarantine – Updated 08/26

Fully COVID-19-vaccinated people (two weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna or single dose of Johnson & Johnson) per CDC guidelines will not need to quarantine if they come in close contact with someone who tests positive.

Students do not have to quarantine if they were at least three feet away from another student with COVID-19 while everyone was correctly and consistently wearing masks. The masks must have fully covered the nose and mouth at all times during contact.

Students or unvaccinated adults who were within six feet of an adult with COVID-19 will need to quarantine, regardless if masks were worn.

A quarantine may last 10 days (14 days for high-risk individuals) without a test. Someone who is quarantining can come back on the eighth day if the person has been symptom-free and receives a negative result. The test with the negative result must have happened on or after the fifth day.

Classrooms

Frequent cleaning will take place. There will be assigned seating to assist with contact tracing. Physical distancing of 3 feet or more will take place when feasible, per CDC guidelines. Plexiglas will be placed in classrooms and across campuses. In addition, we will be providing a HEPA air filtration system within each classroom.

For up-to-date information regarding Covid protocols at school, visit the district web site:

https://www.austinisd.org/student-health/covid-19