Hornet Herald

Our Advanced Mixed Choir received five Division II scores (Excellent) and one Division III score (Good) in Concert & Sight Reading from the judges.

The judges rated the Advanced Treble Choir as Superior, and they earned the highest honor for their effort, a U.I.L. Sweepstakes trophy. This was the first time in two years that any Kealing MS Choir was able to perform at this event due to the COVID pandemic. Please join us in congratulating these students!"

Who: Magnet Director Farrah De La Croix

When:Tuesday April 12th, 2022

Time: 6p - 7p

Where: Zoom Click Here: KMS Magnet Director Meet and Greet

Great evening fantastic families,

This past week we had a chance to see our scholars perform in many different activities. Mrs. Matson had a cooking competition in the culinary arts class, the algebra II club hosted their first movie night event, and both the track & field and tennis teams were able to compete in district events this week. We look forward to another action-packed week as both teams will participate again this week, students will have Friday off, and a homework hiatus. Friday will also give our staff an opportunity to engage deeper in our professional learning series in collaboration with the Austin ISD Cultural Proficiency and Inclusion department. Teachers will have rotations of Signature Social Emotional Learning Practices, Community & Student Agency, and the courageous conversations agreements. These sessions will help our teachers to continue their development as all around educators equipped to meet the needs of each student we serve. We also look to welcoming our new magnet director on Tuesday, please use this zoom link to attend.

I know there has been lots of chatter about the future of room 108 and the third-party survey, so I'd like to offer a bit of information about both topics. On November 15th we had an optional staff meeting to discuss this space and some ideas that emerged from staff were bring back the woodshop & careers in technology program, convert the space for fine arts use, convert the space to a staff reflection space, bike storage, maker space, student reflection space, ARD meeting space, and a space to support classes where students use their hands such as robotics, digital fabrication, etc. We will have a similar meeting in the coming weeks to further discuss this space, it will be open to all staff members. Amongst the considerations are the fact that the fine arts program is growing and need more space, machines that currently occupy the space were brought in prior to the pandemic in hopes to further support the Careers in Technology pathway, the fact that once the machines are moved, we will not be able to get them back, and we want to make sure that we make a decision that supports both the present and future needs of the campus. Teachers were sent the Panorama 3rd party survey March 21st via email. So far, 66% of the staff have completed the survey and the deadline has been extended to April 18th. The Panorama survey is completely confidential, covers district support, communication, and campus leadership. There are 10 questions about campus leadership including an open-ended response which allows staff members to comment freely and confidentially. Thank you for choosing Kealing Middle School and Austin ISD, feel free to reach out to me directly for any reason at all: jerald.wilson@austinisd.org

This Past Week

• This past week I was able to complete interviews with 3 of the special education teacher's assistants.

• Some of the results of the 4/1 Bi weekly Campus Climate Survey are below in the form of a pie chart for easy reading.

This Upcoming Week

• April 15 Professional Development day has been collaboratively planned.
• The panorama 3rd party survey closes April 18th

Budgeting decisions will be shared with CAC prior to the 4/15 signature deadline

4/15 - CAC signature Sheets due

Hornet Parents,

It seems every year that after Spring Break, things just start moving at breakneck speed. This year is no different. These last eight weeks are going to fly by. A few dates to note in the next week or so:
PTA membership meeting - Thursday, April 7 at 8 am on zoom. Link here
Coffee cart for teacher - Tuesday, April 5
Movie night - Friday, April 8 in the Kealing Theater
Spring Fling dance - April 22. We will need donations and chaperones.

At the bottom of the Herald, there is a link to a google sheet with requests from teachers for items you might have around your house. Please look at that link and see if you might be able to donate something.

Thank you!

Before School

All staff, students, and visitors are encouraged to self screen for COVID 19 symptoms before entering into a campus or other Austin ISD Facilities each day

Arrival

- We will maintain outdoor markers to social distance

Transition

- we will encourage moving halls where students are encourage to not stop while transitioning to classes

- Hornet Passes are available for students with anxiety about being in large groups

Classrooms

- We are seating/desks at least 3 feet apart when feasible

- Each classroom has a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration unit

- Personal Protective Equipment will be available in each room

- Plexiglass dividers available

- Additional outdoor seating (2 outdoor classrooms & the courtyard if teachers plan to use)

Breakfast & Lunch

- Students are allowed to eat lunch both inside the cafeteria and outside in the courtyard

- Dividers are available if a student prefers to use at lunch (we are taking down the plexiglass dividers)

- The courtyard comfortably seats 4 classes, which is from 25% - 100% of the lunch capacity for each lunch period.

Dismissal

- we will have staggered dismissal where scholars will be dismissed by areas of the building to reduce traffic.

Changes

- Masks are optional

- assigned seating for lunches is a discontinued practice

- We are no longer using the staggered transitions

- no more assigned seating during lunches

- we no longer use the accordian plexiglass dividers (student may use a divider if the student prefers)

Monday -April 11th - A Day (1st - 4th Periods)

Tuesday - April 12th - B Day (5th - 8th Periods)

Wednesday - April 13th- A Day (1st - 4th Periods)

Tennis match @ Austin High School @ 6p

Thursday - April 14th - B Day (5th - 8th Periods)

Track and Field Meet at Murchison Middle School @6p

Friday - April 15- Student Holiday - No School - Staff Development

Theater set painting/ building

4/19 - Principal's Coffee & Band Solo & Ensemble, Guitar Competes at UIL

4/20 - Guitar competes at UIL

4/21 - CAC Meeting, Track meet at Burnet Middle School, and Tennis Match at McCallum High School

Online Enroll Returning Students for the 2022-2023 School year through the Portal https://portal.austinisd.org

Austin ISD embraces sustainability not only as a way to help our planet but also as an educational tool to provide challenging and inspiring curriculum to our students. Earth Day is on April 22, and AISD will be celebrating the entire week of April 18-22! We encourage everyone to take a moment to think about how you can make the earth and our community a better place and perform an action to do so. Please visit the AISD Earth Week web page to find fun and meaningful ways to engage and take action from school and home.

On the web page you will find:

• How to become a National Wildlife Federation Eco-School: Students, teachers, and staff can use the framework to make positive, lasting change in your school community and take steps towards your Green Flag certification!

• Earth Day Bingo: Download the Earth Day Bingo Card, available in English and Spanish, to see how many eco-actions you can do from school, home, your backyard, and on a walk.

• Earth Week Activities: Check out the activities and tips for families and students of all ages to take action in social & environmental justice, energy and water conservation, zero waste, air quality and nature. These activities can also be used to complete your Earth Day bingo card!

• Want to celebrate all month? Check out the City of Austin’s Earth Month activity calendar.

The 8th grade celebration is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24 on campus during the school day. It's a fun-filled day for Kealing's graduating 8th graders complete with special t-shirts, yearbook signing, snacks and lunch, outdoor games, rock wall climbing, an inflatable obstacle course, and more!

This is a student event but parents will be needed to help make it happen. PTA will be looking for volunteers on and around the day of the event to help contribute snacks, set up, clean up, and chaperone. Watch for those sign-ups later in April.

One immediate need is to secure and finalize plans for lunch at the party. If you're connected with a local restaurant or caterer that could help provide a yummy spread, please contact Jen Loving (jen.loving@gmail.com).

Thank you!

Date - May 25th

Time - 6p

Location - Eastside Memorial Early College High School

If you would like to assist contact Keri Jaworski (keri.jaworski@austinisd.org)

Dances are back! Student Council is hosting a Spring Fling School Wide Dance on Friday, April 22nd from 6:00-8:00. Tickets will go on sale the day of the dance and can be purchased during lunch for $5.

Parents and Teachers, in order to ensure fun is had by all, we would appreciate your presence as a chaperone, helping set up, selling tickets at the door, working the concessions or hanging out on the dance floor. We also are looking for donations for concessions, boxes of chips or popcorn, candy bars, sodas and water. For each donation box or case, we can offer a free entry into the dance.

Please see the Sign Up genius linked. If you have any questions, please contact Jenna Martin, Student Council sponsor at jenna.martin@austinisd.org. We really look forward to hosting this event and appreciate your support.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F48AEAE2CA1F58-kealing

Please help our Algebra 2 class raise money for our end of year project! We are making a dynamic art installation in the school and need some funding! This art installation will be an exciting addition to our school and will demonstrate the creativity and individuality of the Kealing students. All donations are appreciated and every dollar counts!

Link to the GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kealing-algebra-2-end-of-year-project-funding?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

Hello community! Thank you so much for showing up for Kealing time and time again! Be it your time, your talent, or your treasure--we appreciate you! Supplies are running low again and many of y'all know we basically do not have a supply budget as we previously had. Additionally, we are working hard to welcome refugee students to our campus. Their teachers providing resources to engage them and make them feel supported, so we have included several books and language acquisition resources to the Amazon wish list. I cannot express how much we appreciate you all. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/B7BQHNMLAOP?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for all your generous contributions to our campus! We appreciate you and all the many ways you show up for our Kealing Community. We have started a Community Donates spreadsheet in order to repurpose household items to our campus. There are two ways to contribute--1. Drop off the requested item to the front office labeled with the requesting teacher's name. 2. If you have item(s) to offer that might have a second life on our campus, please add a description to the spreadsheet. Teachers can then go in and claim the item. HERE is a link to the spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IOK7cMk99UZtIQcClIWNQ8Wgc3_nBQ0tBrj7amKXLro/edit?usp=sharing

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