Great evening fantastic families,

Only three weeks remaining in the 2021-2022 school year. This week we will wrap up STAAR Testing and prepare for our end of year celebrations. This past week we had an opportunity to fine tune our STAAR Testing process and appreciate our teachers. The PTA did a great job with teacher appreciation this year and it was much deserved for our teachers who have endured so much this year and still show up to educate our scholars daily. We cannot express in words how much resilience both teachers and students have shown this year and I am confident it will make us all better in the near future.

This week we will make up STAAR Algebra I, Science 8, and Social Studies 8 Exams by Friday and next week we will focus on STAAR Math & ELA make up exams while preparing for our end of year celebrations (6th grade - 5/26 @A4 & 7th grade 5/25 @ B8) and 8th Grade Celebration (5/24) & 8th Grade Ceremony (5/25 @6p - Eastside ECHS Gym). The last day for activity/late buses is 5/19 and students will not be allowed to bring backpacks the week of 5/23 - 5/27. Keep in mind that students receiving referrals and other disciplinary infractions will not be allowed to participate in end of year celebrations so encourage all scholars to be on their best behavior the next couple of weeks.

Thank you for choosing Kealing Middle School and Austin ISD, feel free to reach out to me directly for any reason at all and if you have not done so already, please re enroll your scholar by using the link above. jerald.wilson@austinisd.org

This Past Week

• 4/29 Biweekly Campus Survey complete
• 5/3 Principal's Coffee (Parent Support Specialist Address, Action Plan Update, Hot Topics, Upcoming events )
• Hot topics - Safety - we discussed week of 4/18 holds and evacuations.
• Hot Topics - Room 108 - conducted a walk with CTE and Orchestra Director Horrell. Collaboratively, we decided this would not be an optimal space for Orchestra for 2022-2023 school year. It does look like a great maker space for Coding and Project Lead The Way Courses for 2022-2023 school year.
• Hot Topics - 22/23 Departures - teachers have expressed family responsibilities, job dissatisfaction, and promotional positions as reasons to not return to KMS next year but will finish out this school year.
• Hot Topics - New Teacher Recruitment - Made offers to 4/7 teachers interviewed this past week to fill vacancies for next year. More interviews are happening this week.

This Upcoming Week

• Review Biweekly Climate Survey Results

• Conversations with teachers deciding to stay at KMS next year

New intervention to address Hallway safety at KMS

• Austin ISD MTSS (Multi Tiered System of Support) Team will come by to observe our transitions Monday (5/9/22) and help develop a plan to improve hallway safety at KMS

Previous Adjustments to improve hallway safety during transitions

• Frequent announcements & reminders prior to transitions

• Strategic placement of Security Guards

• Teachers at their doors

• One minute warning before tardy bell

• Dividers in tight door quarters( This was not discussed on this day but has been implemented to decrease bottlenecks on campus where pushing occurs)

• reduction of hall passes, more structured sign out routines in classrooms (to monitor who went in restrooms to decrease threats)

• Counselors and front office workers strategically placed in halls to help with supervision

• Floating administrators and other campus leaders to provide more supervision in halls

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)

5/17 - Principal's Coffee & Spring Guitar Concert

5/18 - COVID 19 Vaccine Clinic & Orchestra Skate into Summer

5/19 - CAC Meeting & Last day for activity buses

Monday -May 9th - B Day (5th - 8th Periods)

Tuesday - May 10th - A Day (1st - 4th Periods)

STAAR 6th, 7th, and 8th Math Exams

Wednesday - May 11th- B Day (5th - 8th Periods)

STAAR 6th, 7th, and 8th Reading Exams

Thursday - May 12th A Day (1st - 4th Periods)

STAAR Exam Make Ups

Friday - May 13th- B Day (5th - 8th Periods)

STAAR Exam Make Ups

Saturday May 14th

Announcing Summer Reading Projects! We want all our Hornets to enjoy some reading over the summer! Please visit this site for all the details. Current 6th and 7th graders will also go over this information in their ELA classes soon. https://sites.google.com/austinisd.org/kealingacadsummerprojects

Time - 6p

Location - Eastside Memorial Early College High School

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

Hornet Herald - https://kealing.austinschools.org/parents/archive

Twitter - @KTXHornets

Webpage - https://kealing.austinschools.org/