Gullett Gazette - Nov. 4, 2024

Dear Caregivers,

November is here and I can hardly believe it! This month begins a very busy time of year for many of us-the nights are sometimes late, and the activities are many! Schedule changes can sometimes be a challenge for kiddos. You can help us by making sure that your child still gets to bed on time, eats a healthy breakfast and has some down time to allow for regulating and decompressing. Daylight savings time can also impact your children and their sleep. Setting those clocks back an hour will bring on dark mornings. If your child walks or bikes to school, please remind them of safety practices on their route, such as biking with the flow of traffic, looking both ways before crossing the street, and having reflectors when biking. Please be sure that you do not allow your child(ren) to wait outside alone. The doors don’t open until 7:15 am each morning in the cafeteria and 7:30 in the classroom. If you are here before 7:30 please send your child to the cafeteria. Remember that the tardy bell rings at 7:40 am and students should be in their classroom at this time.

I wanted to bring to your attention that the window is opening for enrollment for the 25-26 school year and have linked a flier with more information here. We are following similar timelines and processes as last year. Enroll Austin Priority Registration opens on November 6, 2024 and goes through February 4th, 2025. During this window, families will be able to register for their SY 2025-2026 neighborhood school or to submit an application to another school, including admissions-based programs (i.e. Magnet). You will be able to do your annual forms as soon as you register now so hopefully a much more streamlined process this year. This does include middle school applications and there are multiple components to that with other deadlines embedded depending on the school. I know it feels early to start this, but by registering now, I am able to staff our school and you are able to cross it off your to do list! You can get started with our Enroll Austin Webpage or your Parent Portal. Please note that there is no pre-k registration at this time. Pre-k enrollment will take place in April 2025.

A note about our Thanksgiving luncheon on November 21st. The window for tickets to buy adult lunches closes on November 10th! If you did not pre-purchase a ticket, you can still join us, but you will need to bring your lunch instead. Lunch times and locations have been adjusted as well and are attached. Finally, all visitors on campus MUST present a driver’s license or valid photo ID to get a sticker to be on campus for this event. Here is a link to the letter I sent with all the details of this event.

Today at 5:30 in the library I will be providing an overview of the Human Sexuality and Responsibility curriculum. Permission slips to opt into the curriculum will be sent out afterwards and the lessons will be taught in December. We must hear back from every child one way or another so that we can plan accordingly. The detailed lesson for your child’s grade level can be found on the AISD website. Click here to review the curriculum. Our PTA meeting will follow the presentation. I encourage you to stay and join us!

As I reflect on the many things I am grateful for here at Gullett, one of them is being part of a community filled with so many people willing to do something to make Gullett a special place. Whether it is taking on big projects like Book Fair or Carnival, helping regularly with animal care or gardening, coming to school to be a guest reader or share about a special holiday, or making sure your child comes to school ready to learn and be a part of our classroom community, everyone contributes to our amazing school. Special events this month to be on the look out for are Carnival, Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving lunch. After our fall break, we will come back and host “Geckos Around the Globe!” Please see Konstella for all the information on each of these special events and how you and your family can be a part of them.

As always, thank you for your partnership and support. We have an amazing community of staff and parents making Gullett a school like no other place!

Sincerely,

Tammy Thompson

Proud Principal, Thomas A. Gullett Elementary

October was the perfect month for some brain science. We dove into the parts of the brain and how they respond to stress. Understanding these concepts can help us support one another and improve our overall well-being. The brain is an incredible organ responsible for everything we think, feel, and do. Here are some key parts (along with their associated animals) to know: Hippocampus (elephant), Prefrontal Cortex (wise eagle), and Amygdala (guard dog)

Understanding the parts of the brain and the stress response can empower us to manage stress more effectively. Here are a few ways we can help each other:

• Open Communication: If someone is feeling stressed, let’s create a safe space for them to share their feelings. Sometimes, just talking about what’s on our minds can relieve stress.

• Mindfulness and Relaxation: Practicing mindfulness, deep breathing, or relaxation techniques can help regulate our stress response.

• Healthy Outlets: Engaging in physical activities, hobbies, or spending time in nature can help lower stress levels.

By understanding how our brain works and how we respond to stress, we can foster a healthier and more supportive school environment.

Hello, Gullett Musicians!

The third grade Nightsong performance, Harvest Hop, preparing for All-City Choir and Veterans Day, hundreds of earned recorder belts, and more comprised our October in the music rooms. Speaking of Veterans Day, please click here for more info on the day of the performance and beforehand (attire, family posters, etc.).

Upcoming events:

• 11/9: All-City Choir (selected 5th graders)

• 11/11 at 9am: Veterans Day Assembly

• 12/12: Nutcracker (3rd grade)

• 12/13: Geckos Around the World

• 12/19-12/20: Share Day

Let us know if you have any questions!

Sincerely,

Will Jurgens and Marc Sustaita

Gullett Music Staff

Thank you!

Our PE team, school, and community wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who was able to make it out to CATCH night! What a successful evening learning about all things' health, wellness, and fitness! I hope you enjoyed yourself just as much as we did and were able to build connections along the way. Thank you for helping keep our geckos healthy!

What we are learning

We are beginning the Basketball Unit where students will review and practice a variety of dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. For wellness, we are continuing to learn about Nutrition which includes GO, SLOW, and WHOA foods as well as the MyPlate food groups.

~ Coach Rose, Ms. Garcia, and Coach Victor