Upcoming Dates
- February 19 - NO SCHOOL
- February 20 - NAEP Testing (Select 8th grade students)
- February 20 - Tennis Informational Meeting
- February 20 - Ultimate Frisbee Player Meeting
- February 21 - Austin ISD SHAC Meeting
- February 22 - PTA Meeting
- February 22 - Boys' Basketball vs. O'Henry
- February 22 - Spring Pep Assembly
- February 24 - Girls' Soccer vs. O'Henry
- February 28 - McCallum High School Campus Choice Sheet Completion
STINGER SALUTES
Each week, we will recognize our fellow Hornets who exemplify our campus-wide values and who have been MEETING and EXCEEDING our campus-wide expectations. We are ALL working hard each day to show each other and our school community kindness, respect, loyalty and safety. Here are this week's salutes.
From Ms. Rieck: Ry’ell Early has been so kind to me and has been working really hard in class lately. I am so proud of his progress!
From Ms. Payan: Atticus Staats has grown so much as a writer this semester. He has put forth much effort in his classwork, demonstrating focus and commitment to his learning. I am very proud of you!
From Ms. Payan: Bailee Carter has been thriving and staying on top of her grades these 9 weeks. She comes to class ready to learn and her passion for Inkblot has been inspiring to Ms. Payan. I am so proud of you!
From Ms. Garcia: Braison Norris deserves a big shout out for his commitment and loyalty to learning. He arrives on time every time with a smile, respect & positive attitude…ready to tackle all challenges and grow in his academic vocabulary. Thank you Braison!!
From Ms. Pfeiffer: These wonderful 8th graders participate in an 8th grade focus group twice a month with Mrs. Pfeiffer and Mr. Felan. We are so grateful for their honest and constructive feedback about their experiences at Kealing. Mr. Felan and I enjoy meeting with them and hearing their ideas. We thank you all and look forward to more meetings for the remainder of the semester. A'Dashia Selmon, Xavier Haberman, Lorelei Garza, Ryan Hempe, Liliana Garza, Luke Reneau, Ruby Cornwell, Sharya James, Pia Arce, Vivek Jallepalli, Edie Davidson
Congratulations to this week's Stinger Salute recipients!!!
KMS SPIRIT WEEK
"WE'VE GOT SPIRIT, YES WE DO. WE'VE GOT SPIRIT HOW ABOUT YOU?" Spirit week will take place February 20-23. Dress up days include:
- Tuesday, February 20 - Rhyme without Reason ( Students partner up as two things that rhyme, but don't go together. Ex. Scooby-Doo and Winnie the Poo or referee and bumblebee)
- Wednesday, February 21 - Western Wednesday
- Thursday, February 22 - KMS Spirit Day
- Friday, February 23 - Pajama Day
We will end the week with a Pep Rally, celebrating our basketball, soccer, MathCounts, robotics, and archery teams.
KEALING ROBOTICS
Congratulations again to our First Lego League teams: Power Hornets and Crimson Coders. This Saturday, they competed with 36 teams in the regional/area FLL competition held at Anderson High School. The Power Hornets took home the 1st Place Champion's Award as well as 1st place Robot Performance Award. They are guaranteed to advance to the State Competition in Stafford, TX on March 2nd. The Crimson Coders received the Breakthrough Award for the team that has made significant progress in confidence and capability in both the Innovation Project and Robot Game. They placed 8th in the robot game portion and will find out Sunday if they will also advance to state.
Big shout out to our Kealing Crimson Coders: Daanish Ali, Charlie Gaventa, Shane Light, Adya Sastry, Avi Singhal, Sarah Shafi and Kealing Power Hornets: Ishaan Adoni, Neel Akerkar, Tejas Bhagawatula, Liam Browne, Arjun Sharma, and Sahana Vijay
HORNET ARCHERY
The Kealing gym was transformed into an archery field last Saturday for an archery tournament with Lamar Middle School. Our team battled to the end but ended up falling to Lamar 3233 to 3220. Although it was a bitter defeat, several Hornets ended the day with personal bests and 8th grade archer Frankie Holleman had the highest of the tournament with a 284 out of 300.
Congratulations to all of our Hornets who participated.
BIKE CLUB IS BACK!
The spring semester of the Kealing bike club will be underway soon! For the returning riders (who attended an orientation in the fall), the first official bike club ride will be on Thursday, March 7th from 3pm-4:45pm. Returning riders do NOT need to attend another orientation this semester.
Do you want to participate in bike club rides this semester but didn't attend an orientation last fall? I will be holding a safe cycling orientation on Thursday, February 29th at 3pm in rm. 516. In order to participate in the spring rides, you MUST attend this orientation. Email Mr. Shoaf at william.shoaf@austinisd.org with any questions. See you there!
TENNIS TRYOUT INFORMATIONAL MEETING
Tennis tryout information meeting for 7/8th graders will take place on Tuesday, February 20th from 3:00 - 3:30 PM in Coach Rost's room. Students should fill out an interest form at https://bit.ly/KMS24Tennis. If students are unable to attend, they should fill out the information form to show interest in participating in tryouts. Tryout dates will be announced later but will take place towards the beginning of March, before spring break. Just a reminder, all students participating in tryouts must have a sports physical on file. Ask Coach Rost if you have any questions.
ULTIMATE FRISBEE PLAYER MEETING
Kealing Ultimate (the longest running middle school Ultimate program in Texas) is back! All interested 6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys and girls interested in playing should plan on attending our player meeting on Tuesday, February 20th in the Library. We'll give details about tryouts and the season. Please send questions to Coach Crouch or Natenberg.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH KEALING CONNECTS
Help our students thrive! Assist in a classroom, meet one-on-one with a student, come to lunch, or help with after-school tutoring. The last volunteer orientation of the year will take place Thursday, 2/29, at 8am at Kealing. Please complete this form to let us know more about your availability and interest. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdH92PvrEX8QgEqhVfl4OUFRw2v07eGQFeeLupXHYO8kCjFkw/viewform?usp=sf_link
KEALING'S PTA
Some of the ways the PTA has helped Kealing students, staff, and administration get the year started include:
- Partnered with Kealing administration to support New Student Orientation.
- Purchased “Thrive in the Hive” staff shirts.
- Hosted two Teacher Appreciation luncheons.
- Hosted Welcome Back Sunset Cruise for teachers.
- Partnered with administration to support Back to School Night.
- Kicked off the Secret Pals Program
- Purchased Spanish software subscriptions.
- Purchased classroom supplies for teachers.
- Purchased tools and novels for ELA classrooms
Your membership empowers us to continue these efforts. Join us today and help make a difference in your child's education.
PTA MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Our monthly membership meeting will take place this Thursday, February 22nd at 7:45 am. The meeting is hybrid so if you are unable to attend in person, you can join us online.
See you then!
SPIRIT WEAR SALES UPDATE
For the Spring, PTA will no longer have on-campus sale in the cafeteria. Instead we will offer (once per month) delivery to Advisory ($0, new), adult pickup ($0), and delivery to door ($5).
March 7: Advisory Delivery, Adult Pickup (12 - 1PM) & Delivery to Door
April 9: Advisory Delivery, Adult Pickup (12 - 1PM) & Delivery to Door
The Spirit Wear website is up to date and taking orders!
DESTINATION LIFE TRANSITION CONFERENCE
The Destination…Life Regional Transition Fair and Conference helps Central Texas families prepare and support their student(s) with disabilities for life beyond high school. Families can expect to gather information and gain access to experts on how to help their student(s) with disabilities ranging from early childhood through high school to successfully transition to adulthood.
Multiple vendors, state and local agencies will be present, in addition to various programs that assist students with disabilities and their families. See logistics below:
When: Saturday, February 24, 2024
Where: McNeil High School; 5720 McNeil Dr, Austin, TX 78729
Time: 9:00am-1:30pm
Registration Information: RSVP for this event
BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION
Join Austin ISD in celebrating Black History Month throughout February! Every year, to honor our Black students, staff and families Austin ISD celebrates Black History Month, a time to highlight the district's commitment to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.
AUSTIN ISD SHAC MEETING
The School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) is a school board appointed advisory group of individuals who represent different segments of the community. By law, a majority of the members must be persons who are parents of students enrolled in the district and who are not employed by the district. The AISD SHAC is made up of parents, community members, students, and school staff working together to improve the health of all students and families through coordinated school health programs. The next SHAC meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 21st from 6:00-7:30.
Here is the Meeting Agenda
HOLDSWORTH RETREAT
Calling all Austin ISD heroes! 📣 Offer teachers a tranquil environment for relaxation and the chance to participate in enriching workshops alongside fellow educators. This incredible weekend retreat is designed to empower educators, helping them shine brighter than ever before.
Know an exceptional teacher who deserves this rejuvenating experience? 🍎 Nominate them now for a chance to attend the Holdsworth Retreat! Let's give these outstanding educators the appreciation they deserve.
Nominations close February 23, 2024. Don't miss this chance to make a difference in the lives of those who shape our future generations!
Visit holdsworthcenter.org/retreat for more information and to submit your nominations.
Together, let's celebrate and support the incredible teachers in our Austin ISD family! #HoldsworthRetreat #AISDjoy #AustinISD #WeAreAISD
