News for the Nest
August 23, 2024
A newsletter for Clayton families from school leadership and the PTA
News from School Leadership
NEXT WEEK
Saturday, Aug 24 - 🎂Happy Birthday Dana Sposeep, Librarian🎂
Saturday, Aug 25 - 🎂Happy Birthday Garima Goel, Special Ed Teaching Assistant🎂
Monday, Aug 26
Tuesday, Aug 27
Wednesday, Aug 28 - 🎂Happy Birthday Jill Robillard, 2nd grade Teacher🎂
- 8 am - Lockdown Drill practice - details below
Thursday, Aug 29
Friday, Aug 30 - Clayton Spirit Day! Students wear their Cardinal shirt from this year, past years, or red/white/blue. We have Clayton Spirit Day every Friday.
THE WEEK AFTER
Sept 2 - Labor Day - no school for students and staff
Sept 5 - Back to School Night 4:00-5:30
- 4:00-4:40 PreK, Kinder, 1st grade, 2nd grade = teacher sessions' in classrooms
- 4:00-4:40 Meet the Principals & School Info session in the cafeteria
- 4:50-5:30 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade = teachers' sessions in classrooms
- 4:50-5:30 Meet the Principals & School Info session in the cafeteria (same presentation)
Meet our Counselors
Lindsey Etnyre
Lindsey is a Licensed Master Social Worker who studied school-based clinical social work while completing her Masters Degree at UT Austin. In her previous roles interning at Lively Middle School and Patton Elementary School, Lindsey provided group and individual counseling services focused on self-regulation and social skill development. To relax and unwind Lindsey enjoys puzzling (the more pieces the better!), spending time outdoors, and being with her family and dog Kobe. This will be Lindsey's first year at Clayton and she is excited to support the kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grade students and their families!
Lindsey Etnyre can be reached at lindsey.etnyre@austinisd.org or (512)841-9200
Megan Lanier
Megan is so excited to be returning to Clayton this year! Megan attended the University of Texas and has degrees in Psychology and Counselor education and has been a counselor in Austin ISD for the past 7 years. Megan will support PreK, 1st grade, 3rd grade, and 5th grade. When she's not at school, Megan enjoys spending time with her husband and their two kids. She also enjoys dancing and reading in her "free time". Megan is really looking forward to seeing her students continue to grow this year!
Megan Lanier can be reached at megan.lanier@austinisd.org or (512)841-9200
More news
Window is open to nominate your child for Gifted and Talented services
The Gifted and Talented (GT) referral window is now open and will remain open until October 7.
To learn more about GT services and to submit a referral, click here for the English link.
Additional languages can be found here.
GT services are provided to students who qualify in the general education classroom.
Safety Drill practice August 28 - Lock Down
We have a fire drill and lockdown practice coming up on August 28. A lockdown is when there is a threat or hazard inside the school building. In a lockdown, we use classroom and school security actions to protect students and staff from threat.
When we have a drill or practice, we will always do so in an age-appropriate way that makes our students feel at ease. Our goal is to equip students with basic steps so they can successfully follow their teachers' directions during a drill or in an emergency.
Welcome Sergeant Manor!
Sergeant Manor is an area supervisor for Austin ISD Police Department. You may have already seen him at dismissal or arrival chatting with students and families. He is on campus periodically to provide an extra layer of safety and security. When you see him, feel free to say hello!
Campus Visitors & Volunteers
School grounds, including playground - Our playground is open for use by the public after 6 PM. Community members are not permitted to use the playground or school grounds from 7 AM - 6 PM. The Crew after school program has permission to use the playground from 3:10-6 PM. Thank you for your cooperation.
Lunch visitors starting Sept 20 - Adults will be permitted to come eat lunch with their child starting September 20. Be sure to bring your driver's license, which you will present upon entry. Please wear your visitor's pass sticker the entire time you are in the building and stay in the cafeteria area. You will be able to eat with your child(ren) only (not others' children). Please check out at the front office when lunch is over.
Volunteers - We love volunteers at Clayton! Please visit our website (link) for more information if you are interested in volunteering on campus.
No birthday treats for students, please
For health reasons and food allergies, parents are asked to NOT bring edible treats for student birthdays. Thank you for your cooperation.
COVID-19 Protocol for Austin ISD (updated March 2024)
For employees and students
If you are feeling sick
If you or your child are feeling sick, regardless of whether you are vaccinated or not, please stay home and contact your medical provider and campus as soon as possible.
If you test positive
Those who test positive will need to stay home and report their case by calling the school’s front office and asking for the COVID-19 designee. Staff should report the COVID-19 positive result to their supervisor.
Returning to school
Any student or staff who tests positive will need to have markedly improved symptoms and be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication before returning to school. Wearing a mask upon return is optional, but encouraged whenever possible.
From this AISD website: https://www.austinisd.org/health-services/public-health
Want to be involved at Clayton? Campus Advisory Council
Our Campus Advisory Council (CAC) is a decision-making group made of teachers, parents, community members, business owners, and school administrators. We meet monthly to review our campus goals and make decisions. Committee members commit to join CAC for two years. Our meetings are in-person on campus from 3:30-4:30.
Our meeting dates are:
September 9, September 30, November 4, December 2, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5
If you served on the CAC during the 2023-24 school year and that was your first year, please join us for another year.
Member should plan to attend most or all the meetings.
Visitors are welcome at any meeting and do not need to be members to attend.
If you would like to join the CAC for 2024-25, please email karen.mccollum@austinisd.org
Absence notes - please send digitally
Via email to clayton@austinisd.org or use this online form:
Resources for families with children with disabilities
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (relevant news from last week)
Check out our slide deck above for information about:
- arrival
- nurse/medical
- attendance
- lunch
- dismissal
- communication processes...and more
Helpful links:
News from PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION
The Clayton PTA is thrilled to be partnering with Principal McCollum
to bring you all your school and PTA news in one place!
We are excited to kick off another great school year!
Let's make sure our teachers are thriving (and surviving) the first month back to school!
Our teachers are working hard teaching and loving our students, so let’s give them some essentials to make their jobs easier! Teacher "Survival Kits"will include supplies, snacks and various items to meet their needs. Our goal is to provide each member of Clayton’s faculty and staff a bag full of goodies. If you are willing and able, we would love for you to sign up to provide an item to donate.
All supplies should be delivered to 11025 Pairnoy Lane via drop off or Amazon by September 6th.
If you are a business owner or would like make a larger donation to Teacher Appreciation, please send a message and we will be in touch!
Thank you - Teacher Appreciation Team
Perez Elementary School Amazon Wish List Link HERE
Clayton Run Club is GO again this year!
We will run every Wednesday afternoon (weather permitting) between October 2nd and December 11th this semester, starting at school dismissal until 4pm. Families are asked to donate $25 per runner to pay for a Clayton Run Club t-shirt, running rewards and an occasional treat after Run Club throughout the year. This is a completely volunteer-led activity, so we will also be looking for help every week with counting laps and keeping the kids motivated and safe on the dirt track in the back of Clayton. Runners of all abilities in Kinder through 5th grades are welcome, but registration will be limited to the first 100 runners. Registration will be open after Labor Day - look for another announcement in this newsletter and on social media. Please email claytonrunclub@gmail.com with any questions. See you on the track!