Dear families,
Our students have been very resilient this week, with a rain schedule and more testing. Valentine’s Day was bittersweet. While we celebrated love and friendship, we were saying goodbye to Principal Isaac Becerra Brito and providing a warm welcome to Interim Principal, Daniela Ruiz.
All of the school staff would like to thank our fabulous PTA for an extra special treat for Valentine’s day: Death by Chocolate. We devoured the tasty goodies and our stomachs AND hearts were filled!
In other news, our Student Council has had their first two meetings as 5th grade campus advisors, project leaders and anti-bullying advocates. They have already begun their first project to spread kindness! You might notice some additions to building decorations and a little more love being shared at school. If you have ideas for our Student Council, contact me and I will share them with the Council.
Thursday will be the Science Interim testing for 5th graders. Remember to support your child’s brain by supporting their body - sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, drinking plenty of water, and eating a hearty breakfast.
This month’s Character Trait is Honesty, “being truthful in what you say and do.” I’ve been impressed to see our students owning up to their mistakes and sharing constructive feedback to others. We are celebrating our most Honest students at our Breakfast of Champions assembly on February 21st at 9am. Be on the lookout for a note home to invite you to the event.
Practice Honesty at home! Discuss the importance of being Honest and work together to create a family Honesty pledge. Create and decorate a sign together that explains what Honesty means in your family. Have each family member sign the pledge and choose a spot to display it. Refer back to the pledge as a reminder to be Honest and to celebrate when Honesty is practiced!
Our Character Traits are not just for fun. Austin ISD recognizes that each child is a student, but also a whole person. Children don’t just learn how to read and do math at school; they also learn how to be successful adults. Each of our monthly character traits align with the district expectations for what students should be learning. The Social Emotional Learning and Culturally Proficient and Inclusive office has provided a framework that guides our use of the Character Strong program. For example, last month’s Perseverance lessons fall under Self-Management (Agency) and Executive Functioning (Academic Tenacity). Next month’s trait of Cooperation helps students work on Relationship Skills (Collaborative Problem-Solving) and Social Awareness (Belonging). Can you see where this month’s Honesty fits?
As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or suggestions:
Brianna Higgins, LMSW
Front Office
(512) 414-2315; ext 73934
brianna.higgins@austinisd.org
