Hornet Herald

Thank you all for your patience and understanding during last week's delayed starts due to cold weather. We understand this may have caused some difficulty in your daily routines but your cooperation and support is truly appreciated.

I would also like to share the success of our recent Elementary Showcase that occurred this past Friday. Over 200 future Hornets from our feeder campuses visited Kealing to explore our campus and learn about our exciting elective options and Fine Arts options available to them next year.

This week, our teachers will be assisting students in submitting any missing assignments or retaking assessments before finalizing grades for the first progress report of this grading period. Please talk with your students to make sure they make the most of Office Hours and ensure the timely submission of assignments. Your support in this matter will help your student's academic progress.

Thanks,

Mr. Estes

• January 22 - 26 - Holocaust Remembrance Week
• January 25 - Boys' Basketball vs. Lively
• January 26 - 28 - High School Musical Jr. the Musical
• January 27 - Girls' Soccer @ Murchison
• January 31 - McCallum Elective Fair @ 5:30pm
• February 1-2 - Eastside ECHS Choice Sheet Completion
• February 6 - Kealing Magnet & High School Application Deadline
• February 9 - NO SCHOOL
• February 12 - 15 - STAAR Interim Assessments

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 Mr. Felan: SHOUT OUT to Kealing Cheer, Chase Turner, Eli Rotkoff, Knox Oakman, and Russel Johnson for conducting tours during our Elementary Showcase this past week.

From Ms. Tasneem: While Adeline Hutto has only been in marine bio for four class periods, she has stayed loyal to learning by arriving to class on time, used kind language, respected our classroom expectations & peers, and showed up everyday with a smile and ready to learn. Thank you Adeline for always finding a way to say something kind at the end of a long day of teaching and learning. I appreciate you!

Our Kealing teachers and staff member consistently make positive impacts on our student's educational experience or personal achievements. We want to recognize them for the amazing work they exhibit each day.

From Rory Hughes: Mrs. Tibbs is such a great teacher and is always respecting everyone of her students and fellow staff members. Even with some challenges, she treats all students with equality.

We would to recognize and congratulate a few of our Hornets who recently advanced to state level for their works of art in the Texas PTA Reflections competition. This is a wonderful achievement as nearly 60,000 students participate in the program annually and less than 3% of those advance to Texas PTA. Final results will be announced on March 15.

Visual Arts:

Cora Truskett: “Rain”

Film Production:

Lily Pate: “A Drop in the River"

Music Composition:

Coral Pettiss: “Won’t Lose Hope”

Literature:

Ellis Reddam: “Change is Coming"

Salute is AISD's annual event recognizing some of the district’s outstanding campus-based team members for their continued dedication to student excellence and achievement in our schools. If you would like to nominate a Kealing staff member to be recognized, please do so by clicking here. Nominations close on February 9, 2024.

Both 8th grade teams and the 7th grade B team earned big wins this past week against Parades Middle School.

This Thursday, January 25th we take on Lively Middle School. The 7th grade team is home and games begin at 6:00.

Unfortunately our first game of the season was canceled due to cold weather. We look forward to taking on Murchison Middle School at Murchison this Saturday, January 27th. The first game starts at 9:00 AM.

Safety is our top priority, and we want to remind everyone to drive carefully during morning drop-offs. As we navigate winter conditions and settling in to the new semester, please take extra precaution to ensure a safe arrival for all of our students.

• Allow extra time for your commute
• Watch for students and other vehicles
• Be courteous to your fellow drivers

Your cooperation ensures the well-being of our school community.

Friendly reminder that the enrollment application is fast approaching on February 6th. For students applying to Kealing Magnet or application-based high school programs (LASA, Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, and McCallum Fine Arts) ensure all requirements are submitted by this date. You can access Austin ISD's Enroll Austin Application here.

If you have questions regarding Kealing's Magnet Program, please contact Ms. Williams at rolanda.williams@austinisd.org.

This past Friday, we were fortunate to welcome future Hornets from Blackshear, Oak Springs, Campbell, Lee, Maplewood, and Ridgetop Elementary Schools to our Elementary Showcase. Students were treated to performances from our Fine Arts department, an Elective Fair, and campus tour. We can't wait to welcome them to Kealing next year.

Congratulations to our Kealing Robotics Teams: The Crimson Coders and The Power Hornets. They each competed against 53 other teams in San Antonio this past Saturday in the First Lego League Qualifier Robot Competition. Students have worked hard all semester building and coding a robot to complete 15 missions in two and half minutes. Our Power Hornet Team placed 1st and The Crimson Coders tied for 17th. 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, Sahana Vijay.

First Inspires will announce Thursday the overall scores for the robot design, innovation project and core values which will determine who will advance to the regional level competition.

If you have not already done so, please consider joining Kealing's PTA today.

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.

Austin ISD has partnered with WestEd, a third-party research firm, to lead the districtwide equity assessment. WestEd is hosting focus groups for staff, students, and parents in mid-January through February 2024. There will be separate focus groups for principals, teachers, campus staff, parents, and of course, students. This is a great opportunity for folks to share their experiences in AISD, specifically how policies and practices impact them and students every day. Interested in participating, click this form- there is a $50 gift card incentive for focus group participants!

Austin ISD is working to streamline communication and simplify the tools staff and families must access to get the information that matters to them most. Help Austin ISD streamline communications with families and staff by completing the Communications Tools Survey.

AISD Technology remains committed to providing students the devices they need to fully participate in blended learning environments. Device distribution, however, can be costly. Our warranties do not cover loss or intentional damage, an increasing issue the district is experiencing.

We have reviewed our internal student device loss and damage incident data and now need feedback from staff and families to inform our next steps. The Everyone:1 Student Device Feedback Survey begins January 11, 2024, and is open to faculty, staff, and AISD families.

Parents of incoming 9th-grade Knights, we invite you to McCallum's Expo Knight on 1/31! Join us at 5:15 in the gym for an illuminating elective fair. Explore the diverse courses McCallum offers to help guide your child's academic journey. At 6:30 in the Mac theater, we'll host a comprehensive presentation, covering the course registration process and offering insights into life at Mac. Empower your child's high school experience by being a part of Expo Knight!

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

The Proclamation 2024 materials that are being considered for adoption are available for the public to review and provide feedback. The materials are displayed at Metz Elementary - 84 Robert T Martinez Jr St, Austin, TX 78702. The materials will be available to review January 22 - 25 and January 29 - February 2 from 4:00PM - 6:00PM. Please reach out to Danielle Perico via email (danielle.perico@austinisd.org) with any questions you may have.