At Summitt ES, we ensure high levels of learning for each student, engaging both heart & mind.

Happy February Summitt Community,

Where did the month of January go? February has arrived!

Time continues to fly by! We have a very busy month ahead. We were able to close out January with a successful UIL event at Hill Elementary. Summitt represented well! I am so proud of our incredible staff for all of their hard work and dedication to our community. Our students and staff continue to truly strive for excellence. The teaching and learning is such a sight to see and I could not be more proud of the tenacity of our students as they continue to show academic growth and personal growth both socially and emotionally.

We have a full calendar for the month of February. Please see all of the save the dates below.

A few reminders:

• February 14 will be a class celebration day for Friendship Parties. Parents/Guardians will be welcome to attend. Your child is not required to bring Valentines to school, however if you do, please ensure your child brings one for everyone in their class so everyone feels included. Teachers will be sending out more information. (No lunch visitation on this day due to parties.)

• We will not be hosting any Friendship Parties before 8:30am. We will not be badging in visitors before 8:00 to ensure that all students get to class safe and sound. Times for the parties will be shared by teachers so you can plan accordingly.

• Parent Teacher Conferences are happening this month. All parents are invited to attend and have a conference with their child's teacher. Please look for communication from your child's teacher. Please reach out to your teacher directly to schedule, if you do not receive information soon.

• Registration is HERE! Please ENROLL YOUR SUMMITT EAGLE TODAY or as soon as possible! See the link below.

For those of you new to Summitt, this is the Talon Talk, a monthly newsletter that is sent out to the campus and community sharing happenings for the upcoming month. I have added another means of communication between myself and all of you! Please feel free to join my Principal Greco Facebook Page at this LINK: HERE

It has been a joy celebrating our Summitt Eagles by giving out Summitt Strong Awards on Fridays. Teachers and other staff members can nominate any Eagle for showing any of our Summitt Traits. They receive a Mighty Fine Burger Coupon, get to come to the stage and have their name placed on an Eagle in the Great Hall.

New information included in this edition of the Talon Talk includes:

• Save the Dates
• Lunch Visitation changes in Feb.
• Registration for the 2024-2025 School Year
• Kindness Week coming the Week of Feb. 10-14
• February 10th Principal Chat on STAAR testing

I want to personally wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year. I look forward to celebrating our Lunar New Year this week!

IF you are on Twitter, please follow us @SummittEagles to get a peek inside our classrooms and all of the amazing learning that is taking place!

TOGETHER WE ARE #SUMMITTSTRONG!

Your Proud Principal,

Ms. Greco

We will NOT have lunch visitation on Friday, February 7th or Friday, February 14th.

Due to TELPAS TESTING there will not be lunch visitation on Wednesday February 19th or February 26th.

PTA General Meeting on Zoom

February 3 at 6:00pm

TET Dance Rehearsal and TET Night Show-NO LUNCH VISITATION

February 7

Principal Chat-Topic STAAR Testing

February 10th at 8:00am

Kindness Week and BOOKFAIR week

February 10-14th

CATCH/STEM Night

February 12th-5:00-7:00pm

Friendship Parties-NO lunch Visitation

February 14th

No School for Students-Conference Day

February 17th

TELPAS Testing

February 18-February 28th

Teacher Talent Show

February 21

CAC

February 24

This year PTA will be partnering with Ms. Richey and our PE team to coordinate a fun night for the entire community. This event will take place from 5:00-7:00pm. Students who chose to complete a Science Fair Project will be showcased. The Bookfair will be open for purchase and there will be additional STEM and CATCH night activities. Mark your calendars for a night of EXPLORATION!

This week will be Kindness week at Summitt Elementary. Our No Place for Hate team has organized a Mix it Up Lunch day. They have also designated each day of the week as a different dress up day! This will also be our campus Bookfair week and we will have grade level Friendship Parties to wrap up the week on Friday, Feb. 14th.

Details for all of the week's fun will be coming soon!

Report Cards will be available to be viewed and accessed on November 6th through the parent portal. You will receive an email on directions on how to access your child's report card.

Here is a link to the AISD website and Parent Portal directions: https://www.austinisd.org/technology/parent-portal/parent-self-serve

January 17

April 9

June 18

Order your hard cover Yearbook! .
Order here

February 10th at 8:00am in the Counselor's Room.

We will be discussing STAAR testing. What is it? What tests will my child take? What kinds of questions are they asked? How can I prepare my child for STAAR?

Please join our book study in January about the "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt, led by our very own Summitt Counselors! The book study will meet on Thursday mornings (from 8:15-9:15am) in the counselor's room starting January 9th. If you are interested, please sign up here! Please reach out to Ms. Adams (Lisa.Adams@austinisd.org) or Ms. Sieber (Katie.Sieber@austinisd.org) if you have any questions.

Wednesdays and Fridays

• You will need to bring your driver's license and sign into the front office.
• You will wait for your child in the front office.
• You and your child will go out to the blue picnic tables towards our Blacktop/Playground and eat at "Eagle's Landing" under the trees. If it is raining then tables will be set up in the counselors hallways outside of the cafeteria.
• We will have tables set up inside until the hot temperatures decrease.

• You will need to come sign out of the office at the end of your child's lunch time. Students can meet their class outside of the front office and rejoin their class at the conclusion of their lunch time.

• Please do not walk your child back to class.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Absences and tardiness impact the whole classroom. Parents: Making sure your student is in school and on time every day is the law.

Please make sure your child is at school and on time by 7:40am and present at school at 10:30am.

Through the Everyone:1 initiative all AISD students in grades 1-5 are able to receive an assigned device for use at school and home from Austin ISD.

• Students in grades PK-k grades will receive class sets of Chromebooks and chargers that will be individually assigned, but kept in classrooms.
• 1st-5th students will receive Chromebooks and chargers. This is a change from last year. All students will use Chromebooks and not Ipads.

More information, including a handbook about AISD’s Acceptable Use Policies, device care and tips, and replacement fees can be found at https://www.austinisd.org/technology/everyone

Each campus has a campus student device manager. Summitt’s device manager (DM) is Denise G. Richey. She can be reached at denise.richey@austinisd.org. Teachers and other campus staff can also support and know how to direct students when assistance is needed.

Please note that AISD has updated the guidelines for replacement of lost chargers and accidental damaged/lost devices for consistency across all campuses. An overview of the updates can be found below, and more information is available in the Everyone:1 handbook and website.

• First lost charger is replaced from campus stock.

• Second and beyond are charged $15/per charger (subject to updates) OR student replaces it.

• First incidental damage or lost device is replaced from campus stock.

• Second and beyond are charged $50/per device (subject to updates).

Additionally, students and families can check out AISD’s Family Technology Resources website for additional tips, including Technology Use Tutorials for Students. https://www.austinisd.org/technology/digital-resources/devices

• Front doors open at 7:15 am.

• Students will enter through the front doors of the campus if they are a walker, bike rider or parent drop off

• PK and Kinder students will enter through the left front door (follow the sign above the door)

• 1st and 2nd grade students will enter through the middle front door (follow the sign above the door)

• 3rd-5th grade students will enter through the right front door (follow the sign above the door)

• Students can have Breakfast in the cafeteria from 7:15-7:45am

• Morning Assembly will begin at 7:30 am.

• Morning Assembly will end by 7:40am

• Any student that arrives after 7:40am will walk straight to class or after the conclusion of Morning Assembly

• Parents will give a confident hug goodbye to their child at the front doors of the school-like the previous years.

• Our school hours are from 7:40-3:10pm.

• Dismissal will begin at 3:10pm
• Your child will either be classified as a parent walk up (PK-2nd), an independent walker (3rd-5th), bike rider, bus rider, After School Care, or Car Rider

We have made some minor changes to our dismissal locations for Parent Walk Up locations.

Your Family will receive a Family Number. Family Numbers may have changed since last school year. You must have this Family Number visible on a sign provided by your child's teacher for Parent Walk Up or Parent Pick Up/Car Rider. Please do not add your child's name to the template due to safety.

Please note-If you are a Parent Walk Up (parking. your car, walking up to the school to pick up your child) and have multiple Eagles to pick up, you may want to designate your oldest Eagle as a walker and have your child meet you and your youngest Eagle at the younger Eagle's Parent Walk Up Location.

Please reference the Arrival/Dismissal Procedures/Locations/MAPS link below for specific pick up locations and procedures.

***IF you have an Eagle in PK-2nd grade and would like to be a parent walk up, and get to campus prior to 3:05 please wait at the front of the campus. You can go to your designated pick up location at 3:05pm for a 3:10pm. Due to the safety of our students and staff, visitors need to stay at the front of the building at all times.

^^We would like to encourage our families to use the car pick up line.

Also, cell phones are NOT permitted in a school zone. Please do not be on your cell phone while in the car pick up line.

Dogs are also not permitted on school property due to safety. Thank you for honoring this.

Please use this link to review our arrival and dismissal procedures and pick up locations.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1As30g6Tw9kwAFHUib3cmDOZKTf7aI8A_/view?usp=sharing

Campus Advisory Councils are committees of parents, students, business and community representatives, teachers, principals, and other campus staff. The formation of CACs is required by state law (Texas Education Code, §11.251). Specific functions of CACs include providing review and comment on:

• Campus Educational Program
• Campus Performance
• Campus Improvement Plan
• Campus Staff Development Plan
• Campus-Level Waiver Requests to the State
• Campus Budget

If you interested serving as a Parent Representative on our Campus Advisory Council please check out this link for more information. If you would like to apply to sit on our CAC please complete the application portion, linked in the same link.

https://www.austinisd.org/advisory-bodies/cac

• • All students will not automatically receive free breakfast and lunch.

    
    

  • Students may be determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals through a variety of ways.

  • Free Meal Eligibility:

    Students at your school may receive free meals by meeting one of the following criteria:

  • Directly certified through state-funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

  • Directly certified through foster care; migrant, homeless, or runaway programs; Head Start, or state-sponsored pre-K programs.

  • Determined eligible by completing a free or reduced-price meal benefits application.

  • School Cafe: https://www.schoolcafe.com/

  • Students may add funds to their account by bringing cash to the cafeteria or caregivers may make online payments through their SchoolCafé account. Online payments are subject to a processing fee.

  • If students exhaust their meal accounts, they may charge meals at any meal service as follows:

  • Students in elementary and middle school may charge up to three meals.

  
  

  Meal Prices
  

  • Breakfast:

    • Elementary School - Paid: $1.75
    • Middle & High School - Paid: $2.00
    • All Levels - Reduced-Price: FREE
    • Adult/Guest: $3.50

    Lunch:

  • Elementary School - Paid: $3.25
  • Middle & High School - Paid: $3.50
  • All Levels - Reduced-Price: $0.40
  • Adult/Guest: $5.00

  
  

  Food Allergies and Special Diets

  Our cafeteria can accommodate food allergies and special dietary needs with a completed Request for Dietary Accommodation Form. Food Service also offers reasonable accommodations within federal guidelines for dietary preference, i.e. milk alternatives, gluten free bread, and vegan accommodations. Caregivers may submit dietary preference requests in writing to our cafeteria manager, in advance, to allow time to review and order any alternative products.

  
  

  Help Your Family and Your School with SNAP

  Need help buying food for your family? Apply today for the state-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at www.yourtexasbenefits.com. SNAP not only helps your family, but it also benefits your school. The more students who receive SNAP benefits, the more funds available to schools for education, meal programs, and more.

  Use this Protecting Immigrant Families guide, “What Should I Know When Enrolling My Children in Public Benefits?” to help answer commonly asked questions about how to make good decisions for your family and their health.

  
  

  School Meal Resources

  • SchoolCafé - One app for all your school meal needs.

  • View daily breakfast and lunch menus for our school.

  • View nutritional information, ingredients, and allergens for each menu item.

  • Make prepayments for additional servings of food or healthy a la carte snacks.

  • Set a la carte restrictions.

  • Apply for free or reduced-price meals.

  • AISD Meal Programs

  • AISD Food Service Initiatives

  • Request for Dietary Accommodation Form

  • AISD Wellness Policy FFA (Local) (Regulation)

  • Includes District guidelines surrounding food in the classroom, celebrations involving food, food fundraisers, and rewarding with food.

  • AISD Wellness Policy Overview & Celebrations, Rewards, Fundraising Alternatives: ENGLISH / SPANISH

  • AISD Food Service Employment Opportunities

  • Connect with Austin ISD Food Service on Social Media:

  • Facebook

  • Instagram

  • Twitter

  
  

  Questions? Contact AISD Food Service through Let’s Talk by sending a text to 512-229-9110 or submitting a message online.

We wanted to let you know of a medication policy that AISD has implemented. Prescriptions AND over-the-counter medications will require BOTH a written parent authorization form AND a written order from a U.S./Texas Licensed practitioner (a doctor).

The order must include:

• The patient name
• medication name
• strength
• dose
• delivery route
• frequency
• date from June 2022 or later
• signature by practitioner

The only medications students may carry and self treat are for anaphylaxis, asthma or diabetes-and these all require the full packet from the physician and be provided to the health room as well.

We will not be able to accept any medications on campus until all required paperwork is received. We apologize for the late notice, but this policy was recently finalized and shared with us this week. Please call the health room at 512-414-4246 if you have any questions or concerns.

Summitt Health Team

Students will be participating in PE 3 days a week and attend Music and Art 2 times a week. Please make sure your child wears tennis shoes on PE days. It is also highly recommended for them to wear closed toe shoes for Recess as well.

Students will go to recess daily and have a thirty minute lunch time.

SMART PHONES/SMART WATCHES

If a student brings a cell phone or a smart watch/device to school, it must remain in the students’ backpack and be turned off during the school day. If a student needs to make a personal phone call home or contact a guardian, students can use the school phone upon request.

Smart Watches ARE NOT to be worn when at school.

For the safety of our students and entire campus community please do not bring you dogs onto our campus grounds, especially during arrival and pick up. Thank you.

Each morning our school day will begin with a school wide Morning Assembly in the cafeteria and gym. Our campus leadership team, counselors, librarian, teacher and student leaders take turns facilitating Morning Assembly each day.

Students will sit by grade level during Morning Assembly.

Every Assembly includes a morning message, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas Pledge, a Moment of Silence, and our Eagle Pledge. On Friday's we sing our school song and recognize our Summitt Strong Award Winners beginning our third week of school.

Bus information

Families whose students are eligible for transportation will receive their bus information by email or letter. The district’s “Bus Stop Finder'' can be used to identify the nearest bus stop to your home. Families whose students have special services will receive their information in person from their bus teams.

“Where'sTheBus” App for Families

AISD’s transportation team offers families the “WheresTheBus” app, which provides timely information about the location of their student’s assigned bus only, including when it will arrive at their stop.

The free app is available on any device with internet access (smartphone, tablet, personal computer, iPad)—and takes less than five minutes to install. Instructions are available at https://www.austinisd.org/transportation.

Ways for you to get involved:

• Join our Summitt PTA! Visit https://summitteagles.org/ for more information! (serve on committees, write grants, volunteer in the work room, support campus fundraisers, etc..)

• Summitt WATCH DOGS Attention all Fathers/Father-figures of Summitt students: Are you interested in spending a day at school, interacting with the students, being a positive role model, and providing an extra set of eyes & ears on campus? Sign up with the Watch D.O.G.S. Program & be your student’s “Hallway Hero” for the day!

contact: summittwatchdogs@gmail.com for more information

• Become a Room Parent

• CAC (Campus Advisory Council)-meets the last Monday of each month at 3:30 pm

• Parent Advisory Council with our counselors

Summitt Houses were created for all students and staff to feel a sense of connection, collaboration and care.

CONNECTION: At Summitt Elementary we have five houses. All students in grades Pre-K through 5th grade, are vertically assigned to a house at the beginning of the school year. Each school year begins with students learning the qualities and characteristics of each house’s trait which then leads to a school wide house reveal.

COLLABORATION: Each Tuesday students participate in a House Meeting with their fellow house members. Students get to collaborate by participating in various activities and energizers. Students recite their motto and build connections during this time. Your child is encouraged to wear their house color on Tuesdays.

CARING: A house system helps to build a caring, supportive environment. Each student will be a valued member of a smaller group within the whole school. The purpose is to create an enjoyable atmosphere in which deep learning and effective teaching can flourish; a school with rigor and relevance.

Summitt Houses:

The House of Kindness (red, heart)

The House of Courageous (gold, lion)

The House of Collaboration (blue, wolf)

The House of Innovation (purple, racoon)

The House of Tenacity (green, turtle)

Summitt House System allows for:

• Inclusive community of staff and students

• Buddy class pairings

• Reading buddies

• Multi age grouping opportunities

• Vertical teaming and alignment

• Student leadership/ownership