Hornet Herald

I hope you all had a fantastic three-day weekend, filled with relaxation and enjoyable moments. Although it was a quick trip, I enjoyed getting back to Illinois to visit friends and family As we dive back into the swing of things, I wanted to remind you that the beginning of STAAR testing for our students is quickly approaching.

To ensure our students are prepared for these assessments, our wonderful teachers have been embedding STAAR review materials into their lessons. This approach aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to perform well during the testing administrations.

In addition to our academic plans, this week presents a special opportunity to express our gratitude for the incredible individuals who contribute to the smooth operation and welcoming environment of our school. We are thrilled to celebrate our great administrators, Ms. Garcia, Ms. Green, Ms. Jones, Ms. Pfeiffer, and Ms. Williams, during Assistant Principal Week. Their dedication, leadership, and unwavering support are instrumental to our school community.

We will also extend our appreciation to Ms. Kerensa Williams, our wonderful librarian, as we celebrate Librarian Appreciation Week. Ms. Williams plays an important role in fostering a love for literature and learning among our students, and taking care of our campus' media and technology needs.

Please join us in honoring these important staff members for their outstanding contributions to Kealing Middle School.

Wishing you all a fantastic week ahead!

Mr. Estes

• April 3 - Anderson HS Choice Sheet Visit
• April 3 - Track @ Ann Richards
• April 3 - Tennis @ Anderson HS
• April 8 - Total Solar Eclipse I Bell Schedule
• April 9 - 6th Grade Reading STAAR
• April 10 - NO SCHOOL
• April 11 - 7th Grade Reading STAAR
• April 11 - Tennis @ Bailey
• April 12 - 8th Grade Reading STAAR
• April 17 - 8th Grade Science STAAR
• April 18 - 8th Grade Social Studies STAAR
• April 18 - Track @ Paredes
• April 18 - Tennis @ Austin HS
• April 23 - 6th Grade Math STAAR
• April 24 - 7th Grade Math STAAR
• April 25 - 8th Grade Math STAAR & Algebra I EOC
• April 25 - Track @ Gorzycki
• April 29 - Boys Track Championship @ Burger
• April 30 - Girls Track Championship @ Burger

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. Lorenz: Olivia Gatlin is a leader even amongst the other students in the Student Council. I can always count on her to accomplish any task with thoroughness and efficiency. She is always respectful and is a model student. Thank you for everything you do!

From Ms. Devall, Mr. Hinojosa & Mr. Shettron: Kealing Advanced Bands (Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble) Thank you for all of your hard work this UIL season. The directors are extremely proud of your hard work and dedication to excellence. Thank you for keeping the legacy of success strong in our school by showing loyalty to our band program, each other, and the school community. Let's finish the school year on a “high note”.

From Ms. Payan: Jessica Arce is a natural leader in ELAR class and she leads by example by always participating in class discussions and producing excellent written work. You are amazing, Jessica!

From Ms. Payan: Adrian Hernandez Lejia showed loyalty to his learning when he was on task and working hard in ELAR class during the review for STAAR. Ms. Payan is proud of you and knows you are going to rock this test!

From Mr. Shoaf: KUDOS to Kaius Carson-Powers, Maria Coury, Penelope Ferman, Bowman Garner, Zoe Hanna, Carter Hudgens, Qai Hussaini, Faila Kahozi, Rook Khandelwal, Conner Miller, Alisha Murzabayeva, Mauricio Rodriguez, Ravi Vadlamudi, Olive Whang. These students demonstrated exemplary leadership skills in the classroom where they team-taught a lesson to 6th graders. Then they led small groups of students in our mock apartment for a hands-on activity designed to instill compassion for refugees. Each student named above has trained since January to master migration topics and teach 2-3 classes. They collectively taught 300+ students in 15 World Cultures classes.

Congratulations to this week's Stinger Salute recipients!!!

Kealing teachers will be teaching the Human Sexuality & Responsibility curriculum in May. You can find more information on the content covered or family resources, visit Austin ISD's Human Sexuality & Responsibility website.

Our science teachers will send out permission slips this week and request that your student return them by May 3, 2024.

Mark your calendars for the incredible opportunity we have to witness. The solar eclipse on April 8th. To ensure all of our students have a chance to witness this awe-inspiring event, AISD will be in session that day. Our dedicated science team is designing engaging lessons that focus on the science behind the eclipse, as well as safety precautions for observing it. We have secured enough eclipse glasses for all students and staff.

We invite any interested volunteers to join us for the occasion. If you are interested in being a part of this event, please take a moment to fill out this volunteer form.

Additionally, if your family has plans and you know your child WILL NOT be in attendance, please complete this form. Completing this form does not excuse your student's attendance but will help us plan for the event.

Congratulations to Kealing Archery for last week's performance at the Texas NASP State Tournament. The team's performance resulted in an overall 4th-place finish. Great job to all of Kealing's archers including Ellis Reddam who finished 3rd out of 691 participants.

Mrs. Warshauer's 6th grade Career Discovery classes recently had the opportunity to visit JA Finance Park- Junior Achievement’s capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration. This program, comprising a curriculum and a simulation, helps students build a foundation on which they can make intelligent financial decisions that last a lifetime, including decisions related to income, expenses, savings, and credit.

This educator-led classroom curriculum culminates with a visit to JA Finance Park, a realistic on-site or mobile facility, or virtually in the classroom, where students engage with volunteers and put into practice what they’ve learned by developing a personal budget.

Congratulations to the Kealing Mathcounts team who is the champion of the 2024 state competition hosted on March 23rd under the coaching of Dr. Hui Quan. Holding the title of Texas' state champion marks a milestone in Kealing's history after a few years of hiatus from Mathcounts. The team members include Vincent Wang (8th), Hyun-Jin Kim (8th), Ethan Gu (8th), and Zihan Mao (7th). Additionally, one of the members, Vincent, will be advancing to Nationals as part of Texas's state team after placing 3rd for his individual performance out of more than 200 mathletes who qualified for the state round.

Our first match of the season versus Small Middle School was rained out. We will return to action on April 3rd as we take on Murchison at Anderson High School.

Our track student-athletes participated in a practice meet against Murchison Middle School last week. We look very strong as a team and are excited to get the season started.

We will be in action on Wednesday, April 3rd at Ann Richards.

After some clarification, we have determined that we can open up cheer tryouts to current 6th AND 7th graders. Applications are due March 28th to room 217, and you must have a current physical (dated after April 15, 2023) on file to tryout on April 2-4. More info here: tinyurl.com/kmscheer24-25

Kealing Choir received superior ratings on the performance element of their Pre-UIL! They did not get a written score on the sightreading portion, but they did an incredible job and received wonderful feedback. Every one of these students brought their "A" game. It is very obvious that they spent a significant amount of time outside of class practicing individually, and it definitely paid off, as they had fixed and nailed everything we had been trying to improve in rehearsals on the music. They were professional, conducted themselves, and represented the school incredibly well, and overall made me so very proud of them!

- Mr. Shettron

The 2024 Latino Academic Achievement Awards ceremony will be held in person at the AISD Performing Arts Center. Please save the date for April 19, 2024 6 p.m. This event recognizes latino student accomplishments and community members who have supported AISD’s Latino students, schools or district programs while promoting Latino culture.

April is International and National Autism Acceptance Month. Autism refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and communication.

In honor of Autism Acceptance month, families, community members, and staff are invited to attend a three-part, virtual learning series focused on Autism hosted by VELA.

A reminder that students will not attend classes on April 10, 2024 for the observance of Eid al-Fitr. Eid al Fitr is a three day holiday that ends the Islamic month of Ramadan and is one of Islam’s two major religious holidays. Eid al-Fitr means "Festival of breaking fast." Families who observe Eid al-Fitr will celebrate with family and food after the end of a long fast, engaging in prayer and other traditions. If you would like to learn more about this important holiday, please review these resources:

Eid al-Fitr- This short video from PBS Learning Media provides an explanation and overview of this holiday. This resource also includes short readings about Eid al-Fitr and how it is celebrated.

Eid ul-Fitr- BBC Teach offers a collection of resources for use with students in grades K-12.

Learning about Eid al-Fitr- NYC Public Schools shares a collection of resources and visuals about this holiday.

We are pleased to announce our Middle School Newcomer Summer School program for current 6, 7, and 8 grade newcomer students (coded ESL or Dual Language). The criteria to participate in this program is the following:

• Students enrolled in a U.S. school for 3 years or less, and;

• TELPAS reading rating of beginning or intermediate

The goal of the Middle School Newcomer Summer Program is to accelerate students’ English and literacy skills through Science, Math, and Reading project-based learning activities. The program will be held at Bedichek MS and Webb MS. Classes will run Monday through Thursday each week from June 3 - June 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eligible students will be offered transportation, breakfast, and lunch.

Summer School registration will begin on Monday, March 4, 2024 and forms will be due by Friday, April 5th, 2024.