Eagle Update

Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year! I hope all of you are staying as cool as possible this summer. To those of you who are new to the Barton Hills Community, welcome! We're looking forward to getting to know you. To our returning families and friends, we're looking forward to seeing you again in just a few short weeks. It's going to be a great year together!

Our dedicated teachers have been hard at work, even over the summer, thinking about new and exciting lessons for their students and ready to make it a great year. Our school turns 60 this year - so it's fun planning for a modern education in our mid-century building.

We hope everyone can join us on August 16th 5:00 - 6:00 pm for Meet the Teacher. You can drop off supplies, get first-day information, walk your student to their classroom . Please note that the classrooms will not be fully set up as our teachers will have been in professional development for 4 days prior to the 16th. Since parents are not allowed on campus for arrival or dismissal, which includes the first day of school, this event will be your opportunity to see your child's classroom and meet their teacher.

The Eagle Update is our school newsletter. We send them out on Fridays. If you are new to Barton Hills, the newsletters will automatically come your way after the first day of school. Please know that not all of the weekly newsletters will be this lengthy! Take a moment (or several) to read through the different sections for information about school safety (including arrival, dismissal, and visitors on campus) and first-day information. Please take note of the upcoming dates below as we gear up for the start of the year.

If you are still looking for daily, after-school child care, AISD Third Base will be the after-school child care provider that is located on campus. They have plenty of space in their program so please see the flyer with sign-up information.

We cannot wait for the new year at Barton Hills Elementary School.

Kati Achtermann, Principal

As you might know, we had several staff members retire and/or resign at the end of the last school year. We are so excited to welcome these new staff members to our Barton Hills community:

• Ms. Ellen Frank - Ms. Frank is moving from Chicago and has taught at both the elementary and middle school levels. Ms. Frank will be joining our 5th grade team and will be teaching Math. Teaching runs in her family as both her parents are educators.
• Ms. Karis Alvarez - Ms. Alvarez is a recent graduate and ready to start her teaching career with the best school in Austin teaching fourth grade Science and Social Studies.
• Ms. Madison Elder - Ms. Elder joins our fourth grade team to teach ELA. She has been a reading and art teacher for grades PreK-5th grade and a second grade teacher. She is passionate about fostering a love for reading in young students and finding ways to integrate art.
• Ms. Luz Muniz - Ms. Muniz is joining our special education staff. She is coming from Dawson Elementary to support students who receive Life Skills services.
• Ms. Laura Williams - Ms. Williams will be our PE teacher and has several years of teaching experience in both elementary and middle school. She has been working for a government agency but her heart has pulled her back to teaching and we are so glad!
  

Classroom Teachers will send a welcome email to students late the afternoon of August 15th to the email address parents provided during registration. Please make sure you have updated your email in the parent portal if it has recently changed. On Friday, August 16th from 5:00 - 6:00 pm. We welcome all students to come meet their teacher. We ask that you limit your classroom visit time to 10-15 minutes and be mindful of the number of people in the room. Please know that teacher assignments have been made with careful consideration and a parent request for change will only be considered under rare and insurmountable circumstances. Thank you for your understanding.

Registration is being held the second week in August! If you know a family who still needs to register, please have them reach out so we can support them in the process. For more information on registration, please click HERE.

August 16 - Meet the Teacher 5 - 6 pm

August 20 - 7:40 First Day of School

August 29 - Back To School Night

September 2 - School Holiday - Labor Day

AISD is launching a new App. Please see the flyer for QR Code

Here is a quick outline of some things to expect on the first day of school. This list is not exhaustive but does cover major points you will need to know for the first day of school.

REGISTRATION:

• Please do not wait until August20th to register! Our registrar, Ms. Reyes, is on campus from 7:15-3:00 to assist you before August 20th!

• If your child is not fully registered, they will not be placed in a classroom until that process is complete. Make sure to turn in all required documents.

• On Aug 20, our front office staff will begin helping with new registrants or those that need assistance finishing registration at 8:00 am.

• We ask that you wait until 8:00 am so that our staff can help with arrival, we can avoid overcrowding in the office and allow our staff and students to start their day.

ARRIVAL:

In the morning:

• NOTE: School starts at 7:40.

• We will open our doors at 7:15 am for breakfast.

• if your child is being dropped off by car, you will enter into the front drive. Please pull up along the front drive and there will be staff to open doors and welcome your student inside.

• There may be tears and that is ok! We promise that your student will be loved and well taken care of and will come home with lots of fun and exciting stories from the day!

• We do ask that as parents, if your child is upset, to understand that sometimes it is harder for the student if parents linger. We respectfully ask that you say your goodbye, then allow our teachers and staff to assist to make sure your student has an amazing day!

K Arrival:

• Since parents will not be allowed inside the building, K teachers will gathering students in the cafeteria and they will walk to class together. waiting to greet their new learners and parents. We will have multiple staff members ready to escort students to their classrooms to begin their day.

DISMISSAL:

In the afternoon:

• Students will have staggered times for dismissal. We will start releasing students around 3:00 at the beginning of the year as it generally takes longer to learn the systems.

• Kinder, 1st, 2nd and 5th grades will dismiss in the front. 3rd and 4th grades will dismiss off Briarcrest Drive at the back gate.

We ask for grace and patience as we navigate through the first week or two. In all interactions, staff and parents alike, we are modeling valuable life skills for our students and children. We are always happy to help and assist and we appreciate your understanding and support as well.

Maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for our students is our top priority. It is important to us that our safety protocols are in place AND that our students, families, and staff continue to feel a positive and welcoming environment each day. Please help us keep everyone safe.

Arrival:

• We will continue to have a secure morning arrival with families/caregivers saying goodbye before students enter the building. Parents/Caregivers may walk students to the front walkway during car drop off/walking drop off. Staff members will be outside and inside ready to greet, welcome, and support our students as they enter the building at 7:30. Parents will not be allowed to walk students to the classrooms and portables.
• The front doors will open for breakfast at 7:15 am. At 7:30 am, all students will enter the building.
• The first week our Kinder students will meet their teachers in the cafeteria before going to class. The teachers will be there to meet them and then walk together to the classroom.
• IMPORTANT: There is NO parking in the drive in front of the school between 7:00 - 8:00 am. This lane is reserved for drop off only. If you'd like to walk your child to the front door, please park in the neighborhood and walk to school together. Thank you!
• If you need to bring something to your child after they have entered the building, please leave it on the labeled cart outside the front doors with a clearly marked label. Please call the front office to let us know you are leaving an item (lunch, water bottle, device, etc.) and we will get it to your child.

Exterior Doors:

• All exterior doors will remain locked at all times during the school day. Portable classroom doors will also remain fully locked all day.
• Staff will check each exterior door weekly to ensure they close and lock as intended.

Dismissal:

• All kindergarten students will be dismissed with their homeroom teacher at 3:05pm.

• 1st- 5th grade car riders, walkers, and bikers will be dismissed from specific outdoor locations with their homeroom teacher at 3:10pm.

• Older siblings may join younger siblings at the younger sibling location.

• Third Base After School Care students will go to the cafeteria.

• *See map below for dismissal locations by grade level.

• Students must leave by 3:20 at the latest.

• Please see map below and note that areas in RED are NO Parking Zones - even for drop off and pick up.

Visitors:

• Visitors are welcome at Barton Hills for the purposes of student support. This may include scheduled parent teacher conferences and meetings, registration, pre-arranged volunteer opportunities, and other scheduled events.
• Lunch Visitors: You may come have lunch with your child. You must sign in at the office prior to going to the cafeteria. Please note that if you plan to have lunch with your students, you will need to plan to eat outside or at a separate designated table. Provide lunch only for your child. Do not arrange to purchase lunch for a group of students and then have your child pass it out. You may only have lunch with your own child - please do not invite other students to join you. *No lunch visitors for the first three weeks of school so we can work on routines and expectations.
• The main front doors are the only entry doors to the campus for visitors. The door buzzer/office communicator is on the right side wall by the front doors. Please push the button to communicate with the office and, once verified, we will buzz you in to the building.
• All visitors MUST sign in at the front office upon arrival AND sign out at the front office when leaving. Please remember to bring your photo ID with you when visiting campus. We will be using the 360 system to scan licenses and print out Visitor tags.
• IMPORTANT: Families, please do not ask a staff member to hold a side or back door open for you to enter the building. All students, parents, and visitors must enter through the front entry doors. Thank you!

Staff Training, Campus Drills, and Threat Assessment

• Our staff will be trained on safety prior to students entering the building.
• We will review safety plans and practices throughout the year.
• We will continue to hold all required safety drills with our students. Most of the drills will be announced drills so our students aren't surprised or alarmed by them.
• Barton Hills has an established threat assessment team comprised of administration, counseling and teaching staff. All members of the team have received Threat Assessment training from Texas State. Licensed Mental Health Providers and School Resource Officers are on call to assist when needed.

Phew! I know that's a lot to digest, but wanted everyone to know we're prepared for a strong, safe, and productive year.

AISD Weather Guidelines

• Temperature guidelines have been established in order to provide a safe and healthy environment for students participating in outdoor activities at Austin ISD.

• The listed temperatures, heat indexes, and wind-chill factors are designated figures for terminating and/or modifying outdoor activities including: Athletics, Fine Arts, PE, and recess.

• AISD_Temperature Weather Guidelines

Website: bartonhills.austinschools.org/schoool
Location: 2108 Barton Hills Drive, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2013
Facebook: facebook.com/BartonhillsPTA
Twitter: @bheeagles

Instagram: bheeagles