News for the Nest

Hello Cardinal Family,

It's beginning to feel a lot like spring! It is hard to believe we have 12 more weeks of school this year. As we look towards the spring, we have many important events on the horizon. Please check out website and our calendar of events (link) for school and PTA events. STAAR testing is coming up for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in April and May. If your child is in these grades, please avoid making appointments on these days and ensure your child is on time to school (unless they are sick). Thank you so much for your support.

Please take a few minutes to complete online registration for next year. We are busy planning for staffing/class sizes and need to have all current students registered now. The goal for this early registration is to know where our students will be next year. If you are not 100% sure about next year, it's better to register now and adjust later. Please use this link to access our portal and use the Student Registration tile:

https://portal.austinisd.org/

Please contact our registrar, Amy Turnage, with any registration questions: amy.turnage@austinisd.org

Have a wonderful weekend!

With Cardinal pride,

Karen McCollum

Nan Clayton Elementary principal

Please check out our events for the current semester (link). This is a list of combined school-led and PTA-led events. All events are subject to change.

Link to Austin ISD district calendar

Attention families of students who receive special education services - please join us on Thursday, March 2 at 3:15 in the Clayton Gym! We will have a panel of parents sharing tips and experiences of transitioning between ECSE (early childhood special education) to Kindergarten, and 5th grade to 6th grade. Bring your questions and learn from those who have gone before us! Parents from Kiker and Bear Creek will also be joining us.

Please check in at the front desk. If your student will be joining, feel free to bring quiet activities for entertainment as needed!

All of our students in grades 1-5 received Zones of Regulation lessons in September and October of this school year. We’ll have a short blurb in this newsletter for the next few weeks all about Zones!

Zones of Regulation is a research based curriculum that aims to make us aware of how our brain and body feel when we are experiencing certain emotions. Often, the physiological cues our body gets can help us regulate before emotions get too big to handle. For example, by being aware that my heart is beating fast, and my body feels tight, I can select calming strategies that work for me before I get so angry that I shout or push.

The Red Zone: The Red Zone is reserved for very extreme emotions. Some examples would be very angry, yelling, aggressive, elated, or terrified. When we’re in the Red Zone, we often don’t feel like we have a lot of control over our words and actions. Calming in the red zone can be really challenging, especially for younger children. Scaffolding the regulation can be really helpful. This could look like noticing out loud how the student looks to be feeling. “Wow, I see your hands in fists and an angry look on your face. You look like you’re mad." Next, try offering two different possibilities to calm. For example, taking a break in the peace area or at your table. It is not unexpected that calming completely and being in a place where the brain is ready to learn could take a long time.

Dan St. Romain, a national education consultant with roots in special education support and development, will be presenting virtually on goal setting and positive behavior supports. These are two different sessions in February and March, which are repeated with lunchtime and evening virtual offerings. Interpretation services will be provided. Please share information with families and with staff.

Date: February 23, 2023

Date: March 30, 2023

Times: 12-1 pm and 6-7 pm

Zoom Link

RSVP Link

Save the Date: Clayton Cultural Celebration Night 2023 is now Tuesday, April 4, 2023 6:00- 8:00 PM

Clayton Cultural Celebration week culminates in an exciting evening where we come together to celebrate the diversity of cultures that we each bring to make Clayton the amazing community it is.

Ways you can be part of this celebration:

•Performances - Please fill out this Google Form before February 24th if you are interested in performing:

https://forms.gle/oGiWcfNaHSTB8yCh7

Additional information and sign-up links for the following will be coming soon!

•Parade of Nations

•Culture Booths

•Pot Luck

If you have a 5th grader this year, please check out Gorzycki Middle School's fine arts offerings at this link

Cafeteria Monitor Volunteers: We need your help! Come hang out with us in the cafeteria- finally meet this "Mr. Chris", the cafeteria manager that all the kids talk about. Fill out this form if you want to join our volunteer team.

ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST COMPLETE A BACKGROUND CHECK HERE: https://austinpartners.org/

In the event that your child will be missing school, please follow these steps:

1) Email both your child's teacher and Deanna McDonald, attendance clerk, at deanna.mcdonald@austinisd.org

2) Please include your child's first and last name

3) Please provide the reason for the absence so we can code it correctly in our attendance system.

The Trail of Resolution is a problem-solving path we will use at Clayton Elementary. The purpose of the Trail of Resolution is to address questions and concerns in an effective and efficient manner. If you have a question or concern, first contact the person who is directly involved in the situation. For example, if you have a question or concern about something in the classroom, first contact the teacher to seek clarification. Follow the trail if the concern persists.

Teacher → Assistant principal → Principal

7:15 - campus opens

7:15-7:35 - breakfast served in cafeteria

7:35 - 1st bell rings

7:40 - SCHOOL STARTS

3:05 - dismissal begins

3:10 official end of the school day

• Website: Clayton has a beautiful and informative new website: https://clayton.austinschools.org/

• PTA website (link)
  

• Join our PTA (link)

• Weekly News for the Nest: weekly newsletter to families from the principal, Karen McCollum