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

Happy January Summitt Community,

Happy New Year Summitt Families! I can not believe how quickly the first semester has flown by. I continue to be so thankful and grateful to lead this amazing community. I have loved every bit of watching our students learn and grow socially, academically and emotionally. I have been so impressed with the tenacity and growth that students have exhibited.

I spent a lot of quality time with my family these last two weeks! Beckett is going to be 7 this spring, Jett will be turning 4 in February and baby girl is going to be 2 year old soon! She is growing WAY too fast. My oldest just lost his two front teeth, so we are going into 2025 with a new look! It was a real gift to be able to spend quality time with my kids and family these last two weeks.

Cold temperatures have arrived. Here is a link to our AISD weather guidelines. Please ensure your student layers and dresses appropriately for cold temperatures. Make sure coats and jackets are labeled with your child's name. We don't want to see our lost and found pile back up. If your child is in need of a warm jacket please reach out to our counselors for support.

Weather guidelines linked here: Health Services & Nursing | Austin ISD

If you are new to Summitt and joining our Summitt family for the first time, welcome! We are so excited to meet you and welcome you to our amazing community.

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

Thank you for ALL that you do as parents and caretakers of our precious EAGLES. Your partnership is imperative as we continue to soar to excellence. I look forward to a wonderful second semester ahead!

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
• Salute Nominations!-Recognize amazing staff members!
• Report Cards available January 17
• Registration for the 2024-2025 School Year
• Summitt Community Book Study-Begins January 9th-see details below in the Counseling Corner

Attendance Matters:

It is critical that students arrive to school on time by 7:40am. The bell rings at 7:40am. We have morning assembly at 7:30am to encourage families and students to arrive to school at that time, so students can have a soft start to the day and settle in. We have a large number of students arriving after the tardy bell each morning. Please set alarm clocks earlier if needed to get to school on time. It helps everyone to have a smooth start to the school day. Our campus goal is to achieve 97% attendance and we are averaging around 95%!

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

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

Student's Return January 7th from Winter Break

Summitt Book Study

January 9th-see details below in the Counselor's Corner

2nd 9 week's Report Cards

January 17

January 21st at 12:00pm: Choice Sheet Due

All students Middle School choice Sheets due to Ms. Adams and Ms. Sieber, the counselors.

MLK Holiday-No School

January 20

Anderson Vertical Team-University Interscholastic League (UIL) Event

January 25th at Hill ES

January 25th Instrument Tryout for Murchison

CAC

January 27

Staff Development Day/Student Holiday

January 29-Wednesday

TET Night Show

February 7

Friendship Parties

February 14th

No School for Students

February 17th

Teacher Talent Show

February 21

CAC

February 24

Salute is Austin ISD’s annual celebration to recognize some of the district’s outstanding team members for their continued dedication to student excellence and achievement in our schools.

Nominations for 2025 Salute Awards are now open!

District staff, families, and the community are invited to submit a nomination for a campus staff member they believe represents the very best of Austin ISD.

The Salute Awards recognizes campus-based staff members in TEN categories. The winners will be celebrated at our Salute Awards ceremony, where we will also honor Teachers of Promise and Teachers of the Year.

Nominations will close January 15 at 5pm.

All Austin ISD staff, students, family, and community members are invited to nominate Austin ISD staff members in the following categories:

• Campus Clerical/Office Support Staff of the Year
• Teaching Assistant of the Year
• Custodial/Facilities Maintenance Staff of the Year
• Transportation Staff of the Year
• Food Service/Warehouse Staff of the Year
• Campus Safety and Security Staff of the Year
• Librarian of the Year
• Counselor of the Year
• Assistant Principal of the Year (Includes Academy Directors & Academic Deans)
• Principal of the Year

K-12 students can register for next year already!

November 6th is the first day of Enroll Austin Priority Registration! You will notice that many enhancements have been made to streamline the registration process — the district has been listening! We want you to know that Priority Registration is for all incoming K-12 students, whether attending their home campus or applying for a transfer. Pre-K registration will open in the spring.

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

Spring Semester Principal Chat Dates Coming Soon!

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.

FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMEBER 16TH-20TH we WILL NOT HAVE Lunch Visitation due to Winter Celebrations and other campus happenings.

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