Hornet Herald

Great evening fantastic families,

I hope you all had a chance to connect with your scholars and families to enjoy the holidays. Families please be on the lookout for progress reports as we enter our final 3 week stretch of the first semester. We will have a Basketball game on campus this Thursday December 2nd, Principal's Coffee(8a - 9a) & PTA meeting(9a - 10a) next Tuesday December 7th, and our December service day Saturday December 11th. Thank you for choosing Kealing Middle School and Austin ISD as your child’s primary educator. It is truly my honor to serve the Kealing Community.

#BEGREATmentality

#ProgressNotPerfection

Instructional Initiatives

1.) Daily Formative Assessment

2.) Literacy in Every Classroom

3.) Standards Aligned Instruction

4.) Progress Monitoring

Academic Goal

Utilizing an array of assessments (MAP- Measure of Academic Progress, SCA - AISD Short Course Assessment, and STAAR - State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness), the percentage of each demographic/special group of students performing at the meets level in Math & English will increase by at least 5% - 10% from August 17th, 2021 to May 27th,2022.

Social Goal

- TBA (we are still working on this but planning to look at the types of counseling visits our students are requesting)

All Day

Mask wearing is mandatory

Before School

All staff, students, and visitors are encouraged to self screen for COVID 19 symptoms before entering into a campus or other Austin ISD Facilities each day

Arrival

- We will maintain outdoor markers to social distance

Transition

- we will encourage moving halls where students are encourage to not stop while transitioning to classes

Classrooms

- We are space seating/desks at least 3 feet apart when feasible

- Each classroom will have a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration unit

- Personal Protective Equipment will be available in each room

- Plexiglass dividers available

- Additional outdoor seating

-Volunteer lunch monitors

Breakfast & Lunch

- Assigned seating

- Students are allowed to eat lunch both inside the cafeteria and outside in the courtyard

- Plexiglass accordian dividers.

Dismissal

- we will have staggered dismissal where scholars will be dismissed by areas of the building to reduce traffic.

Our Kealing Hornets who are enrolled in a high school credit class (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, World Languages, and CTE courses) will participate in semester exams the week of December 6-10. This week, the entire campus will operate on Semester Exams Bell Schedule. You can find the schedule by clicking the button below.

It is important that our Hornets participating in high school credit classes, perform well on their semester exams, as they will count towards a percentage of their semester grades. To help prepare, please have your student attend teachers' Office Hours. Reach out to you student's teachers or Program Directors if you have any questions.

Monday - November 29th - B Day

SB Percussion Sectionals @ 3:05p - 3:50p

Tuesday - November 30th - A Day

SB Flute/Oboe/Clarinet/Trumpet Sectionals @ 3:05p - 3:50p

Wednesday - December 1st - B Day

SB Alto Sax/Horn Sectionals @ 3:05p - 3:50p

Thursday - December 2nd - A Day

SB Low Brass/ Low Reeds Sectionals @ 3:05p- 3:50p

Kealing Vs Burnet Basketball @ 6:00p

Friday - December 3rd - B Day

Saturday - December 4th

KMS Soccer vs Burnet M.S at Burnet Middle School @9a

Admission Testing, 9a - 10a & 11a - 12p

Algebra I is the only HS Credit Course that has an EOC that we offer and that drop date is January 28, 2022. Students enrolled in Algebra I will all receive a form in mid-January after reviewing their student’s 1st semester grades to decide if they will keep the HS credit or drop the course. It’s important to note that if they drop the course, their schedule may change as a result.

All OTHER HS Credit Courses (HS Math – Geometry, or Algebra II; Language; Career & Technology Courses) has a drop course date of April 22, 2022. Families will all receive a form at this time to sign if they would like to keep the HS credit or drop the course. Dropping a course at this time will not affect a student’s schedule as students will remain in the class for the period but the course name will change.

Final Exam Schedule Highlights:

· Only for HS Credit Courses (HS Math, Language, & CTE courses)

· 2 Finals a Day (over 2 hours for finals periods)

· Mon/Tues Normal Order of Classes

· Wed/Thurs REVERSE Order of Classes

· DIFFERENT LUNCH ASSIGNMENTS EACH DAY (Assignments will be released later in the week)

• Mon - A3 / Tues - B7 / Wed - A2 / Thurs - B6

Kealing PTA has 448 members(including 3 community members and 14 student members); We need 195 members(643members )in November, to receive a three-year all-time high award from Texas PTA!!

If you haven't joined the KealingPTA, now is the time. Kealing PTA is responsible for many positive changes happening on our campus, and by joining the Kealing PTA, YOU are part of the positive changes.

Your membership matters, Click the link below to join:

https://form.jotform.com/KealingPTA/join-donate

Please contact Kealing membership VP, Shannan Riemer, vpmembership@kealingpta.org, with any membership questions, comments, or concerns.

Thank you for all your generous contributions to our campus! We appreciate you and all the many ways you show up for our Kealing Community. We have started a Community Donates spreadsheet in order to repurpose household items to our campus. There are two ways to contribute--1. Drop off the requested item to the front office labeled with the requesting teacher's name. 2. If you have item(s) to offer that might have a second life on our campus, please add a description to the spreadsheet. Teachers can then go in and claim the item. HERE is a link to the spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IOK7cMk99UZtIQcClIWNQ8Wgc3_nBQ0tBrj7amKXLro/edit?usp=sharing

Inspirit AI is a 25-hour enrichment program that introduces young students to fundamental artificial intelligence concepts in order to work through socially impactful projects in areas including art, healthcare, education, and more. Developed and taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford and MIT, students receive a personalized, interdisciplinary learning experience with a student-instructor ratio of 5:1, and custom curriculum appropriate for complete beginners to more advanced students. Applications for our Winter 2021 programs are now open– due December 4th. Please contact Program Manager, Aidan Goltra at arg2198@columbia.edu or call our team at +1 (240) 226-1366 with any questions. Thank you!

Time to clean out your coat closet! National Junior Honor Society is hosting a School-Wide Winter Wear Drive from November 1st through December 3rd. If possible, please donate new or gently used coats, scarves, hats, jackets, or any other winter-wear. Socks are also identified as high need, but will need to be new and in original packaging to be accepted. Items can be any size- from toddlers to adults!

Donated items will first go to Kealing Community Members/Families, while the rest will be donated to SAFE Austin and the ARC. You can drop off your items in Ms. Chambers' room (116) at the beginning of the school day (no earlier than 7:20) or during advisory.

Plan to attend the highly engaging Maroon and White Showcase Night at Austin High on December 2nd! This one-of-a kind event will allow future Maroons to explore all of the amazing programs that Austin High has to offer. Tour the Culinary Arts Kitchen, our Film Studio, or learn more about the exciting opportunities in Project Lead the Way. Visit with teachers and students about our Academies and learn about their signature experiences. The event will begin at 6:30pm in the Austin High Performing Arts Center, with a special performance featuring the many award-winning programs that Austin High has to offer. Families will then have time to visit with teachers and students representing all aspects of Austin High academics, electives, sports, and clubs. Mark your calendars for this exciting night!

Location - Austin High School, West Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX, USA

The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at The University of Texas at Austin is conducting a research study about parental and family attitudes on topics in education. Parents and guardians are requested to complete the 8-minute online survey by December 10, 2021. Participation is completely voluntary, and all answers will be anonymous. If you are interested in participating, please click on the link for the survey and additional information: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7WCiUjAuVOeVZoW

Research results will be shared during the 2022-23 school year. If you have any questions, please contact heather.vaughn@austin.utexas.edu.

Thank you for your participation.

HEATHER VAUGHN, Ed.S., Sr. Educational Outreach Coordinator, Lecturer

The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life

Moody College of Communication | The University of Texas at Austin

El Instituto Annette Strauss para la Vida Cívica de la Universidad de Texas en Austin está llevando a cabo un estudio de investigación sobre las actitudes de los padres y la familia sobre temas de educación. Se solicita a los padres y tutores que completen la encuesta en línea de 8 minutos antes del 10 de diciembre de 2021. La participación es completamente voluntaria y todas las respuestas serán anónimas. Si está interesado en participar, haga clic en el enlace de la encuesta e información adicional: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7WCiUjAuVOeVZoW

Los resultados de la investigación se compartirán durante el año escolar 2022-23. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con heather.vaughn@austin.utexas.edu.

Gracias por su participación.

HEATHER VAUGHN, Ed.S., Sr. Educational Outreach Coordinator, Lecturer

The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life

Moody College of Communication | The University of Texas at Austin

Greetings Nature Lovers!

This week we have a selection of job openings, volunteer opportunities, and upcoming summits/conferences to share. Read to the end for some fun family tips on having a more eco-friendly holiday season!

OPPORTUNITIES

2022 Growing School Gardens Summit Scholarships: scholarship applications are now open for the 2022 Growing School Gardens Summit in Denver. Starting at $450, awards vary based on registration, lodging, and meal needs. Applications due Nov 30th.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Center for Health & Nature Virtual Symposium: on December 8th Houston Methodist, Texan by Nature, and Texas A&M will be hosting a symposium with panel discussions focused on nature and personal health, business practices for healthier communities, and planning for healthier communities. Please register in advance for this virtual event.2021 Lead | Unite | Connect | Adapt | Share - Programs Conference: educational and enrichment session proposals are now open for the 2021 Programs Conference. Running from Dec 13-15, the Programs Conference is an opportunity to learn best practices within and outside the City of Austin's Department of Centralized Programs.

INSPIRATION

How to Have a Green Holiday Season: from our friends at the Office of Sustainability, learn how you and yours can have a more ecologically friendly holiday experience.

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

Julia Hill (she/her)

Program Coordinator – Cities Connecting Children to Nature

City of Austin | Parks & Recreation Department | Park Planning Division

+1 512-974-9466 | julia.hill@austintexas.gov

http://www.austintexas.gov/CCCN

Thank you, community, for your ongoing support via the Amazon Wishlist. Students are using the supplies for organization, collaboration, and creativity! Teachers continue to update the list as needs arise. "Thank you, community, for your ongoing support via the Amazon Wishlist. Students are using the supplies for organization, collaboration, and creativity! Teachers continue to update the list as needs arise. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/B7BQHNMLAOP/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist

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