Office of the Principal
August 27, 2010
Friday Folder Information
Friday folders and newsletters are the most effective way of communicating important information, so please set aside a few minutes each week to review their contents. During the first several weeks, Friday folders may contain less student-specific work than later in the year because new routines and procedures are being taught and students are being assessed so that their needs will be met. In order to save paper, we will send school-wide information home to only one child per family (the youngest sibling or one of a set of multiples). If you require duplicate information, please let your teacher know. This will also be the only hardcopy distribution of the newsletter; future newsletters will be sent electronically. Please send email updates to deborah.gueperoux@austinisd.org.
Parent Information Night
Parents new to Casis are invited to learn more about our school in a brief Q&A session in the cafeteria at 5:30pm. All parents are encouraged to join us in the cafeteria at 6:00pm for general discussion and to meet faculty members. Parents will then visit their child's classroom, where teachers will discuss classroom expectations and guidelines. Please make alternative child care arrangements as these evenings are dedicated to parents.
Traffic & Safety
Your cooperation is appreciated to make student drop-off/pick-up time's smooth and safe for our students by following the Traffic & Safety Guidelines that were included in your child's back-to-school packet. Please share these guidelines with any other family members who transport your child to and from school, and note the following important "do's and don'ts":
PTA Volunteer Interest Form for Fall 2010
In your back-to-school packets you received the PTA Volunteer Interest Form for the fall semester. Casis
appreciates the many, many parent and community volunteers who put forth so much time and effort to make
the school a special place, and we encourage every parent to get involved. Please check as many volunteer opportunities as you are interested in and return the form to your child's teacher by Tuesday, September 7th. All volunteers are required to complete a one-time volunteer clearance, which consists of:
Gift Wrap Sale
Casis PTA and Innisbrook Wraps present the 2010 "Totally Trendy" fundraiser with a great line of products from Innisbrook. As the second largest fundraiser for Casis, it helps fund our reading specialists, technology lab, Spanish program and much more. Let's drive participation! Just one purchase gets your child a ticket to the raffle for an iPod Nano. Catalogs will be sent home with your children on Friday, September 3rd, and the sale runs through Friday, September 24th. If you have any questions please contact Jenni Chester at jennichester@gmail.com or Sheryl Jett at sheryljett@austin.rr.com.
Leadership Casis
All 5th graders are invited to participate in Leadership Casis. This enrichment program is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop communication, social and leadership skills throughout the school year. Leadership Casis seeks to affirm each student's individual talents and abilities. Through their participation, students will grow in knowledge and self-confidence. The organization's mission is to Lead by example, Encourage community commitment, Achieve school spirit, and Develop habits of service. The first meeting will be Tuesday, September 7th from 2:45-4:00pm in the library. Applications and details were sent home with students this week and are due back to teachers by Tuesday, August 31st. Questions? Contact: Camille Cipione at camillecipione@yahoo.com, Huette Oakly at choakley1@yahoo.com, Nancy Hurd at nancy.hurd3@gmail.com or Christa Peyton at christa@ameliabullock.com.
Math Pentathlon
The Casis Math Pentathlon Club will send registration forms in the September 3rd Friday folder and will begin accepting registrations on Tuesday, September 7th on a first come, first serve basis. Priority will be given to students who participated in last year's Math Pentathlon Club. The after school club will be meeting on Thursday afternoons from 2:45-3:45pm beginning Thursday, September 16th. More information, including a calendar for the year, will be available with registration.
Chess Club
All 1st through 5th graders are welcome to join the chess club. Chess club will begin on September 14th
and will meet every Tuesday in the library from 2:45-4:15pm. Registration forms will be sent home in the September 3rd Friday folder and should be returned to school by September 10th. All ability levels are welcome and parent volunteers are needed -- even if you don't have to know how to play! For more info please contact Doug Schultz at doug@austin.rr.com.
Thank you Casis Volunteers
Thanks go out to the many parent volunteers that helped get out school year off to an great start: Sandra Yancer and Sheryl Jett for getting pre-ordered school supplies out to hundreds of students during Open House, and Kelley Mucci and her team for organizing the back-to-school packets, Kellie Farris and Elizabeth Smith for the delicious first day parent coffee, and Jan Gustafson and Dawn Goetzel for organizing parent help with safety patrol the first two weeks of school. We appreciate all of your dedication and hard work.
Procedural Reminders
Visiting/volunteering - All visitors are required to sign in and wear a photo ID badge while on campus. Please bring your photo ID and get it scanned by office staff the first time you visit campus. Once you are in the system, you will be able to use the stand-alone kiosk in the office to sign in and out.
Phone calls - In general, most teachers do not answer their telephones during instructional time. Please communicate after school plans, doctor visits, special lunch plans, or other arrangements with your child before school. All classrooms have direct line phone numbers which can be found in the school directory.
Early morning arrival - Students and parents arriving before 7:40am should report to the cafeteria.
Late arrival/early dismissal - For the safety of our children, students arriving after 7:45am or leaving before 2:45pm should be signed in/out in the office.
Attendance notes - All attendance matters should be reported in writing within 48 hours of the incident, via email to ksallans@austinisd.org, fax to 477-1776 or hand-delivery to the attendance basket in the office.
Signing in for Safety
Keeping our campus safe for all of our treasured students is a top priority, so we want to take a moment to revisit the policies and procedures for visiting the campus that will be enforced during the 2010-2011 school year. You may access the following link that outlines district guidelines as well.
The Raptor system that was installed last year will continue to be used this year to provide photo ID badges for any visitor going beyond the office. If you haven't already done so, please have your photo ID scanned by office staff, and then you will be able to use the kiosk to sign in. It is the expectation that every visitor wear a badge at all times. Visitors without a badge will be asked by staff to return to the office to sign in. We appreciate your diligence in completing this step so that security for our students is provided all day, every day.
In order to maximize instruction for our students, it is also important to minimize interruptions. Please make appointments with your child's teacher versus dropping in. Communication between teachers and parents is highly valued at our school and we want to optimize all efforts to keep in touch with each other. Please read all communications and use email as appropriate to stay in touch with your child's teacher or to schedule a conference. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter so that all students receive quality instruction in the classroom.
We also ask that you drop off forgotten items in the office instead of delivering items to your child's classroom yourself. We will be purposeful in making sure any item left in the office will be delivered to your child in a timely manner.
Your cooperation and attention to these will continue to ensure that all Casis students receive a top quality education. Thank you for helping us optimize the hours your children are entrusted to our care.
Good Beginning
Thank you parents, staff and students for helping us have a smooth-running first week. The efforts of many people helped make this year start on a strong, positive note. Your assistance and contributions to our community are appreciated.